Gigi’s heart blasted in her ears like a cannon as she led Drake up the stairs. She felt like a teenager again, sneaking around with her crush. There was a need burning within her. She had to know more about this man to see if there could be more to their relationship than just physical attraction. Some subtlety would be required to sleuth out what she wanted to know. Her mind worked furiously as they came to the top step.

The spacious attic was lit only by the candle on Drake’s desk. It cast long, spindly shadows throughout the room. She let go of his hand and tried to casually walk to the desk to see what he had been working on.

“You couldn’t sleep either. I take it?” she asked, looking back at him.

He smiled and shook his head. Her eyes were drawn to the picture at the center. She stopped when she recognized it. As she picked it up, her body began to tingle. It was her, as champion, the belt held high above her head.

“Do you like it? It’s not finished yet.”

The drawing was immediately one of Gigi’s most treasured possessions. “I love it,” she whispered. The goblin looked to Drake, who was beaming with pride at her compliment. He took a seat on the bed and looked at her expectantly.

“You said you wanted to talk about something?” he asked. There were so many things she wanted to ask him. However, she was getting the overwhelming urge to feel his body again. The desire to walk over to him and push him back on the bed was strong. The need to prove her sister wrong was all that held her back.

Then, an idea struck her. There may be a way to get to know him better, in both mind and body. “Do you want to play a game?” she blurted out.

“A game?” he raised an eyebrow. “What kind of game?”

“It’s called…” she feverishly thought of a lie, “tit for tat,” she decided.

“How do you play?” he asked curiously.

Yes, Gigi, how do you play? “Well, we take turns asking each other questions…and if you get caught in a lie, the other player can…punish you.”

Drake nodded. “Okay, sounds fun. Do you want to go first?”

She didn’t. Nerves were seizing her vocal cords. “I…would love to!” She wanted to know so much, but she thought it best to keep it simple to start. “How old are you?”

Drake nodded and took in the question thoughtfully, appearing to concentrate much harder than should have been necessary. “Well, I think this will have been the twenty-third summer that’s passed since they took me…that makes me twenty-eight, give or take.”

“You were only five?” she asked with horror.

“I thought it was my turn to ask a question,” he asked innocently.

“Sorry, I just didn’t realize you had been so young…” she trailed off. He had been younger than her youngest sibling when they had turned him into a weapon. She thought of Gren or Gena crying as they drove the ink into their skin. Sadness swelled within her as she realized that Drake had not had a childhood. “Ask anything,” she said, breaking from her thoughts.

He tapped his chin, appearing to consider his words carefully. Pulling his hand away, he looked her in the eye and said, “If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?”

She stared at him in bewilderment. That’s what you want to know?! A laugh escaped her lips. “That’s easy. A big wyvern, so I could fly wherever I wanted to and do whatever I wanted.”

He nodded solemnly. “Good pick, okay, your turn.”

Gigi walked over to the bed and sat down next to Drake. “Where do you want to be in five years? You’re done fighting, right? So where do you want to go?”

“I’m still alive?”

Gigi’s ears drooped. What kind of question was that? Did he think he had so little time? She nodded. “Yeah, you’re alive.”

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“I hope I’m with you in five years, wherever that is. That’s what I want,” he said without a trace of doubt in his voice.

The tingling inside of her intensified. He had said it without hesitation, with no qualifiers, just an earnest desire. Drake wanted to be with her. She had thought as much, but hearing him say it made it feel real.

“My turn?” he asked. She nodded. “How long do goblins live for?”

“Oh, we typically live like eighty or ninety years. That’s not a question about me, though,” she teased.

“Oh well then…”

“Nope! That’s your question, my turn!” Gigi considered her options. Now she knew he was twenty-eight and wanted to be with her. It was a good start. What else did she want to know? A devilish smile spread on her lips. She knew the perfect test to see how serious he was about their future.

“Let’s imagine you and I are together.” Drake perked up. “I come to you and tell you we’re going to have a baby.” She put her hand on her stomach dramatically, then turned to him, whipping her hair back. “How do you feel? What do you do? ” Gigi was not ready to be a mother, nor was she all that interested in the concept of children. However, she was pretty sure Drake didn’t know that. This would be an excellent way to get his true feelings.

“I’m the father?” he asked hesitantly.

Gigi laughed. “Yes, goober, that’s what ‘together’ means.”

Drake smiled nervously and looked away as if embarrassed by the question. “I think it would be the best day of my life.” He put his hand on top of hers on the bed. The thunderous pounding of her heart intensified. “I’m not sure what I would do, but I would listen to what you needed. I would be with you every step of the way. Nothing could stop me from being there for you and the baby.”

Whatever response she had been expecting, that had not been it. The best day of his life? She stared at him, mouth agape, unsure of what to say. No, she was pretty sure she didn’t want children. However, the fact that Drake was so serious about committing to a life with her left Gigi speechless.

“Did I say something wrong?” Drake asked with worry.

Gigi shut her mouth and shook her head. “Ugh, no, I just…okay, ask me a question,” she said, changing the subject. Drake nodded and went silent for a moment.

“I can ask anything?”

“Yes…” she was growing nervous. This was around when most men started inquiring about her past relationships, a topic that tended to get thorny if not handled with care. She braced herself for whatever skeleton he would drag out of her closet.

“Why don’t you leave Poppy? Why do you stay here?”

Her ears fluttered. That was unexpected. She wasn’t sure if it was easier or harder to answer. “Well…” she racked her brain, thinking about why she stayed. Gigi found precious little in the way of compelling reasons. “I stay because my family needs me...” She didn’t even believe it as the words came out of her mouth.

Drake looked at her skeptically. “I don’t think that’s true,” he said cautiously. “I know you love your family, but… I think that there is a fire inside you. I think it’s burning you up to be here.”

Gigi frowned. He was right. She could feel a yearning for more in her bones. Before Drake had come into her life, every day at the bakery had felt like she was fading away. His presence had stymied that feeling, but the simple truth remained: she wanted out. So then, why did she stay? Gigi didn’t know.

“Why do you think I stay?” she asked softly.

Drake looked at her with surprise. Then, a look of concentration came over his features. “I think you’re a cannon, ready to fire. You just haven’t found the right target to aim for.”

“The right target…” she repeated to herself. Drake chuckled as if remembering an old joke’s punchline. “What’s funny?” she asked.

“Does that mean I caught you in a lie?”

Her brown eyes went wide. By the gods, he was right! Excitement buzzed through her at the prospect of whatever “punishment” was to come. She could think of so many things that he could do to her, or she could do for him.

“So what kind of punishment is it supposed to be? Like push-ups? That kind of thing?” he asked with sincerity.

The goblin burst out laughing. “You could make me do push-ups or…something that would help us get to know each other a little…better.”

“Like what?”

“Why don’t you make me…give you a massage!” she said a little too enthusiastically.

“I’ve never had a massage,” he paused hesitantly, “I think I would like that.”

Me too! “Good, it’s settled, plus it will help me practice…controlling my strength.” It was true. She would need to keep her fingers in check if she wanted this to be sexy and not painful. A task that was easier said than done with the torrent of adrenaline flooding her system.

“So, what do I do now?”

“Why…don’t we start with you taking your shirt off,” she suggested nervously.

“For science?” he smiled. Gigi looked at him quizically, then recalled that was the reason the witch had given him to undress.

“For science,” she giggled.