Page 50 of White Little Lies

“Hey, I’m half human, and I was raised entirely human. We don’t just go walking around naked all the time.”

“Were you not raised in part by werewolves?” Mistral asked playfully.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, but they only get naked when they shift forms.”

The door that Mistral had left partially ajar creaked open a little further. I heard the sound of little pawsscuffing on stone, then Ringo hopped up next to the impressive waffle stack. He licked his chops, then deflated a little as he realized how close behind him Mistral was.

Momentarily giving up on the waffles, he hopped over to me. Also oblivious to my nudity, he crawled onto the sheets covering my lap. He turned wide eyes toward my face. “The forest is noisy today. Lots of chatter. Something happened last night.”

I could tell he was proud to have brought me the news, not realizing thatwewere what happened last night—or, early this morning, actually. “Lots of chatter?” I asked innocently, glancing over his head at the other two goblins.

He nodded, not noticing my nervous glance. “The land got really loud, then suddenly very quiet. Now everyone is talking about it.”

I wasn’t sure whoeveryonewas. Maybe he meant the tiny goblins that would lurk on stone ledges throughout the Citadel. “You tell me if they say anything else, okay?”

He nodded excitedly, then glanced back at the waffles.

“Go ahead,” I laughed.

Gabriel frowned as Ringo hopped over to the waffles and took one off the top of the pile with his little paws.

Mistral just seemed to find it all terribly amusing. He walked around the bed, then sat a little behind meso I could lean my back against his chest. My nerves instantly quieted.

He leaned forward, grazing my cheek with his. “You should eat. I believe the land will remain silent today. Gabriel can accompany you home without worry.” He lowered his voice, though everyone would still hear. “Though I do wish I could go with you.”

I pulled away enough to look at him. “Do you really?” He always seemed so unfazed by things. I wasn’t sure how much he truly cared to be involved.

“Of course. Not only to join in your adventures, but—” He looked past me at Gabriel. “It is lonely here, sometimes.”

The pair exchanged a look that I would probably never understand. It was clear they both knew each other better than anyone else.

Clearing his throat to break the tension, Gabriel fixed a plate with three waffles piled high with strawberries and whipped cream, then handed it to me.

I looked down at the plate. “Do you really think I’m going to eat all of that?”

He smirked. “I thought you might have worked up an appetite. You know, when the land got all loud then quiet.”

I snatched the plate before he could say anything more in front of Ringo. Even though the little goblin was far older than I was, he was still rather childlike. I didn’t want to give him any nightmares.

Mistral waited for my reaction as I cut into thepancakes, making sure I had a plump slice of strawberry and a dollop of whipped cream on my first bite. I chewed, then nearly died right then and there. “Gods, that’s good. Why is everything you guys make so incredible?”

Chuckling, Mistral reached around me for his cup of coffee. “Trust me, Eva. It’s the least we can do.”

No faeor devils accosted us on the way home, and that included Sebastian. I had expected him to be waiting outside the gates when we arrived, but he was nowhere to be seen. The sky above us was gloomy and gray, but I was in relatively high spirits despite everything.

Not having to deal with Sebastian was just a bonus.

“I smell troll,” Gabriel said as we ascended the steps to my apartment.

“Troll?” Ringo gasped into my ear.

I furrowed my brow. Dawn was the only troll-blooded person I knew, but I hadn’t expected her return so soon.AndI would have expected a call from Braxton the moment she arrived. He had never really enjoyed Dawn’s company, and I couldn’t blame him. She was an acquired taste.

We reached the landing and I put my key in the door, but it was already unlocked. Bracing myself, I opened it and went inside. Sure enough, Dawn was sitting on the sofa, a new periwinkle cup in hand.There was another on the low coffee table, presumably for me.

As we walked past the kitchen and into the living room, Dawn’s eyes started with Gabriel‘s feet, tracing a slow lingering line all the way up to his face. “So sad that he has a shirt on this time,” she said wistfully.

I rolled my eyes as I approached the sofa. “I thought you likedelves.”

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