The Goblin King

by Shona Husk

  “She’s on her way,” Amanda called out as she walked down the aisle with her daughter, Brigit, at her side. The slim-fitting black-and-white bridesmaid dress restricted each step—well, that and the heels. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten dressed up. When she’d gotten married it had been in a registry office. That seemed so long ago now she could’ve been another person. She had been another person back then. Young and carefree. Her life had changed so fast. Widowed three months later. She glanced at Brigit, the only part of her husband she had left.

  At least Brigit wasn’t hampered by her dress. Instead it was the responsibility of carrying the ring Eliza was going to give Roan that slowed Brigit. She walked very carefully clutching the it as if it were going to jump out of her fist. From her other hand hung the black-and-white little bag made especially to match the dress. But it wasn’t for show. Inside was Brigit’s inhaler. She couldn’t go out without it. Anything could set off a fatal asthma attack.

  Please not today. Brigit had been looking forward to the wedding for months—she didn’t care that Eliza wasn’t marrying Steve; instead she’d been fascinated about Roan.

  But it was Dai who captured Amanda’s attention. He stood to one side, his long hair loose but not scruffy. The hair and black suit were at odds with how she’d thought he’d look. She’d been told he was a scholar. When she’d been at college, none of her professors had looked like him. He was too…too something she didn’t want to label.

  Dai turned his head and caught her gaze. His eyes were dark and mesmerizing. Her heart gave a solid thump, as if beating for the first time in years. Her smile widened before she could stop her lips from moving, and then a slow, creeping heat colored her cheeks. Dai gave her a small nod and a smile that made her feel like she was the one walking up the aisle.

  Get a grip. It was a wedding and she was just in a happy, romantic mood because of Eliza. She was living vicariously through her. Being in love was exciting…even if Eliza was rushing to the altar with a man she’d known for only a heartbeat.

  Wonder what Dai thinks of the quick wedding. She’d have to ask him later. And also take the opportunity to find out a bit more about the King brothers—for Eliza’s sake.

  She and Brigit took their places on the other side of the altar with the scowling priest looking on. He obviously didn’t approve of the late change of groom. Brigit opened her hand for the third time to check on the ring.

  “You’ll do great,” Amanda reassured her.

  Brigit nodded and looked at the men on the other side. She frowned and asked, “Why does Roan’s brother still have long hair?”

  Her little voice echoed in the empty church. Amanda wilted on the inside—there was no way Dai could’ve missed the comment.

  “I don’t know,” Amanda whispered with an awkward smile stuck on her lips.

  Dai didn’t need to cut his hair. It suited him, softened what otherwise might have been a fierce expression, with dark blue eyes someone could drown in.

  Dai’s gaze landed on Brigit, his face neutral as he spoke to his brother in another language—Welsh maybe from the soft lilts. Amanda held her breath, ready to leap to Brigit’s defense, waiting for him to either laugh or scowl at her daughter. He did neither.

  “To answer your question, little one—I like it long,” he said in English with an unidentifiable accent.

  Amanda sighed. At least he wasn’t a children-shouldn’t-be-heard type of academic. When she realized she was checking out how nicely the suit fit his body, she looked quickly away and studied the stained glass window before he could notice she was looking, again.

  It was one thing to look at Dai and wonder what he looked like beneath his clothes, but another to act on it. She glanced at Brigit. Unlike Eliza, Amanda couldn’t take risks and leaps of faith.

  As she watched her sister-in-law walk down the aisle, Amanda realized she was jealous. Not pea-green, but enough that she knew what she didn’t have, and what she’d lost. Matt should’ve been here watching his sister marry, watching his daughter grow up. Part of her had died with him and the rest had forgotten how to live as she’d poured her attention into Brigit and her battle for survival.

  She didn’t hear the words of the vows, only the echo of the words she’d promised years ago in a registry office. Her finger touched the wedding band Matt had given her. His was at home, barely scratched after only three months of use.

  A tiny chime rang through the church. She gasped as she realized Brigit had dropped the ring and was scrambling to retrieve it as it spun on the stone floor.

  Eliza let out a small laugh.

  A peel of thunder rolled over the roof. Dai glanced up as if he could see something no one else could. He spoke in Welsh and his brother nodded.

  “And so it is. The vows are accepted,” Roan said in English

  Accepted by whom? A trickle of ice traced down Amanda’s spine, the church suddenly cold. Who were these men? Did Eliza truly know? And if she did, what was she hiding and why?

  Amanda turned away when Roan and Eliza kissed, unable to fight the rising disquiet. She couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be kissed by a man. Her gaze landed on Dai. He was watching her. The moment they realized, they both looked away as if they’d found something else suddenly absorbing.

  “It’s like in Cinderella.” Brigit was grinning at the idea that her favorite fairy tale could come true.

  Amanda stroked her daughter’s hair and hoped that Brigit would be saved the heartache she’d experienced. It was a relief to step outside into the warmth of the winter sun. The sky was clear, and while the sun was bright, it lacked the heat to take away the chill. She shivered as gooseflesh rose on her arms.

  “Here.” Dai offered her his jacket, leaving him only a shirt and waistcoat against the cool weather.

  She hesitated, not sure she wanted to take anything from him when she knew nothing about him. But that would be churlish and today wasn’t about her.

  “Thank you. Are you sure you won’t be cold?”

  He shook his head, his dark hair spilling over his shoulders. “This is practically summer.”

  “Of course.” He was used to freezing Welsh winters and snow. He was going to find an Australian summer rather hot.

  She draped the jacket around her shoulders, the lining still warm from his body. For a heartbeat she let herself be enveloped in his warmth and scent. Her body responded, craving his touch. It had been so long since she’d been close to any man.

  If she could, would she? If Brigit never knew, did it matter? And how would she manage to date? She’d have to ask Eliza to babysit and then Eliza would ask a hundred questions…Eliza wouldn’t want to babysit when she could be spending time with her new husband. Amanda twisted the ring on her finger, then stopped, horrified at what she’d been thinking. Could she really betray the man she loved for a moment of pleasure?

  Brigit counted out jumps and hops on the pavement, entertaining herself while they waited for the cars. Her handbag swung from her wrist. Amanda wanted to ask Brigit to stop, but bit her tongue. She couldn’t wrap her daughter up in cotton wool and force her to sit still in case she had an asthma attack—no matter how tempting the idea.

  Her gaze slid sideways, but Dai had his back turned to her and was studying the church. He probably wasn’t interested in her anyway. What man wanted an instant family? And if they did, it made her suspicious. Roan and Eliza were talking softly, their hands linked as if nothing could separate them.

  That was what she missed the most. Having someone there. Someone she could count on. Someone to hold her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For just a moment she let her imagination wander. What would it be like to be held by someone other than Matt? To have more than just Dai’s jacket around her? She shivered as if cold fingers traced the nape of her neck.

  “The cars are here.” Brigit grabbed her hand.

  Complicated. She opened her eyes. Dating was complicated without a fragile child that requ
ired constant attention.

  The two black Jags parked out front. Eliza had told them to be back in half an hour, but the wedding had taken less than that. On the way to the church, the guys had been in one and the girls in the other. Now Roan and Eliza would take one, which left Amanda and Dai and Brigit with the other.

  Dai held open the car door and Brigit slid into the backseat. Amanda followed, carefully swinging her legs in, knees together. Stupid dress. Then he closed the door and got in front. Out of the cool air, Amanda took off his jacket and laid it on the seat, even though she wanted to keep it wrapped around her.

  She licked her lips. She had a hundred questions she wanted to ask, but quizzing him in the car probably wasn’t the best idea as Brigit listened to everything. And just because the chauffeur was silent didn’t mean he didn’t gossip. After the media fiasco with Steve’s fraud, the last thing Eliza needed was questions about her new husband. So Amanda leaned back and gazed out the window. Later.

  But maybe she was just making an excuse to spend more time with Dai later.

  The chauffeur drove back through the city and stopped at the gourmet pizza shop not far from Eliza’s house. Dai went in and picked up the order. There was no fancy reception, just pizza and champagne. She watched as he walked back to the car, her fingers brushing his jacket. He didn’t move like someone who’d spent his life behind a desk. There was a grace that only athletes and people who understood their body acquired. There was more to his life than study.

  But it was much easier to label her attraction as curiosity and to ignore the tightening in her belly. She touched the ring on her finger; she’d never taken it off. Couldn’t. Yet Dai had caught her attention. She tried to ignore the fragile sensation but it grew anyway, tightening her breath and making her light-headed like a teenager in lust.

  That’s all this was. Simple lust. And she was only overheating because she hadn’t been with a man since her husband. Dai got back into the car and gave her a small smile as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Just because she was thinking about what he’d look like with less clothes didn’t mean she would act on it. She forced herself to focus out the window. She didn’t have time to indulge, or even dabble, in lust, and Eliza’s new brother-in-law was definitely the wrong person.

  ***

  With the pizza almost gone and an empty bottle of champagne sitting in the middle of the dining table, everyone was eased back in their chairs. Pizza tasted better when it hadn’t been stolen and brought back to the Shadowlands. Dai’s lips curved. Everything tasted better when not eaten in the Shadowlands. He finished his champagne and flexed his fingers against the glass. He’d never expected to be eating in the Fixed Realm again—as a man. But then he’d never expected to live again as a man. For too many centuries he’d thought either the curse or a blade would claim him. Despite his years of magical study he’d never have guessed the cure would’ve been as simple as love.

  Then again, loving a goblin was never simple.

  Coming Spring 2012

  Acknowledgments

  A lot of peopled helped shape this novel. I’d like to thank BN and TH for their advice on the police and legal work; the WINK girls for making sure I got the story out of my head and onto the page—a cross-genre critique group is worth their weight in gold; JD Cregan for his knowledge of story spine and structure; my family for being themselves. And my editor, Leah, for loving my goblins as much as I do.

  About the Author

  A civil designer by day and an author by night, Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination, she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally.