Page 112 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

“Thanks, Rose. Take care.”

The line went dead.

My thoughts spiraled. I let them for several minutes, until things began to crystalize. I couldn’t just ignore the way I felt, the worry that something bad had happened. I scrolled to Bastian’s number and pressed the call button. It rang four times, then went to voicemail. I tried twice more, both times the same. I looked at the last text I’d sent him, about the pancakes. I texted again anyway.

Are you okay? Christian called looking for you. I’m starting to worry.

I stared at the screen, waiting. Nothing came through. I chewed on my bottom lip, the knots in my stomach tightening. Something was wrong. It wasn’t like him to ignore me. If we were mates, which apparently we were, he should have been desperate to answer. I’d seen the look on his face the other night, knew he was reluctant to let me go.

Fuck.

My hands started shaking. I typed out another text, then deleted it. If he wasn’t responding, sending him another wouldn’t make a difference. I needed to make sure he was okay.

Jumping from the bed, I changed clothes, throwing on a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. I pulled my hair back, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and grabbed my purse. “Vivi?” I shouted down the hall, walking toward the living room.

Her head popped out of her doorway. “Yes—oh.” She looked at me. “Something wrong?”

“I don’t know. I just have this…feeling. I’m going to Bastian’s house. Going to check that he’s okay.”

“Did something happen?” She frowned.

“I… I don’t know.” My eyes started to fill as I blinked back the tears. “Christian called—that’s Bastian’s boss—and said he couldn’t get ahold of him. I’m… I’m really worried. What if…”

My hand flew to my stomach. Yesterday I’d felt something. A weird swooping sensation, like someone was pulling on my insides. And for a second, it had been difficult to breathe.

I hadn’t thought anything of it until now.

“What if he was so angry that he did something? Something stupid? Like, you know how in some of those mates stories—like, mates get all possessive and emotional and dramatic and whatnot?”

“You don’t think he would have done something extreme, do you?”

What if he thought he’d lost me for good? What if he thought I was completely done with us, to the point where he didn’t want to live without me? It seemed extreme, but right now, my mind was entirely irrational.

“I don’t fucking know, Vivi,” I whispered.

“Okay, let me grab my purse. I’ll come with⁠—”

“No. I need to do this alone. If he is there, I… I want to be alone with him.”

“But what if something happened and⁠—”

“I’ll call you. I promise. If something else is going on, I’ll call you and send you his address.”

She bit her lower lip, then nodded. “Fine, just be careful, okay?” Her arms came around me and she pulled me into a hug. “Don’t do anything stupid. And if he is there, give him hell for making you worry like this.”

“I will,” I managed. Then I opened my phone and ordered a ride.

I breathed a relieved sigh when Bastian’s house came into view. My fingers tapped my thigh impatiently as we drove up into the driveway. My driver stopped in front of his craftsman home, and I emerged, looking up at the porch, trying to determine if anything was amiss. Everything looked completely fine. “Thanks,” I told the driver and shut the door. I walked up the steps, opening my phone and giving the driver a tip before sliding it into my pocket.

I made sure he drove off before pounding on the door. “Bastian?” I called. “It’s me. Come on. Open up.”

Still no answer.

Sighing, I went for the keypad and punched in the code, a string of ten numbers and my fingerprint, because he didn’t fuck around. The magical tech system gave a zap and I saw a veil of blue waver around the house, long enough for me to open the door and slip in. As soon as the door closed behind me, it armed itself again.

Standing in the foyer, I listened. Everything was silent except for the ticking clock in the living room.

“Bastian?” I called. My eyes darted to the wall beside me, the one he’d pinned me against, the one where everything had started. Memories came flooding back. I swallowed. “Bas?” My voice shook. Still no answer.