Page 3

Chapter Three

I held perfectly still as I listened, stretching out my senses until I heard another sound, the barest brush of shoe against floor. It was two rooms away, though. How could I hear a footstep two offices away? Impossible. Still, I’d heard it.

I slipped off my shoes soundlessly and grabbed the fuzzy handcuffs off the desk, able to see an outline of them in spite of the lack of light. I’d fallen asleep when it was still light, and slept for who knew how long. I should be home by now, sleeping in my bed, but instead, I was in the police station by myself, with an intruder who was very likely armed and dangerous.

The handcuffs were my own work, steeped and spelled with every stitch I’d made on them, until they were capable of securing my brother. He didn’t volunteer to test them, but he shouldn’t have double-parked behind me when I had to go to work.

I grabbed a taser as well, easing towards the hall, glad the door was open so he wouldn’t hear me. Or her.

I heard another footstep, closer, and froze, then edged to the side of the doorway, out of the perp’s line of sight. Not that it wasn’t dark, but some things could see in the dark.

I waited, holding my breath, until I felt him moving right outside my door. I flung out one side of the handcuffs and heard the snick as they closed on his wrist. Then he yanked me out into the hall, testing the strength of my work. I followed that tug and had the other side ready to snap on the other wrist when he grabbed my throat. The snick was nice, but so was breathing, and I wasn’t doing a lot of it.

I kicked off the side of the hall, knocking him over, landing on top of him, but only for a moment, because he used my momentum to roll, until he was pinning me, using his legs more than his hands, because he was cuffed.

I jerked one of my hands free, grabbed the taser I’d dropped and hit him in the side with it.

He convulsed while I rolled him, and then I held the taser at his throat, pressing the tip lightly, but he froze once he could control himself.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

He inhaled a sharp breath and then laughed, a slight chuckle, but it was dangerous, so incredibly dangerous, wild, dark, and wicked.

“I’m caught. You should probably let me go quickly, before it’s too late. You know how it is with vermin, impossible to get rid of.” He spoke in Goblin. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle about who he was, the only goblin I really knew.

“Sashimi?” The wave of betrayal was entirely irrational. He was only a sushi customer, and had admitted to being an assassin. Still, he was a thief who broke into my office? How could he do that after all these years I’d known him?

“That’s not my real name, but it’ll do. Why do you smell like that?”

“What? The pine shampoo? I’m going to get something different.” I blinked in the dark at him, and his eyes glowed golden for a moment, before they went back into shadows. I bared my teeth at him and pressed the taser into his throat. “Don’t change the subject. What are you doing here?”

“Not the shampoo, earth magic. I’m here to check your security. It isn’t bad, particularly if you count the guard witch. These cuffs are giving me a seriously difficult time.”

“I thought that was the taser,” I bit out before I rolled off him, still holding the taser in place. “Get up and follow me. You’re going into lockdown.”

“Seriously? You think you can lock me up?”

“Seriously. If you come willingly, I won’t have to knock you unconscious. I’m not a goblin, so your head would be hitting every single step as I dragged you by the ankles.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a goblin? You smell…”

I leaned closer, jabbing the taser into his flesh. “This is the last time I’m going to say this. Come willingly, or be dragged.”

“If you really want me all that much, who am I to resist?” He slowly stood along with me while I held the taser to his throat. He was taller than me by almost an entire head. I didn’t remember Sashimi being so tall, but I guess he usually slouched and tried to look smaller than he was.

I swallowed hard. “Exactly. Who are you? What are you doing in the police station in the middle of the night?”

“I’m Corcarn, sometimes called Sashimi, the goblin, and I’m here to test the station’s security. I was hired by your boss, Lieutenant Joss—there’s a fancy rhyme—to test your station’s security.”

“Lies. Fine. If you won’t tell me, you can tell the judge.”

“Not the one that’s recently dead. What do you think about it?”

I pulled him down the hall, and he didn’t resist. When I got to the nearest switch, I flipped it on so I could glare at him more effectively. “I think your best bet is with the night court.”

“The judge’s death. You were at the crime scene instead of sleeping. You should have slept at least until Monday.”

I scowled at him. “You drugged me to sleep longer?”

He smiled slightly. “You know everything I put into that glass that you drank. I’m not the reason you were sleeping. There is something off about you. Almost…” His eyes narrowed as he studied me, and I got the idea that he was smelling me.

I wanted to taser him just so he’d stop looking at me. “I’m really going to enjoy throwing you in lockdown.”

“You didn’t happen to speak Goblin to the Magga, did you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“No, of course it isn’t, except that you’re my sushi dealer, and I’d prefer if you stay human.”

“I’m a witch.”

“You’re partly witch on your mother’s side. All human on your dad’s. Mostly human. But not for long if the Magga’s actually decided to turn you into a goblin.”

I stopped walking so I could stare at the insane goblin who had broken into my precinct. “You can’t turn people into goblins.”

“No, personally, I can’t, and I never would if I could, but Magga has this collection of humans, and she also has this group of acolytes, many of whom were humans, but are now goblins, born of her magic.”

I snorted. “Acolyte? So she’s a priestess? Her magic was incredibly unstable. That’s why I talked to her. She was ready to blow up the entire station.”

“You read her aura? She’s always ready to blow up an entire station. City. World. It’s very irritating. Rynne, have you noticed any changes? For example, can you see in the dark?”

I jabbed the taser into his neck, but he didn’t even flinch. “I’m not turning into a goblin. No. I can’t see in the dark.” I’d been able to hear him two rooms away, and I’d been able to smell the corpse’s fear, but that was just a weird, temporary thing that had nothing to do with turning into a goblin. People didn’t turn into goblins. It was ridiculous.

“That’s a relief. Because if the Magga did turn you into a goblin, she’d also own you, you’d be her slave, and I wouldn’t get any more sushi.” His golden eyes twinkled cheerfully. “So glad we got that straightened out. How did you make these cuffs? They feel like your soul.”

“We needed something that we could use on infernal creatures that couldn’t be held by metal, so I used some…Don’t change the subject.” I glared at him.

He smiled at me. “You’d like to talk about turning into a goblin some more? First, your senses will expand, like becoming a werewolf without the craving for blood. What you will crave is sushi. Your muscles will become more dense, stronger, and your eyes will change color until you can see in the dark.”

“I’d like to talk about what you were doing in my police station in the middle of the night.”

“I was asked to break in to check security. I already told you that. It’s something a lot of people pay me for. I’m very good at it. I was also going to browse all the files and see if there was anything interesting about anyone I knew. I was also going to check your office and see if you have plants that need to be watered. For a human with any amount of witch blood, you’re terrible with plants.”

I tasered him. Right in the neck. He spasmed, and I shoved him into the cell, shutting the door behind him with a clang of doom while he stumbled onto the bench, looking surprised, but still amused, even with the black mark on his skin.

I bared my teeth at him. “As fun as this has been, I need to get home and sleep in my bed. Enjoy your rest on that nice, comfy bench.”

He reclined, cuffed arms behind his head as he relaxed. “Thank you. I will enjoy my rest in this secure facility. And I will see you tomorrow.” His eyes glimmered, but I didn’t stick around to figure out why he was so comfortable and confident. Maybe he could get out of the cell that had been crafted to hold the most vicious and brutal creatures. Maybe he could pick locks with his teeth. Maybe he could spell his way out of my cuffs, too. Either way, I was done with him.

I never should have tasered someone who wasn’t a threat. I’d reacted emotionally, been reacting emotionally ever since I realized who it was. I still felt betrayed, and every word out of his mouth only served to deepen my hurt and anger.

It was a long walk home, and when I finally reached the alley, I was feeling guilty for letting the goblin get to me. I was feeling like that time Tarn took my bike without permission and didn’t lock it up, so it got stolen. Betrayed by someone I trusted. Why would I trust a goblin? Goblins were the creatures who had bullied my brother so badly that I’d painstakingly written out a letter to the Goblin Authority. Of course, I’d addressed it to the Goblin King, but he’d written me back and clarified that there was no king in this enlightened age, and that my grammar was atrocious, so please fix it. Then he’d given me sheets of goblin words and their English equivalents, my first lesson in goblin from an actual goblin. Anyway. There was no reason for me to trust any goblin, much less some random client. But Sashimi had been so helpful at fixing my accent, and would let me talk to him about my stupid problems, as long as it was in Goblin. He’d actually given me some useful advice, from relationships with friends, family, and work. Ten years was a long time to think you knew someone.

I jerked to a stop when the raccoon rolled out in front of me, landing on his back and staring up at me with beady, black eyes. It was two feet away from me, and it hadn’t been acting stable the last time I’d seen it.

It made this chirping sound and kicked its legs rapidly. Was it possessed? What in the world was it doing? I leaned over it and then got a whiff of its stench. It wasn’t just raccoon, it was alcohol. I pulled back, grimacing from the horrible smell. It was drunk as a skunk. No, drunk as a raccoon. I peered behind the garbage can where he’d come out, and there was an overturned bottle of vodka.

Now what? I was a neutral witch and should have an affinity with plants and animals. It really hurt when Sashimi told me that I was terrible with plants. It was true, but when did the truth not hurt more than blatant lies? I still shouldn’t have tasered him, even if I felt like he was provoking me.

I shook my head and refocused on the now snoring raccoon in front of me. I could just leave it there, or put it behind the garbage can, but what if a larger predator found it like this? I crouched down to peer at it and noticed a part of its fur that was matted and red. I smelled blood in that awful raccoon mix. Blood? A wounded, drunk racoon? Was it hurt earlier when it had snarled at me?

I sighed heavily, took off my jacket and picked it up, aware of its stench seeping into my shirt. It snuffled and lolled its head against my shoulder, curling up kind of adorably. Was I actually doing this? Well, I should do something nice to make up for tasering Sashimi. The second time. It would have knocked a human unconscious, but he’d only looked amused.

Yep. I was so amusing, but I’d still caught a goblin with my spelled cuffs. Even if Brannigan made fun of how they looked, with layers of fabric stitched over them, they could hold a goblin assassin. Sashimi had really nice hair, and it smelled much better than a drunk raccoon. Our fight hadn’t lasted very long, but I could still feel the silky hair as it slid over my face, particularly my lips. So silky. So much better than my own hair. Maybe after he got out of jail for breaking and entering, he’d tell me what kind of shampoo he used.

It didn’t seem like he took my jailing him personally, but I wanted him to. I wanted him to feel betrayed and hurt like I felt. When had I gotten so petty?

I carried the raccoon up the steps, careful not to knock over any of the pots on my porch, and then inside. I took him to the bathroom and put him on a towel. I really needed to give him a bath, but would he be passed out through complete immersion?

No. The raccoon came awake with a squeal of horror and bared teeth, but I was wearing thick gloves, and had a good grip under his chin, so he couldn’t bite me. I held him down in the bottom of the shower, plugged up so the water could rise enough to wash the furry beast. After a slight struggle, it whimpered and relaxed, letting me torture it.

I washed it down until the matted fur loosened up enough for the blood to come out. There was a lot of blood. Poor thing. Sometimes it helped to talk to animals. Some witches swore that they talked back.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Raccoon. We’re going to get you all clean and then I’ll stitch you up. I’ll make a nice compress for your wound and weave some spells into it so you heal extra fast. Okay?” My voice was bright and cheery, like it was when I talked to children.

He eyed me suspiciously, before his head rolled back, and his tongue came out, lolling to the side. Okay then. I worked over him with both hands since he wasn’t struggling. I needed to keep talking.

“Well, Mr. Raccoon, how did you get that big gash in your leg? Did you get it caught on a werewolf, or just a dog? No, these cuts are too close together, too clean. It looks like a trap, the way it’s the same on both sides. Did you get caught in a trap? Who’s putting out traps for raccoons in the city? Poor Mr. Raccoon. And then, of course, you had to drink all the vodka. No one told you that you were supposed to wash your wound in vodka, not drink it, so you didn’t know any better.”

I continued rambling until he was all clean, and I could really see the wound. There wasn’t anything to stitch. I’d just have to wrap it up and hope he could keep it clean and dry. I ground herbs for Mr. Racoon after I got him settled on a corner of my couch, wrapped in a towel. I did the spells I’d learned so meticulously, knowing that they wouldn’t do much, but at least they’d do something. Then I packed his wound, talking all the time, which seemed to keep him calm, then I wrapped his wound, stuck the end on with magic spells so it wouldn’t come undone, and then collapsed on the floor with the now-snoring raccoon.

I grabbed a pillow and put it under my head, trying to think what in the world I was supposed to do now. I had a goblin behind bars, a dead judge who was probably murdered, and a raccoon on my couch. What a mess. What a bunch of messes. And my sense of smell was better than I had been. Was it possible that I was actually turning into a goblin? Of course not. People turned into werewolves and vampires, but not goblins. Still, I had been able to hear him opening a window two offices away. What kind of assassin wasn’t quieter than that? He really needed to work on his stealth if he was going to be sneaking around in dangerous places. One of these days he’d be seriously hurt, and then who would help me with my goblin pronunciation?

He had really silky hair. If I had his shampoo, I could have used it on Mr. Raccoon and myself so we would all be soft and delicious smelling. His hair had smelled so good. Not that I was thinking about his hair. What was wrong with me, fixating on some traitorous goblin’s hair? Probably the fact that I was twenty-five and hadn’t ever dated anyone. What I should do was go to the local coven meeting and get to know a nice warlock. He wouldn’t be Winston the Warlock, but a nice, happy neutral witch who wouldn’t mind my raccoon. Maybe he could even take him off my hands because he’d be so good with animals. And plants.

Not that certain goblins didn’t seem to have a green thumb. Ha! Because their thumbs were literally green. I fell asleep smirking to myself.