by Chloe Jacobs
As his other hand slipped up under the edge of her shirt and opened over her skin like a brand, she gasped. “I remembered the way you look at life as a challenge you must always win, and the way you are both soft and strong in my arms. I remembered the bright blue of your eyes, and how they turn to ice or liquid fire, depending on whether I’ve just kissed you or made you angry.”
“You remembered all that in a touch?” she murmured, breathless.
“I remembered it all. Your touch brings back everything.”
She bit back a sob of relief as he took her mouth in a kiss so deep she felt it all the way to her toes. When Isaac kissed her it was like tumbling off the edge of a cliff, making her weightless and free, and she kissed him back with everything she had. He wasn’t gentle, but she didn’t want him to be. She liked her rough, overbearing goblin with a little bit of wildness in him. A little wildness, not all the wildness.
“Maybe you should let me go. Or I should let you go,” she murmured with a chuckle. But neither of them seemed in any hurry to move.
“I’d prefer that you never let me go,” he said, suddenly serious. “But if you must, know that because of you I will never truly be Lost. You can always call me back.”
She grinned and kissed his chin. “It was just a suggestion, anyway. I’m good right here.”
“Would you have come after me if I stayed Lost? Would you have hunted me down and put your blade in my heart?” His voice was low, his lips a mere inch from hers.
She bit her lip. “I don’t know.” She shook her head, tremors shaking her from the inside out. She didn’t want to think about it. The person who’d lashed him with fire and ice didn’t feel like her. Now that the magick was gone and she was just Greta…Greta who loved him so much it was hard to breathe…could she make the same choices? “Don’t ever make me have to decide something like that again, okay?”
Before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his again and opened her mouth, letting his tongue inside to tangle with hers.
In no time at all, the kiss became her whole world. She needed it more than she needed to breathe. They made out like that until she couldn’t see straight or stand up without his hands to hold her, until he traced each of the bones marking her rib cage all the way up to the sides of her breasts, and she giggled. Who knew she was ticklish?
He leaned back, and she sighed, trying to slow her racing heart.
“Thank you,” he said.
She swallowed. “What for? The Lost thing?”
He kissed her again, lightly this time, but his gaze didn’t lighten, and the hot weight of it made her sweat like she’d been running for miles.
“I can’t remember the last time anyone saw beyond the magick and curses of the goblin king to me…the man I really am,” he said. “They were always so busy either seeking out my gifts for their own benefit or running from them out of fear.”
“I won’t say I’ve never been afraid of you.” She squeezed his arm. “But I know what it’s like to go through life without anyone who can accept you for who you are.”
His gaze dropped, following the line of her cheekbone to her jaw and lower until she blushed. “You’re so beautiful.”
She laughed. “I’m human and covered pretty much from head to toe in scars, Isaac. How could I possibly be anything but horrifying? It’s okay, though,” she hurried to assure him with a grin. “I don’t care. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“I don’t see any scars,” he said, tracing her cheek and nose and jaw, making her shiver. He dragged his thumb across her lips as if he could smudge the imprint of his kiss like lipstick—even though she’d never worn the stuff in her life, there were some things from that long-lost other existence that were still stuck in her head.
“That’s not fair. You can’t just pretend they aren’t there.”
“When I look at you, I don’t see anything except the strong female who makes me want to be stronger, too, and matches me in every way.”
“Don’t ignore reality.” She shoved him in the chest, suddenly angry. If he only saw what he wanted to see, how could she ever be sure his feelings were real?
He grinned. “I don’t ignore what’s truly important. I see your real flaws, trust me.”
A distinct throat clearing came from behind her. Her hand immediately dropped to her sword belt as she spun around, until she realized she’d left her weapon back in the cave.
She stopped and let out a long sigh of relief when she saw the gangly, scruffy teen standing there with raised eyebrows. Ray.
Behind him stood Sloane. Charlie. Niall. Carter. Leo. And little Jacob. Her heart expanded with relief. They’d all made it.
Jacob ran to her, his little legs pumping. She bent over to catch him before he barreled right into her. When he looked up, his eyes were bright. “We’re home!” he cried. “Sloane says so.” He grinned at her, and she couldn’t help grinning back. Thank the Great Mother he was okay.
The rest of the boys approached more slowly. At first she thought they were disappointed in her. They’d have every right to be after the way she’d left them. But then she realized they couldn’t take their eyes off Isaac.
“It’s okay,” she said. “He’s with us.”
Us.
She looked around. A warm breeze blew all the stray strands of hair escaping her braids across her face. Could it be true?
Isaac squeezed her hand, and she glanced up at him. He nodded over her shoulder and she turned around to see Wyatt with one arm around Siona’s waist and his other hand holding her arm across the back of his shoulder as he helped her to her feet. She wobbled, and he gently pulled her closer.
Siona looked up and her gaze met Greta’s, then Isaac’s. She froze, and the look of pain on her face had nothing to do with physical discomfort.
Wyatt bent his head to hers and murmured something in her ear. Finally, she set her chin and nodded, giving him a shy smile before they made their way over.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Siona winced, but she nodded. “It’s nothing,” she said. Her eyes filled with sorrow. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. If I hadn’t stopped you from—”
“Despite everything, she was your mother,” Greta interrupted, taking her hand. “I totally get it.”
Isaac wasn’t so quick to let her off the hook. “Because of your constant betrayal, the demon has arisen. Agramon not only has the power of all faeries and commands an army ready to march on all the kingdoms of Mylena, but we are trapped here, unable to do anything about it.” His voice cut like a knife, causing everyone to wince.
“Hey.” Wyatt edged in front of Siona protectively. He glared at Isaac. “Leave her alone.”
“It isn’t all her fault,” Greta interjected. “We all played a part in that fiasco. The demon was in me, and I’m responsible for the destruction he will cause now.” She swallowed hard. “The lives he will take.”
Isaac’s expression darkened. “There will be war. Not only in Mylena, but everywhere.”
Wyatt frowned. “What do you mean?”
Greta shivered. She knew exactly what Agramon would do.
“Once the demon has conquered my world,” Isaac said, “he won’t hesitate to come for this one. He’ll burn through the human world and move on to the next, and the next. His hunger for blood and pain and power can never be satisfied.”
Wyatt’s shoulders slumped. “So what do we do now?”
They all looked at each other.
Ray smiled. “I say first we find a burger joint…and then we figure it out.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
They spent three warm, sunny days camped out in the caves where the portal had dumped them—which was really nothing for a group of kids who’d spent years fending for themselves in Mylena during the dead of winter. At first they’d just wanted to figure out exactly where they were. But they also searched for a way back. Greta, Isaac, and Siona had all agreed from the start that they neede
d to return as soon as possible, to stop Agramon and prevent as many deaths as possible.
They hadn’t found anything, though, and finally, they were forced to make a decision.
Find civilization. Find help.
Isaac didn’t object. He didn’t say much of anything. Only stood back and let her and Wyatt make plans amid the boys’ excited chatter.
When the boys huddled up to sleep that night with Wyatt and Siona standing watch, whispering softly to one another, she took Isaac aside. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” She squeezed his hand. “Just because we’re leaving this place doesn’t mean we won’t be able to get back here when we find out how to open the portal from this side. You know that, right?”
He slipped his hand to the back of her neck and kissed her until she could barely remember what they’d been talking about. When he lifted his head, his smile was soft and guarded. “No matter how much I wanted it to be so, I realize that Mylena may never have accepted you the way you needed to be accepted. Even if we find a way to return, I would understand if you decided to stay here…”
She didn’t pretend that the idea hadn’t already occurred to her, but she wasn’t letting Isaac go anywhere without her. “Wherever we are, if I have you, then I have all the acceptance I need.”
She repeated those words to herself on a loop the next afternoon as they walked out of the forest.
Agramon/Queen Minetta’s portal had dumped them neither where Greta had originally come through while on vacation in Germany—thank the Great Mother—nor in North Dakota, where Wyatt had come through. In fact, the consensus was that this was nowhere any of them had ever been, although Jacob was too young to be sure.
With the forest behind them, civilization started to creep over the land. Isaac seemed to be taking it all in stride, maybe because he’d already seen some of the differences between her world and his through her dreams.
It didn’t take long before they came across a small town called Stroudsburg. Greta realized then that they were only a two-and-a-half-hour drive from…home.
After that, it seemed obvious where they would go, but how to get there was a different story. It took a while to find the Greyhound station, and once they did she worried that trying to get the nine of them on a bus without adult guardians would raise some eyebrows. But apparently not enough for anyone to step in and ask difficult questions.
Getting them all on the bus without any money was more difficult, and she wasn’t proud of what she did to make it happen. There was a guy stranded at the station who wouldn’t be very happy when he found his wallet in the restroom and the note she’d tucked inside, thanking him for the use of his credit card.
Once on the bus, Isaac and Siona were captivated. All of the boys delighted in telling them all about the different kinds of motorized vehicles, from buses and cars to trains and planes. It took some quiet explaining about mechanics and gasoline that Greta was sure she’d bungled because she didn’t have the knowledge, but Isaac had picked up the theory of it almost immediately, and the sparkle in his eyes made her smile.
A little while later, she gazed out the window as Isaac’s warm palm clasped her thigh just above the knee. She welcomed the distraction, because every time the bus stopped to pick up and drop off passengers, she was this close to telling everyone to get off.
A ball of dread and uncertainty lodged in her chest. She hadn’t seen her family for more than four years. She’d barely been a teenager when she disappeared, only thirteen, but would be returning home a hardened warrior who’d killed with her bare hands and had every intention of leaving them as soon as possible to go back and do it again.
How to explain her disappearance and the things she’d done? Should she even try? How could they not look at her with anything but revulsion and fear? How could they feel anything but horror?
Isaac nudged her with his shoulder. She turned to him and forced a smile. He pointed at the small screens that were mechanically sliding down from the ceiling of the bus every couple rows. She groaned. “Don’t even ask me to try explaining television yet. It’s just going to freak you out.”
Three hours later, Isaac entwined his hand with hers and together they stopped on the sidewalk in front of number thirty-six in a dense residential neighborhood.
The one place she’d given up on ever returning to again.
It was a little row house, tall and narrow. The black-painted front door had thrown her off for a minute. She remembered it as being red. And the tree in the front yard was bigger than she remembered. Its wide branches blocked her view of the upper levels of the house.
Jacob tugged on her hand. “We’re going to see your mom and dad, right?”
She looked down at his upturned face and nodded with a solid gulp. “Uh…”
“Do you think they know my mom?” He was so full of anticipation, his little body practically hummed with it. “Maybe she’s here, too?”
Wyatt came over and hefted Jacob into his arms. “Hush, magpie,” he said in a soothing voice. He’d gotten more like his old self every day they’d been here. He’d been patient with the children, attentive to Siona, and…tolerant of Isaac. There’d been no shadows in his eyes, no vestiges of the violence and anger that had seeped into him in Mylena.
Right now, though, he looked vaguely awkward, the kind of awkwardness that came the first time you went to meet your girlfriend’s parents. Ironic, considering he was the type of guy that the parents she remembered would have loved for her to bring home.
Her actual boyfriend—the one any sane parent would freak out to find her daughter dating—didn’t look any more comfortable. Despite his interest in everything, he’d been very quiet ever since they left the forest.
Wyatt, Sloane, and the boys crowded up the walk behind her and Isaac. She spared them a quick glance over her shoulder. Jacob waved and grinned from Wyatt’s arms. Carter and Niall stood close to one another, holding hands with matching expressions of wariness. They were old enough to realize that coming home might not be as easy as little Jacob thought it would be.
Charlie and Leo lagged behind, staring up and down the street. They were still mesmerized by things like oak trees and squirrels. She’d caught them lying out on the rocks just outside the cave yesterday morning, basking in the sun and chattering about all the things they couldn’t wait to do, like go to a playground and play soccer.
Maybe she should have come alone first. A pack of unknown homeless children arriving on the doorstep was a bigger shock than anyone could be expected to handle well. But the boys were nervous—maybe as nervous as she was—and she’d promised that they wouldn’t be separated, at least not until all the families had been notified and they felt comfortable leaving.
She paused with a white-knuckled fist outstretched to knock on the door. Her stomach was doing somersaults.
Isaac whispered in her ear, “If Greta the bounty hunter can take on all the races of Mylena and restore a goblin king’s soul, she can handle anything this world may throw at us.”
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Acknowledgments
My street team has been absolutely fantastic. The Goblin Gang is a group of passionate, friendly, amazing people who couldn’t be more supportive. Thank you so much for being a part of this crazy, wild journey!
Thank you also to the readers, bloggers, and reviewers who have supported my words. Your dedication and honest enthusiasm for books makes the world a better place filled with possibility and adventure.
Thank you also to my family and my friends, especially my amazing husband and son, who let me live in my fantastic worlds and don’t call me crazy to my face.
/> Finally, thank you to Stephen Morgan, Heather Howland, Liz Pelletier, Melanie Smith, Heather Riccio, Debbie Suzuki, and the entire team at Entangled Publishing. I can’t ask for a better home for my books. You all make me a better author, and I’m grateful for the opportunities you give me.
About the Author
Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she’d at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers. You can visit her online at www.chloejacobs.com
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Other books by Chloe Jacobs
Greta and the Goblin King
Four years ago, Greta fell through a portal to a world where humans are the enemy. Now a bounty hunter, she’s caught the attention of the darkly enticing young Goblin King, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape. But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena…
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Going Down in Flames
by Chris Cannon
Finding out on your sixteenth birthday you’re a shape-shifting dragon is tough to swallow. Being hauled off to an elite boarding school is enough to choke on. Bryn needs to figure out how to control her new dragon powers to make it through her first year. But focusing on staying alive is difficult when you’re falling for someone you can’t have. Zavien, a black dragon, is tired of rules, and meeting Bryn is a breath of fresh air. Old grudges, new crushes, and death threats abound, but together they may be able to change the rules.