between Trixie and the remaining goblin. “I didn’t start this! I just wanted to ask you some questions! You attacked us,” I shouted back.
He thought about this for a second before narrowing his bright orange eyes on me. “We are not satisfied.” And then he was gone.
Rushing over to the now vacant window, I looked down to find him helping the other goblin to his feet before they disappeared in the thick shadows of the parking lot. Great! Not only was I trying to track down a serial killer, but I had managed to piss off the local goblin clan. Shutting the window, I stared at the wood frame for a second. I needed to lay down some better protective spells. The ones I had used were too specific, aimed at magic users and vampires. I needed something broader that would keep out goblins as well.
With a weary sigh, I turned back to find Trixie sitting in the center of the bed, the sheets a twisted mess around her, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. Dropping onto the bed, I pulled her into my arms.
“Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?” I demanded, my voice rough with worry.
She shook her head against my shoulder as she clung tightly to me. As we sat there, her crying grew worse instead of better, as if the incident were finally sinking in. I held her tight, my hands rubbing up and down her back. “I’m sorry, Trix. I’m so damn sorry. I never thought they’d follow me,” I murmured in her hair. I felt like shit, but I could still fix this. “I’ll put better protection spells around the apartment and then I’ll go to your place and lay them down there. I’ll put them down at Asylum as well. Those fucking bastards will never get close to you again.”
“I can’t do this anymore,” she whispered in a choked voice as her tears slowed.
Pulling away slightly, I looked down at her face, my heart stopping in my chest. “What do you mean?” I choked out as my throat started to close on me.
“I can’t stay here.”
“At my place?” I demanded, but some deep, fear-tinged voice said that she was talking about something far worse.
She shook her head and then raised haunted eyes to my face. It wasn’t just my heart that was breaking. “Low Town. I’m . . . I’m going back to my people.”
I released her with a hiss of air and jumped off the bed. Panic pumped through my veins and clouded my thoughts. With a wave of my hand, the overhead light came on so that I could clearly see her now. I stalked away from her to the opposite end of the room, trying to get a grip on my emotions. “Because of the goblins? I can protect you from the goblins. I’ll go to them. Settle this misunderstanding. They won’t bother you again.”
“That’s not it.”
“What? Because I’m back with the Towers. You’re leaving me because of the Towers?” I demanded, my voice rising despite my attempts to remain calm. “I had no choice. It was go back or die. Which do you want me to have chosen?”
“I want you to live,” she said, pushing off the bed. She violently brushed away the tears that had streaked down her cheeks. Some of the spark had returned to her vibrant green eyes. “I hate that you’re forced to be among them again, but I want you to live.”
“Then why?”
“I have to leave because of what you are!” she shouted.
It was like she’d shoved a knife through my heart. I had to swallow twice to get the words past the lump in my throat. “I thought you loved what I am.”
“I do.” Her voice wavered and tears returned to her eyes. “I love everything about you, but things have changed and I can’t stay.”
“What’s changed? We can fix this. Just tell me what you need.”
She shook her head, looking away from me as if she’d already given up. “You can’t.”
“Please, tell me. We can fix this!” I repeated, desperately clinging to the hope that there was still some way I could mend this rift between us.
“I’m pregnant.”
All thought halted with those two words. The world swam and my knees became jelly. I blinked and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the floor in the middle of my bedroom. Trixie knelt in front of me with a worried expression on her lovely face.
“Breathe, Gage. You need to breathe,” she