Page 104 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

Feet pounded the pavement. A breath later and my hands were gently pulled into someone’s grasp, cuffs placed around my wrists. Wait… What?!

“That’s the guy,” I managed, shaken and confused. “The guy on the ground. Luke Portman. He’s the one responsible for the mayor’s gala.”

My words didn’t seem to have any effect. Wait… Why were they taking me when it was him they wanted?

Bastian growled and surged forward. “Take your fucking hands off her, Floyd, or I’ll remove your fingers.”

“Ahh… If it isn’t Bastian Croft,” Floyd said, turning to him. Someone else was already putting cuffs around Bastian’s wrists. A couple of other officers were crouched around Luke’s bloodied body. One of them whistled and said, “Damn, Croft, was this you?”

Clearly Bastian’s reputation went beyond the supernatural community.

“How about you two hang tight right here where we can see you,” Floyd said, “while we sort this out.”

A presence appeared at my side. Eaden. “You okay, Rose?”

“I—yes.”

“I had to call it in,” he explained, looking over Luke’s unconscious body. Cops were cuffing Luke’s wrists as paramedics rushed onto the scene. “I wouldn’t have bothered to get involved at all, if some of his guys hadn’t shown up.”

“You should have kept your fucking nose out of it, Eaden,” Bastian growled.

“Should he have?” I snapped, my patience thinning as I rounded on Bastian. My goblin’s gaze was still locked on Luke, death lurking in his green eyes. “You probably would have killed him.”

“I intended to—yes.”

“You intended… Are you fucking insane, Bastian?! We need the harp. You were, what, going to kill him first and ask for its location second? Or were you not that concerned that a powerful—” I stopped myself and lowered my voice. “A powerful artifact is just floating around, putting supernaturals to sleep.”

A couple of officers rushed by, helping the paramedics as they lifted Luke onto the stretcher.

“Well then,” Eaden said conversationally. “I think I’ll leave you two to it.”

“I had everything under control, baby girl.” Bastian turned back to me.

My breaths came faster and deeper. “Don’t… Don’t call me that. What the fuck was that back there?! Mate? Are you going to explain that? Something tells me you didn’t mean girlfriend. Is this some kind of mate shit I read about in my werewolf books? Like, where we’re tied together for the rest of our lives?”

My chest heaved. Somehow, I knew it was. There were too many signs. The possessiveness. His willingness to be something with me he hadn’t been with anyone else. The fucking roses. “When were you planning to tell me this super-fucking-important piece of information?”

My anger was better than the sense of disillusionment lurking deeper. Here I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Drop it fucking did.

“Elle…” His voice softened. Some of the frenzy melted away. “It’s… I was planning to tell you. I intended to. Shit’s just been… There didn’t seem a right time⁠—”

“Well, sorry about all this,” came a familiar voice. Christian appeared, keys in hand, and began undoing my cuffs. Freed, my hand went to my throat where I’d felt the skin break from the blade. It must have been my imagination. The skin was flawless, even though I felt the smear of blood.

Bastian’s eyes zeroed in on my movements. Christian fumbled with his cuffs. As soon as he was free, Bastian rushed over to me, his hands reaching for me. I stepped out of his reach and didn’t miss the flash of hurt, there and gone, in his expression.

“I’d like to know what happened here,” Christian interrupted, “but something tells me the two of you need a minute alone.” We both shot him a go-the-fuck-away glare and he disappeared to speak with some of the officers.

“How could you not—?” I took a sharp inhale and shook my head. I should have expected this, should have known that things were too perfect. That there was something deeper going on. “I told you I didn’t want you keeping things from me. You knew that.”

“Fuck,” Bastian breathed, raking his palms over his face. The knuckles on his right hand were covered in blood—Luke’s blood.

My stomach churned.

“Baby girl, let me explain⁠—”

“No. No… I don’t want to hear it.” And I didn’t. My adrenaline was plummeting. I could barely hold myself up. My mind was filled with confusing thoughts. My heart felt like it was cracking wide open with the shock of the revelation, the hurt of betrayal. I was struggling to know what I should feel, beyond anger. Bastian reached for me again and I backed away. His expression crumbled.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said, managing to keep my voice steady. “We’re going to do whatever we need to here. Give statements and whatnot. Then you’re going to take me back to your place and I’m going to pack my things. After that, you’re going to take me home. I don’t want to talk to you right now—not about this. I’m so...” I sighed, taking a steadying breath. “I’m so fucking angry with you right now, Bastian. Like, peel your skin off your gorgeous stupid dumb goblin face kind of angry.”