by K. M. Shea
Internally, I was seething. How could I be so stupid? What was wrong with me? First, I was thinking that the cold, arrogant Aysel was sweet and gentle, and now I was sort of flirting with Hunter—who might be my friend, but let’s not forget that he still is my kidnapper.
“I need to get out of here,” I hissed, throwing open the door to my room. “I have to get back to normal society!”
After an exquisite luncheon on Sunday, I was ready to go. And I don’t just mean mentally; I mean physically, too. I had my jacket and purse in a pile by the door of Hunter’s office. I had said goodbye to all the goblin staff, and I pretty much hovered in the hallway between Aysel’s conference room and Hunter’s office. (I figured it was also the safest spot for me and my delicate sense of balance around those two.)
I was absolutely elated when Aysel was taken into Hunter’s office around 2:00 p.m.
“Great news, Moonspell. Your father is signing the contract as we speak. My men are preparing a car to drop you off at Union Station,” Hunter said, his hands clasped behind his back as he strolled towards Aysel and me.
Aysel’s stance relaxed, and he nodded.
“Thank you for being our guest. I hope we don’t have to run into each other for a long time,” Hunter said.
“Yes! I can finally go home,” I said, my eyes shutting with relief as I raised my hands over my head.
“Not quite,” Hunter said.
“What?” I asked, dropping my arms while snapping my eyes open.
“Releasing you wasn’t part of the agreement,” Hunter smiled.
“WHAT?” I hissed, the hair on the back of my neck prickling.
Aysel tensed next to me.
“Administrator Moonspell agreed to sign the contract if we released his son. He never stipulated anything about the human,” Hunter shrugged.
“You didn’t tell him about her, did you?” Aysel growled. “I should have known better than to trust that you goblins had any sense of honor.”
“That’s the thing. I did tell your dear daddy about Morgan. I believe your sunny twin made a big deal about it. But Administrator Moonspell never mentioned her in our talks. Indeed, he doesn’t seem to care what we do with her,” Hunter said with what looked like a harmless smile. “So, I’ve decided to keep her.”
I felt sucker-punched in the stomach. How could he say such a cruel thing while smiling at me? “Hunter, I’m not a pet.”
“I know,” Hunter carelessly shrugged. “But having you around is interesting.”
“Are you INSANE? I’m a person, Hunter! I have a family—I have a life! I’m not your plaything!” I shouted.
Hunter’s smile did not leave his face, and he watched me with his glittering tiger eyes.
“Hunter, you’re joking, right? You have to let me go! You said you would!” I said.
“See, that’s the thing, Morgan. My morals are not as high as yours. I may honor all business deals I make, but I hardly extend those kinds of scruples to my personal life.”
“You were LYING?” I yelled.
I was enraged and frightened. I felt like the carpet had been pulled out from underneath my feet. Breathing was a struggle.
This was Hunter. I considered him a friend!
“I’ll never forgive you!” I promised. “I’m going to hate you for the rest of my life!” I said as angry tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes.
“I’m not leaving without her,” Aysel declared.
I swallowed my despair and actually turned to look at the High Elf. His shoulders were drawn back, and he had taken a step forward so he was slightly in front of me, as though he could shield me from Hunter. His chin was raised, and I could feel power radiate from him.
“Get off your high horse, Moonspell. If your father didn’t claim her, there’s no way you can say she’s under your family’s protection, even if she tutors your baby brother.”
“I. Don’t. Care,” Aysel said, his silver eyes were spitting sparks. “If my family does not claim her, then I will. I am not leaving her with you.”
There was something behind his words that I couldn’t quite understand.
Hunter seemed to. He raised his eyes and tilted his head to the side, trying to gauge the High Elf. “I don’t believe it,” he said. “Aysel Moonspell is defending someone, and not out of personal or political gain. Will wonders never cease?” he said, not at all affected by the elf’s rage.
“I will not leave this facility without Morgan Fae,” Aysel vowed.
Hunter smirked. “You are not in a position to make that decision, Moonspell,” he said before turning his attention to the goblins stationed behind us. “Take the elf to his room. In ten minutes, you may take him to the parking garage—Donovan will be there with a car—then take him to Union Station.”
“And what about Miss Morgan?” one of the goblins asked.
Hunter hesitated, I could see a pin-prick of indecision in his eyes.
“Please, Hunter,” I begged.
Hunter shook his head. “Take her to her room. I will drop by to speak to her after the elf has been taken care of.”
“NO! Let go of me!” I screamed, stamping on a guard goblin’s foot when he reached for my wrist.
I don’t know how he managed to do it, but the goblin gently toted me to my room, even though I was scratching at him and kicking him every step of the way.
Aysel oddly returned to his room without a fuss, looking absolutely thunderous as his single guard led him to his room.
“Aysel!” I shouted before I was forced into my room. The door was shut behind me, but I didn’t hear a lock click into place. That meant the guard was standing there.
I let myself scream and cry with fury, covering my eyes with my hands.
After a moment, I seized the first thing I could find that I couldn’t possibly use in the future for my escape—because I would escape from here—which was a porcelain horse figurine. (I know. Why a goblin decorated with a horse figurine, I’ll never know.) I flung it against the door where it shattered with a satisfying crunch.
I resolved to find an item that was bigger and even more breakable when something rumbled—like food left in the running microwave for too long—and the ground shook beneath my feet.
“What the heck was that?” I shivered, picking my way around the broken figurine to open my door and peer outside.
Down the hallway, I could see goblin guards surrounding Aysel’s door…which was on fire and smoldering. I’m not kidding. One of the goblins was splayed out in front of it, completely unconscious.
“He got Yulan after he removed the tether! Check to make sure he’s still breathing and prepare for a fight. The elf has locked himself in the room and is using his magic!” Logan shouted.
“Stay inside,” the guard outside my door ordered before pushing the door shut on me.
This time, there was the tell-tale click of the lock sliding into place, but I tried twisting the doorknob anyway. Nothing.
Aysel was fighting. If he could last against the guards, I was sure he would come for me. I needed to be prepared. “Maybe I could find a weapon…or something to throw at the guards,” I said, starting to rummage around my room.
I came up pretty much empty handed. The only stuff in my room was heavy furniture, an alarm clock, and the room decorations—none of which were porcelain, but were big and made of brass. They would be like a brick weight!
I sucked air in through my teeth. “Come on, think! There has to be something here I could use!” I said, tapping my foot on the thick carpeting.
Shortly after that, five explosions went off from different ends of the building. They were loud—much louder than Aysel’s little display of magic—and they rocked the ground, sending me sprawling.
“That wasn’t Aysel,” I said before an alarm pierced the air, wailing continuously.
I could hear running outside and lots of shouting. I hefted myself to my feet and pounded my fist on the door.
“What’s going on? Someon
e let me out!” I shouted, my hand turning red. “Anybody? Help me!” I shouted through the door.
It was about five minutes before anyone opened my door, and when it finally did pop open, I was very surprised to see it was Hunter who opened it.
His face was white, his forehead wrinkled. “Morgan, come with me. We—,”
“Fat chance!” I snarled, pushing him away from me. He stumbled one step backwards, but still reached out and clasped my hand. I tried to yank it back. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
“You don’t understand. We’re under attack. I have to get you out of here!” Hunter said, hauling me down the hallway.
I dug my heels into the carpeting so Hunter had to drag me, but I stumbled and fell when another explosion rocked the ground. That was when I heard the distinct sound of guns shooting.
“You weren’t lying,” I said through numb lips as Hunter helped me stand.
“Yes, come on!” Hunter agreed, pulling me after him.
I could still hear the guns as Hunter ducked into an enclosed staircase and led me down. His grip on my hand was uncomfortably tight, and his face was like a carved rock.
“What’s going on Hunter. Who did you tick off?” I asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Hunter admitted as we hurried down the endless stairs. “My brothers occasionally send a task force to make a raid just to make sure I don’t get soft, but I don’t think this is them. Guns aren’t a goblin’s style,” Hunter considered. He didn’t flinch when there was another explosion and the lights briefly flickered. (I did.)
“But it doesn’t matter who it is,” Hunter said. “I will take care of it. Logan is waiting for you; he’ll take you home.”
“You’re letting me go?” I said, hope welling up inside of me as I jumped to clear the last step.
“Yes.”
“Just like that?” I double checked as we left the staircase and popped out at the far end of the warehouse/parking garage.
“I may want to monopolize you, Morgan, but that is only because I genuinely like you. I would rather send you home than see you injured in my fight,” Hunter said, somewhat distracted as he looked up and down the empty lot. “Where is Logan?” he muttered.
“Wait! What about Aysel? Did you let him go, too?” I cried, remembering that the High Elf had championed me for a brief moment.
Hunter rolled his eyes. “He’ll be fine, I assure you. Anyone who tries to hurt him probably has a death wish. Come on,” Hunter said, starting for the far end of the room.
“I’m not leaving without him,” I stubbornly said, causing Hunter to stop and turn around to stare at me.
“What is up with you two? Do you get separation anxiety?” he snarled before starting off again.
I tripped after him. “No, we just have straight moral compasses,” I snidely said. “Hunter, you can’t just leave him up there!”
“I assure you, Aysel Moonspell can take care of himself. Besides, in a situation like this, I don’t care what happens to him. Getting you out is my first priority,” Hunter grunted and stopped by a large keypad implanted in the wall.
He dropped my hand and started typing in passwords and codes while I nervously sniffed the air, which smelled like smoke and gunpowder.
I wandered a few steps away so I could start pacing back and forth.
The MBRC had really turned my life upside down.
When I started my sophomore year, if someone had told me I would be involved in a goblin mob raid, I would have recommended a good psychiatrist. But now? All I could do was pace and rely on Hunter to get me out.
I didn’t like feeling so helpless.
I went from feeling helpless to feeling absolutely terrified when a hole was blasted into the wall of the warehouse/parking garage.
“Hunter,” I uneasily said, standing up from the crouch I had dropped into as chunks of cement rolled across the ground.
Two people stepped through the large hole, the dust swirling around them like fog. They were both tall and muscled. They both wore fatigues, and they both held handguns.
One of them—a female—held a walkie talkie to her mouth. “The Princess is spotted. We’re on the lower level garage. The Goblin King is with her, out,” she said before sliding the machine into her pocket.
Her companion, a giant hulking male, slid his guns into holsters.
“Hunter,” I whimpered, taking a stumbling step backwards.
The two soldiers crouched on the ground before leaping forward.
I gasped and grabbed my throat when both of them transformed before my eyes as they dashed towards us.
The man changed into a lion, a huge lion. Bigger than any one I had seen at a zoo! The female became a black leopard, as sleek and fast as lightning.
They were charging towards me.
I screamed and braced myself for impact, but Hunter stepped in front of me, his fists glowing green. He slammed his hands on the floor, and the ground in front of us exploded into a sea of bright green flames.
Rudimentary magic, huh?
“Morgan, the door to your left is open. Exit through it, and get out of here. You’re in Chicago—look for the Sear’s Tower and head for it. That should get you close to Union Station,” Hunter hissed.
“Hunter—” I started. I never got the chance to finish.
The two soldier-cats burst through the flames together, moving like a matched team.
Hunter shouted, brandishing his flaming fists at the cats, but to our surprise, the cats dove around him, one going to his left one going to his right.
At that moment, they transformed again, landing next to me as humans. Before I knew it, the girl was crouched in front of me, facing Hunter, aiming her handguns at him. lion guy scooped me up in his arms, smashing my face into his brick-like chest.
“The Princess has been recovered. I repeat, the Princess has been recovered. Over,” the girl shouted into her walkie talkie as lion guy stood, easily lifting me like I was a doll.
Hunter swung around to stare at me, looking horrified as lion guy and panther girl made a break for it, tearing back towards the hole they had blown in the wall.
“HUNTER!” I shouted.
“Morgan!”
“Take care of him,” lion guy ordered.
“Got it,” panther girl said, reaching into her pocket before tossing what looked like a grenade at Hunter.
Whatever it was, it exploded in a shower of sparkles, burning white hot.
20
My Rescuers
I screamed as loud as I could when the cat team hopped through the hole in the wall, popping out in a hallway. “I was just kidnapped! I will not be kidnapped again!” I vowed, pounding my fists on lion guy’s head. “I will go home! This can’t be happening!”
“Calm down—Ow!—Miss Fae, calm down! We’re not kidnapping you!” lion guy winced as he carried me down the hallway.
“Oh, yeah? Then what are you doing?” I shot, viciously ripping at his hair.
“OW! We’re here to rescue you!”
I paused, considering the possibility as leopard girl ran next to us. “No way! Liars! I’m so sick of being lied to by you magical beings!” I said before pounding my fists on him.
“Miss Fae, the cyclopes sent us,” leopard girl said. “We spoke with their representative, Nickolas Vontreba.”
I paused. “Nick?” I asked.
“Yes!” lion guy said, desperation lining his voice as he winced.
I hesitated. My involvement with the cyclopes wasn’t really publicized. Most people knew me as Asahi’s tutor. There was a high probability they were telling the truth.
“Oh. Okay,” I said, nearly biting my tongue when lion guy jarred me as he jumped over an unconscious goblin.
I screamed when someone dropped from the ceiling directly above us, swooping down in the shape of a bat before transforming mid-air into a human.
He performed a flip and hit the ground running, keeping pace with us.
“This is the P
rincess?” bat boy asked.
“It is,” leopard girl acknowledged. “Where are the others?”
“Gathering in the foyer. Another group of assorted magical beings has broken into the building. Kit Fox is assessing whether they’re friend or foe,” bat boy said.
“Great. That will be our retreat point,” leopard girl said.
“The Goblin King?” bat boy asked.
“Subdued,” the hulky guy carrying me said.
“For now,” leopard girl frowned. “I doubt he really went down that easily,” she said as we rounded a corner.
A large mountain cat was waiting there, sitting on its haunches in front of a closed door. He stood and transformed into a human, a guy, as we drew close. “Ah, yes, the rescued princess!” he said, grinning at me.
“She’s not rescued yet. We still have to get out of here,” lion guy said. He gave no sign of fatigue even though he had just carried me for several minutes while jogging. (He wasn’t even breathing heavily!)
“Stay focused; we’re going in,” leopard girl said, digging her guns out of their holsters.
“Why does everyone keep calling me princess?” I asked, tightening my grip around lion guy’s neck.
“It’s your code name. We picked it out because we’re being paid a princess’ ransom to get you home,” the guy who was previously a mountain lion winked as the doors opened.
Inside was mass chaos.
More of the military soldier people were inside, shooting at goblins if they weren’t involved in hand-to-hand combat. However, rather than spraying the goblin guards with bullets, they appeared to be hitting them with paintball pellets. A soldier would shoot, and a goblin would yelp and be spattered with a think, colorful spray.
“…What are you shooting them with?” I asked, watching one of the goblins get nailed with a cloud of pink paint. The goblin sneezed and fell to the ground, his eyes tearing up.
“A charmed mixture of paint and pepper spray. It’s a bugger to get off,” mountain lion guy grinned.
