The Goblin King (The Kings)

by Heather Killough-Walden

  “Well then you’re lucky,” her husband told her. “And so am I.”

  Diana chuckled. “So did you and the other fae kings decide what to do about the threat of the ka doppelgangers coming into the kingdoms like yours did?”

  “For the most part. We have reinforced each other’s walls, figuring that the added strength would help keep any one ka out.” He paused, and his voice lowered. “I no longer have my own double to worry about.”

  This was true. It had almost come at the most terrible price, but it was true.

  “It looks like your feline guardian is back and here to stay,” he said, suddenly changing the subject.

  Diana pulled her attention away from the domed ceiling, turning her head against his chest to look in the direction he nodded.

  The gray cat she’d rescued earlier sat curled up on the window seat in a sunbeam. As if she could sense that Diana was watching her, she raised her head and blinked her blue, blue eyes.

  “So she is. She’s pregnant, you know. Probably another two weeks or so.”

  “She tell you her name yet?”

  “Yes,” said Diana. “She’s the same color as that moon on your banner and when I saw the two in close proximity, it just hit me. Her name is Artemis.”

  Damon laughed. “Perfect.”

  Artemis was the Greek version of the same goddess, Diana. Both were goddesses of the moon, among other things.

  “I can’t figure out how she got here though,” added Diana. The cat had just appeared that morning, curling around her feet as she’d risen from their bed in search of coffee or tea. Her first instinct had been happiness at seeing the feline, and she’d at once bent to give it a scritch behind the ear. But as the morning wore on, she’d realized that she was not in the mortal realm. She was in the Goblin Kingdom.

  How had Artemis made it to this realm?

  She shrugged now, honestly not caring all that much. She was glad to have the cat here. Everything suddenly seemed right with her world. Her hair had even stopped falling out.

  “What does that symbol mean, anyway?” she asked, pointing to the crest on the flag that hung above the tapestries on the great room wall.

  “It is the Fae Kingdoms crest. The moon is universal for us. It exists on all of our banners. What is underneath is the part specific to each different kingdom.” He stopped and smiled. “It’s oddly fitting that your name should somehow invoke the moon, being that it’s the ultimate fae symbol.”

  “Why a moon?”

  “It’s long been said that the times of the in-between are the times when the borders between the here and there are at their weakest. Long ago, parents warned their children not to be out at twilight. Twilight was an in-between time. That was when the fae would appear, and not all fae are good. As you’ve seen for yourself.”

  He paused, and pulled Diana closer, shifting where he lay partially under her on the settee. “In general, you’re most likely to catch sight of the moon in the early hours of evening, and the early hours of dawn. Since this is also when our two worlds are closest together, the moon, which guides the in-between times in and out again, is our token emblem. It’s been this way for thousands of years.”

  Diana sighed. “You’re right, my name is fitting.” Then she brightened further as she realized something. “You know, Selene’s name refers to the moon too. And so does her twin sister’s. Her name is Minerva.”

  Damon went still beneath her. She could tell he’d stopped breathing; his chest no longer rose nor fell beneath her head. She straightened, pushing herself up, and looked down at him. But he was staring straight up through the domed glass as if searching the sky for something that wasn’t there… or his memories for something very important.

  “By the gods,” he whispered as he, too straightened. She moved aside and he rose from the settee, coming to his feet. He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly agitated. His expression had very quickly become one of stark worry.

  Diana got to her feet as well. “What is it? What’s wrong?” Had she said something?

  Damon turned his fiercely concerned eyes on her and grabbed her hands. “Where does Selene live?”

  “Not too far from my house. Why?” Her own concern was now ratcheting up at an alarming pace. “Damon, why? Damn it, you said she was safe!”

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “She’s not nearly safe enough. We have to get the others and return there right away. We especially need Avery and Caliban. Damn it, I can’t believe I didn’t consider this before.”

  “Consider wha-”

  But he cast a transport spell before she could finish her words, and king and queen where whisked briskly through time and space.

  Epilogue

  Roman suddenly pulled away from Evelynne, breaking his kiss. He could sense someone coming, and if the signature hadn’t been instantly recognizable as belonging to one of the 13 Kings, he would have sent a nasty spell through the transportation portal then and there.

  He hated being interrupted while kissing his wife. Few things tried his patience as badly.

  But he spared the spell, knowing it would do little good against a king anyway, and turned from Evie, pulling her safely behind him. Then he waited as the transport portal opened up, a spinning, crackling crevice in the center of his study that spread wide to emit Damon Chroi and his new bride.

  Damon rushed out of the portal, practically dragging Diana after him.

  “Roman, I’ve sent a call to Avery and Caliban. You need to bring as many men as you can and come with me to Diana’s neighborhood,” he commanded immediately. “I’ve just realized something.”

  Evie stepped around Roman. “What is it?” Her lovely face reflected the worry in Damon’s.

  “It’s Selene Trystaine,” he said. “The men and monsters who attacked Diana’s house – they weren’t there for her. They were there for Selene all along.”

  Roman’s mind spun as he recalled that night, the Offspring and Bookas and spell spiders, the way Selene’s mind had been so difficult to penetrate, the image of her sister….

  “Oh my god,” said Evie, echoing Roman’s thoughts. The world held still as she gave voice to what they’d all just come to recognize. “She’s one of the queens.”

  “Yes,” said Damon. “She is. And I’m betting her sister is too.”

  Other books in the Big Bad Wolf spinoff series, The Kings:

  Book One, The Vampire King (available now)

  Book two, The Phantom King (available now)

  Book three, The Warlock King (available now)

  Next up in the Big Bad Wolf spinoff series, The Kings:

  The Seelie King (release date TBA)

  For a thrilling journey into the Big Bad Wolf series that spurred the creation of The Kings, check out the Big Bad Wolf Romance Compilation, Books One through Four by Heather Killough-Walden, available as eBooks via Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

  Enjoy Heather Killough-Walden's critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Big Bad Wolf series, now combined in one tome of sexual tension, romantic suspense and dark paranormal bliss....

  1. The Heat, Book One:

  Lily St. Claire is a simple Southern girl who has no idea what she is in for when she decides to move back to her home town in Louisiana after a decade of being away. But between the two very different alpha werewolves who instantly begin fighting to claim her as their mate and the serial killer who has her in his sites, she's about to find out.

  2. The Strip, Book Two: (warning, contains graphic violence)

  Green-eyed Malcolm Cole is a cursed werewolf, an alpha in the most powerful sense who has given up hope for any kind of happiness or peace in his life.

  Until he catches wind of Claire.

  Claire St. James, Charlie among friends, is an amazing young woman with an incredibly special gift. Cole recognizes this at once and swears on the spot to claim Charlie as his mate.

  Of course, he isn't the only one with such plans. Charlie is too precious to let go with
out a fight, and one of the most powerful alphas in the world has already staked a claim, whether Charlie - or Cole - like it or not.

  3. The Spell, New York Times bestselling Book Three:

  Dannai, aka the Healer, has begun dreaming of werewolves. She'd always been able to hide the fact that she was a dormant, using her magic to shield her promising scent from the alphas she's been forced to work with. But now that they've invaded her dreams, her world has been turned upside down. For, though every dormant dreams of her intended mate - Dannai is dreaming of two wolves, not one. And neither one of them is good news. One is a notorious killer. The other is Lucas Caige.

  Lucas Caige is a man with a haunting past. A warlock took his brother from him fifty years ago and he's spent his life outrunning that dark magic. But fate has a way of throwing sand in your gears, and just when Caige thought he could forever leave behind the magic that brought pain to his life, his path crosses that of the Healer. Dannai unwittingly casts her spell over him the moment he lays eyes on her. She's stunning, she's kind, and everything about her wreaks havoc on his senses. She's also magic incarnate.

  But if Dannai thinks that's going to stop him from doing everything in his power to make her his mate, the little witch has another thing coming.

  4. The Hunt, Book Four:

  Byron Caige has been a prisoner for the last fifty years of his supernaturally long life. Just when he gives up hope of ever knowing freedom again, he is unwittingly rescued by the very same woman who only wants to see him dead. Katherine Dare – Kat – is smart, fast, strong and beautiful – but unfortunately she’s a Hunter, and she’s convinced that Byron murdered her father twenty years ago.

  She’s also Byron’s dormant.

  As war breaks out amongst the otherworldly of Earth and threatens the existence of entire races, Kat is faced with a terrible decision. Should she give up her cause and believe Caige when he professes his innocence? Or should she fight him and possibly avenge her father’s taken life – even while she forfeits her own?

  Coming November 29, 2013, a brand new vampire romance series by New York Times bestselling paranormal romance author, Heather Killough-Walden….

  An ancient Roma foretelling speaks of vampire kings one day dreaming of the women who could bear them children. These children would be powerful vampire warriors and treasures to their kingdoms. Their mothers would become queens. However, a thousand years have passed and not a single vampire has dreamt of anything at all, much less of salvation through companionship.

  And then, in a massive master bedroom in a mansion upon sprawling estate grounds in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the French vampire king awakens from a slumber ripe with visions of a young American beauty. Julian Adalard, the ruthless ruler of his people, has dreamt of his queen. At once, he sends his bounty hunter to retrieve her.

  However, the bounty hunter is not only a skilled hunter and an unwilling servant to the king – he is also Julian’s brother, Dorian Adalard, and the prince of his people.

  And he, too, has dreamt of the young woman.

  Emma Rose Nekoda doesn't know she's been ear-marked as America's French vampire queen. She's a free-lance photographer, traveling from the Southwest to the Deep South for a long-awaited photo shoot.

  However, the bayou has more in store for Emma Rose than she’d anticipated. Amidst the marshy swampland and sticky heat of an old world steeped in magic, she will fight for her freedom from one gorgeous vampire brother to another – and in the process, kick off a world-wide war between vampire factions striving to become the first to develop an army of warrior offspring.

  Excerpt from The Third Kiss: Dorian’s Dream

  As she reached the entrance to the garage, she forced a tired but friendly smile for the attendant, who nodded in her direction. Then she was out in the New Orleans night, her feet pounding the pavement at a quick pace.

  The French Quarter was not a place for a woman to roam alone after dusk, but luckily her brother’s gallery was just around the corner. After so very many long hours in her tiny, cramped car, she could not wait to stretch her legs, hit a steaming hot shower, and get some real food in her belly.

  She kept her head up and her shoulders back, peering into every shadow as she passed the alleys. She gave them a wide berth and kept as much to the lamplight as possible. Finally she reached the intersection of her brother’s street and turned the corner – just as a Harley roared to life across the street.

  Because she was always subconsciously hoping for that gorgeous hunk of a biker even though she was aught for about a thousand, she turned in that direction to see who had started the engine.

  Then she froze.

  “Oh no,” she whispered. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She’d been completely expecting a beer belly or a short guy with a soul patch and mutton chops or some cocky, buzz-cut college kid in shorts and flip flops.

  She had not been expecting this.

  Emma stared unabashedly as the man gracefully leaned into the bike and straightened it out, kicking the stand up with his motorcycle boot. She didn’t normally fall for blondes. She usually preferred the tall, dark and handsomes that every other red-blooded American female in existence fell for. But something about this guy instantly grabbed her attention with both fists and held on for dear life.

  She watched the muscles of his long, strong legs flex beneath his worn, tight jeans, and as she ogled, a little voice inside her head gently reminded her that she looked like crap and probably didn’t smell all that great either.

  She ignored the voice and kept staring.

  His hair fell to his shoulders in careless waves, and as he gripped the handle bars of his Harley Night Train, his biceps and triceps bulged against his tight black t-shirt. Off-hand, she wondered what it would feel like to be held down by those arms, to be wrapped up in them, to have those long legs between her –

  The man suddenly looked up as if he could sense he was being watched, and their gazes met.

  His eyes were a piercing ice-blue and, even from this distance, their starkly intense color made her gasp aloud.

  She tried to blink – and couldn’t. She tried to look away, to pretend she hadn’t noticed him, but it was as if she had lost all control of her body. Like an idiot, she continued to stand there, continued to stare. She vaguely realized that her mouth was hanging open.

  The man slowly stood to his full, impressive height, his long muscled legs straddling the bike on either side, and pinned her with a look that very clearly said he had damn well noticed her and that there was no way in hell she could pretend to not have noticed him too.

  For what seemed like a full minute, the two of them stared at each other. He, with his bike idling in that delicious, low rumble, her with the New Orleans breeze blowing her long, wild, and un-kempt hair about her face like a golden halo.

  Finally, as if he had all the time in the world, the man eased himself back down onto the bike, never taking his eyes off her. He revved the engine a few times and began to pull away from the parking space and into the street. Still, he watched her.

  He wasn’t wearing a helmet and didn’t seem to have one attached anywhere on the bike. Stupid man, Emma thought. Stupid, gorgeous hunk of a man.

  And then he smiled.

  Emma stopped breathing. It was a stunning smile. He had the most sensual lips that were curved by that smile into a line both enticing – and a little cruel.

  As the man at last turned away from her to pay attention to the road and cars ahead, she realized that it had been far from a mere friendly smile.

  There had been promise in that smile. And lots of it.

  The Third Kiss: Dorian’s Dream, by Heather Killough-Walden comes out this November in eBook format only.

  Check out Heather’s other paranormal romances, such as the undeniably, unbelievably HOT stand-alone, A Sinister Game….

  In a world ruled by Game Leaders, a dark and dangerous man proposes a wage
r....

  “If you can escape me for seven rounds, Victoria – if you can keep from being taken off of the board for that long, I will admit defeat and step down as Gray leader. But if I find you," he let the words sink in. "And if I capture you….” His voice trailed off just as his gaze trailed over her lips, her throat, her breasts.

  His green eyes locked on hers again and she felt she would die right there at that table.

  “Then you’ll join me. You'll give yourself to me for one night.” His smile was the devil’s promise. “This is the wager.”

  But this is a game far more complicated and far more deadly than either of them anticipated. As the real world unfolds around them, what they thought they knew becomes obsolete, and the rules are ruthlessly changed... in this SINister game.

  Excerpt from A Sinister Game, by Heather Killough-Walden

  “Shall I tell you about the other rules I have yet to break, Victoria?” he asked softly. His footfalls echoed on the marble as he strode toward her, his hands once more behind his back. “Let’s see…. I’m fairly sure I have yet to put any of your team members into a coma. Or drive anyone mad.” He stopped a foot away and towered over her.

  His nearness was like a drug. She felt dizzy and overwhelmed.

  “Of course, there’s always True Death. Not that I would even consider such a tactic. Especially against a certain Red team captain.”

  Victoria stared up at him, her eyes wide with horror. Was he threatening Max? He wouldn’t dare.

  But the look in his eyes told her differently.

  Oh yes. He most certainly would. He was threatening to kill Maxwell Blood.