Page 33 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

Dragging my hands over my face, I squeezed my eyes shut and exhaled.

What I needed was a good distraction. I put my phone away and located Teddy. We curled up on the couch, him in my lap, a heap of pillows and blankets around us. I could get used to this, I decided. I unlocked my e-reader, diving into the spicy romance I was reading.

Teddy kneaded my leg while I petted him, whiling away the hours. My cheeks were already flushed when I heard the familiar buzz of a bike engine, listening as it grew louder. The mechanical jolt of a garage door gently shook the house, and then silence.

I closed out of my book and powered off my device. Bastian found me with an innocent look on my face, waiting for him. He stalked into the living room, tossed his leather jacket on the couch, and sank down onto the sectional, the same spot he’d occupied last night.

Unbothered by my presence, he released a tiny groan that had my nipples tightening. His arms stretched across the back, his legs splayed wide, like he’d just come home from a grueling day at work. His eyes lifted to meet mine. “Hey, sugar. Got plans tonight?”

A laugh burst from my chest. “You’re joking right?” I was dressed in pajama pants and a tank top. His eyes snagged on my chest. The thin camisole did little to hide my peaked nipples or the fact I wasn’t wearing a bra. There was a flare of black around his irises, but it was there and gone in an instant.

“How’s Ted settling in?” he asked, turning his focus to the cat in my lap.

“Teddy, is settling in fine. He’s always been adaptable. Already got up and used the litter box like a proper gentleman.”

“Good. There’s a cordless vacuum in the closet there, for when he sheds all over the couch.”

My jaw dropped. “Can’t you like, magic it away or whatever?”

He grinned, and for the second time, that dimple on his cheek appeared. “I could, sugar, but I’d hate to deprive you of your new cat-mom duties.”

“And here I thought you were trying to be nice, asking about him.”

“I was.” He stood up and moved over to the liquor cabinet. “Want one?” I shook my head. He sat back down with a glass of dark amber liquid in hand. “Anyway, I was serious. You got plans tonight?”

I tutted. “You really think I have plans after I was A. Practically attacked last night⁠—”

“You were attacked⁠—”

“B. Saw my murdered professor’s house this morning⁠—”

“Speaking of, you make that list yet?”

“C. Had my apartment broken into. D. Saw my neighbor’s dead body. And E. Adopted a cat?”

He shrugged a shoulder before shooting back his drink. “Just trying to be polite. Anyway, you don’t have a shift at Vortex tonight?”

“No. I’m off.”

“Good. We’re going out.”

“We’re—what?!”

“Going out. I need your help with something. I’ll cook us dinner, then we can get going. Unless you’d rather eat out?”

I gaped at him. “Wait, excuse me. You need my help? Is this something to do with the case?”

“Nope.”

“Okay then, no.” It was a rapid reaction response, because I really was curious. As much as I wanted to hide, an entire afternoon indoors left me antsy.

“Come on, sugar. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

I scoffed, but secretly, I perked up at the word fun because, what did goblins consider fun, anyway?

“What, exactly do you need my help with?”

“I’m meeting an…acquaintance. Distant cousin, technically. I suppose you could consider him a rival, of sorts. You’re going to be my plus one.”