Ash's face remained thoughtful, not caught up in his brother's lust. Holly would be the one who might lose control and hurt me by accident, but it was Ash who would hurt me on purpose. He was just a little less goblin in his thoughts and a little more sidhe. If I could awaken true magic in him, he would be truly dangerous. Kurag, Goblin King, would do well to watch him. The goblins do not inherit their throne. They take it by force of arms, and they keep it the same way. The King is dead, long live the king.

"I will not be distracted, Princess," Ash said. "Not even by your white flesh."

"Am I so poor a prize then?" I asked, and lowered my eyes. The goblins liked their partners either bold as brass or demure. I wasn't capable of their level of boldness, so demure it was.

Ash gave an abrupt laugh. "You know exactly what you represent to us, Princess."

Holly stepped close to the mirror so that his handsome face filled more of the view. There was no distortion as with a camera. It was always as if the glass only separated one part of a room from another. He pressed his fingers against the glass. He looked at me, and there was something in his eyes beyond sex.

I shivered and looked away from him.

"I wish I could smell your fear through this glass," he said in a voice gone low and rough with need.

Frost moved closer to me. Rhys put his arm around my waist. I wanted the comfort, but we were dealing with goblins, and they would use it against us.

"We agreed to Darkness and one other watching our fucking," Ash said. "But he is injured, so I say we have no audience."

"No," I said, voice soft.

"Then all our negotiations must be redone," Ash said.

Frost started to say something, but I touched his arm. "You and Holly have the chance to bring magic, true magic, back to the goblins. You have a chance to be in the running for king of the Unseelie Court. You will not pass up such power because Doyle is too injured to watch us fuck. You will allow me to choose two other men to guard my safety, and to make certain we all have a care tonight."

"We do not take orders from the sidhe," Holly said.

"This is not an order. This is simply the truth." I looked at Ash, who was deeper into the room, farther from the mirror.

"We have given you our word, Princess," Holly said. "The goblins, unlike the sidhe, keep their word. We will do only what has been bargained for, nothing more. We will do nothing that you do not agree to."

"The guards will be there to see that in the midst of pleasure you do not get carried away, but they will also be there for another reason," I said.

"And what would that be?" Ash asked.

"To make certain that I do not lose myself to the moment."

"Lose yourself," Holly said. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we bargained that you would do nothing I did not agree to, or ask for. I fear that I may in the heat of the moment ask for things that my body cannot survive."

"What?" Holly asked, frowning.

"She's saying that she likes to be hurt, and she might ask for things that would damage her," Ash said.

"Lying sidhe," Holly said.

"I swear to you that I do not lie. I must have guards to keep me safe from myself."

Holly hit the mirror hard enough to make it shake on his end.

It made me jump. "You are afraid of us," he said. "The sidhe do not crave that which they fear."

"I cannot speak for anyone but myself."

"Do you want me to hurt you?" Holly said.

I looked up then, gave him my gaze, full on, and let him see the truth. "Oh, yes."