Page 29 of Wicked Little Tricks

The three vampires all stood there, enraged. The woman smacked her hand on the invisible barrier, making it flash for a moment with green light. I was lucky none of them had any goblin blood, or else I’d be screwed.

Shaking, I sat up. “What do you want from me?”

One of the men spit on the ground. “The master says to bring you and we bring you. But you don’t look special to me.”

Great, so they didn’t know either.

I got to my feet, still clutching Ringo. I gave their angry faces one last look, then turned and started walking. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I was stuck in the Bogs until sunrise. Unfortunately, the night was still young.

13

No little eyeswatched us from the tiny goblin houses as we passed them. I would have assumed that the small goblins were nocturnal, but it seemed I was mistaken. Ringo had retreated to my bag. “I don’t recommend the northern woods,” his little voice emanated from within.

I smirked. “Yeah, I think we better avoid the trolls.Andthe Citadel.”

Mistral would want his report at some point, but now I was even less sure who to trust. Why were these vampires suddenly after me? It didn’t make any sense. I needed to keep my information close to my chest until I figured out what was going on.

My watch buzzed, and I hurried to answer it. I had tried calling Braxton once I was safe, but he hadn’t answered.

“What in the hells is going on, Eva?” his voice buzzed from the watch.

“I have no idea. Are you okay?”

“Okay as I can be. Lilith’s buddies got me out of there. When they told me to run, I ran. And we all know vampires are no match for werewolf speed.”

I let out a long breath. He was safe, and being smug, so he wasn’t feeling too bad about it. “I’m sorry Braxton. I shouldn’t have pulled you into this. Whateverthisis.”

“You know I’ve always got your back, Eva. Where are you?”

“In the Bogs. I’ll stay here until the sun is up.” I stepped around a mucky puddle. I would need to find some high ground if I hoped to get any sleep.

“You may want to stay there longer. This is some crazy shit going on. And we both know even with vampires, you’re not safe in the daylight. They have their…fans. And let’s not forget the angelics.”

I nodded along with his words. “Yeah, it’s a risk, but I need to figure out a way to talk to Lilith. She obviously knows something about what’s going on.”

“Oh, no, Eva. No more nighttime adventures. If you’re going to ask anyone, ask your devil. He at least wants you alive. We have no idea why Lilith helped you. Maybe she just wants to hand you over to someone else.”

My frown deepened. He was right. I didn’t know her at all. But then why had Sebastian sent me toquestion her? “I’ll think about it. I’m going to find a place to get some rest.”

“Don’t come home with any more goblins, Eva. We don’t have a lot of space.”

Shaking my head, I ended the call. We reached a small open hill, the grass less soggy with the elevation. I wasn’t sure where all the moisture in the Bogs came from. I mean, it rained plenty in the city, but out here it was practically a swamp. I hiked up the hill, keeping my attention on our surroundings, but I didn’t sense anything. Stars glittered serenely overhead, as if nothing could possibly be wrong.

Reaching the top of the hill took the rest of my energy, and I plopped down, bringing my messenger bag into my lap. I opened it and looked down at Ringo. I had either left behind or lost most of the candy, and the few remaining pieces floating around were crushed and coming open at the seams. There were also a few suspiciously empty wrappers. I had a feeling Ringo might have some sticky fingers. Literally not metaphorically.

“You know. When I leave in the morning, you might want to stay here this time. It seems like my life has become a little more dangerous than yours.”

He twitched his tufted ears and blinked those big eyes at me. “Do you want me to stay?”

“No, I…” I could admit I had gotten attached to the little guy. It had been oddly nice having him around. “I want you to do what you want to do. Don’t act just out of loyalty to me.”

He hunkered down a little further in my bag, until all I could see were his shining eyes. “I want to stay with you.”

I smiled, unexpectedly relieved, though I could only hope I didn’t get him hurt. “Then you’ll stay with me.”

“Stealing goblins now are we?”

My gaze whipped up to Gabriel standing over me. I hadn’t sensed him at all. He cut an imposing figure above me, his arm muscles straining against his linen shirt as he crossed them.

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