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“The book!” She jumped to her feet and looked at him over her shoulder. “Are there more of you trapped inside?” Her pulse raced at the thought of more of them, trapped and waiting for rescue.

Dell shook his head. “No, no. I was just foolish and headstrong.” He waved it away as unimportant, and pulled her back down to sit with him. “I suppose it wasn’t all bad, though.” His gaze roamed over her figure again, and she smiled. It was strange how comfortable she felt with him. The way he looked at her made her feel desired and beautiful, though the same look from someone else would have made her furious. Startled, she wondered when exactly she’d stopped thinking of him as a hallucination. As she examined him from the corner of her eye, it was hard not to believe he was real. He met her gaze, and she smiled, letting their eyes connect and communicate until the air around them heated with their desire.

He kissed her, a tender kiss that nonetheless enflamed her senses despite her frantic attempts to keep control. His hands slid up her arms to cup her face, holding her close while his tongue explored her mouth.

Three loud thumps echoed in her ears before she realised it wasn’t her heartbeat, but someone banging on her door. She looked at Dell, then flicked her gaze to the door. “I’m not expecting anyone,” she whispered, grinning. He looked at her, molten desire in his eyes, and cocked his head to listen. His eyes darkened, and he sighed.

“We’d better check it out.” Sliding off the table, he reverted to his eight-inch form before his feet touched the ground. Hovering in the air, he waited so Claire could follow him. She started toward the front door, but he shook his head and pointed through the doorway between the dining room and kitchen. She looked at him, confused, but gave a helpless little shrug and then waved a hand, indicating he should lead the way.

Once they reached the doorway, he motioned for her to crouch down, and then pointed at the windows. She understood the silent message: stay out of sight. Peering around the cupboards at the glass sliding doors that led to the back yard, Claire didn’t see anything.

A heavy-handed and insistent knocking startled her. It was definitely coming from the front door. A sudden surge of rebellion rose in her chest. She didn’t have to let him tell her what to do. Standing with elaborate movements, so he could see she was taking charge of herself again, she took a few steps into the kitchen and away from the glass sliders to the back yard. The pocket door on the wall opposite the sliders opened into the foyer and she headed that way. Dell called to her, his voice quiet but clear. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

Turning to say something to him over her shoulder, she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Through the sliders, she watched something dark lumber through the shadowed yard, and shuddered.

“Oh shit,” Dell said, his voice so full of fear and hatred Claire felt fear well up in her own chest in response. “Goblins,” he whispered, shaking his head. “We really need to get out of here.”

He danced in the air, shifting position to go back through the doorway to the dining room. She couldn’t bring herself to move any closer to the glass doors, though, even if it was the fastest way out of the room. Instead, she went for the pocket door at the far end of the kitchen. Staring over her shoulder, she saw the goblin move closer to the glass, a darker spot in the darkness outside.

Its eyes glowed a putrescent yellow that made her think of bile and phlegm. On all fours, it was as tall as her waist, and as she watched, it pulled itself upright to walk on two legs. It seemed unnatural, like a dancing wolf, and she shivered. Nothing so menacing should be able to mimic humanity. Three more steps—she made it through the doorway, into the foyer. Which simply put her next to the front door. Thump. Thump. It shuddered on its hinges as she passed.

She swallowed the scream that rose in her throat. Her body contorted as she kept her eyes on the door, even as her feet continued carrying her forward. She tried to turn around and focus on where she was going, but it was too late.

She tripped.