Goblin Moon (3 page)

"I-I don't know,” Cairna said. “I think it's sprained.” She grabbed her ankle in pretended pain.

"Here, let me see.” Kathy knelt beside the younger girl to look at the injured ankle.

Two men leaped out of the trees, and Kathy immediately realized she'd been setup. She fought with all her might as a very big man with long black hair grabbed her from behind, pinned her arms to her body with one arm, and covered her mouth with the other hand. A tall, blond giant tossed his ponytail over his shoulder, pulled something from his pocket and walked toward her. She was able to get one good kick against her attacker's shin and heard him curse. The blond man placed a gauze pad over her mouth and nose. A sickly-sweet smell entered her nostrils, and she tried to pull the hand from her mouth. But the arms around her were too strong. It was either breathe in the substance on the gauze or suffocate. Her senses began to dull and she felt the world tilt.

"Don't
hurt
her!” the girl cried, as if from a distance.

Kathy continued to fight. She tried to scream, bite, and do anything else that would get the attacker to let her go. The last thing she remembered was looking into a pair of eyes so black they seemed demonic.

When the woman finally collapsed, Tearach let her fall against him and then slid his arm under her knees. Long blond hair, bound at her nape, spilled over his bicep. He stopped and stared at her face.

"Well, come
on
, man! Before someone else comes down the trail,” Lore ordered.

He and Cairna led the way back to the cars. Tearach carried the woman, amazed that a female so slender could put up such a fight. Still, he could feel strong, well-developed muscles in her back and thighs.

"Did everything go all right?” Shayla asked as she walked toward them.

"Yes, but she fought like a wild cat!” Tearach muttered. His shin and ribs were still hurting.

"Hurry! Get her in the back seat and stay with her.” Shayla motioned to the car. “Lore, you drive them. Hugh and I will follow behind to make sure we're not being followed. Now
go!"

Lore opened the back door and Tearach slid inside. The woman's body lay motionless in his arms. Cairna sat in the front, and Lore soon had them speeding away from the park. Everyone was silent until they were well away from London.

"We've done it!” Cairna smiled and looked back at Tearach.

He simply glared back in silence, refusing to look at the woman's face again. Her head rested against his shoulder, and all that long, blond hair pooled on the leather seat. Because his shin still ached from her kick, he held her body with one arm, and reached down to rub the wound with his free hand. “Damned woman. I'll probably be limping for days."

"Did you expect her to just get in the car and come with us?” Lore grinned, looking at Tearach in the rear-view mirror. “Her behavior is exactly what I would have expected from someone who fought fires and saved lives for a living."

"Uncle Tearach doesn't know anything about that. He wouldn't read her file,” Cairna informed the Fairy and glanced back at Tearach with a smug expression.

She was a
firefighter
? The woman didn't look big enough to carry the kind of equipment that job required. Reluctantly, he looked down at her face. She certainly didn't look like a fireman. Her complexion reminded him of fine Irish porcelain. Full pink lips sat beneath a small, classic nose. Her high cheekbones boasted a faint scattering of freckles only visible from close up. And he'd caught a glimpse of aqua-colored eyes. All this was contained in a heart-shaped face.

"She's breathtaking, isn't she?” Cairna smiled at her uncle's scrutiny of the woman in his arms. “But you wouldn't have anything to do with her file, or you'd know that and a lot more."

He sighed in exasperation. “All right, Cairna. That's enough. Just hand me the damned file. I suppose I should at least know her name."

"It's Kathleen Parker. She was a firefighter/paramedic until about eighteen months ago. Her father and fiancé were also firemen and died on the job. It's all in here."

She handed him the file. He cradled the woman closer so he could free one hand to read. When he was sure Cairna and Lore had their eyes on the road, he dropped his gaze back to the woman's face. It would be easier to ignore her if she was plain, but he was certain the Sorceress had considered her looks an added incentive for him to breed. His victim could have graced the cover of any fashion magazine, but for some reason, she'd decided to make a living by running into burning buildings.
Crazy
. Even most animals wouldn't do such a dangerous thing. But since he regarded outsiders as some of the most ignorant creatures on Earth, it stood to reason some of them would have to save their sorry lives.

Still, he almost felt sorry for her. She'd suffered recent tragedy in her life and was now a kidnapping victim. They were both being used, and he had no idea what the future held. At least, one way or another, she had a future.

And what would happen tonight when she awakened? Unlike Lore, he and Cairna could only maintain human form for a day without resting, and then Kathleen Parker was going to get the surprise of her life. Getting her to the point where she'd accept her current circumstance could take months, or she might never come to terms with her kidnapping. Then what would the Sorceress do?

He shook his head at the futility of the situation, opened the file and began to read.

The hours went by slowly. Like all of his kind, he detested being confined in the automobile for so long. He felt himself tiring and knew he couldn't hold his human form much longer. When he saw Cairna drop her head and heard her moan, he knew her endurance was waning as well. They were very near the Shire, as they called their sacred woods, but not close enough. Nature couldn't be put off, and if they didn't change on their own, it would happen anyway. Kathleen's breathing was lighter now, an indication she'd soon awaken, and either she or a passing motorist would see them.

"Stop the car as soon as you find some woods,” he instructed Lore. “Cairna and I have to make the change."

Lore nodded. “I'll signal Shayla and Hugh."

When it was safe to do so, both cars pulled to the side of the road. Tearach and Cairna quickly exited the sedan and dashed for the thick forest to their right. Tearach scanned the area. Once their appearance altered, they wouldn't be able to assume human form again for hours. They'd have to hide if anyone came upon them. But hiding was something Goblins did with an uncanny expertise.

He nodded to Cairna as soon as he determined it was safe for her to alter. Helpless while the change took place, he let her go first and stood guard. She knelt, lowered her head and let the transformation happen. When she stood, he took his turn. The relief at letting go of that odious human form was immediate. The weak feeling caused by maintaining human appearance left, and his strength returned. He stood in time to see Hugh and Shayla walking into the woods.

"I've left Lore with the woman. She'll be awake soon,” Shayla advised. “I wouldn't put in an appearance until you're able to do so in human form. You might be able to safely travel to the Shire from here, but I'm not taking any chances. I'll send a car for you after dark. Will the two of you be all right?"

He looked at his niece and saw her nod. “We'll be fine. But I wonder why you even ordered us to come along. If something had happened to the car, or we'd been delayed for some other reason, Cairna and I would have been hard pressed to hide ourselves."

"I haven't obtained my position by being an idiot, man! Both of the sedans were thoroughly serviced before we ever left the Shire and our route to and from London was carefully planned. And both of you were needed. Cairna presented a non-threatening decoy. You were along because a second man was necessary. That woman is an athlete. If she'd somehow escaped, you and Lore are two of the fastest runners in the entire Order.” Shayla paused. “Besides ... she's to mate with
you
. Your people need to believe you'll do anything to try to help them, even if it means placing your own safety at risk."

His head shot up proudly. “I
would
do anything! But this plan to mate with an outsider is asinine. I expect the worst."

She sadly shook her head. “Then, that's all you'll get, Tearach. And all your people will get as well."

He watched her turn away. Even some of his own advisers had agreed to this travesty, and he pounded his fist against a nearby tree, never feeling so alone in all his life. The only day of his existence that had been worse was in Exmoor.

"Uncle,
please!
” Cairna begged. “Our lives are cursed. If outsiders placed the curse upon us, then maybe an outsider can take it off. Kathleen won't ever let you near her if you insist on acting like this."

"I could just rape her and be done with it!” he snarled. He turned to look at Cairna and saw a disappointed expression on her face he'd never seen. There were tears in her eyes, and she began to walk away. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Where are you going? We have to wait here."

She slowly turned and quietly said, “I'd rather be anyplace else on Earth but with you right now."

Shocked to the core, he dropped his hand and stared at her for a long moment. “You've never said anything to me like that.
Never
. You're all I have, Cairna. My only family."

"I can remember a time when you smiled often. You were gentle and sat near the fire and told the children stories. You'd laugh and sing.” She stopped and stepped closer to him. “Papa once said you were the peacemaker of the family. He said that since you'd been born a middle child, you were the one destined to be the best negotiator, and he envied your ability to see all sides of an issue and compromise. Where has that man gone, Uncle? Please don't tell me he died at Exmoor, because I couldn't take that. I couldn't take losing anyone else I love."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head. The tightness in his throat made it difficult to speak. “I love you, Cairna. But I'm being
ordered
to ... to lie with an enemy and a complete stranger. What would you have me do? Her people have decimated ours. And if I could find a reason to smile again, don't you think I would? Do you really believe I want to live the rest of my life like this?"

"Of course I don't.” She grasped his hands. “But what bothers you most? Is it the fact that she's an outsider or an enemy?"

"There is no difference between the two,” he insisted.

"What if you're wrong? What if
this
woman is different?"

He shook his head in frustration. “If it was even possible to befriend this woman, we've destroyed that chance by kidnapping her."

"If we're very patient and give her the opportunity to see us at our best, maybe we can win her over. Use those powers of negotiation Papa bragged about. We have to give Shayla's plan a chance. It may be our very last option."

He wearily passed a hand over his face. “Cairna, this isn't something that can be negotiated. The woman has been brought here to lie with a Goblin and bear his child.
My
child. I can't see her ever being willing to do such a thing. And a child from such a union may not live any longer than the others."

"What if it does? What if you could get her to
want
to give you a baby and it lives? Wouldn't that make you happy?"

He sat upon a nearby rock and stared into the distance. “To hold my own healthy child? Watch it grow and love it? Yes, that would be worth living for."

"And what would the woman who could give you this child be worth?” she asked, sitting beside him.

"Anything. I'd give
anything
to have such a woman. It's just that ... I'd always imagined she'd be one of us."

"Would it matter who she was, if you loved her?"

"Love? Except where you're concerned, I don't think I'm capable of that emotion anymore. And I'm
certain
I could never love an outsider."

His niece didn't reply and he didn't want to see her disappointed expression. She was young and wanted to believe in happy endings. But his belief in happiness had come to a halt in Exmoor. He stared into the darkness and waited, sensing her hurt and confusion.

When he couldn't bear the silence any longer, he finally said, “What do you want me to do, girl?"

"Would you promise to try to keep an open mind? Please?"

"All right, Cairna. For your sake and for the sake our people, I'll
try
."

The sound of an approaching car alerted them. They hid at the edge of the woods until they were sure it was someone from the Shire. When Lore stepped from the vehicle and waved, they left the shelter of the trees and joined him. The drive back to their sacred land was a short distance, but it seemed the longest of his life. No one spoke and Tearach felt as though the weight of world was crushing him. Tomorrow, he and the woman he'd helped kidnap would meet. She'd hate him and he'd feel the same way. She'd probably scream, rant, rave and cry.

But he was a Goblin and the luxury of such outbursts was denied him. All he could do was follow Shayla's commands and the will of the Order. The last thing he and his people had was their pride. Now, even
that
would be gone.

As Shayla had instructed, he arrived at the great hall of the castle in human form. He could hear voices on the other side of the library door.
This is what a prized stud feels like as it's being led to breed.
He wondered if the Sorceress would go so far as to send witnesses to watch the unholy event.
Just like a Thoroughbred
. Would there be papers to sign and a veterinarian present? To someone else, it would be laughable, but Tearach angrily shook his head and tried to unclench his fists. It was all so seedy and heartless. Especially when he'd have to reveal how vulnerable he was during the actual sex act. He'd be left with no dignity at all.

Bitterness engulfed him. Of course, he wouldn't be ordered to rut with the woman now. That would come later, when she was more acclimated to the situation. Perhaps the Sorceress would drug her to make the deed more palatable. He made a mental note to ask for the same drug. A
double
dose.