Page 54 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

Then he winked.

My chest expanded, wider and wider. I shifted, trying not to preen, trying not to reveal exactly how his words made me feel. “Right. Fine. Deal,” I said casually, like he hadn’t just made my day. “What do you need to discuss?”

I didn’t want to be a mooch. If I could help in any way, I would.

But it was more than that.

Something deep inside me coiled tight with eagerness. Staying at Bastian’s might mean other things, too. Things I needed to be careful about. But since I was trying for casual. Trying to give myself room to have fun with no strings attached, maybe I didn’t have to be too careful.

“Well, for starters,” he said, “I read through your list of artifacts and it got me thinking…”

“Oh?” I perked up. “Do you think that what’s going on could be artifact related?”

“Depends. I don’t want to rule anything out. Magic is obviously involved. I trust Aramis. If he says his people are safeguarded, under constant surveillance, I believe him.”

An idea struck and I leaned forward. “What if we’re dealing with an artifact that allows someone to be in two places at once?”

A lazy grin spread across his lips and a blush crept up my neck. “I like the way you think, Eleanor. Might you know of any capable of that?”

“Hmm. Two places at once,” I mused, my eyes going distant as I flipped through my mental library of artifacts, but nothing came to mind.

I’d encountered the mention of many artifacts during my studies. Professor Miller and I had only come into contact with a fraction of what existed in the world. Knowing what artifacts were capable of, the vast span of things they could be used for, I didn’t doubt for a single second that this was possible.

Bastian rubbed his temples, leaning back, his eyes fluttering closed. I used this unguarded moment to study him. When I blinked, the transparent glimmer of his true form came into view. I tried to hold it in place, to better assess him, but like always, it quickly disappeared.

I liked his goblin form. I wanted to learn its intricacies when I shouldn’t have.

What would it be like to kiss him that way? What would it feel like? What would sex be like?

My chest fluttered. Would he show me his true form, if we ever⁠—

“Why don’t you think on it, hmm?” Bastian said, grounding me. “I don’t expect you to come up with something right this moment. I haven’t slept for nearly…thirty-six hours? I need to build up some energy. I’m lagging.” His eyes opened again, pinning me in place. “Let me have a quick nap, then we can blow off some steam downstairs.”

My eyes widened and he laughed. “Sparring, sugar. In the basement. Unless… Well, we can certainly have fun in other ways, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I made a choking sound. He stood, all cocky exuberance, and began collecting our things from the table, sliding them into the bag to dispose of. “Come on inside. I’ll feel better with you behind the security barrier.”

I stood and followed him in, my eyes lingering on the pool. Going for a swim sounded kinda nice. Bastian caught my gaze and seemed to read my mind because he said, “How about later, sugar?”

“Are you ever going to call me by my actual name?”

“Eleanor?”

“Ugh, no, Rose.”

“I like sugar better.”

I shook my head, tossing my plate into the trash. He did the same with the rest of our stuff before heading for the stairs.

“Have a good nap, I guess.”

“Yup,” he said, throwing a hand over his shoulder in farewell before disappearing.

I retrieved my phone and saw the missed calls from Eaden. Great. I’d have to face him eventually. Exhaling, I braced myself and called him back.

“Rose? There you are. Is there a reason you’ve been ignoring my calls?”

“Not ignoring, no. Just… It’s a long story.” I sighed, pacing in my room.