Page 65 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

Eaden winced. “Yes. I saw the footage on the cameras after she disappeared. Just didn’t realize it was you who’d picked her up on that death trap. Didn’t put the pieces together ‘till just now. Should have known.” He turned to me. “Rose, what the fuck were you thinking going out there in the middle of⁠—?”

“Don’t you dare,” Bastian warned, his voice a low growl as he leaned forward.

Eaden flinched. He hesitated. “She’s my employee and I⁠—”

“Don’t say another word about it,” Bastian warned again, a lingering threat in his words.

Eaden’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. I got the impression that no matter how powerful a shifter, he wouldn’t dare cross Bastian. That created so, so many questions. I glanced between them. “How the hell do you two know each other?”

“Long fucking story, sugar. Let’s discuss what we came to discuss.”

I sighed. “Fine. Eaden, you said to come in and discuss Micky with you in person.”

“Hmm…” Eaden hesitated, then looked at Bastian. “I take it you’re looking into this officially?” Bastian nodded. “Right. Well then, I probably don’t have much of a choice. A few of my shifters dropped into wakeless sleep earlier this week. And it’s been happening since. One or two here and there. It’s like they’re in some kind of coma—I like that word for it, Rose. Hadn’t thought of it that way. Micky is one of them.”

“That’s why she didn’t show up to her shift the other night,” I mused, a sick realization sinking in.

“My people didn’t find her until yesterday morning. Thought she was passed out at home.” Eaden scrubbed a hand over his face. Bastian sighed, leaning back. He kept ahold of my hand. “You going to tell me what fuck is going on?”

“Don’t know much,” Bastian said. “If Aramis was the only one having issues, I’d keep it quiet. But since you’re having issues too⁠—”

“Aramis is having issues?”

“He’s the one who pulled me in.”

“Fuck—should have known.” Eaden shook his head. He’d relaxed a little, but not completely. I suspected it had something to do with having another powerful supernatural male in his space. “If one of our SC reps is involved, then it’s more serious than I thought.”

“Believe me, it’s worse.” Bastian stretched out his other arm, resting it along the sofa. He looked perfectly at ease, unlike the shifter. “Several of Aramis’s sleepers were seen at the gala last night, their faces are the ones in the sketches.”

Eaden swore. “You’re sure?”

“You asking if I’m mistaken?”

Eaden huffed and shook his head. He let out a long, defeated exhale. “I need to make a few calls, make sure I got our people at a secure location.”

“Won’t matter. Aramis’s people are.”

“Then how’d they get out?”

“They didn’t,” I said, jumping in. “They were in two places at once. Somehow.”

“How is that possible?” Eaden frowned, glancing between us and his phone, as he began sending off a series of quick texts.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” I added. Bastian glanced at me, lifting an eyebrow. At the we part. Probably reminding me that this was his case, not mine. I was just along to bounce ideas off of.

“You might want to talk with Caden about it,” Bastian advised.

“Yes, just set up a meeting with him.” Eaden sent off another text.

“Who is Caden?” I asked, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

“Shifter SC rep,” Bastian said at the same time Eaden said, “My older brother.”

“Huh.” I tangled my fingers in a pink curl, wrapping it around my pointer finger. “Didn’t realize you had a brother, Eaden.”

“Got two. I’m the middle child.”

“And they’re both wolf shifters?”