In the 17th Century, the ancient sprawl of Epping forest is bursting with magic and those who go unseen by human eyes: the elves who rule the summer court, and the goblins who rule the winter court. It is said that if a human catches the eye of one of the fey, they are either doomed or blessed. Contains the stories: Wulfren and the Warlock: When Wulfren wakes from a strange dream of a human captor with long silver hair, and grey eyes, his brothers tell him they rescued him from a warlock, and take Wulfren back home to the goblin king's palace. But Wulfren isn’t so sure the matter is that simple. Why was he missing so long? What are the strange dreams of the beautiful man with the silver hair? Dalliances with humans are severely frowned upon, especially by Wulfren’s father, but Wulfren is willing to risk the scorn of his family to find the human who haunts his dreams. Quiller and the Runaway Prince: After a hard winter, Quiller is sent deep into the forest on a family errand, and is surprised when a human stumbles into his path. Quiller swoops in to pester him, perhaps even eat him, but there is something special about the human: his scent is royal, though he protests that he is not, and soon Quiller finds himself agreeing to help the human with his troubles—in exchange for a kiss.

Goblins

Warm, golden light flooded the cabin, from the fire and from above. I turned to see Ash had lit the hanging lantern, and put his torch away. In the light, my eyes were drawn to something new. Our small bed, the bed we’d shared, was no longer there. In its place, a much larger bed of dark, polished wood stood proudly. It had a carved frame with four posts, beautifully designed in swooping arches and curling bands. Its base was plump, the pillows and covers on top were new. In awe, I walked over to it, brushing my hand over the satiny soft covers. “What is this?”


Ash approached from behind, moving my hair away from my neck. He kissed me there before answering. “This is your gift.”


I spun to face him, eyes wide. “Really?”


“Yes.” He smiled. “I’m sorry it took so long, Wulfie. The wood arrived while you were away. I built this for you. For us.”


“Oh, ?sc.” I leaned up and kissed him. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”


Chapter 28