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“Barbaric.”The sneer in his voice matched the tried-convicted-and-sentenced lip curl on his face.
“Goblin.I’m not defending my home realm’s laws—not to anyone.Especially not to someone willing to kill to overthrow his own government.”
“Fair enough.”He shot her the calculating attorney look again.“Ask your book what’s happening in Kradnovtl now.”
“I don’t know that it works on the ask-and-receive method.”Or if she wanted it to.The book looked so normal and nonmagical tossed on the table next to her arm with a folded napkin stuck inside.“Your dad didn’t mention anyone requesting or summoning the info into the book.He just said it wrote itself.”
“Can’t hurt to ask.”
Oh, but it could.She could find out more about how she’d caused her mother’s death.Still, he stared at her expectantly.“Fine.”She pressed her hand to the cover, and the leather rubbed against her palm.“Can you tell us what happened to the mad king after I went through the goblin glass?”
She waited to see if the cover opened, if words filled the page.
Seconds ticked by.Nothing happened.
Perry lifted a shoulder.“It was worth a try.Let’s go over your vows to Baba Yaga.What exactly did you promise?”
“Three things.Collect the stones.Return home to Kradnovtl on my twenty-sixth birthday.Kill the beast.”
“What beast?”Of course he seized on the last.
“I don’t know.”She didn’t.Not really.
“Sounds as though you have some theories.”
Why’d he have to be so damned perceptive?“What if I’m the beast?”She rushed to finish.“I love myself way too much to play martyr.”
“Show me.Slip your skin.”
“Excuse me?”No way he could be asking for her to put herself through the humiliation of him making that nightmare-fest face at her again.
“I’m supposed to be your consort when we cross over, which means I’d better be comfortable with you in both skins.”
“I’m not going green in front of you.”
“Now who’s being sensitive?”
Anger flashed through her.“You’re such an asshole.”
“We’ve been over that, and the answer is yes.So you going to change, or are you too scared?”
“I’m not scared.”Terrified.Mortified.
“In Kradnovtl, will you be in this form or your goblin one?”
“It depends.Mostly this one.But I’ll need to change if the situation demands it.Or if the king commands me.”She cut off her rambling.
He flashed a quick grin that said he knew he’d made her uncomfortable.“Maybe I’m the one who needs to conquer my fear before we visit the goblin realm.”
“Okay.”She hated when he was right.What’s the worst he could do?Repeat his earlier freak-out.“I’ll do it.”She would force her feelings under a lock even she couldn’t pick to save her ego from yet another rejection by him.Slipping the cuff off her wrist, she put it with the amethyst on the table and reached to strip.
“Getting naked?A requirement or just a perk?”He lost his cool, calm, and conceited tone.
“You’re embarrassed.”
“I’m not.I simply need to know all the steps.”
“Going goblin means I’ll be bigger, stronger.Slipping skins rips clothes unless they’re made for the change.”She yanked her shirt over her head, hesitating a heartbeat when he looked away.“You don’t have to face the wall.”The laugh stuck in her throat.“As you’ve said, most of the world has seen me wearing almost nothing.”
