Shadow rolled onto his back. His eyes snapped open. Sunlight pierced through the lace curtain, but it had no right being glorious on such a day. Not on Klurt’s ceremony day.

Numbness pounded in Shadow’s head as he lay in bed, unable to shed the emptiness engulfing him. Grief came in waves, crashing into him, and all he could do was hold back the emotional tsunami pushing at his insides. Everything was fucked up, and he’d lost the one goblin who’d given him hope. A lifeline. In that moment, a flash of anger shielded him from the pain, and he embraced it, but, deep inside, Shadow knew the truth. He had failed Klurt.

Soft breaths grazed Shadow’s arm. He looked across the mattress. Zana lay curled, wrapped in the sheet, her eyelids twitching from a dream. Last night, she’d give him a distraction, but it was more than that. With her in his arms, a surge of energy had filled him with hope that he could take on the world for her. The gentle slope of her high cheekbones set her apart from female goblins. Most were shorter and had distinctive round faces and thinner lips. Zana was the opposite. She had a fierceness about her, and she lived with pain, too. Maybe they were more similar than he originally thought.

He ought to get up and search for Klurt’s killer, starting by questioning everyone who worked at the markets. Zana had mentioned a large goblin with short, golden hair and a limp. That was a start.

He sighed and pushed himself out of bed. After tracking down his pants in a corner, he grabbed them and headed to the toilet. Half-dressed and refreshed, he stood in the doorway of the bedroom.

A churning in his gut held him in place. He couldn’t get himself to leave. His plans didn’t involve staying in Pryvale. At least in the realm, he could make a name for himself. Prove himself worthwhile. With Klurt gone, what did the town offer him? Leaving was the right decision, and that involved breaking off whatever was going on between him and Zana. But first, he’d make her a cup of coffee. Her promise for caffeine last night her lured him into her house, so he’d surprise her with a cuppa. Besides, he hated the idea of leaving without saying something first. He picked up his discarded shirt and tugged it over his head.

By the time he had the water boiling and two steaming cups on the counter, a scream pierced the air from within the house.

His heart slammed into his breastbone. Zana! He bolted back through the hut, skidding into the bedroom.

She sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest, tears filling her eyes.

“What’s going on? Are you all right?” He closed the distance between them and joined her on the bed, his arms folding her into his embrace. Zana stayed still, her skin moist, her inhales rapid.

He scanned the window for intruders. “Was someone outside?”

After a long pause of silence, she unwrapped herself from him. Her mouth opened, then shut, as if trying to find words.

“A bad dream?” He slid aside a strand of hair stuck to the side of her face from perspiration.

“Shit.” Her voice came out scratchy. She cleared her throat. “What a fucker of a… night terror.”

“Had a few of those in the past, but it’ll pass.” He stood, but her fingers reached out and seized his wrist. “You were in my vision, and you died.”

Shadow felt the tremble in Zana’s touch. “It’s your mind dealing with what happened yesterday.”

“No!” Her fingers tightened. She lifted herself to her knees on the mattress, one hand still holding the sheet to her chest. “This was real.” She bit her lower lip, and her eyes moved rapidly back and forth as if deciding how to best explain her thoughts.

“Nightmares feel real,” he said. “I once dreamed all Guardians had been killed. Then they reanimated and tried to eat my brains. Scary shit there.” And for a days afterward, the smallest noise crept him out. Of course, he’d never told that story to anyone.

“This is different.” Her gaze dipped, and he wasn’t sure if she’d elaborate or not. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “It was a premonition.”

Shadow broke into a laugh—loud, piercing, and involuntary—because he believed dreams revealed the future as much as he believed he could walk on water.

“Fuck you!” Zana climbed off the mattress on the opposite side of the bed, tightening the sheet around her body. “Clearly, I forgot who I was speaking to.” She grabbed jeans off the chest of draws and stormed out of the room, down the tiny hallway, and into the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he called out. Had she been listening to the rumors about him in town? How he’d abandoned everyone for selfish reasons, which were lies.

No response. Yep. He discovered the chick was crazy after he’d spent a night with her. Nothing like making the next few days in Pryvale uncomfortable. Shit. He didn’t need more crap in his life, like someone who flew off the handle at the smallest thing. Dreams were just the brain processing thoughts. A part of him was pleased that Zana felt so deeply about him, but he couldn’t handle her dream thing right now.

He halted his pacing, unsure when he’d started. “What if…?” Maybe whoever had finished off Klurt would now turn their attention to Shadow? After all, the Wart Markets now fell under his care. The world was a fucked up place, and in Tapestry, everyone took the law upon themselves.

When the floor creaked, he lifted his gaze and found Zana marching into the main room, holding the two cups of coffee he’d made. Her amber hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. Tiny, loose strands fluttered around her face. Dressed in jeans that hung low on her hips and a tank top, he was tempted to drag her back into the bedroom. He never should have had sex with her last night. Now, he couldn’t stop picturing himself kissing her. Why did he always attract the insane girls? The last drae he dated ate only fruit for a cleansing diet, and expected him to do the same. Shadow loved his roasts too much to ever give them up for anyone.

“Here you go,” she began and handed him his cup. “I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I take my dreams seriously. I had a similar nightmare about Klurt and look what happened. You can’t ignore this.”

Shadow held back the response pressing on the forefront of his mind, but instead gulped a mouthful of hot coffee, loving the nutty taste. Anyway, nothing ever pointed to goblins having such an fortune telling abilities. Some draes were born with innate magic, but goblins were stock standard. No fairy dust. While a part of him insisted he not overreact, the other part dominated and refused to accept. Surely, if she possessed this vision thing, she would have bragged about it. Or the whole community would use her power to protect themselves. Instead, she lived on the outskirts alone. She might be a tarot reader at the markets, but perhaps that illusion went to her head. Two more mouthfuls and he finished the coffee, then placed the cup on the table.

“I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’ll be fine,” he said and stepped into his boots. “I’d better leave; I have a ton of things to do before tonight’s ceremony.” He wasn’t in the mood to get into a conversation about her dream. Find the killer, sell the Wart Markets, and return to his post in the realm. Simple.

Zana strolled past him, sipping her coffee, blocking his exit. “So, where are we headed?” Her voice was sharp and clipped.

He straightened his posture. “We aren’t going anywhere, but I am. How about you finish your drink and I’ll be on my way.”

Eying him with a narrow gaze, she tipped back the coffee in one go, wiped her mouth, and set the cup down next to his. “Everywhere you go, I’ll be there.”

She opened the door, letting in a flurry of cool morning air. With one hand on the door, the other on her hip, she cocked an eyebrow. “You’re in danger, and I plan to protect you.”

“Yeah, right. You protect me?” The sunlight lit up the side of her face, her golden eyes gleaming, and his attention fell to her kissable lips. What had she done to him? Since when did he behave like a goblin drunk on sex?

He stepped outside, where the surrounding greenery swayed in the breeze. The sweet morning smell of freshly-cut grass infiltrated his nostrils.

The door snapped shut behind him. He turned to find Zana outside with him, tucking keys into the front pocket of her pants as she approached with a forced smile. Oh. She was mocking him all right.

“Look, Zana. I don’t need a chaperone. I appreciate the concern, but, honestly, I’m trained as one of the queen’s Guardians.” He marched away from her place, eyeing the cobblestone footpath amid trees in the distance. Time to chat to locals, maybe even visit Sivath, the goblin chief who, at last memory, lived a fair distance from Pryvale. He usually knew who was doing what in town.

Zana caught up to Shadow. “Here’s the deal,” she said. “Yesterday, I let Klurt out of my sights after I warned him about the vision. Then he died. So, today, nothing you do or say will push me away. Understand? Suck it up.”

Running a hand down his face, he stormed down the a worn path, unsure what to say. Perhaps that was part of Zana’s grieving process; focusing on him rather than the loss of Klurt. Who was he to steal that from her?

“Where are we off to?” She moved alongside him, cutting him a look that challenged him to argue.

Shadow scanned the woods on either side of him. If he bolted deep into the forest, would she follow? Definitely yes. So he’d go a different angle. “Thinking of paying Sivath a visit. He lives a half day’s hike out of town over rough terrain and hills. We’ll probably encounter wild trolls.”

“Why? You think he’s involved in Klurt’s death?” She studied her boots for a moment. “You’re probably right. I hear he’s corrupt, so you might be on to something.”

Fire struck Shadow, and rage burned through him at lightning speed. “You, of all goblins, are judging others? Have you ever met Sivath, or are you just being a sheep?”

“Screw you.” She stopped beneath an enormous oak with low-hanging branches crammed with dark green leaves. “Where have you been the past four years? Sivath’s minions have been breaking into goblins’ homes and stealing their possessions. An elderly man last year was killed when he tried to stop them.” Her hands were animated and flying all over the place. “Get your facts straight before acting like Mr. Know-It-All.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched on one leg, unsure if he wanted to debate her, although he was convinced he’d win, or simply kiss the nonsense out of her system. She definitely did something to him last night if the latter was even an option in this argument.

“So you’ve personally seen Sivath’s so-called henchmen wreak havoc in the village?” he asked.

Her mouth opened, then shut. “Well, no, but others say they have.”

Shadow huffed and shook his head before beginning to walk again. “Goblins hate change, and anyone threatening their ways are deemed monsters. How long have you been living here again?” He turned to find her still several feet away. “Right. You live on the outskirts because they won’t fully accept you as a half-blood, but you believe their gossip. Sivath worked with Klurt to build the Wart Markets and was working on an orphanage to help children with no families. Did you know that?”

She shrugged and wore a puzzled expression. And that right there was what he loathed about goblins in that town. They judged without knowing shit.

Refusing to let bitterness consume him, he returned to his walk. The earlier anger was smothered by a new emotion shoving forward. Disappointment. He could have sworn Zana was different from the rest of the monkeys in the town. Maybe he was right after all. There was nothing in Pryvale for him.