Page 81 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

“What did you see, exactly?”

“A shadow? Like, a person-sized shadow. I thought I was just imagining things but…”

“But…?”

“It walked by my patio doors, Bastian,” I hissed.

“You sure?”

“Sure enough that I’m not freaking sleeping down there tonight.”

He exhaled. “Stay right here. I’ll be back.” A leather baldric appeared across his bare chest. He drew a sword from it and strode from the room.

I stared after him, mouth hanging open. “Wouldn’t a gun be more efficient?!” I whispered, taking several steps after him.

“Too noisy. Stay there—the house is safe.” I froze, mid-step, then retreated back into his room. I ran to the window and looked out, searching the yard. A moment later, I spotted Bastian prowling around his property. He froze, hesitated, then turned and started off in another direction. After a minute, he disappeared around the side of the house.

My chest pounded as I waited. What if it was Luke with the harp? What if this was a trap?

“Fuuuuck,” I breathed, my skin prickling. I took a step away from the window, then waited.

It felt like an eternity, though in reality, it was probably only a few minutes. Bastian appeared in the room and flicked on the lights. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the brightness. It took a moment to really sink in, that I was in his room. The sword—a freaking sword—was sheathed at his back. He was in a pair of sweatpants now, but no shirt. The leather baldric crossed his bare chest.

I swallowed hard.

His jaw was tight. His gaze settled on me and he seemed to relax. “You okay?”

“Me?” I all but squeaked. “You’re the one who went out there. You didn’t find anything? I swear I saw⁠—”

“He was already gone.”

“He?”

Bastian stalked across the room to the window, looking out before he turned to me. “I smelled him. That fucking asshole came onto my property. Left his fucking scent everywhere.”

My limbs went cold. “Luke?”

He gave a jerk of a nod. “He walked right past your patio doors.”

My stomach bottomed out. “He could have…”

“No, he couldn’t have,” Bastian snarled, turning to face me. “A measly fucking human can't break through the magic on those doors.”

I opened and closed my mouth. “What if he’d been out there with the harp, Bastian. We need to be more careful. He has an entire arsenal of artifacts now.”

“He’s a fucking human, Elle.”

“With powerful artifacts, Bas!” I all but shouted. “You need to be careful.”

He took a slow, steady inhale. “I’m going to find this piece of trash, and I’m going—” He stopped himself, hand clenching into a fist. His chest rose and then fell. “Let’s go to bed.”

I hesitated, then nodded. As if I could sleep after a thing like this. “I’m not sleeping downstairs tonight.”

He nodded, his expression softening. “There’s another guest bedroom down the hall. No bathroom but⁠—”

“I’m… I don’t really want to be alone right now,” I managed, my cheeks flushing red.

He sighed, ran a hand over the shaved side of his head, then jerked his chin in a nod. “You can sleep in here. I don’t bite.”