The Brimstone Deception (27 page)

Rake gave me a sheepish grin. “Or insane. I'd used that shielding spell before for fire, but brimstone isn't exactly something you get an opportunity to practice with.”

I blinked. “You didn't know if it would work?”

“I suspected it would. Strongly suspected.”

“Maybe that makes you insanely brave. Either way, any man who'd dive into a Hellpit is certainly up for a little Hellpit slamming.”

Rake's sheepishness spread into a full grin. “I didn't slam that Hellpit, either. That was all Kitty.”

“But you—”

“Didn't give her a power infusion. For one, by then I didn't have it in me to give. I barely had enough to stay on my feet. Kitty needed to do as much by herself, unaided, as possible. Magic takes strength, but it also takes confidence. You have to believe that you can do it. Kitty had had too many anchor mages fail her. That affected her confidence in her own ability. Soon thoughts began to run through her mind. Maybe she hadn't been good enough. Or if she'd been stronger, her anchor would have survived. Doubt is like poison. Once it gets in, unless stopped, it will run its course and kill you. In
Kitty's case, it wasn't her body that was in danger, but her spirit. I gave her just enough of a boost to make her feel secure and confident in her own power. To let her know that I was there and that I wouldn't leave.” He glanced toward the kitchen door. “Kitty has enough power of her own, a truly astounding amount.” Then he leaned forward. “You say you trust me, but you don't.”

“I trust you.” I paused. “Your motives, not so much. On the other hand, you could say that I do trust your motives. I trust them to be devious. That is on those rare opportunities when I even know what the hell they are.”

“I'm a goblin. It's how
we
are. Though I promise you, I swear to you, that I have no ulterior motive when it comes to you. What Isidor said—”

“What Isidor said doesn't matter,” I lied.

“Oh, yes, it does. It's what you've thought since we met. I am being honest with you. I need you to be honest with me.”

“I have been.”

“No, you haven't. You've been avoiding me.”

I folded my hands on the table in front of me. “Okay, then. I'm here. No avoiding. Why are you interested in me? I'm a small-town girl. I clean up well, but I'm not beautiful.”

Rake started to interrupt.

I held up a hand. “Let me finish. You could have any woman you wanted, and you probably have. Yet you want me. The one thing I am that they aren't is a seer. You tried to hire me that first night.”

“And you said no.”

“And you've been after me ever since. I want to know why.”

“Do I have to have a reason?”

“Goblins always have a reason.”

I reached for another cookie. Rake's hand arrived at the same time. He let go of the cookie and took my hand. He started to cover it with his other hand, and then stopped.

He was giving me the option to pull away.

I didn't.

“Makenna, I don't know what it is that we have, or what I feel. Believe that, believe
me
. What I really want is a chance, a chance to get to know you, to find out what we do have, what we
could
have. And I promise not to ravish you.” He gave me a slow, wicked-sexy smile. “Unless you want me to.”

I gave him a flat look. “Rake.”

“Sorry. Old habits, hard to break and all that.” Rake gazed at me a moment across that small table, his expression unreadable. “I jumped into a pit of brimstone wearing a shield that might have failed. If that had happened, we wouldn't be here having this conversation. I wouldn't jump into a pit of fire for a potential employee.”

If that shield had failed, Rake would have been burned to death, and I would have been . . . well, whatever would have happened to me in Hell. He was right; we most definitely wouldn't be talking now.

“The only reason I dove into that pit was because you were there,” he said. “I had a chance to save you and I took it.” He gave me an exaggerated frown. “I was really glad it worked. I wasn't keen on being vaporized. It would have only hurt for an instant, but still. I'm not ready to die yet. I have things to do.”

I couldn't help it. I felt a smile coming on. “And seers to acquire for mysterious reasons?”

“There are other seers. Who knows? Maybe even better seers.” His eyes lit with mischief. “And I only hire the very best.”

“I probably wouldn't even make the final interview.”

Rake raised my hand to his lips, his eyes solemn. “There are other seers. There is only one Makenna
Fraser.”

Lisa Shearin
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of the Raine Benares novels, a comedic fantasy adventure series, as well as the SPI Files novels, an urban fantasy series best described as
Men in Black
with supernaturals instead of aliens. Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens, teapots, and teacups, both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, three spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough deer and woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.

Visit her online at lisashearin.com, facebook.com/LisaShearinAuthor, and twitter.com/
LisaShearin.

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