Page 32 of His Darkest Desire

“Vex.”

“What?”

“Vex,” he repeated through clenched fangs. “It is both what you do to me, human, and what you may call me.”

She smirked, taking pride in his irritation. “Vex. Now was that truly so hard?”

“In my limited experience, naught is easy with you.”

“Yeah, well, as nice as it is to meet the wisps—they are will-o’-the-wisps, aren’t they?—I can’t say it’s nice to meet you, Vex.”

The wisps laughed again.

Vex shot them a look before staring at Kinsley, drumming his claws atop the table. “You are exhausting.”

Kinsley shrugged and set the drumstick on the plate before ladling some soup into her bowl. “My mum and dad have said the same thing.”

“So there is yet wisdom to be found amongst mortals.”

Keeping her eyes on her bowl, she ate a couple spoonfuls of soup, fully aware of Vex’s gaze upon her the entire time. She glanced at him.

He’d leaned back in his chair, arms upon the armrests and legs spread. His long, black hair hung over his shoulders. A few thin braids, all adorned with tiny bands of silver, were tucked behind his pointed ears, which were tipped with those elegant silver cuffs. Between his stance and his formal attire, he looked like an agitated prince.

An agitated, strikingly attractive prince.

No, Kinsley. You are not going to think that way about your captor. You’ve heard of Stockholm syndrome, haven’t you?

Doesn’t change the fact that he’s beautiful.

Shush.

“So…what are you?” Kinsley asked, stirring the soup in her bowl.

“A deceptively simple question without a simple answer.” He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as he regarded her. “What would you say, were I to ask you the same?”

“I would say I’m a human.”

“Ah. So, your entire being may be reduced to your humanity.”

“A human is what I am, not who I am.”

Vex continued studying her, scrutinizing her, until he finally nodded and said, “I am a goblin.”

“A goblin?” Kinsley’s brow furrowed. That…couldn’t be right.

His head tipped in the other direction. “Are you displeased with my answer?”

“No, it’s just… Goblins are always depicted as small, evil, ugly creatures, and you’re…”

Keeping his elbow on the armrest, he lifted a hand and gestured with an upturned palm. “Please. Do go on.”

“Well, you’re just not,” she said quickly, turning back to her bowl. Her hair fell forward. She hoped it would hide the blush on her cheeks as she ate another spoonful of soup.

You just admitted to your captor that he’s hot.

No, I just said he wasn’t ugly. There’s a difference.

“So, it is unpleasant to meet me,” he said, a note of amusement in his voice, “but it is pleasing to look upon me?”