sighed. It wasn’t about what had been done to me as a fairy. They wouldn’t fight for themselves and it drove me crazy at times.
But the end result was the hobgoblins taking a needed stand and going into battle to save the others. That was a relief and made me feel better.
What really made me feel better was when Darby, and even Lucca, came into the kitchen and right for me. Irma must have let them know, and I was glad.
Except I met Craftsman’s gaze as Lucca wrapped his thick arms around me, and I had a flash to the song the warlock had sent me about the pain of watching me move on to a new love and leave him behind. Except he’d done this to us. I hadn’t wanted to anything but to love him forever and be his.
So I looked away and hugged Lucca back, soaking up his strength and sturdiness because I needed it. Not because of Craftsman. No, what happened today had shaken me. People were willing to go to those lengths to keep the hobgoblins as magical slaves because no one was there to fight for them.
When I fixed Faerie and figured out what happened to all the fairies, I was going to kick all their fucking asses for allowing this, and more, to ever happen. Dipshits.
21
It really only took me a day to recover with magic and how much the hobgoblins fed me. Still, I wasn’t an idiot and next did a super simple place to snatch hobgoblins out of before spending the rest of the day stuffing my face and relaxing.
The rest of the week was chill besides McGrath trying his next attempt to get in with me. It was lame, asking about my interest in cooking as he’d heard I made wonderful curry. He loved spending time in the kitchen as it was just like potions and blah, blah, blah. It was all lies. I heard in his thoughts that he could barely use his rice cooker, which was idiot proof.
Which made it really hard not to laugh as he lied his ass off.
And even better when he hinted he wanted to see the expansive chef’s kitchen I must have. I shrugged and told him it was basically Irma’s now. so I left everything to her. Then, I focused back on my assignment, completely brushing him off and shutting down his well-thought-out ploy.
Larson knew something had happened to me, but from the smirk on his face, he’d figured out what it was and I was up to. Reports were all over on Saturday that the one kidnapping hobgoblins had been killed trespassing and breaking into an estate.
That was hysterical since all the hobgoblins were accounted for and had asked for sanctuary. Even funnier?
When more went missing on Sunday. I wasn’t the only one who was dying when the first reports the news had gotten it wrong, and that asshole had to admit his hobgoblins were gone as well. That, and he hadn’t really killed me, no body found.
What wasn’t funny was the press conference that came on during dinner Friday night. We all flinched and went quiet when someone put up magical screens all over the cafeteria, getting something big was going on.
Dread filled me when Katrina Calloway came into view since we weren’t only tied together in business, but I genuinely cared about the witch and thought her my friend.
“Effective immediately, I am dissolving my partnership with the hobgoblin co-op and all their businesses,” she announced to the supe media cameras. “My esteemed council brought me before them today and ordered me to use my relationship with them to figure out who is ‘stealing’ the hobgoblins from their owners, and to spy on Tamsin Vale.
“It was the first time in my long life I was ashamed to be a witch. I told them no, that it broke our laws, and I had to deny their request and ask them to take the time to reevaluate what they were asking me to do. I practically begged them to pray to the gods on their path and seek guidance as they have lost their way if they ask this of me. The response I received was disgusting. I am disgusted with our council.”
Several people in the cafeteria gasped, others looked as if their eyes might bug out, as Katrina was always careful to keep neutral as often as she could.
“I was informed that the allowances I had as a witch had clearly