by K. M. Shea
Harrison nodded.
“Aw, Krusher! You’re going to make me cry,” I sniffed.
I was emotional for a minute or two while Harrison was…Harrison I guess.
When the minotaurs brought Krad in, he was shackled in enough iron to attract a car sized magnet. He was still jaw-dropping beautiful—which I found surprising, the Beer Brothers and Ethan didn’t even come close to Krad’s hotness level—but his face was wane and he was clearly not in his element.
“So you have come,” Krad said when he was forced to sit in a chair that the minotaurs chained him to. “I thought you would.”
“I what?” I asked, seated in a chair across from Krad.
“You have come for restitution. To take your pound of flesh for all the misery I put you through,” Krad said.
“Oh,” I said, studying the proud dark elf.
I knew I should be gleeful to see him restrained. But it was sad to see him weighed down in chains. Not that I wanted to see him prancing around unfettered, but I could see his soul in his eyes and he still ached for love.
“Nope. Not really,” I said, grabbing my backpack.
“Then you have come to shout at me. To scream at me,” Krad said.
“No,” I said, still digging in my backpack. “I’m pretty sure Administrator Moonspell could do that way better than I could anyway.”
“You fear that I will escape and you wish to assure yourself I am safely captive,” Krad said, leaning forward. “You are right to be afraid. I will slither my way out of the MBRC and I will—” he was cut off when one of the minotaurs jerked one of his chains, slamming him back in his seat.
Krad winced.
“Still love those comic book lines and telling me your great plans, huh?” I said, placing a baggie of cookies in front of him.
Krad raised an eyebrow. “Foolish human, I will not eat what you give me. Clearly you wish to poison me.”
“They’re not poisoned,” I said, putting my backpack down. “I made them in cooking class.”
Harrison cleared his throat and I rolled my eyes. “I mean, culinary arts,” I said, opening the baggy to snag two of the cookies. I passed one back to Harrison and ate the second one while I watched Krad stare at the baggie.
The dark elf stared at the baggie of cookies like it was an alien or unknown creature.
“They’re peanut butter oatmeal cookies. They’re quite good—provided you’re not gluten intolerant and you don’t have a peanut allergy.”
“I won’t be bribed,” Krad said.
“I’m not trying to bribe you,” I said, finishing my cookie.
Krad made a noise of disbelief and looked away.
“The villain act isn’t necessary right now. Do you think you could ditch it?” I said.
Krad laid me with a dark glare saturated with hatred. “It is not an act, Morgan Fae. I hate you and dream of your demise—” he was cut off again by a minotaur.
I brushed off my fingers before I stood and walked around the table.
Krad, Harrison, and the minotaurs all stiffened when I stopped directly next to Krad’s chair.
“Maybe it’s true. Maybe you do dream about killing me. But your soul isn’t as black as it used to be,” I said to Krad before I placed my bare hand on his cheek and dimly reflected on my love of the MBRC.
Krad leaped out of his chair as if my touch burned. The chains wouldn’t let him get very far, though, and both he and the chair fell to the ground with a clatter.
Oh yeah. As much as he pretended to hate me, there was no way I could mistake the way he tried to touch me back at the park. I was going to win the war!
As the minotaurs fished Krad back into a sitting position and put his chair upright, I returned to my side of the table.
“Why are you doing this?” Krad asked.
I threw my backpack over my shoulder. “I don’t know,” I lied.
“You mean to torture me.”
“Nope,” I said. “I want something that you would probably consider even worse.”
“What?” Krad asked.
I laid my sweetest smile on the dark elf. “I want to change you,” I said, heading for the door. “Enjoy your cookies. I’ve got work to do,” I said, heading for the door. “See you later,” I said.
“Wait—later?” Krad said, but Harrison and I were already out of the room.
“You intend to return?” Harrison asked, shutting the door to the questioning room.
“Yeah. I think so,” I said.
Harrison grunted.
“You don’t approve, Krusher?” I asked.
“It’s Harrison, Miss Fae.”
“Good. I thought you might understand my reasoning. Where is Devin?”
“Your office.”
“Perfect. To my office, then,” I said, leading the way.
When I arrived Baobab was mysteriously missing. (Grogrintork’s guard was making a serious campaign for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two started dating in a few weeks. Baobab was a tough cookie to crack, but he was making pretty good work of it.)
Devin was seated in my desk chair, his body stretched out.
“What are you doing?” I asked, somewhat surprised when Harrison closed the door behind me instead of following me inside.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m wasting away while I wait for you to arrive,” Devin said.
“Poor you.”
“Does being poor make me even more handsome and dashing?” Devin asked, flashing me a white smile.
“No. It makes you pitiful.”
“That wasn’t quite the emotion I was looking for,” Devin chuckled as he sat up but did not get out of my chair. “So. You are staying.”
“Yes,” I said. “Who told you?”
“The snot-nosed elder Moonspell brat got to me five minutes before Madeline did,” Devin said. “I’m hurt you didn’t think to tell me yourself.”
“I didn’t think I would be able to reach you before Madeline. Aysel’s strike comes as a surprise, though,” I said.
“Not really,” Devin said with a wry expression. “He wanted to wave your future contract in my face. Madeline mentioned you might come visit the Fairy Council, though,” Devin said, his dashing smile returning.
“Yeah. I think I want to get a better feel for my options before I decide on what to major in,” I said.
“That’s wise,” Devin said.
“Thanks.”
“Will your parents be okay with it?”
“I was thinking about asking Doctor Creamintin to meet with them, so they would know I’m not throwing my life away on a no-good job. I think he’ll be a calming influence. Or at the very least he’ll remind them that my college will cost quite a bit so it’s better that I go into the experience knowing what I want instead of jumping around.”
“You’ve thought this out, haven’t you?” Devin asked.
“Yep,” I said. “Are you going to get out of my chair anytime soon?”
“No. You could sit on my lap,” Devin mildly suggested.
“Devin,” I rolled my eyes, making the Pooka laugh. I studied the dark haired shifter and thought about my conversation with Fran. Encouraged by my success with Harrison, I blurted out, “Would you stop flirting with other girls?”
“…What?” Devin said.
“Would you stop flirting with other girls? With other females?” I said, correcting myself.
Devin twitched two fingers at me in a ‘come here’ gesture. I scowled at the order but drew closer.
I was shocked when Devin reached out and cradled my hands in his. He looked up in my eyes, studying me as intently—if not more so—as I had studied Krad and Harrison minutes ago. “Okay,” he said, kissing my hands.
My jaw almost dropped. “What?”
“Okay,” he agreed. “You only had to ask,” he added, as if it were my fault he was such a flirt in the first place.
“You make my head hurt,” I grumbled.
“I would say that’s fair compared to
what you do to me,” Devin dryly said. He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. “You’re not even complaining. My, my! Who had a talk with you?”
“Fran,” I said into Devin’s shoulder.
“Does this mean if I confess my eternal love for you, you won’t give me one of your dirty looks and call me a flirt?” Devin asked.
“You can’t have eternal love for me. Since the day I met you in human form you’ve been perfectly honest that I am temporary.”
“Come on. That was before I knew you. I thought me dragging you from the depths of ignorance so you would remember the MBRC proved my love,” Devin said.
“And then you ignored me for several months.”
“Only because I was worried you would be targeted if my affection was publically identified,” Devin said, stroking my hair.
“Whatever.”
Devin paused. “You mean you don’t really know?”
“What should I know?”
“Morgan, I flirted with all those extra females for you.”
I gave Devin a flat look.
The Pooka shook his head, a disturbingly serious look pasted on his face. “You don’t get it. Morgan, I love you. As soon as that goes public you’re going to be put in danger.”
“Why? Because you’re a Fairy Councilman?”
“No, because I’m the Pooka.”
“So?”
“Of course you would see nothing special over that,” Devin sighed. “There is only one Pooka at a time, and the title is passed from father to son. It’s a powerful position.”
“Yeah, I know. What does that have to do with me?”
“An adult Pooka is extremely difficult to kill. Between our shape shifting skills and magic wielding abilities, we have the survivability of a cockroach. So what would be the easiest way to kill off the Pooka line?”
“By murdering the Pooka’s children before one has a chance to inherit the title,” I slowly said.
“Exactly. It’s a strategy some have tried for centuries, but obviously it hasn’t worked. I’m here, after all. Well, in the past two generations, my family’s enemies have grown even more ruthless,” Devin said.
“Oh?”
“Yes. They’ve switched from targeting children, to targeting the Pooka’s chosen wife.”
I was silent.
The explanation filled in a lot of Devin’s weird behavior—like the fact that most of his relationships hadn’t lasted more than a week or two, and the erratic way he paraded around with other females but was a constant, solid presence in my life.
I look up at Devin with pursed lips. “I should punch you in the face for hiding all of this from me.”
A warm smile teased across Devin’s face. “Is that acceptance I hear? And in my defense, I thought you knew.”
“You owe me a big apology for all the flirting.”
“I do. I am sorry, much more so than you know.”
I exhaled. “You couldn’t have been more obvious that you like me?”
“Sweetheart, I told you just about every time we met.”
“How was I supposed to take you seriously when you flirted with so many other females?”
“I haven’t been that much of a flirt since you arrived in my life,” Devin said. “I am loyal. Even if it takes the rest of our lives, I will prove it. And I promise you I will never love another woman besides you.”
When I hugged Devin back and his warmth surrounded me, it felt incredibly good. His touch was soft and his embrace smashed all my doubts and worries to pieces. But when I looked up at Devin I had to gulp. His eyes held something warm, and powerful, and big.
Something that looked terrifyingly close to the way Asahi and Kadri look at each other.
“I don’t think I’m ready for this,” I said. “At least, I’m not ready to be as serious as you might be. As I think you might be.”
“That’s okay,” Devin said, kissing my temple. “We have to take it slow anyway. Madeline said she would cut off my family jewels if I laid a finger on you before you had a career launched. She would do it, too.”
I stiffly laughed.
“Morgan,” Devin said, stepping back so he could place his hands on my shoulders and look me in the eyes. “Your future is what consumes you right now, and I understand that. It’s okay. I’ve waited two years without any trouble. I can wait a few years more—as long as I get open access to you. And more hugs with less complaints,” he said, winking.
“Deal,” I said, something bubbling in my chest. “Thank you, Devin.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Devin said, hugging me again.
We embraced for a few seconds before Devin added, “This might be awkward timing to bring it up, but I need to make sure that you want kids, right?”
“Yeah. A few—I don’t want a pack, though.”
“Good,” Devin said. “We just need a few.”
“Yeah…the Pooka thing,” I said. “Is that brat going to drive me crazy?”
“Possibly. If it’s any consolation, historically Pookas adore their mothers. It’s their Pooka fathers they can’t stand.”
“Oh really?” I said, brightening. “That’s not so bad.”
“I thought you might take comfort in that,” Devin dryly said.
“I do. Thanks,” I said, squirming out of Devin’s hug. “Okay, I have one last condition.”
“What?”
“You have to meet my parents. I hide so much about my work from them already. I don’t want to hide our relationship—our extremely casual and not serious relationship—from them.”
“Deal, but only if I can meet with your student council friend—Fran, you said?—beforehand.”
I eyed the mischievous shape shifter. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to need all the help I can get with impressing your parents. Fran will help me. She seems like a good soul companion.”
“Deal,” I agreed. “You know…This is a lot less romantic than I thought it would be.”
Devin laughed. “Morgan, I have a lifetime to shower all my love and affection on you. Just wait. I haven’t even started yet.”
“Is that a promise?”
“That’s a guarantee,” Devin said before kissing me square on the lips.
I was shocked by the sudden gesture, and I was even more shocked by how right it felt.
Man, was Fran going to give me one heck-of-an ‘I told you so.’
I will not end my story saying we lived happily ever after. Devin and I have an understanding—or as he would call it, a bond of love—but life isn’t smooth sailing after you find your significant other.
I graduated high school with Fran. Fran headed off to Florida. It took Ethan four months of busting his butt to complete classes and get a special license, but he arrived in Florida only a month after Fran started college.
Yes, they are in a serious dating relationship.
Asahi and Kadri got married during a three-day-three-night party. Let me tell you that was a real circus. They had enough food to feed an army, and we had to reenact their engagement no less than eight times. (Let me go on record to say that I still hate the lute.)
None of my other students are in a serious romantic relationship, but I do suspect Frank will soon work up the guts to ask out Madeline. The two have been a pair since I first met Madeline. I’m pretty sure the only reason Madeline doesn’t see it coming is that it hasn’t occurred to her that it isn’t coming.
Aysel is now in some pandering position that reports directly to the MBRC board. He’s the one who drew up my employee contract, and he never lets me forget it. Since he knows I’m staying at the MBRC we’ve started getting along slightly better. (Don’t tell anyone, but we are forming secret plans for MBRC domination.)
Hunter is still Hunter. He’s suave, flirtatious, and sends me baked goods whenever he needs a good word put in at the MBRC for him. He and Aysel are actually starting to get along better—which is probably better for the MBRC’s future.
F
idem is still out there. Losing Krad did cripple them a little, but I have no doubt they will be back, just as anti-human as before. Krad still snarls at me whenever I come to visit him, but the minotaurs told me that he eats whatever snacks I bring him when he is put back in his cell.
I think there’s hope for him. I don’t think I’ll be the one to make him totally change his mind, but I would at least like to soften the ground for whoever that is.
Which brings us back to Devin and me. I can’t say I ever really pictured marrying a famous shape shifter—I have already been attacked three times by various factions since we reached our…understanding—but I’m starting to look forward to it. It’s still a long ways off, but Devin has been a dream since our talk. I am deliriously happy with my future, and I’m so glad it’s Devin that I’ll be spending it with.
So Dave…if you’re reading this I owe you an apology and my thanks. If you hadn’t blown my world open, I never would have met any of these people, and I love them all. Thank you, Dave, for being a bald, fat, vampire.
THE END
For more information about the MBRC series please visit kmshea.com
A Special Note From the Author
This sequel was made because of the votes of readers and fans. In April 2014 I held a poll to see which book readers most wanted to see a sequel to. Vampires Drink Tomato Juice won!
Additionally, after a cut-throat contest, three readers/champions were given the chance to name three characters in this book. I would like to thank Tricia for her goblin name, Harrison; Celia for her fairy name, Baobab; and Erin for her dwarf name, Grogrintork.
I also want to extend a special thanks to all the Honorable Mentions. These guys came up with some incredible names, I wish I could have used them all. Thanks again to: Lindsay, Chotley, Kelly, Lorelei, Nicole S., Joan, Nicole K., Jean, and Lesslie.
An author’s greatest asset is her readers, and I am so blessed to have such a great crew. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Afterword
Thank you for reading Goblins Wear Suits, I hope you enjoyed Morgan’s story! If you want to read more of my work, sign up for my newsletter to receive my free K. M. Shea Starter Pack ebook.
