The Goblin King (19 page)

But the fact that she was laying here in the first place was like an anchor on the ship whose sails her existence had given wind.
“But she gave no indication of being weakened,” he told the Healer, again without looking at her. “She even said she felt
good
. And then she passed out.”

Now he did look up
, sitting back on his heels so he could remain holding Diana’s hand as he spoke with the werewolves in the room.

Dannai frowned. “I
think I can explain that. It’s happened to me before. We so badly want to believe that we can go on making a difference that we block out what’s happening to our own bodies. That may be the case here. But I think… there’s someone we should call,” she said. “When I was healing Diana, I sensed something else. I don’t want to make any guesses about it. Lily Kane will know. And I would also like to call for Lalura.”

Damon had no issues
with that. The ancient witch was so powerful and so wise, she was even allowed a permanent seat at the table of the 13 Kings. She would always be welcome by Damon. Her contrived crush on him not withstanding.

“
And when she gets here, she can probably shed a little more light on the situation,” Dannai finished.

“In the mean
time,” said Lucas, also speaking to Damon, “we heard about the attack on her house. Roman told a few others and word spread. If she’s staying here, we’ll need reinforcements. Just in case.”

Caige
was absolutely right about that too. And Damon also needed to speak with Roman personally. When Diana came around, she was going to want to know what happened with her best friend. In addition, Damon needed a word with Avery and Caliban about the Bookas and spell spiders on Diana’s house. The fae were crossing borders, and not in a good way.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It had been about an hour or so since Diana had awoken in a stranger’s home. It was now midday, and she found herself in the cozy and tastefully decorated living room of a large log cabin somewhere along the Pacific Northwest coast. Wind blew steady through tall tree tops outside, and in the not-too-far distance, waves crashed against the rocks of an ocean cliff side.

There were a total of eight people
in the log cabin’s living room now. They’d introduced themselves earlier, and since then, there had been a lot of talking, a lot of questions, and a lot of answers.

The one who had introduced herself as the
Seer
was Lily Kane, a beautiful woman with long, golden blonde hair who was apparently also a werewolf.  Dannai Caige was the woman who had healed Diana after Damon had apparently brought her to her home in an unconscious state. Evelynne D’Angelo was the Vampire Queen, another beautiful woman – with a name that sounded familiar to Diana. Evelynne was the wife of the befanged gentleman Diana had met outside her home when it was being attacked by monsters.

Siobhan Ashdown was
a warlock, a user of “black” magic, and also the Phantom Queen. The latter was a concept that Diana seriously could not wrap her head around just yet. She felt like she was floating as it was.

Chloe Septeran
was something called an Akyri and was also reputedly the Warlock Queen. Again, it was too much information presented far too quickly, but Diana was proud of herself for hanging in there and compartmentalizing as well as she was.

Then there was
Lalura Chantelle, a singularly charismatic and ancient woman with quite possibly the most intelligent eyes Diana had ever seen, and soft and weathered parchment for skin. She was a witch. This, Diana believed with utmost clarity and conviction and a complete lack of confusion. She was simply the most probable witch ever.

The last two in the room were Damon Chroi –
and Diana.

Ther
e had been other men there earlier, all of the husbands. But the lot of them had gone outside to take watch against possible attacks, leaving Diana with the women and the Goblin King.

“I’ll be right
outside,” he told her now from where he stood beside her at the edge of the couch. “In the meantime,” he continued, “I want you to eat and drink something.” His tall, dark form radiated electric heat and loomed over her like both a threat and a shield. His demeanor had changed somewhat since they’d come to this place. He seemed agitated and overprotective.

Diana didn’t respond well to people telling her what to do. But she also wasn’t stupid. She was in the middle of nowh
ere with no way of contacting anyone and she was surrounded by strangers. Granted, they seemed like very nice strangers and one of them had even saved her life. But they weren’t family.

Not yet.

Diana frowned at the wayward thought – and shoved it aside.

She didn’t respond to Damon’s command, but instead sat on the edge of the
couch with her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She wasn’t sure what she would say anyway. The truth was she
was
hungry. She was just stubborn.

Damon curled a finger under her chin and tilted her head toward him. Their eyes met. “Please,” he added a little too softly, as if he’d had to force it from between his perfect white teeth. The scar that ran through his lip gave him a look just then that struck Diana as severe and dominating. In an overtly sexy sort of way.

It almost made Diana
want
to defy him. Just to see what he would do….

But the level-headed part of her nodded, appeasing him.
I’m fucking starving
, she admitted to herself.

Damon’s sexy lips turned into a small gratified smile, and he released her, stepping back. She watched from the couch as the Goblin King nodded at the others, and left the log cabin. She listened to his boots descend the stairs outside, taking him to the ground level where the others were gathered.

A low whistle drew Diana’s attention to the dining room table, where se
veral women sat. Lalura Chantelle was shaking her head. “That man gives me hot flashes.”

“You’re too old for hot flashes,” said Dannai, rolling her eyes.

“He makes me feel young again.”

Diana
turned away from the two and looked back toward the door through which Damon had disappeared. He’d made a lasting impression on her.

He was
so tall... and broad. He was warm to the touch. He looked at her with literal fire. And he smelled like rain. He was a walking, talking winter’s night at home on the couch in front of the fireplace with the one you loved.

Diana went still
.
The one I
….
Oh, no.
People didn’t fall in love over the course of one night. Not
this
kind of night, especially. And not kings. Not
Goblin
Kings. Not with her.

O
h, shit on a cracker.

She ducked her head to hide her blush as these thoughts da
nced across her unwilling mind, and hugged herself tighter.

“Here, come with me and I’l
l get you some hot tea,” said Dannai, who gently took her elbow and nudged her toward the kitchen.

Diana followe
d her into the small, welcoming room. It smelled like fresh baked goods and coffee and strong tea. It was warm, but not too warm. The babies had awoken an hour earlier, been fed, and were once more sleeping soundly in swing chairs beside the kitchen window in a beam of sunlight.

Dannai,
or
Danny
to her friends, placed a hot mug in Diana’s hands and steered her toward the dining room table, pulling out a chair for her. Lalura, Evelynne – who preferred
Evie
– and Lily were already seated there. Siobhan and Chloe stood against the wall of the dining room, sipping at their own drinks. It was the coziest and strangest gathering of people Diana had ever been in the company of.

Lily leaned over the table and very gently placed her hand over Diana’s. It was an unexpectedly comforting gesture. “Diana, can you tell me about the visions you had when you touched Damon in that alley and were knocked unconscious?”

Diana blinked. “How did you know about that?”

Lily smiled, shrugging. “
Seer
, remember?”

“Which is why I asked her to join us
,” said Danny. “I sensed something when I was healing you. Not only do you possess the same ability to heal that I do,” she spoke with an enormous smile that clearly displayed a good deal of relief, “you also possess a power that reminded me distinctly of Lily’s.”

Lily’s smile was warm
. “It’s possible that you’ve got a bit of the seer in yourself,” she said.

Diana look
ed from her to Danny and then the others. Every one of them watched her with open kindness. They were the most welcoming people she’d ever met. It was difficult for Diana to hold on to her fear and uncertainty when she was surrounded with these souls. They felt familiar to her… almost like family. And not the
oh my god, get the alcohol, the holidays are coming
, kind of family, either.

“
Okay,” she said tentatively. She licked her lips and thought back. “I saw….” She concentrated inward, reliving that first moment when she’d met Damon in the alley. As she did, she told the others what she’d seen when she’d been knocked out.

“
Well, I have no idea what the dishes and things on the table might mean, but the thirteen queens are pretty recognizable,” said Evie. “Especially on an enormous chess board, standing together against a coming danger.”

“It was more than a danger,” said Diana softly. “It was….”

“Death,” finished Lily knowingly.

Diana nodded.

“Well, my dear, I think you’ve just had a taste of what it’s like to be a queen,” said Lalura, her voice as old and weathered as her face appeared to be.

Diana shook her head now. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I really can’t imagine myself as
royalty.” She looked at the others. She looked at Evelynne D’Angelo with her beautiful hair and perfect porcelain skin and….
Oh my god!
Now Diana remembered where she’d heard her name before! She was a New York Times bestselling author! One of the most loved indie vampire romance authors was
actually
a
vampire
. Talk about having an in.

Well that cinches it
, she thought.
I don’t belong.

Chloe Septeran looked like a living, breathing fallen star. Siobhan had that fairy-like C
eltic perfection all around her with her dark red hair and proud stance. And they all looked all of about twelve years old.

Diana
, on the other hand, was thirty-six. She’d been told she looked younger, but she didn’t
feel
younger. She worked with animals all day and barely wore anything but sweats and jeans. “I would make a horrible queen. Frankly, I’m overworked, I barely sleep, and at the moment, I’m a little too obsessed with the fact that I’m losing my hair.” She made a small derisive sound. “Stress.”

Evie laughed softly, drawing
Diana’s attention. “Believe me love, we all have our issues.”

Siobhan nodded
enthusiastically. “I count things. Like, obsessively. Steps to a front door, stairs to a second floor, number of times I come to a red light – you name it. It’s a coping mechanism.”

Evie join
ed in. “Panic attacks here,” she said, raising her hand. “Not as bad since I was turned, but I get the occasional spell and I’ll never forget how horrible they were before.”

Chloe piped in next.
“I absorb people’s emotions and get migraines.”

“So you’re not alone, young lady,” said Lalura.
“In fact, it would seem you fit the profile to perfection.” The old woman took a slow sip of her tea, closed her eyes, and nodded approvingly. “You’ve gotten better, child,” she said, opening her blue, blue eyes and pinning Danny with them.

Danny smiled
accommodatingly, but tightly.

Lalura went on. “You are also a healer
, and most likely as Lily stated, a seer. There is nowhere you belong more than with us. Biscuit or scone?”

Diana looked down at the trays filled with sandwiches, cooki
es and cakes. Her mouth literally watered.

“Yes, please,” she said, a little nervously reaching for the nearest cake.

Evie sighed heavily suddenly and muttered a series of unintelligible words. They sounded powerful – and they must have been, because there was a strange popping sensation in Diana’s ears.

And then Evie was reaching for several cupcakes, a scon
e, and a handful of cookies. She began taking big bites almost without pause.

“Well, that was a record,” said Siobhan. “Seve
n minutes and seventeen seconds.” She pressed a button on her wrist watch. There was a beep, and presumably a stopwatch ceased its counting.

“Shu-uff,” said Evie from behind her hand and around a mouth full of food. Diana found her lips curling naturally with amusement. “You aw di’
wish on burbosh.”