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

Flapping my wings to land on the large bed, I appreciated the softest of beds I’d ever felt. My clawed feet ripped the fabric. Oh yes, very nice.


“Bird!” Evie came at me, waving her hands. “Get off my bed! Go on, shoo!”


I laughed again, this time using my voice. I shifted to my human form, flicked long hair over my shoulder as I sat back on her bed. “But it feels so soft! Tell me, what must I do to get a bed as soft as this?”


Evie started back in alarm, a hand over her mouth. Tansy dropped the brush and hurried to her side. “My lady, stay back! It’s one of the fair folk.”


At her words, I laughed again. “How kind of you to say. Let’s have a little talk, hm?” I flicked my hand at the open door, using a little magic to move it shut, affording us some privacy.


Tansy placed herself in front of Evie. “Wh-what do you want from us?”


“Getting straight to the point?” I settled back on the bed, making myself comfortable. “I thought we were having broth?”


Chapter 49