Free Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1) by Sarah Erber Page A

young lady,
Jenkins.”
    The looming figure of the Goblin
King stands twenty feet away. A tremor of fright courses through my veins and I
release a terrified scream. The king’s face looks like a hyena’s face stretched
over a humans’ bone structure. His horribly disfigured body leaves me wondering
how he even manages to keep himself upright. The exposed skin of his face and
hands mimic the color of mottled bronze.
    “Ah…if it isn’t the conquered
king.” Herald sneers at the deformed creature twenty feet in front of him.
“Tell me, do you even scare yourself when you look in the mirror?”
    The Goblin King cocks a crooked
smile. “Looks aren’t everything, Jenkins.”
    “So the reason you’re without a queen
has nothing to do with your handicapped physique?” Herald’s cocky laugh causes
the surrounding goblins to react like bloodhounds when they catch the scent of
their prey. “I don’t think Victoria would agree with you.”
    Chevy snickers and squints at the
king’s crooked body.
    “I haven’t found a woman worthy
enough for the honor. Yet.”
    As Herald exposes his jagged
teeth, I expect to see fangs like in the movies, but instead I see a mouthful
of serrated teeth in the shade of chrome.
    The grip of their hands loosens
on my numb arms.
    The Goblin King’s pitch-black
eyes meet my own. He motions for me to glance back. Herald and Chevy, still
laughing hysterically, never spot the exchange. Peering over my shoulder, I
notice the goblins left a gap in the road leading out of their kingdom. If I
can free myself from the two, I might be able to run for it.
    The king smiles.
    “Don’t even think about it.”
Herald tightens his hold on my arm. “She belongs to me.”
    He speaks of me as if I am a toy.
Regardless of my fears, I refuse to let anyone treat me like a possession. “No,
I don’t–”
    “Quiet! You obey me.” Herald
shakes me and the surrounding goblins shriek in anger.
    I want to believe Herald is a
better choice to ally with, but I am starting to doubt my own judgments. Though
the goblins and their king act as if they have my best interests in mind, I
still know never to trust a monster.
    “I thought you were involved with
Victoria, Jenkins. She won’t be very happy with your decision.” The king frowns
in father-like disapproval.
    “She’s not a threat anymore, so
it doesn’t matter if she’s happy or not. She can’t change her mind now.”
    What’s that supposed to mean?
    “Why did you come here, Jenkins?”
    Shuddering at the coldness
creeping out of the king’s voice, I know the conversation is becoming more
dangerous the longer I remain.
    “To show Temptation why she
should abandon her curiosity in goblins. I don’t think she likes the idea of
becoming a goblin’s wife.” Herald says down at my drained face.
    I do not return his gaze. The
mention of becoming a goblin’s wife terrifies me. The king’s face holds no hint
of truth or lies.
    “You see, Temptation,” Herald
tilts my chin, “if you step one foot into this world without us, you’ll be a
slave to these goblins–”
    “We do not mistreat our women!”
The Goblin King flexes his clawed hands. “If Temptation understood what you are
really going to do to her, I don’t think she would find us so repulsive. You
would be wise to watch your back, Jenkins. I’ll be freed one day and when I
am...you will die.”
    The boys throw back their heads
in laughter; slackening their grip on my arms, once again.
    I react.
    Jerking my arms out of their
grasp, I jab my elbows in their sides, and then sprint back down the road
leading out of the goblins’ kingdom. The little sky I can see turns dark and
the wind picks up. A roar of anger erupts from Herald, while an insane laugh
from the Goblin King fills the forest. My legs move faster, while my boots
pound against the cool ground, sending the aroma of dirt up my nostrils. I can
see the wall.
    Cackles encircle me and before I
can blink, goblins in skeleton masks