“I was doing it forhim.” He jerks his chin toward King Branneth. “You hadn’t responded to any of his summons and if the time ran out on the contract, he would have been stuck married and bound to your bride.”
Branneth looks at me and Vivienne. “If you had simply agreed to meet with me as requested, all of this could have been avoided.”
“You could have sent a less alarminginvitation.” Vivienne places her hands on her hips. “Or at least one with better wording, making it clear what you wanted.”
“It was perfectly sound legal wording,” he replies matter-of-factly. “Clearly stating I required your presence before my court.”
“Well, it sounded ominous.”
“It was not ominous, it was formal.”
“Perhaps to a Goblin,” she counters.
He purses his lips. “That is, regrettably, what I am.”
I bite back a laugh, and my warriors struggle to do the same, as my lovely wife verbally spars with the Goblin King again.
The Goblin King exhales and rubs the bridge of his nose. He looks like a male who has survived a long and difficult siege. “I have no wish to be enemies with Valethryn.” He looks at me.“This was my father’s bargain. It passed to me, and I wanted it ended as much as she did.”
I study him, trying to determine how best to move forward. He did abduct my wife, and I’m not sure I can forgive—
“He treated me well,” Vivienne says, interrupting my thoughts.
The King releases a heavy sigh. And, at last, I begin to see the shape of his frustration. He was a male trapped by obligations he did not choose. A misunderstanding, then. A dangerous one, but real all the same.
“I apologize for abducting you,” he tells her.
“And I apologize for my remarks about your trustworthiness and about Goblins in general,” she replies. She glances at me and then turns her attention back to Branneth. “Now that things are settled, I suggest we eat, and we can discuss a treaty between our two kingdoms.”
I blink and so does he. We’ve never gone to war with the Goblins, but we’ve never had any formal peace agreements with them beyond trade contracts either.
“I—” he starts, but Vivienne cuts him off.
“Good,” she says. She turns to one of the servants. “How are you coming along with the meal, Dradyn?”
“It should be ready in less than an hour, my lady,” he replies with a grin.
“Excellent. I knew I could count on you.” She turns to me and smiles. “Dradyn has been an absolute gem throughout this entire ordeal.” She gestures to the room and all the servants scurrying around her. “Look at how much we’ve accomplished thanks to his amazing skills organizing everyone.”
Dradyn straightens his back at her praise, and I bite back a laugh.
“Dinner will be ready shortly.” He bows.
Before he heads off to the kitchens, she adds, “And don’t forget to remind the cook to make more of those lemon cakes.”
“Of course, my lady.” He practically beams as he rushes out of the room.
She turns to me, eyes bright. “Oh, Auren, they have the most delicious lemon pastries.”
“You… have sampled the pastries?”
“Well of course I did,” she says, as if this ought to have been obvious. “I wasn’t sure how long I’d be here, and I had to determine whether the kitchen staff was competent.”
“It has been a harrowing afternoon,” the Goblin King mutters.
“Um, can someone please release me?” the Incubus says, still bound by my magic on the floor.
“Fine,” I reply, snapping my fingers and freeing him. “But touch my wife again and I’ll end you. Do you understand?”
