out rather than give us a chance to prove our value as males and mates? Even if it assuages the fear of unicorns living in their lands, it wouldn’t do my kind any good,” I mutter. “If anything, more of us would perish. It is a necessary part of our survival.”
“I see,” Grimsal drawls thoughtfully. “Should I take this to mean that you’ve tricked her into compliance?”
I wince at the censure in his voice but give him my most fierce glare.
“Not entirely. I may have concealed and twisted certain facts to get her here and give me the opportunity to win her, but I would do nothing to harm her—not even take away her choice.”
The goblin cocks his head at me, but I turn away and stand, lifting my mate up from the ground as I straighten. I am not interested in being further analyzed by the male or have my motives questioned.
All that matters now is her.
Shifting her weight in my arms, I scan my surroundings silently and bite back a curse. I do not recognize anything.
Grimsal brushes himself off and meanders away, his bright eyes taking in trees and the rise of the tall mountains in the distance. He stares at those peaks for several seconds before his eyes slide over to me questioningly.
“So… where are we?”
“I have no idea,” I bite out. “Those may be the Karathal Mountains, which would mean we are south of my territory.”
The goblin squints up at the sun that is just beginning to rise and sighs.
“South… Yeah, that would make sense, wouldn’t it? It is already warming up. It’ll probably be as hot as sitting bare-assed on a fire wyvern’s backside by midday.”
“I imagine you would know a lot about that,” I mutter.
I don’t hear his reply because I take one more surreptitious look around and pick a direction before I stride away. Although there is no particular urgency to depart right at that moment, I want to get my female somewhere comfortable indoors where she can rest for the night if possible. There’s no point in just standing in place waiting for something else to find us.
As I walk quickly among the towering trees, I half-hope the goblin—despite his helpfulness—will take the hint and go away. It’s not that I do not appreciate his assistance, it is more that the male annoys me beyond all reason. That my mate has smiled at him doesn’t sweeten my stance at all. I want all her smiles for myself until the day I win her. Then she may give out a few with my blessing… Though not too many. It would be wrong for any other males to get ideas and try to infringe on our mating.
Not all species pair bond, and the idea of another male trying to horn in and join our family makes me practically vibrate with hostility. My breeding “horn” will be the only one in this family, and I will skewer any male who even sniffs at my mate with interest.
I jerk back as a cloud of dark dust pops through the air at my side but don’t break my stride, forcing the goblin into a trot to keep up.
“Damn your unnaturally long legs… Wait up, pony boy!” he shouts.
I immediately stop, the impact of the goblin colliding with me barely even registering. Slowly, I turn and glance down at him, my eyes narrowing with irritation.
“What… did you call me?”
Although the impact has forced him to stumble back a pace or two, he recovers quickly, straightening his clothes as he meets my glare. A snide smile curls his lips.
“Pony boy is actually a pretty tame moniker. If you object, I could come up with another nickname, but I can’t guarantee you will like it any better,” he snickers.
“Why?” I growl in irritation. “Why do you continue to follow me? What have I done to be cursed by your presence?”
The male screws up his face as if he has grounds to be offended.
“Seems to me that you should be grateful that I’m around. I don’t dispute that you could probably have handled the faeries easily by yourself, but how else would you have gotten your female safely here, since she wasn’t limply clinging to you like most others do? Oh, yes, I’ve seen enough of them myself to know the look as well as you do,” he taunts. “Just as I know that your ahandral’s reaction to you is not only a demonstration of a very flawed bond, but one