Page 36 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

I grabbed my fork and knife, cutting into the food. He took a seat beside me, head angled toward me as if waiting for my response. I didn’t care that a tiny groan escaped as I bit into the chicken, chewed, and swallowed. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted chicken this good,” I breathed, glancing at him. “I didn’t think it could be anything but plain and boring.”

“First for everything,” he said, his lips twitching before starting in on his.

“Where’d you learn to cook like this, anyway?”

He swallowed and said, “Just time and practice. I’ve always loved food. I eat a lot of it. Need it for storing up energy and such.”

Huh. Interesting.

We fell silent until our plates were nearly cleared. "So how exactly are you planning to get me into a supernatural-only club?"

“Right, about that. I’m going to send you in wearing a glamor—a good one. You should be fine. Which reminds me—” He fished around in his pocket, pulling out a thin band of gold. A ring. “Put this on, it should fit.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “You’re not—we’re not pretending to be, like, a married couple or something, are we?”

He chuckled. “No, sugar. Here⁠—”

He took my hand. I didn’t fight him. Taking my pointer finger, he slipped the gold band into place. It was too large, but as I stared at it, it shrank into place until it was a perfect fit.

“Oh,” I breathed, impressed. He was doing magic.

“I have an affinity for metals,” he said by way of explanation. “I’ll be able to send you signals with this.”

“Like…what kind of signals?” I asked, lifting my hand, moving the ring about in the light. Despite being a simple band, it was elegant, and I rather liked it.

“Like this.” The ring turned hot, but not hot enough to burn.

“Woah…” My eyes widened.

“If I want to get your attention or whatever, that’s what I’ll do. Got it?”

“Mmm-hmm,” I managed, still staring at it. Then I dropped my hand. “Wait, a signal because we’re not going to be together?”

“Not the whole time, no. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it. All finished?”

I glanced down and nodded. Despite how delicious the food was, I suddenly found I couldn’t finish the rest of my plate. He got up and cleared them, fussing about in the kitchen for a few minutes before turning to face me. “All right. Let’s get going.”

I stood, then hesitated. “You’re going to wear that?”

“Sure, why not?” It wasn’t exactly bad. Black jeans and a black T-shirt like the one I’d first seen him in. “I’ll probably carry a few weapons in, just to make a statement. But I can summon those once we get there.”

Weapons…statement…his words began to register.

“I really don’t know what I’m getting myself into, do I?” I muttered, following him out of the kitchen and into the garage.

“Here, put these on.” He handed over a leather jacket and the same helmet I’d used before. The garage door opened while I put them on. Then I was on the back of his bike, with him easing it outside.

Darkness greeted us. Bastian revved the bike’s engine. A fluttery sensation planted itself in my stomach. We were really doing this. I hadn’t processed much of my experience on his bike last night. I’d been too distraught over Luke. But now, I intended to enjoy every sensation, starting with the man in front of me.

I leaned closer to Bastian, tightening my hold around him. Instead of locking my hands together, I shamelessly splayed them across his torso. A rumble sounded in my helmet. “Hold on tight, sugar.”

We shot forward, out of the driveway and onto the asphalt drive.

A squeal rushed from my lips. I tightened my hold, squeezing my thighs around him. Adrenaline dumped into my system and heat followed, pooling up in my core. My awareness zeroed in on all the places we connected.

Bastian’s solid form handled the bike with ease.

It was hot.