Mitzi was embarrassed that she’d needed a shower before she went home, but here she was, in Dan’s shower. She also needed her overalls cleaned. The ear thing and what followed had made her sweaty, and Dan said her scent was extremely strong to him It made it hard for him to think.

  Dan, being the person he was, had loaned her an extremely large sweater to wear after the shower and said he’d launder her clothes as soon as the shower was done. She still couldn’t get over how NOT Goblin House his apartment was.

  There was a part of her that wanted to stay the night, but that was crazy. Like everything else in the relationship so far. She’d go home tonight. She’d sleep next to Bandy as usual. She’d be sure to see Talwick off. She needed to take better care of him. Even if all they shared was a mother, he was her brother. She loved him. She eventually forced herself out of the shower. There was never enough hot water at home. Dan didn’t seem to have that problem.

  She’d needed to relax, anyway. She still couldn’t believe she’d basically jumped him. She hadn’t known her ears were that sensitive. When would she have found out? Or was it because it was Dan? She didn’t know. She just knew that he’d done something to her that threw her hang-ups out the window and the only thing that had stopped her was his sudden discomfort.

  She’d felt it. His hands shaking she could have chalked up to nervousness, but no. Something had hurt him before and it was still hurting him now. It came as fear, anger, and shame. She wondered at that fact. She could feel him right then. She found herself walking up to the bathroom door after drying off and just resting her head against it. He’d told her he felt safe with her. She understood. That was the only thing about this that she did understand.

  She got dressed, finally. She hopped up and sat on the bathroom counter to get a better look at herself. The sweater looked cute, she thought. Too hot for summer, probably, but inside, she should be fine.

  “If I had a belt, I could probably pull this off.” She said, grinning at herself. She wished she had her make-up. But then she’d have her clothes there too, so may as well wish all her stuff was here. She liked that idea entirely too much. She hopped back down and walked out into the living room.

  Dan was sitting on the couch when she came out. He’d turned on a lamp or two and the lights were dim. It was nice. He looked up from his phone and stopped. He just watched her walk over. She looked away in embarrassment. He seemed to think the world of her, and the feeling of it made her blush. Why did he make her feel shy like this?

  “What?” She asked, standing there and not knowing what to do. She scratched the back of her head. She’d put her hair back up.

  “You’re beautiful, Mitzi. That’s all.”

  She buried her face in her hands. She knew her ears must be as pink as he was.

  “Will you stop it?” She said, pushing his shoulder. “I don’t even have my make-up on.”

  “No.” She could hear the grin in his voice and when she looked up, he looked like a goober. He needed bigger ears for her to pinch.

  “I ordered some food.” He said. She perked up. She’d forgotten dinner.

  “What’d you get?” She asked, excitedly.

  “How do you feel about fish?” He asked. “I probably should have asked first.”

  She just looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

  “I’m a goblin, pink-boy. Left on our own in the dungeon we defaulted to fish.”

  “Oh crap.” Dan said. “Are you burnt out on it?”

  “No. I haven’t had fish in a long time. What kind is it?”

  “Do you know what sushi is?” He asked, smiling again. He really did have a wonderful smile.

  “I know the word, and that you eat it. It’s been in some of my books. Is that a river or ocean fish? Or is it one of those weird blind cave things?”

  “None of the above and all of the above, Mitzi-Doodle. Except for the blind cave thing.”

  She tilted her head and looked at him curiously.

  “That’s twice you’ve called me that.”

  “Does it bother you? I can stop if it does.” He said, leaning forward. He was so earnest when he worried about her feelings. She liked this thing with him so far. Even if it was strange as the nine hells.

  “No.” She smiled at him and touched his knee. “I just thought it was goofy. I’m going to have to stick to pink-boy until I think of something better.”

  She plopped herself down on the couch next to him.

  “Can I ask you about what happened to you earlier? If you can talk about it?”

  Dan took her hand and she could feel him tremble. For what might have been the first time, he looked miserable. She’d hadn’t seen him sad and she didn’t like it. She wanted to fix it.

  “It’s ok.” She said, patting his hand. “You don’t have to.”

  “Mitzi? Will you stay here tonight?”

  She was surprised. He spoke again, as soon as he realized.

  “I want to tell you. I want to tell someone. I’m just not going to want to be by myself afterward. That’s all.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She asked.

  He thought about it.

  “Ok, yeah. That is kind of a leap.” He said. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you after dinner. Once I’ve told you, you can decide if you want to stay. At all.”

  That sounded worryingly final. How bad could this thing be?

  “Can I see your phone first? I just want to let Bandy know I’m ok.” She smiled at him, hoping it would put him at ease. He nodded, picked his phone up from where he left it on the couch, pulled up the number pad, and handed it to her.

  She stood, patted his leg, and walked to the art studio for some privacy. She called the house phone, it was the only one they had.

  She looked out the window. The sun was setting. She’d already decided she’d spend the night. They could talk and actually get to know each other better. She’d tell him after dinner. Or after he told her this big secret. The phone picked up.

  “Hello?” a young voice said.

  “Viv? It’s Mitzi. Can I talk to Bandy?”

  “K. Hold on.” The young girl said, and Mitzi heard the usual noise of home.

  Viv was one of the broodlings. Runt’s last generation. There weren’t many of them left now. Runt might be able to spawn one more with Geraldine, but the odds weren’t great. She knew no one would force her or Bandy to do anything they didn’t want to, but there would be the guilt.

  Mitzi looked back as she waited, and Dan was looking at her. She’d felt sad and he didn’t know why. She smiled and waved. He waved back. There was a knock at the door and he leaped up to answer it. Ok. No secrets apparently. That was a drawback.

  She heard someone pick up the phone.

  “Mitzi? Where are you?” Bandy sounded playful. Gossip Goblin was on the line.

  “Look I’m, uh, I’m probably staying at Dan’s tonight.”

  There was as close to dead silence as a house full of twenty-something goblins would allow.

  “Girl, what have you gotten yourself into!” She giggled. That was not a good sign. This would be around the house in five seconds.

  “BANDY! Focus.” She said loudly. She moderated her tone afterward. “He’s kinda vulnerable right now. I just want to make sure he’s all right. I didn’t want you to worry when and if I didn’t make it back tonight. I’ll be home sometime tomorrow.”

  “Ok.” She sighed. “Fine. Look. Next week it’s just you and me on one of these off days, deal?”

  “Deal. And Bandy? Not a word of this to anyone. The last thing I need is Runt side-eyeing me wondering if there’s gonna be a bunch of half-breeds running around.” She froze. Could that happen? Shit. She’d never thought of it. She’d have to ask someone. Maybe Geraldine would know. FUCK. She’d put the idea into Bandy’s fucking head.

  “No one? Not even Lexi?” Bandy asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “ESPECIALLY no Lexi, Bandy.” Mitzi said. “I love you. Sleep well tonight. I think some food just got here.”

  “G’night sis!” and with that, Bandy hung up, giggling. Mitzi walked back into the front room and there was a large paper bag there. Good. She didn’t want to think about what she’d come home to tomorrow.

  Mitzi watched Dan take multiple plastic containers out and arrange them on his small dining table. He went and got some tongs and two plates. Mitzi walked to the table as he did and examined what she thought was going to be fish. There was fish, amongst other things. A lot of it was raw, most of it was in something tube shaped, with rice and other things. She looked up at

  Dan in surprise.

  “I thought humans cooked everything! Some of this is raw!”

  He handed her a plate and the tongs.

  “Not everything. Fish is ok to eat raw sometimes. So, I ordered six rolls and figured we can grab what we want from each. Once you pick some out I’ll show you how to use chopsticks.” He looked at her hands.

  Goblins had the correct number of fingers. Three and a thumb. Not like humans and that weird extra one they had.

  “Well,” Dan said, “We’ll try the chopsticks. It SHOULD be ok.”

  Dan spent the next while showing Mitzi the finer points of chopstick use and explaining the little he knew about sushi. He double checked his facts on his phone and discovered he was mostly wrong, which sent Mitzi into a fit of hysterics. He had been SO confident. Mitzi discovered she adored sushi, though. It was like someone took a goblin’s basic diet and perfected it. Afterwards, they sat on the couch together, empty plates on the coffee table. Mitzi just sort of fell sideways into Dan and stayed there.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I’m too full.” She said happily.

  He put an arm around her and she felt him bury his face in her hair. After a moment, he put his other arm around her and she sighed. She knew they were going to have the talk soon, but she just wanted to stay like this for a little while. She felt strangely complete.

  “I, uh, I think I might just stay.” She said. He lifted his head.

  “You’re sure? I haven’t told you anything yet. You might want to wait.”

  She looked at him and his response to that news worried her. Then she felt it build in him. Pain. She suddenly realized the real downside to whatever this was they were experiencing. She hugged him. Partly for his pain, but also it hurt so damned much and she FELT it. Whatever this was, it was going to suck for both of them.

  “Are you still ok to do this?” She asked. “I’ll stay regardless.” She said.

  “Thank you. I need to do this, I think. I don’t know how much detail I want to go into, or how much I’ll be able to go into, but still. Thank you for listening. It won’t be pleasant, unfortunately.”

  She kissed him. It was a simple kiss, if any kiss could be called simple, and he squeezed her. It seemed to make both of them feel a bit better.

  He let her go and sat back. She sat there, cross legged with her hands on her ankles facing him.

  “So,” he began, “we talked a little bit about my ex. The elf.”

  She nodded. She figured this was a break-up story. He continued.

  “Bethella. We met at a party after I graduated. It was a mingling thing. Artists and patrons and customers. An opportunity for networking. She was there with her sister, Myella. They were twins. Light purple hair, golden eyes with no pupils. You know, like most elves.”

  He looked sick to his stomach for a moment.

  “I had spoken to Myella and she seemed very interesting, if distant. She asked a lot of questions about how I painted. I was interested in her. She and Bethella were looking for artists to sponsor. They needed art for some thing. Tir-Na-Nog, I guess. I don’t know. The discussion never got that far. I thought I was chatting Myella up the whole rest of the night. She had loosened up. She’d was charming, witty, and mysterious. She was flirty.”

  He grimaced.

  “It was Bethella. She’d been playing as her sister. She didn’t tell me until after the party. I should have seen that as a warning sign. I thought it was a prank. We both laughed about it at the time. I asked if we could see each other again. She said yes. A lot more.”

  He looked at her.

  “Mitzi, when you were in the dungeon. Did you work for the Necromage or did you serve the Necromage?”

  “Oh.” She was surprised by the question. “We served him. It’s why we left. He was a cruel master. He had us, wolves, orks, and these thralls.” She felt disgusted thinking about that.

  “Ah. You know about thralls. Good. I guess.” He looked sick. “The second date she made me her thrall.”

  Mitzi looked at Dan in horror. A thrall? Some kind of mind controlled servant?! Dan? Before she knew it, she was next to him on her knees, hands on his arm.

  “No. No no no. She made you a thrall? I didn’t think elves would be that cruel. Please say this is a joke or something. Please.”

  He shook his head sadly. She could have cried. No one deserved to be a thrall.

  “Mitzi, no one knows this. No one. Not my family, not my coworkers. No one. I’d like to keep it that way. For now, at least.”

  She nodded and he picked the story back up.

  “She kept me like a pet, or a beast of burden. Mostly as a slave. She used me. She used me for my art so she could sell it, and send it back to the Everywhen. She used me for, well, a lot of things. Everything. For months.”

  “Even. . .”

  “Yeah.” Was all he said.

  She stared at him not knowing what to say. This was like the worst parts of the dungeon thrust onto someone who had no business being there.

  “She hurt me in every way I could imagine and every way she could conceive of. Mentally, emotionally, and physically.”

  Mitzi slid her arms around his head and pulled him to her chest. She’d kill her. Mitzi would gut this woman if she met her. The woman would know agony. She bit her lip to keep from crying. The waves of pain coming from him. . . She’d told Bandy he’d had a bad life for a human. This was bad for anyone.

  “What did she do to you? How did you get away?” She asked into his hair before letting him sit back up. He smiled at her. Mitzi hadn’t known how sad a smile could be until that moment. She was surprised he COULD smile. She sat in his lap facing him.

  “She was sadistic.” Dan said. “She made me abandon my friends and family. She made me leave my job. All of it on the worst of possible terms. Insults, slurs, anything to alienate people. She saw it like a game. She thought it was hilarious.”

  Mitzi had her hands over her mouth.

  “And I knew it was happening. It wasn’t like she turned my mind off or something. It was like I was being remote controlled. I don’t know if she knew that at the time. I was still in there. I just couldn't stop any of it. I saw myself doing it all.”

  “You knew? Dan, even the Necromage didn’t do this. I had no idea they knew what was happening. We pitied them.”

  “Yeah. It was like riding around in the back of my own head. Or like watching a movie about myself. But I could feel it all and I couldn’t stop watching. None of that really gets the feeling across though. The horror of feeling yourself do the worst things imaginable to the people you love and having no control.” He looked her in the eyes. “Then something inside me broke.”

  “Something broke?” She asked. This was worse than she could have imagined. She had expected a bad break-up. This was a war crime.

  “If you tether someone,” Dan said, “and that person doesn’t stop struggling, something HAS to break. Either the person who’s bound, or the thing they're bound to. I was screaming and crying inside my own head for months. I thought I was going to lose my mind. But then, something inside me broke.”

  She tilted her head. She understood the metaphor, but she had no idea what it really meant. That worried her. What the hell had broken?

  “I was suddenly me again. I was really there, standing in an opulent bed room, wearing a filmy loin cloth with her waiting for me to. . .service her.”

  Mitzi’s hand shot to the sides of his face. She felt it. She felt the horror of it. It was too real. She felt tears on her cheeks, and when Dan saw them he brushed them away with his thumbs.

  “I’m sorry. I know this must hurt. I didn’t think about the down side of this thing we have now. You feel it. I am so sorry, Mitzi. No one should have to feel this.”

  “Including you. Finish telling me about this piece of shit.” She said, rage suddenly flaring in her. He smiled at her. That rage must have felt like a campfire in winter to him. She moved her hands to rub his shoulders.

  “I think I screamed for an hour non-stop when I came to. I couldn’t talk afterwards. I lost my voice for almost a week. I could barely croak out words. After I sort of came to my senses enough, I kicked her in the face and went running out of that apartment wearing pretty much nothing. I went to the police. That’s the only people I’ve told. They couldn’t do anything. It was elves. They thought it was funny as hell. They said I needed to go to the Order.”

  “Did you?”

  “Did I go to a bunch of bikers full of toxic masculinity to tell them I’d been kept as a sex slave by an elf woman for months after the police laughed at me?” He looked genuinely surprised. “No.

  No, I NEVER went to the Order. What kind of knights have you been dealing with?”

  “The only good one, apparently.” She said, angry again.

  “I’m sorry. That must have sounded asshole-ish.” He said. “It was a valid question. But no. The Order wouldn’t have helped.”

  “It’s not you I’m mad at, Dan.” Mitzi said. “At least you got away.”

  “Kinda. There was more. Bethella was so shocked at my breaking her mental control she became fascinated with me. Fascinating was not a good thing to be with her. See, while I was screaming she tried every mind control spell she could think of, but nothing worked.”

  He shrugged, and Mitzi just continued to stare at him. She couldn’t recapture him?

  “Whatever broke in my head? I don’t think there’s anything in there to control any more. I’m immune to mind control now. I’m broken. Something fundamental is broken in me.”

  She knew she was crying again. She couldn’t help it. She would have cried for anyone that told her this story. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with some tissues and she was very glad she hadn’t had her make-up with her.

  “She hounded me and stalked me for two weeks.” Dan continued. “I lived in my car for those two weeks and stayed on the move.”

  “Is that why you haven’t gone out much?” She asked quietly.

  He nodded.

  “I kept thinking she’d be there behind me or in the shadows to take me again.”

  Mitzi just nodded.

  “Continue.”

  “Eventually, I made it back to my family. I don’t know what scared Bethella more. The idea that I’d tell them what happened and they’d believe me, or the fact that there was nothing left in me to break. I just know after that two weeks, she went back to the Everywhen. I hope she stays there. I hope she finds some kind of peace, and she changes. I hope she can forgive herself for what she did. I don’t know if I can. But maybe she can.”

  “What did your mom say?”

  “Nothing.” Dan said. “I didn’t tell her what happened. I was too ashamed and she wouldn’t have believed me. I told her I’d made terrible choices and she definitely agreed with that. I’d turned everyone against me during my time with Bethella. I had to just pretend I’d been an asshole. I had to keep up a lie and pretend I was fine. I had to try and apologize for things I hadn’t been in control of. Very few people accepted those apologies.”

  Mitzi rubbed at her eyes. How could this actually have gotten worse?

  “Mom wanted me to come back to church with her. She wanted me to join some kind of “man church” and it was just a thinly veiled hate group against Fantastics, women, and minorities.”

  “Why don’t you hate us?” Mitzi asked. She honestly wouldn’t have blamed him after that.

  “Because one person isn’t everyone, Mitzi. And I’m not built for hate. Even now, I understand what sort of fucked up society and world view could lead to a person like that. I can’t forgive her, but I can’t completely hate her. And the rest of your people certainly don’t deserve to pay for what she did.”

  He was a treasure, she decided. He was a treasure to be hoarded and protected, lest he be tarnished. And he was going to be hers. She’d decided right then and there.

  “I had to leave Memphis.” He said, bringing her back from her thoughts. “I still thought I saw her everywhere. I couldn’t tell anyone why I was becoming a shut-in. I’d already burned those bridges. Even if I hadn’t, do you think they would have understood?” He shook his head. “No. Mom would have made this my fault.”

  “So you came here. For work.” Mitzi said.

  “Yeah. Mom was furious again and wouldn’t let me take anything from the house. She said she’d bought all of it and if I wanted it I’d have to buy it off of her. She said I’d been an investment, and she wanted that investment back. I only took things I’d bought myself. Art supplies, my PC, some of my clothes.”

  She thought for a long time while watching his face.

  “How can you look at me?” She asked.

  “What?”

  “Pointed ears, purple hair, there’s some weird mind thing happening between us. You should have run screaming out of the restaurant. You should just, I dunno, pick me up under your arm and dump me back at my house. I wouldn’t blame you.”

  She started to rise. To stand up and climb down.

  “We should find a mage or a wizard and get this removed. You don’t deserve more of this. Not from me. I’m sorry, Dan. I. . .”

  Dan took her gently by the waist and sat her back down. The feeling coming from him was so far from what she thought he should be feeling it stopped her. Everything she could feel was warm. It was like the sun. She let herself be set back down, quietly.

  “But I want this.” He whispered.

  She had to double check to make sure she was breathing. He seemed to look for the words he needed.

  “I feel like the universe is trying to apologize, Mitzi. You feel like a gift. You’re so much more than that, obviously, but you’re the first good thing to happen to me in months. And you make me feel safe.

  She leaned against his chest and put a head on his shoulder.

  “When we found Thralls in the dungeon, from anyone, we’d kill them, Dan.” She felt the shock and fear in him.

  “Ok, that’s not the response I was expecting.” He said. “Why did you kill them?”

  “Because we saw it as a kindness. It’s almost extremely difficult to actually free a Thrall. It’s almost unheard of for one to free themselves.”

  He blinked.

  “Seriously?” She didn’t know what he was feeling right then. She sat back upright and looked at him.

  “YES! And I want you to understand how big what you managed to do was. That’s important. It says something about you.” Mitzi told him.

  “That I’m broken?” He asked.

  “I don’t know about that.” She said. “I still don’t see how you don’t hate everyone and everything after that, though. You should be raging against the world. Or you should be screaming to this day. How are you still walking around being one of the nicest humans I’ve met? How can you carry all of this and be who you are now?”

  Until that moment, even with all the pain Mitzi felt in Dan, he had told his story stoically. Then it came. The true pain came.

  “Because I don’t want to be what she tried to make me, Mitzi.” He said. She put her hands on the sides of his face again as tears began to roll. “She took everything I had from me. If I let her take who I was, she’s won. I’ll have lost everything.” He let out a sob. “I can’t. It’s all I have left.”

  Mitzi pulled his head to her shoulder and caressed his hair as he cried.

  “You’ve been strong for so, so long. You need to set it down. Just for a while.” She kissed his cheek several times and murmured comforting sounds she remembered from her childhood until he finally quieted.

  “She broke me.” He whispered.

  “No, she didn’t.” Mitzi said. She still found herself weeping for him when she thought of all of it, but she let the tears flow. He deserved them. “You’ve held. You’ve held past a point no one should have been able to. Past a point no one should have been required to. You never broke, Dan. She hurt you, but that is very different.”

  He didn’t say anything, and that was fine. He’d been through the worst thing she could imagine and come out stronger. She found her sympathy being replaced with pride.

  “I won’t let them hurt you any more.”

  She stayed there with him, feeling the pain gradually recede. She knew it wasn’t gone. It may never be gone, but it left for a time. There was only one more thing to ask him.

  “That’s why you panicked earlier. She was the last time, wasn’t she?”

  He nodded.

  “I promise you,” she said, “when it happens? I will make it special for you..”

  She felt him nuzzle her neck. When he spoke, it tickled.

  “Still want to stay?” He asked quietly.

  She pulled his head up and smiled at him.

  “Does it feel like I want to leave?”

  He finally smiled again. It felt like a victory to her.

  “No. And thank you.” He arched an eyebrow. “Why are you so proud right now?”

  She grinned and she knew it looked devilish.

  “You’ll have to figure that out.” She said.