Wraith(68)

Gabriel blinked. I hadn't given any indication that I was interested in antique furniture or that fine needlework would ignite my inner joy. It wasn't him I needed to convince, however.

Ghrashbreg smoothed the suspicion away from his eyes and smiled at me. ‘Saiya,’ he sighed. ‘Dear Saiya. It's not safe to wander around the castle without an escort. You might be mistaken for an intruder. The last thing we want is for you to be hurt because you are nosing around places where you shouldn't be.’ He glanced down at my hands very deliberately, as if to remind me exactly what he was capable of.

I wondered whether Gabriel noticed the dangerous edge to Ghrashbreg's words or the way he looked at me. I didn’t dare look at him to check. ‘You are right, Lord Ghrashbreg,’ I murmured, not faking my fear. ‘I offer my sincerest apologies. I was being foolhardy by poking around on my own.’ It occurred to me that I was laying on my apology a bit too thickly and I pulled back slightly. ‘You can't blame me, though. You goblins have kept us out of most of the castle for decades. It's only natural to want to look around – but I’ll heed your warning and I won't do it again.’

Rather than appear too contrite, I tilted up my chin as if daring him to argue. The goblin Lord would never believe a grovelling apology but a touch of misplaced defiance was something he could get behind. I hoped I'd done enough. At least I wasn't in the building which housed the dungeons; if I'd been caught there, we were doomed.

‘I can understand your enthusiasm,’ Ghrashbreg said, in a tone that suggested he didn’t. He turned to Gabriel. ‘You ought to keep a closer eye on your Fior Ghal,’ he said, as if I were an errant child who deserved a smack. Or a leash.

‘I will.’ Gabriel looked grim and the darkness in his expression didn't bode well for me. Perhaps I was about to see his true colours. Perhaps the honour that he expressed so openly in polite company disappeared when he was behind closed doors and faced with a baby mama who had a wandering spirit. A niggling voice inside me said I had to stop doubting him so much; I was the shadowy one around here, not Gabriel de Florinville.

I lifted my gaze to meet his and was surprised to see amusement glinting back at me. I swallowed and looked away. The atmosphere was claustrophobic and it was increasingly hard to stand with Ghrashbreg facing me when I knew whose blood he had on his hands. My throat constricted. I had to get out of there.

‘Don’t you have a meeting to go to, Lord Ghrashbreg?’ Gabriel enquired mildly.

‘I do indeed,’ the goblin said. ‘Now that the sun is down.’

‘Well,’ Gabriel drawled, ‘please don't let us keep you. Saiya and I will return to our rooms.’

‘That's a good idea,’ Ghrashbreg said. ‘I've taken the liberty of sending up a particularly fine bottle of wine for you to enjoy before dinner. It's uncorked and waiting for you.’ He plastered a smile on his swarthy face but it didn't reach his eyes; it was even more fake than the smile I was giving him.

Gabriel held out his hand to me. ‘Saiya?’ he questioned. ‘Shall we?’

‘Of course.’ I walked towards him, realising that I was shaking. It had to be a result of Ghrashbreg's proximity. Doing everything I could not to touch the goblin as I passed, I took Gabriel's arm, ignoring the sharp look he sent me. As soon as my skin touched his, I felt another strange tingle. Oddly, it soothed me while his nearness was equally reassuring. But I still had to fight the urge to sprint out of the building and away from Ghrashbreg and anything to do with any goblin ever again.





Chapter Seventeen


Neither Gabriel nor I said a word on the way back to his suite of rooms. I was mourning Marrock; I may not have called the wee man a friend but the pair of us had enjoyed a mutual understanding. He didn't deserve to die like that. I promised myself that I would do what I could to grant Marrock what he’d wanted and give him the immortality he craved. Whether we were successful here or not, the world would know Marrock’s name. I pulled my hand away from Gabriel and curled my fingernails deep into the flesh of my palms until I almost gasped with pain. People would be singing about Marrock for years to come. Centuries even.

I was starting to feel more composed by the time we got to the King’s Old Building. There was less than five hours until midnight when Gabriel and I would make our move. If it took my bloody death to resolve this, then I’d go happily. I was even starting to look forward to the prospect of escaping the goblins and thwarting their plans, despite the obvious peril.

I had no idea what Gabriel was thinking. Whatever brief amusement he’d exuded as I’d exchanged words with Ghrashbreg had vanished and his expression was now inscrutable. The way he marched forward with a stiff spine and clenched fists suggested intense anger. As far as I was concerned, he could keep his thoughts to himself but as soon as the door closed behind us, he was obviously determined to do anything but that.

‘What the fucking hell was that all about?’ He grabbed my shoulders and glared into my eyes.

I was shaken by his rage. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You know exactly what I'm referring to, Saiya. What were you doing sneaking around that building? You were fooling nobody. Don't you realise the danger you put yourself in?’

I pulled away from him and put my hands on my hips, mirroring his ferocity. ‘Danger? Danger?’ My voice rose. ‘You dare to talk to me of danger?’ I raised a hand in the air, extended my index finger and twirled it before tugging on my earlobe to remind him that we were probably being eavesdropped upon.