The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1) Emma Hamm (best books under 200 pages .txt) 📖

in species. He knew they weren’t all that different. They couldn’t be. He felt it in his very soul that they were one and the same.

Her words seemed to unleash the anger that was building in him. She didn’t have a moment to even step back or flinch from the wall of goblin that rushed towards her. Jane found she didn’t want to. She didn’t care that he was intimidating and she didn’t care if he ripped through her.

It wasn’t claws that met her skin though. It was warm hands that yanked her towards him. It was a firm touch that palmed the back of her head and soft lips that pressed against her own. Anger and passion and perhaps something else were hidden within the taste of him.

A goblin kiss was not a soft thing. Their teeth were sharp and their claws were deadly. Ruric knew very well that she was capable of handling all of him, but he had always held back for fear of hurting her. He did not hold back now.

What both of them realized was that anger could turn into passion as quickly as a spark igniting into a flame. One moment they were ready to throw punches, the next they were tangled in each others arms.

His hair was fisted in her hands, yanked backwards in aggression. She was held in place by his large hands and strong arms, a cage that she could not have escaped from even if she tried.

Eventually they stilled. Pulling apart when the world came crashing down around them and they both realized what they were doing.

They did not move far from each other. His arms stayed curled around her. Her hands rested against the broad expanse of his chest. And as they caught their breath he reached up to brush away a bead of blood from her bottom lip.

“You stay here.” He said quietly.

“I have to do something.” But Jane knew when she had lost. She could rage here, throw things and break everything she could get her hands on. But Ruric was right. Running out to try and be a hero was only going to get herself or the other men killed.

He hated to see her so broken. He could do nothing to ease her pain. There was no way that he could save those men. They were a liability and too weak to continue to work. The goblins could not sustain themselves and the humans that worked for them. It was their way of life. To attempt to change that would mean he had softened to a creature that some still barely considered more than animal.

The worst part was that it was he who would have to deal with them. Like animals they would put the humans down. Sometimes it was done down in the mines when one was injured, other times there was a spectacle made of it.

His thumb soothed the wrinkle between her eyes, dragging gently up until the worried mark would disappear for a few moments.

“I will do what I can.” His words were quiet and little faith that anything could be changed. But he would do what he could.

She stood frozen in place as he left, the curtain swinging closed behind him with a soft sound that seemed loud to her ears. He was gone, he had kissed her, he was going to kill humans.

The idea that he had killed her kind was not a new one. She had heard the stories just as much as the next human. She knew what these creatures were capable of. He wouldn’t be considered a warrior if he hadn’t killed before.

But those men she had seen were not warriors prepared to fight back against him. They were men that were sick and dying. She had seen the ribs of a few of them sticking out against their skin. Malnourished and weak, they had to be frightened as the goblins herded them towards a fate they did not understand.

What had Ruric meant that they were incapable of work? Was that what they were using the other humans for? It made sense that they were used as cattle. The goblins hadn’t seen humans doing anything other than working in the mines. It was likely they thought humans were bred to do just that. There were enough caves here that she thought they were probably always expanding.

Did they use humans for that then? Was the purpose for kidnapping them to work in mines further underneath the rock?

It made no sense that the men were in that state then. If creatures were working for you, the only way to keep them working well was to keep them healthy. Feeding them, clothing them, keeping them safe. It was the only thing that made sense to her. Obviously the goblins didn’t follow this logic and she couldn’t fathom why.

She started to pace while the sharp strikes of her feet against the stone numbed her mind. They were going to kill those men. She knew that Ruric had told her to stay and he was right. There were too many goblins here, she was outnumbered and potentially in danger. She was a human and they were killing humans. To remain here felt like a slap in the face to her species.

It was her choice to be foolish. It was her choice to help the men that she likely knew. In the end, she also knew what was the right decision. She had to help them even if it meant forfeiting her own life.

As a human, she had to do what she could.

Rushing into the back of the cave, she could grabbed what little Ruric had left. There was a black swath of fabric that they used for a blanket. For now it would have to serve as a makeshift cape that would hide her in the shadows.

One of the globes in the corner of the room started to dim, and as she shook it for more light she pondered whether or not she