The Goblin King Read Online Free PDF Page B

water stuck to her skin, thicker than oil. Yet in his hands it had become clear.
    “Do you believe the water is brackish and toxic or that it is clean and pure?” he asked.
    Eliza looked at the foul liquid in her hands. “It looks toxic.”
    “Mine isn’t.” To prove the point, he drank the water from his large calloused hand. “Your turn.”
    Her stomach heaved, but she was so thirsty she was crazy enough to go along with his trickery.
    So she imagined clean, fresh spring water. The water began to chill her palms. When she glanced down, her hands cupped clear water.
    “Now drink.” His words weren’t an invitation.
    As she brought the water to her lips, it darkened. She threw it into the sink. “Goblin magic.”
    What was real and what was false?
    “The stuff nightmares are made of.”
    She lifted her chin to look him in the eye. “Do you actually look like that, or is that another illusion?”
    He pulled her to him. “Do I feel like an illusion?”
    No, he felt real, and very much a man.
    In the pale, clear, desert blue of his eyes, she watched his hair-trigger control tighten. He was seeking an excuse to snap. He could twist reality to his will, make water drinkable and nightmares real. Whatever he was, he was dangerous.
    Dangerous and something more…something that made her feel like a teenager again, caught in his spell, fascinated by the man with a heart made of gold…something she had no intention of exploring.
    What mattered was that she was alive because he wanted her alive, nothing else. She was trapped until he said otherwise since, as king, his word was law. In his domain she was just another subject.
    The king released her as quickly as he’d grabbed her. “Dinner is almost ready,” he said. Then he stalked out of the bathroom as if he didn’t care if she followed.
    Eliza turned off the tap. She rested her hands on the sink and tried to stop the shaking that coursed through her muscles and threatened to send her sprawling to the floor.
    Whatever it took, she had to get home.
    She smoothed her hair as best she could, after wiping her greasy hands on a towel in preparation for dinner. She wouldn’t let him see any fear in her eyes. But the leashed power in his made her shiver. She didn’t want to see him when he let his control slide.
    When Eliza entered the cavern set out as a dining room, she was calm, poised, and everything she should’ve been at her birthday. She could fake like nothing was amiss, and dine with men who called themselves goblins.
    Anything to wake up and leave this crazy kingdom.
    A chandelier of candles was chained to the rock ceiling. Candelabras rose from the floor, every candle forever burning without ever being spent. Even they were not permitted to sputter and die and thus be free of the Shadowlands. Three large swords hung from the wall pointing down like a cross. The round table with seats for six was only set for four. Golden cutlery, plates, and goblets.
    The tension in her shoulders eased. At least they ate like men. But where were they?
    A water cooler sat against one wall with Evian plastered across the extra large bottle. Relief washed through her at the sight of something safe and familiar. While no one was watching, she walked over and took a plastic cup and drank, filling her stomach with clear spring water until it cramped. Cold fisted her gut and left her breathless. Her stomach twisted, breaking the ice and forcing it up. She brought her hand to her mouth. The water could be another goblin trick.
    “It’s safe.” The shadows parted and the king appeared, leaning in his chair.
    More goblin magic. She was starting to think of him as goblin. Breathing the air of the Shadowlands was making her crazy.
    “I bet getting a repairman out here is a pain in the ass,” she said, remembering she was supposed to be fearless.
    He grunted and his lips twisted in an almost smile. “Fixed Realm objects are unaffected by Shadowlands magic.”
    “Huh? Fixed Realm?”