A Tale of Two Goblins - By H. P. Mallory Page 0,50

was so full of pain. If Sam died…no, I would not allow myself to consider the thought. Quill shook his head but I didn’t let him comment. “I want to know all the details of the time you apprehended Druiva. I need to know what I’m up against. And I need the Mandrake.”

“It’s not the same case.”

“Well, obviously. Druiva is locked up,” I started, but he interrupted me.

“There’s a new form of criminal out there, Dulce.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

He sighed, deep and hard. “There’s blood being sold on the black market. Blood taken from Netherworld creatures and sold to other creatures so they can become that much stronger.”

I felt my heart actually stop. My mouth dropped open and I thought I might throw up. This was bad, very bad. But, suddenly it all made sense—the fact that Dia hadn’t been able to feel the dark power of a somnogobelinus going through the Transcendence, the fact that my magic had worked the night of the accident. The scary part was now I had no clue what I was up against. What I was sure of, though, was the fact that whatever it was, it wasn’t a true Dreamstalker, it was just ingesting the blood of one.

Then something ugly dawned on me and I brought my gaze to his. “Are you dealing this blood, Quill? Is that how you know about it?”

“No, of course not,” he answered like I should never have asked. “I know about it because I’ve seen it—I’ve seen creatures here who demonstrated powers they never should have. I kept my ears and eyes open—I have to in my position.”

I nodded, but my heart was low in my chest as I realized how deeply imbued he was in this lifestyle. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

“Dulcie, please be careful,” he said and his compassion was enough to paralyze me. It was the same comment he’d made so many times when we’d worked side by side at the ANC.

“Please don’t say that,” I said, pulling my hand away as I felt my voice crack. “This is hard enough as it is.”

If I was worried he hadn’t gotten my gist, by the slight nod and small smile on his face, I realized he understood it and not only that, was thinking and feeling the same things I was.

“Is it true you’re off the force?” he asked, apparently supposing a new change of subject was in order. He walked to the far end of the room and leaned down, opening a cupboard door. By the way he was turning his hand, I had to imagine he was unlocking a safe.

I took a second to answer. “Yeah, I retired.”

He glanced back and me and frowned. “You were the best Regulator the ANC had, why would you do that?”

I wasn’t sure how he’d take the truth. But, it wasn’t like I was about to lie to him. “I failed, Quill. I should have taken you into custody that night but I didn’t. I allowed my personal feelings to get in the way and I failed in my responsibility. I’m not the Regulator you thought I was…or I thought I was.”

He stood up, gripping a small vial in one fist and a plastic bag in another. He was visibly angry. “That’s a load of bullshit. You were the best and you still are the best.”

I shook my head but he didn’t allow me to speak. Instead, he approached me and grabbed my hand, pushing the vial into my palm.

“And as to your personal feelings for me, I appreciate you allowing them to get in the way.”

Then before I could even realize what he was doing, his lips were on mine again, rough and demanding. The one kiss Quill and I had shared way back when had been sweet and this one was nothing like that, it was hot, and hard, almost angry. It was a side of Quillan I’d never seen before. I closed my eyes and reveled in the taste of him, the feel of him but realizing where we were and what had happened, I pulled away. There was a gap between us that would never be resolved. I was fire and he was water.

“This can’t happen between us,” I whispered and took a few steps away. “I would hate myself.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” He handed me the plastic bag and his body language was all business, as if he’d shelved the emotional stuff and moved