[Carmen]“Do you know how to talk? I know you understand us,” I said gently.The little girl looked up at me. After a few moments, she nodded her head slowly. She wanted to trust us, but years of mistreatment had made her wary of anyone.“Do you have a name?” Rhett asked.I didn’t know if she had any memories of her mother. I knew I didn’t start at the earliest possible memories, but I never saw anything that showed she remembered her mother. Only the fact that she never ate her mother’s corpse.“D-Dolly,” she whispered.“Let me go, Rock. Everything will be fine.”“You saw her mom?” he asked, not moving.“I saw her body,” I replied.“How did she die? Could you tell?”“No. I couldn’t tell. What is this all about?” I asked.Rock set me down but kept me close to him. “They kill half-goblin children at birth. It used to be that goblins would abduct non-goblin men and women, then use them to breed more goblins. It brought in stronger genes, but goblins stopped being attracted to males and females with stronger goblin features. “Soon, they started having more human traits. Children were taller, their skin was the same color as human skin instead of being some shade of green. Their eyes stopped being entirely black and they couldn’t see as well in pitch-black darkness. The elders worried about what this would mean for their species.“They decreed that for the next four generations, goblins could only breed with other goblins or goblin-like species of fae. Some still disobeyed because they enjoyed bringing a frightened human into their den and keeping them until they got hungry enough to eat them. If females, either goblin or human, became pregnant, they would kill the baby if it came out looking like less than a pure goblin,” Rock explained.The little girl was definitely not green. If I could see, I would know what she looked like. What I did know was that none of her limbs looked green while I was watching through her eyes. “How did she live, then? How did her mother?” I asked.“I don’t know. The goblins would’ve killed and eaten the girl if she’d been born in their den. It’s not like goblins are capable of love. Maybe one of them managed to feel a bit of pity for her and let her go. It doesn’t happen often. In fact, it’s so rare that no one would believe it if told that.”“Don’t worry, Dolly. No one is going to harm you. I’ll take care of you now. If anyone tries to harm you, I’ll end their miserable lives,” Rhett promised her. “Carmen, tell me what you saw.”My magic could easily fill the entire room, so I could see the whole thing. Rhett seemed really caring. He was treating her gently. The girl was looking at him in a way that made me think she wanted to trust him.Though I had only had a few encounters with Rhett, he liked to check in a couple of times a month, I never imagined him being like this. He reminded me of my father. Well, my father when I was a child. Back when he cared more about me and not about his ideals and expectations for me.I held on to Rock as I told Rhett what I saw. Dolly watched me with big eyes as I recited her past. She said nothing, but I could smell the changes in her. It was different from when I smelled the changes in other people.Even though I could smell that she was a goblin when I walked into the room, Rock didn’t seem to know. Rock didn’t seem to know what she was until I uncovered her ear like Oberon had. Maybe he couldn’t smell it. When I finished telling Rhett and Rock about Dolly’s past, they were both quiet. Rock still wasn’t letting me get too close. I was certain she couldn’t move, though.Rhett looked up at me. “Don’t tell anyone about her. I can and will erase your memories if I have to. I’ll talk to the supernatural leaders about anything they need to know.”Before we could answer, he waved his hand and everything faded from my vision. When it came back, my magic showed me we were in our living room. I turned to Rock and hugged him.“What do you think he’s going to do with her?” I asked.“I have no idea. He always flirts with women, but he wasn’t coming on to the girl. Maybe she’s too young for him. Maybe he plans to raise her for himself in the future,” Rock suggested.“That’s disgusting. Should we try to get a message to Queen Maeve about it? Goblins are fae. That means the girl is under her protection, right?”He sighed and sat down, pulling me into his lap. I didn’t let myself relax against him like I normally did. Instead, I turned to him and waited.“Goblins are not highly regarded in fae culture. They’re barely tolerated because of their habits. Culturally, they aren’t like any other species of fae. They don’t have true mates, their libidos are out of control, and their appetites are so voracious that no one is safe. If that girl were given back to the goblins, she wouldn’t survive far into adulthood. They would break her mind long before they decided to eat her. Queen Maeve wouldn’t do that, but no other fae will take the girl in,” Rock explained.My eyes burned with tears at the idea of what could happen to Dolly if she went back with the goblins. Rhett might actually be a better option. I didn’t know what his end goal was, but it had to be better than whatever they would do to her.“So Rhett is doing the right thing by taking her in,” I whispered.“She’s still a goblin, Carmen. There’s no telling how she’ll develop in the future and what traits, aside from their teeth and ears, she’ll end up with. One day Rhett might disappear and never come back.”“You think she might eat him?”Rock shrugged. “It’s possible. Goblins have been known to turn on their own family, so why not a human who’s taken them in? We just have to hope Rhett knows what he’s doing.”I nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Rhett seemed to have a soft spot for her. Maybe he could change her, mold her into something better than the typical goblin. Or maybe she would end up like all the others, uncontrollable and dangerous. Only time would tell.For now, all we could do was keep her secret and hope Rhett would keep her safe. As I curled up in Rock’s arms, I couldn’t help but wonder what the future would bring. But for now, I was content to be held by my mate.“It’s getting late. How about dinner and we can see about getting back to what we started before Rhett interrupted us...” Rock suggested.I smiled at him, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “That sounds like a good plan,” I said, leaning in to give him a quick kiss.Rock stood up, holding me close to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me toward the kitchen. He set me down on the counter and started rummaging through the fridge.As he began preparing the food, I couldn’t help but think about Rhett’s threat of erasing my memories. It was a scary thought, but I wondered if he had the power to do it. There was a lot I didn’t know about warlock magic. I knew most magic was elemental.Was there other magic in the world that could affect things like memory? I didn’t want to test it. The safest option, for now, was believing his threat.“Focus on me, Carmen,” Rock said and removed his shirt, stuffing it into the back pocket of his pants.Silently, I thanked the goddess for the magic that let me see the lines of his gorgeous body. As he cooked, I watched him, admiring the way his muscles moved. I couldn’t help but think about how lucky I was to have him.As the aroma of spices filled the room, Rock turned to me and smiled. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.I blushed. “Just how lucky I am to have you,” I admitted.He chuckled and came over to me, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m the lucky one,” he whispered, pressing his lips to my neck.My body reacted to his touch, melting into it. Rock’s hands roamed over my body, eliciting moans as he touched me in all the right places. I couldn’t think of anything else as he kissed me deeply, his passion igniting a fire within me.At that moment, all thoughts of goblins and warlocks vanished. It was just us, lost in the ecstasy of each other’s bodies, as I gave as good as I got. After all these months, I knew the ways my mate enjoyed being touched.While I was kissing him, I stroked his long, pointed ear with one hand while the other teased at his nіpple. Rock groaned as he gripped my thighs and pulled me to the edge of the counter. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he ground his bulge against me as our kiss went on.He licked and nipped at my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Rock’s hands slipped under my shirt. I arched my back, giving him better access as he trailed his fingers up my stomach, teasing my nіpples when he finally reached my breasts.“I need you, Carmen. Goddess, how do you do this to me? I’ve never needed anything in my life as much as I need you,” he groaned before he started pulling off my clothing.Rock was anything but patient while undressing me. By the time I was nudе, I was certain the only piece of clothing that survived my mate’s ardor was my shirt.“I like the way you react to me, Carmen,” Rock purred in my ear before sliding two fingers into me.With a gasping moan, I threw my head back. His other hand was at the curve of my back, holding me steady while his fingers worked me. Their relentless rhythm building up inside me.“Goddess! More, I need more, Rock!” I panted, surprised at how close I was to climaxing.“I’ll give you more, Carmen. I’ll give you everything you need,” Rock growled, withdrawing his fingers.I felt his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him. They left me for a moment and I heard his pants getting undone and falling to the floor. My body tightened with excitement.“Spread your legs for me,” he commanded.Obeying his command, perching my heels on the countertop, I gasped as I felt him press the head of his cоck against my entrance. He teased me with it, rubbing the head against me, stimulating my clit with it, and using the tip to circle my hungry opening.“Rock! You’re going to kill me!” I exclaimed, unable to stop myself from moving against him.“I hope not. I have plans for you and your needy little body,” Rock purred, barely slipping the head of his cоck into my entrance. “Who’s your Alpha?”“You are! You’re my Alpha!” I cried out, burying my face in his neck to muffle my moans.He groaned and moved in me, pushing deeper as my head fell back. My heart pounded as I felt ecstasy roll through my body. I moaned, gripping his shoulders, while he started moving faster.“I love it when you’re vocal, Carmen,” Rock growled in my ear, his breath hot against my neck.I moaned, wrapping my arms around his neck and tilting my face up to his. Rock shifted me on the counter before taking my mouth in a deep kiss. I sucked on his tongue, desperate for him. Rock was the only man I would ever need. Our passionate encounter was suddenly interrupted when I smelled our dinner burning on the stovetop. I couldn’t see things like smoke, but I knew that smell. Using my magic, I glanced over and saw the pan still on the stove.“Oh, ѕhit!”“Yeah, you like that?”“Dinner’s burning, Rock!” I told him, pointing to the stove.Rock glanced over at the stove. With ease, he reached across the distance, never missing a beat in his movements inside of me. He picked up a lid and put it on the pan before moving the pan off the burner.“Problem solved,” he replied, gripping my hips and continuing on as if it had been nothing.I started laughing as Rock continued to move against me, his powerful thrusts pressing me back against the cabinets behind me. He chuckled as I wrapped my arms back around his neck, properly reminded that I needed to be close to him or I could get hurt.Rock’s cоck was hitting all the right spots inside me and I was moaning so loud, I was certain the neighbors could hear me. He was sending me over the edge and I couldn’t stop myself from raking my nails down his back.My body tightened when he moved one of his hands between us and started rubbing my clit as he thrust. I sсreamed out his name as my сlimax exploded over me. I was gasping for air as Rock continued pumping, riding me through my оrgasm.He leaned forward and captured my lips when his оrgasm hit. With a low moan, Rock trembled against me, shaking the countertop and making the dishes on it rattle. Rock pulled me even closer, pressing as much of my body as possible against him.“We may need to make other dinner plans,” he murmured as he gently kissed all over my face.That started me laughing again, which made me tighten around him. Rock groaned and pumped a couple more times.“It seems you don’t want food, little wolf.”“Only you, my Alpha. You’re all I ever want,” I whispered and stretched to capture his lips.