Bound (A Faery Story 1)

brought the warrior with you. As it is, I’ll tell my king all about the

brothers getting married and then me eating one of them.”

Bound

189

He looked ready to do it, too. His clawed hands twitched

dangerously.

“I want you to run,” Cian whispered into her ear. “Run and don’t

look back.”

He was such a drama queen. The goblin, on the other hand, was a

big old bully. She gambled. She walked straight up to the goblin, and

using her thumb and middle finger, she thwacked him on his

sensitive-looking nostrils. According to many a nature documentary,

it worked on sharks. The goblin howled and took two steps back.

“There. Now we’re starting to understand each other.” She looked

at the small flask on his hip. “Is that what I think it is?”

The goblin pulled the flask out. He held it in one hand as he

protected his nose with the other. He wasn’t so scary now. “It is mine.

You would not like it. Sidhe do not like our liquors.”

Meg stalked the goblin. “I told you before, goblin. I’m not sidhe.”

With a curious expression, he handed her the flask. “It is strong, I

warn you.”

Meg wiped the rim with the towel she’d placed on the basket of

cookies. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected goblins were probably

dirty. It didn’t matter once that smell hit her. Heavenly coffee. It was

still warm. Meg tipped the flask and drank it down in one long gulp. It

wasn’t even as strong as an espresso.

“Strong, my ass,” she said with genuine relief. “It isn’t strong,

goblin, but it will do. I’m going to need more. Take me to your leader,

or whoever the hell can negotiate a little trade agreement.”

The goblin’s face approximated a version of friendly. He still