The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1)

by Emma Hamm

  “Why would we want things to change?”

  Of course. That was foolish of her to think that he would want things to be different. She didn’t really want them to change either. This was Jane latching onto something, anything. Likely because she was alone and wanted someone else to rely on.

  Ruric saw these thoughts on her face, he saw the doubt and sadness wash across her features like a shadow before they disappeared.

  One of his clawed hands raised to press against her jaw, the other reaching out to smooth the wrinkles between her brows.

  “We have no need to change anything, Jane. We are bound. For a goblin that is more than life itself.” His fist thumped hard against his chest. “My body is yours to use as shield and tool. My heart is destined to know you and only you until I die. My soul is intertwined with yours for an eternity.”

  Her expression softened, words escaping her for a moment. “That is beautiful.”

  “It is the words that were said when we were bound.” He watched his hand trail up the long length of her arm. The grace of the movement was not lost on him. His fingers linked with hers.

  Her head tilted to look up at their fingers, imagining the silken cloth that had been wrapped around their wrists. Bound together for an eternity.

  “I did not know.” She whispered.

  “You do not speak our language, nor do you abide by our customs. I do.” He leaned down to press a closed mouth kiss to her collarbone. “I am yours until the end of time.”

  She licked her lips. “That is a strong statement.”

  “It is the way of it.” He leaned back slightly to shrug, looking at her as though he had no doubt about what he was saying. “Goblins are not like humans. There are no half truths or hidden meanings. What we say you may take as honesty.”

  “You’re right, that is very different from humans.” The braids on the side of his head were too intricate for her to not touch, the texture as intriguing as the rest of him. She found she enjoyed touching him. Where as Jane had spent much of her life avoiding touch, she wanted to touch him.

  “I do not want to leave this place,” he murmured.

  She worried that something would be lost if they left. Apparently he did as well. “Neither do I.”

  They were both interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling. Low and loud, there was an answering grumble from his own stomach. It set them both to laughing again. Shaking their heads and suddenly embarrassed with each other, they were both quick to stand.

  “Food.” He said, leaning down to pick up the pieces of her garment on the floor.

  Once again, Jane stood and allowed him to dress her. Like much of their interactions today, this time was different. His fingers lingered upon her skin. His lips touching gently to the rises and falls of her body. It took a while to dress her and the entire time he remained bare.

  Jane realized that he was worshiping her body with his attentions. Every movement, every ridge and valley, he lavished attention on even as he obscured them from his view. Ruric found solace in the heat of her. She in turn had never experienced anything quite like this. Men did not love like this. They did not devour souls and return them with pieces of themselves.

  He knotted the last piece of fabric at her shoulder, lingering for a moment to press a soft kiss where her neck connected to her shoulder.

  “I thought you said goblins could not be gentle.” She said quietly.

  “I was wrong.” He answered her, the backs of his claws ghosting down her ribs. “Perhaps it is not in our nature to be gentle. But we can learn.”

  And therein lie the difference between him and the men she had known. Those in the mines knew that they were sometimes wrong or hard or dangerous even. They did not want to change, they did not see the need for it.

  Ruric was a hard man. He had to be as the leader of this goblin tribe’s army. Yet for her, he was soft and kind. She had seen him angry before. She had seen him fight and nearly kill one of her own kind. Yet she could not justify his actions towards her in the same light.

  It made little sense the way he was quick to take care of her. It made little sense that he even desired to do so. But he did. He wanted to make her happy and comfortable even though he could not send her home.

  To Jane that made all the difference.

  She watched as he dressed quickly then leaned forward to link their hands once more. Together they journeyed back to the city of goblins. No one commented that things looked different between the new couple. They didn’t mention that the lingering gazes and soft touches betrayed what had happened.

  He took her to the common area, not his own cave for them to eat. It seemed that he wanted to show her off. Perhaps he wanted the others to see the changes, or maybe he was simply proud enough to eat among many. Either way, he was quick to settle her on a stone that had not been taken by any goblin in front of the slabs that they used as tables.

  “I’ll get us something to eat. Rest.” He leaned down to press a kiss to her hair.

  “I don’t need rest!”

  “You will need your strength for tonight.” The mischievous look in his eyes as he walked away had her laughing.

  There were worse things than to be tied to a man that was insatiable. She watched the loose hipped walk of the goblin as he strode away from her. In her experience, he was most definitely walking like a man that had enjoyed the company of a woman not long ago.

  He was likely making sure that everyone knew what they had done. Somehow, this didn’t make her uncomfortable. There was a part of her that was embarrassed. Humans were meant to be with humans and the usual prejudice was hard to ignore.

  But there was another part of her that had turned soft. Delicate as a feather floating on the wind, it sprung to life inside of her. It competed with that dark part of her that resented being here. That light could not be dimmed. Especially not in this moment when she remembered the caring way he had touched her.

  She had never been touched like that in her life. The men she had slept with before were satisfying a bodily need. Sex was just a way to scratch an itch. She had learned that the hard way after she had fallen completely in love with the first man that had shown her attention.

  Days later when he had not spoken to her, she learned what it felt like to have a bleeding heart. After that, she refused to allow herself to feel the same way again.

  Jane had stepped back from the world of love. It was a dangerous thing to give someone else access to the most sacred part of yourself. To love hurt. She knew what it meant to mourn and to grieve. Her parents death that shown her that.

  Never again had she wanted to feel that way about someone who was still alive.

  And so she had spent much of her life avoiding love. Her siblings had all of her attention that they needed. Perhaps more than they wanted. But everyone else was simply physical. They could disappear from her life without a word and she was not affected.

  But Ruric? As Jane looked at the strong spine and confident air about him, she didn’t think she could let him go as easily. He was different. He pushed her for more without asking for it. He gave her all of himself without worry or thought. There was nothing that stopped him from loving her, or at least she thought it was some kind of love.

  The words he had said to her in the cave echoed in her head. Bound together for eternity. Those were words she could stand by. Somehow in such a short amount of time, he had wiggled his way into her heart. She did not want to admit that there was a piece of her that she had given to him and in return she had replaced it with the memory of his sharp toothed smile and bottomless eyes.

  “Am I interrupting?”

  The words startled her, causing her to flinch backwards until she realized that they were said in her own language.

  Micah stood before her, the aged man smiling.

  “No of course not!” She made to stand before he waved her back down. “You’ve made yourself scarce old man. I have not seen you
in a while.”

  “I have been busy with the Queen.” He smiled at her and settled himself across from her on the slab. “You seem to have settled nicely without me.”

  “There is always use for a friend. Ruric has been very kind in making certain that I am comfortable.”

  “I had no question of it. He is a good man.”

  She nodded, looking past Micah’s shoulder to watch Ruric as he laughed with a few of the other goblins.

  “Aye he is.”

  She did not see the look on Micah’s face nor the amused expression that followed afterwards. The old man was very good at piecing together the reactions of people. It was why he had managed to stay alive here for so long. As a man, he should have been working in the mines with the others. However, he was useful in other ways.

  “I recognize that expression, my dear.”

  “What expression?” Her eyebrows raised.

  “Doe eyed and in love I would say.”

  “I am not in love with him.” She was quick to say. If she shook her head any harder it would fall off of her shoulders. “I have been here for a month Micah, I don’t love him.”

  “I think it likely that you do.”

  “It’s not possible to fall in love with someone that fast.”

  Micah grinned at her. “Some would argue that it takes much shorter time than that. He seemed to know quite quickly when he started to take care of you.”

  She latched onto those words. As she sat watching Micah, she wondered what it was he was hiding from her. She might not have been trained as he was to know the small shifts and changes in a human face that betrayed their emotions. But she knew very well how to tell when someone was not telling her the whole truth.

  That was precisely what the old man was doing.

  Jane leaned forward, elbows pressed hard against the slate table as she looked him in the eyes.

  “What do you know that I do not know?”

  “Oh now that’s a story for Ruric to tell and not me.” There was a tone to his voice that she questioned. He was lying to her that he wouldn’t tell her the story. Willow used to use the same trick on her to get her to do what she wanted.

  “What do you want, Micah.”

  He mirrored her position, leaning forwards as well. “Information. A trade so to speak.”

  She tsked loudly, leaning backwards so that she could cross her arms firmly over her chest. “I have no information that you would be interested in. This isn’t a fair trade. If I don’t give you what you want, then you won’t tell me what I want.”

  “A smart woman, I do enjoy those.” She noticed that there was a gap between his two front teeth when he smiled at her. “However, the information that I want, I know that you have. The Queen is inquiring about your perception of the goblins.”

  “The Queen can ask me herself.” The snippy reply was rude, but Jane had never enjoyed someone lording information over her.

  He sighed. “The Queen has asked me to speak with you. She cannot speak our language, and as such I must be the intermediary. So, will you tell me what you think of the goblin race?”

  “It’s nothing like I thought it would be. The people here are kind and thoughtful.”

  She ended her sentence there, saying nothing more even though he continued to look at her as though expecting her to say more. Micah sighed, pinching his fingers between his eyes.

  “Are you happy here?”

  “I don’t think it’s possible for a captive to be happy.” But her words were hesitant, as though she might not entirely believe them herself. “I have not met anyone that I did not feel safe around. The goblins have been very gentle with me. What I want I am given and I am usually refused when I try to exert myself.”

  “I sense a tone of frustration about that last bit.”

  She shrugged. “I am a woman used to hard labor. To be here and doing nothing is slowly driving me insane. I don’t know why they won’t let me help them. If I do not know how to do it, they can teach me. I’m very quick at learning things.”

  “Goblin women do not work.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Goblin women are considered to be the most precious things that these goblin have. The women are pampered even more than those in our City. They survive entirely on the help of other people. This is why most of them are…” He paused. “Not beautiful by human standards. They live a life of luxury as others do the work for them.”

  Jane’s eyes were wide as she looked at him, her mouth twisted in disgust. “Why would anyone want to live that life? Do they not get bored or tired of the same thing every day?”

  “If they do get bored, they are entertained with something new. They can choose to leave the tribe they have been living with and go somewhere else. New sights and sounds are always offered to them. A female is the most precious thing to these creatures.”

  “No wonder I’ve been bored out of my mind.” She shook her head firmly. “I am not like that. I do not wish to live that life. Tell the Queen that. I am certain you are going back to tell her everything that you discovered about me. I want to work. I want to be useful. I cannot be hiding in a cave for the rest of my life. I need my hands to be busy.”

  He nodded. “And the goblins? What is your perception of them?”

  “I like them.” She was growing frustrated with this game. “They are boring at times, but I find that at their core they are a beautiful race. They do not value the same things that humans do. I find that refreshing. To know that I am always safe and that if I needed anything they would help without question is one thing. I know that I am female and they think that is important. But they would do that for anyone, not just me. That kind of sincerity is something I consider to be rare and valuable.”

  “And what do you think of the gemstones here?”

  “The gemstones?” The question was almost insulting. “I have not thought of the gemstones since I’ve been here. The crystals are beautiful and the light they give off is useful. Are you asking me if I’ve thought of the value of them while here?”

  He nodded.

  “Then no. I didn’t think of the value of them even when I was in the mine. They were a means to an end and if I got one that meant my family would be safe. I’m just happy that my family made it to the City. I knew that the future with them was going to be up in the air no matter what. The City officials might have thought I was too old to remain with them and sent me back to the mining camps anyways.”

  It was the first time that she had voiced her worries. Jane had known it was a possibility, but she had never entertained the thought. Her will was strong when it came to her siblings. They would always be safe and she would always be with them. Thinking any other way was walking a dangerous path.

  “You are a very intriguing woman, Jane.”

  She met his gaze, wondering what was going through the thoughts of this old man that had made his life down here in the caves.

  “I don’t understand why.”

  He only smiled. “Perhaps that is why you are so intriguing.”

  “I think there’s been enough talking about my opinions of this place. What do you know about Ruric that I do not?”

  He looked over his shoulder, noticing that the subject in question was walking towards them with his arms filled with food.

  “Be careful with him. He is a good man and a strong warrior, but he has never given his heart away before.”

  “That is useless information. What is it that you meant?”

  “I have lived a long life, Jane. That man was intrigued by you when he saw you kneeling at the feet of his Queen. Whatever it was you did after that, I noticed a change in him right away. He no longer put himself in dangerous situations merely because he could. He did not start fights with other goblins. He took the time to take care of himself.”

  Micah stood then, leaning across the slab to pat her shoulder.

  “And that’s the real difference now. He
wants to make you happy and by doing that he has started to notice that he was mistreating himself. Before you, he was heading quickly on a path to an early death. Maybe goblins are doing the same. There is no future for them. No family, no wife, no children. It is a bleak existence to watch the end of your entire race come sluggishly towards you.”

  And with that he turned, reaching out a hand to clasp Ruric’s forearm.

  “It has been too long since I have seen you, Micah.” Jane still shivered when she heard his voice. She could hear it crooning in her ear far too easily.

  “I was talking with your lovely bride.”

  Even she could see the dark stain at the tips of Ruric’s ears. “I hope she was being polite. She has a way of voicing her opinions.”

  She was about to protest when Micah spoke over her.

  “She is quite a lovely woman. Vocal or not.”

  If they had let her get a word in edgewise, Jane would have yelled at the both of them. Yet at that moment Ruric turned to look at her. The smile on his face stopped her words in her throat.

  “She is a good goblin bride.” He said.

  This time she blushed, not knowing how to respond to that compliment. Ruric always gave them to her but she thought she would never get used to them. Above there was no need for compliments. Everyone worked hard and thanked the others for their help, but there were never moments where someone would compliment another on how hard they were working.

  It was expected.

  To be here and have compliments strewn towards her as though they were not each a precious bit of beauty was very strange indeed.

  Micah cleared his throat. The knowing glance that he gave both of them was enough to tell her that they weren’t being discreet in the slightest.

  “I’ll take my leave of you two. I am very pleased to see that you are getting along so well.”

  They were. It was shocking, awe inspiring, and terrifying all at the same time.

  Jane had never imagined that she would find someone to spend the rest of her life. Let alone one who made her feel as though there was a bird fluttering inside her chest. She had always thought at some point she would marry a man who could support her and her family. Never had she expected to feel anything but respect for him.