CHAPTER EIGHT
Apounding sounds from somewhere in the distance, pulling me from the grips of sleep. As my foggy brain slowly wakes up, I’m aware of a warm weight resting across my stomach and the tickle of breath at my ear. I crack open an eye and see Bastian lying next to me. His arm across my stomach, legs tangled up in mine. Memories from last night flood my mind. My nightmare, him comforting me, asking him to stay.
Oh, good gods. What was I even thinking?
I didn’t think he’d actually stay the rest of the night…
How did we end up tangled like this? We were both on our respective sides of the bed when I drifted off, but at some point, we must have both moved closer to the middle. Who reached for who first? Heat rises up my cheeks in embarrassment, hoping it wasn’t me.
As much as I don’t want to admit it, waking up wrapped in his arms like this feels…incredible. The warmth and weight of his body against mine. It’s comfortable and I almost feel…safe? I would never admit it out loud to anyone, least of all him. But this feeling is something I never expected wrapped in the arms of a Fae male I barely know.
The pounding begins again in earnest. I realize now it’s someone knocking on the front door of the cottage. Bastian stirs next to me, pulling my body closer to his, drawing in a deep breath. I squeeze my eyes shut and pretend to be asleep. Not the most mature move, but I’d much rather not have to acknowledge the position we find ourselves in.
“Sebastian? Are you in there?” a muffled male voice calls from outside.
Sebastian, hmm?
I hear Bastian groan beside me and feel the pillow dip as he turns his head to look at me. I can feel his body stiffen before he curses softly under his breath and slowly removes the arm that was banded across my stomach and gets up from the bed. I hear his soft footsteps and thesnickof the bedroom door as he closes it behind him.
“Your—” I hear the squeak as the front door swings open, cutting the visitor off.
“What the hell are you doing here? I thought I said I wasn’t to be disturbed.” I can hear the contempt dripping from his words. He’s clearly not pleased by the morning visitor, whoever it is. Or he’s not a morning person. Which is entirely possible considering his gruffness yesterday morning.
“My apologies, you— Sebastian. I wouldn’t have bothered you if it wasn’t urgent.” There’s a long pause before anyone speaks again.
“Well? Spit it out then, Robin,” Bastian huffs, clearly agitated based only on the tone of his voice. I can picture him pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Your mother has requested your presence this morning,” the stranger—Robin I assume—says.
“Shit,” Bastian curses. “Tell her I’ll be there in an hour. I need to make myself presentable.”
A beat of silence. “If I may, sir.”
“What, Robin?”
“I would highly recommend you wash the…humansmell from your body before you show up. You know it will only further set her off.”
It’s quiet for another few moments before Bastian speaks. “Duly noted.” I can hear the tension in Bastian’s voice and can tell, without seeing him, that his jaw is clenched. That muscle is probably twitching like crazy. “Goodbye, Robin.” Bastian slams the door, making the windows rattle in their frames. I hear his footsteps coming back towards the bedroom, so I roll back over onto my side, facing away from the door, keeping my eyes closed. When I hear the bedroom door click open, I roll onto my back and give a good show of stretching my arms over my head, faking a yawn.
“Good morning, little eavesdropper. Sleep well?” Bastian greets me with a smirk.
I blink at him wide eyed, realizing I’m busted for listening in. “How did you know?”
“I told you last night, Fae have excellent hearing. I could hear from your breathing pattern that you were awake.”
So that’s what he meant? They have some sort of super hearing?
Well, if I’m busted, I guess there’s no need to beat around the bush then.
“So,” I say, drawing out the word, “you have to go see your mother?”
That muscle in his jaw twitches, just like I imagined it did with Robin, and I have to fight back a smile at the thought. “I do. I know we were supposed to head out this morning, so we’ll have to adjust our plans. We can leave this afternoon when I return and see how far we get. If we push hard, we might still be able to keep to the two-day journey. Can I trust you to stay here in the meantime? I shouldn’t be long.”
“Why do I have to stay here?” I twist the ring around my finger. The thought of being left alone for an undetermined amount of time in this male’s cottage in a strange realm doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve already been here a day longer than I would’ve liked. Well, anytime spent here is more than I would like.
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “My mother is… not the kindest of Fae. In fact, she may play a rather large role in the perception that the humans–even several of the Fae–have towards the Unseelie. She’s vicious, ruthless, and will take what she wants.” He hesitates a moment, his eyes slowly trailing over me causing goosebumps to break out over my skin, before continuing. “She also abhors humans. And after your nightmare last night, I’d rather think it best to keep you away from my mother.”
“Oh,” I reply. It’s all I can say as his words sink in and I recall suddenly that this male is an Unseelie Fae. This keeps happening to me. He has these small moments where he behaves in ways that are in complete contradiction to what I think I know of them that I… forget. It’s even easier out here in this secluded cottage away from others. He’s supposed to be cruel and just how he described his mother. But he’s not. Or at least he hasn’t shown me that side of his yet. He continues to show me kindness, especially after last night. All of which muddles my brain, making it more difficult for me to figure him out. To determine which side of him is real. Are either of them his true personality or are they both a facade? “Why haven’t you behaved like how you’ve described your mother?” I ask, unable to stop the question from pushing past my lips. He raises an eyebrow at me. “I mean you’ve definitely acted like an asshole, but you’ve never beencruel.”
