Page 13 of The Goblin's Mine

It wasbad enough when I lost sight of Natalie in the hobgoblin swarm. After I yanked a couple of those little fuckers off of her, we got separated. I saw them herd her toward a tunnel, and then lost sight of her in the flood of blood and bodies.

Knowing she was injured but not where she went made me fucking feral. I tore through the rest of the swarm, killing everything that stood between me and the woman I was meant to protect, then sprinted through the darkness, following her scent. A useful side effect of the mate bond.

I was relieved not to scent any additional blood in the tunnels, and there were no hobgoblins in my way, so I assumed she merely got lost in the caves. I expected to find her lost and maybe a little frightened.

I did not expect to find her being menaced.

Seeing her here, struggling against a human who is much larger than she is and is clearly intent on taking her against her wishes?

I see fucking red.

A rage like I’ve never felt swirls through my veins as I demand that he unhand her. He may be bigger than Natalie, but he’s not bigger than me. I’ll physically remove him from her if I have to.

The human male’s eyes go wide as he sees me. It’s obvious he’s never encountered a goblin before, and he has no idea what to make of me, tall and horned and pissed beyond belief.

“What the hell are you?” he asks, dropping Natalie’s arm in shock. She immediately walks over to me, standing against my side. The sense of relief at having her close again gives me a modicum of peace.

“This is Kill,” she says, touching my arm. “He takes his name very seriously, so I suggest you be on your way.”

I smirk. She’s not wrong. It’s not like I go around killing for fun, but I have no issue taking out anything or anyone that threatens me or my clan. Which includes Natalie, whether she knows it or not.

“What the fuck?” The male yells. “No way am I leaving you here with some weird-ass horned creature! What the fuck is that thing?”

I bare my teeth at him. “I’m a goblin, these are my caves, and you are very unwelcome. You should take her advice.” I stalk toward him, ready to drag him out of the cavern if I have to. Hell, I’ll rip his heart out if I have to.

“I’m not going anywhere,” the male says, widening his stance.

I grin, though there’s no humor in it. “We’ll see about that.”

NATALIE

The menace is pouringoff Kill in waves, and I wonder if there’s something wrong with me for finding it hot. Because I do. And he is.

There was a time when I thought Brock was good-looking, with his sandy hair, blue eyes, and tall frame. But now that I’ve seen Killian, Brock pales in comparison. Looking at him now, I’m ashamed I ever dated him.

“Get out of here, human,” Kill growls.

“Or what? You don’t own these caves.”

Oh, Brock. Wrong move.

Killian stalks closer, towering well over Brock’s 6’2” form. “That’s where you’re wrong. I do own these caves. And if you don’t leave willingly, I will remove you with force.”

Brock glares at him, and then the idiot actually throws a punch.

Killian catches his fist in one palm and uses the momentum to push Brock backward.

“Brock, don’t be a dumbass. Just go,” I call out.

“Fuck you, Natalie. I can’t believe I wasted my time trying to find you when you were over here doing god knows what with thisthing. You’re a bitch and a whore!”

The growl that emanates from Kill’s chest is positively beastly. He dives at Brock, and the two of them go crashing to the ground in a whir of fists and shouting.

I can’t really see what’s happening. There’s shouting, and rocks come loose and go skittering over the edge. There are thuds and grunts and then, in a magnificent show of strength, Killian somehow manages to throw Brock off of him and gain his feet, turning to face his opponent.

With a snarl, Brock clambers up and charges him, but Killian, the more agile of the two, neatly sidesteps. Brock realizes his error too late, and though he pinwheels his arms to slow himself, it doesn’t work.

The next few seconds happen in slow motion.

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