I stared at Bastian, my chest expanding, welling with smug satisfaction. He looked at me with wide eyes, his breaths coming in rapid bursts. I'd never felt so stripped bare, so...worshiped with that gaze. No one had ever looked at me like this.
"Well," I managed, running a finger around the edges of my lips, like I was fixing lipstick, when really, I was making sure I hadn't been messy, "so much for your unparalleled control."
A low, warning growl rose around me, setting my hairs on end, sending shivers of delight down my spine. I backed up a smidge, not afraid, when I probably should have been. He tracked the motion, sitting up. I backed up a little further. He seemed to lean towards me, like a predator tracking prey, like he knew what I intended and was anticipating my movements.
He hadn't lied. He'd fucked me—thoroughly. My jaw would be sore for days. But none of that mattered. I ached for him, even wetter than when he'd touched me. The orgasm he'd given me, while immensely satisfying, had done little to temper the fire. But I didn't give in to my renewed arousal—something in me, some sort of teasing side of me—kicked into gear.
In a graceful sweep of motion, I slid off the bed and stood. His movements were inhumanly swift as he followed after me.
"Eleanor," he warned, speaking through clenched teeth. "Where you going, baby girl?"
My core clenched, dripping with heat and desire. The question, the way he said it, the animalistic wickedness that simmered beneath the surface of his words unnerved me. This was Bastian at his basest level. If I ran from the room, he'd chase after me, tackle me on the stairs, claim me entirely.
Anticipation, fear, and deep longing rose up inside me, all warring together into a potent—
A shrill chime fractured the silence. We both froze, staring at each other, panting, eyes locked. His naked body was a beautiful specimen of male, goblin or no. I was still covered in my PJs. The sound came again, his phone ringing.
I lifted my eyebrows, a question.
"You think I'd let you get away so easily, little female?"
Little female.
Shivers raced over my skin. My eyes darted over the creature in front of me. How much was Bastian right now, in this very moment, and how much of him was goblin? He'd never called me that before. But he said it with a sensual tenderness I'd never heard in his voice, even when he called me sugar.
I swallowed, wetted my lips. His eyes darted to my mouth. The phone rang again. He growled, annoyed, and glanced over his shoulder towards the nightstand. I used the brief distraction to dart away and slip through the door, closing it behind me, then I raced down the stairs, slipped into my room, and locked the door.
I leaned against it, nearly gasping for breath.
It wasn't that I wanted to stay away from, to keep him from me, to postpone the inevitable. I wanted him to claim me, the way he'd claimed my mouth. I was ready for it, had been ready for it since last night, since seeing him race out of the bedroom with a massive sword in hand. But I was also overwhelmed. The way he looked at me after his orgasm, like I was the only woman on the planet for him, like no one had ever given him what I had, left my heart swelling, nearly bursting. That expression had dissolved any bit of restraint I might have had.
So, why then had I run?
You want him to chase you, said the voice in the back of my mind. You like the way he looks at you. You want him unbound. You ran, because you knew it would rile him. Predators relish the chase, and you want to give him that.
Yes. That was it.
Except...he wasn't chasing me. I frowned, listening for the barest hint of a sound. As the minutes ticked by, there was only silence. My heart dropped towards my stomach. Had I imagined it? That expression? His desire?
Had he changed his mind?
I caught my lip between my teeth, chewing nervously at the skin. Maybe it was better this way? Maybe we both needed time to think about this? Yes, that was it. Nodding to myself, I strode across the room and closed myself in the bathroom.
***
I emerged, clean and showered, dressed in high-waisted yoga pants and a T-shirt that I knotted at my belly button. A sliver of tummy near my navel peeped out. There was activity in the kitchen, so I went there. Bastian was pouring himself coffee in a travel mug, capping it off. He was dressed in his usual, dark jeans and a black T-shirt that was tight enough to show every line of his muscular frame. He must have had a hundred of them; I didn't mind.
He turned. His eyes landed on me, sweeping me over from head to toe. His pupils dilated, hand tightening around his cup. He hesitated, then his throat bobbed. "Gotta head into work, Sugar. Need you to stay here and stay put. Don't leave the house."
"Oh." My lips pressed into a tight line.
"There's coffee, and plenty else in the pantry. Toast, oatmeal, or whatever you feel like eat—"
"Is it Luke?" I asked. "Did something happen?"
His body tensed. A dark expression crossed over his features at the mention of Luke. "Not quite sure," he bit out. "But I'll know soon enough. I gotta go."
Suddenly, my ribs felt too tight for my body, too tight to breathe. "Right. Okay."
His brows drew together. He strode over and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. My breath hitched. "We're not done, Sugar. Not even a little bit. This morning? It isn't over." Then he kissed me, his mouth hot, coffee flavored. I groaned, going limp in his arms, relaxing into him. His tongue caressed mine, the kiss of metal sending sparks straight to the back of my throat.
I was instantly wet.
He pulled away slightly, pressed his forehead to mine, then inhaled. "Fuck," he breathed. "I'll never get tired of that scent on you."
I exhaled.
He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips, and repeated, "Stay here. I mean it."
I nodded, gazing after him as he retreated to the garage. His truck revved, followed by the rumble of the garage door, opening then closing, then silence. I took a deep, settling breath, then another.
Coffee.
I went to the coffee maker only to find all the things I used sitting out and waiting for me, including an extra-large mug, like he'd known I'd need a bigger pick-me-up this morning, of all mornings.
A small smile crept to my lips. I loved his thoughtfulness. It caught me off guard at the smallest moments.
I prepared everything then went to sit at the breakfast bar, staring at the kitchen, listening to the silence press in around me. I wasn't used to this— having this much time on my hands. I worked into the early hours of the morning, then slept the rest of it away. My afternoons were filled with either martial arts, the occasional drop-in dance class at the studio, or chores. If I got time in the early evening, I devoured books on my e-Reader. And then it was back to work to do everything over again.
Here in Bastian's house, I felt almost...lost.
His downstairs gym was great, but it wasn't the same as attending classes downtown. Perhaps I could do a little dancing downstairs too, work on my flexibility. But it still wasn't the same as dropping in on a class.
I inhaled deeply, then let it out.
There was also the matter of my apartment. It had been days. I hated the idea of it sitting in disarray, everything broken and scattered. I missed it. As nice as this place was, I missed all my things, the comfort, the ability to come and go as I pleased.
But he'd said to stay here, and I wouldn't dare risk my safety when Luke had, just last night, been prowling around in the yard. Chills skittered down my spine. He'd been here, right fucking here.
I took several gulps of coffee and sighed. Salted caramel. I was definitely never drinking the regular stuff again. As soon as I got home, I was special ordering an entire case of this brand.
I huffed. Bastian was a coffee snob and a wine snob. He was so many things I hadn't expected, just looking at him. I knew what other people saw when looking at him: a brute. And if they were supernaturals, then a goblin brute, at that. One who got his hands dirty for powerful people. Now that I knew him better, it was impossible to see him that way.
But you've only ever seen this side of him. You saw the sword, but you didn't see him use it. He wouldn't hesitate to rip someone to shreds with those pointed teeth, to claw their eyes out with his hands.
The same hands that had worked me so expertly this morning. He'd ripped his fucking nails off just to keep from hurting me. I squeezed my thighs together, then groaned. If I didn't occupy myself, my entire day would be filled with hours of this bullshit. So, I gulped down the rest of my coffee and occupied myself. Laundry, Teddy's litter box, tidying my room, the gym, and reading.
***
It was early evening. Teddy was curled on my lap, soundly sleeping in the hammock of the blanket while I read, when the rumble of the garage announced Bastian's return. My heart hitched. I glanced down at myself, then back at my e-reader.
He hadn't texted me all day, and I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign. I hadn't wanted to turn on the news, fearful of what I might see. But considering his rushed departure, something must have happened. I just didn't know if it was really Luke related or not.
I waited, my breaths punctuating the silence.
A door slammed. "Sugar?"
"In here," I called, eyes fixed on the living room doorway.
He appeared. A sigh whooshed out of me as I looked him up and down. No blood spattered him today, but his expression was tight, lips pinched. His shoulders relaxed a measure at the sight of me.
"Still here," I teased. "Didn't go anywhere, just like you asked."
He gave a jerk of a nod, then crossed the room and poured a drink, coming to sit at the couch. He swirled it, staring into it, but didn't lift it to his lips. My stomach hardened. "Long day at the office?"
"You could say that." He knocked it back, then relaxed against the couch. His muscles were rigid. "This cannot continue. It needs to end."
A sour taste filled my mouth. I could no longer swallow.
"...End?" I squeaked, dread filling my stomach.
"Yes. It's gone on long enough. We need to get this piece of shit, and quickly."
"Oh." I set my e-reader aside and buried my fingers in Teddy's fur. It didn't stop their sudden relieved trembling. "Right."
He cocked his head to the side. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"What'd you think I meant, Sugar?" I didn't answer. "Ah. You thought I was talking about us. You and me." Still didn't answer. "No, there's no end for that—not at this point." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't been able to escape the taste of you on my tongue, no matter how many times I brush. My fucking cock has never ached so much in the entirety of my existence. You've kept me in a constant state of fucking frustration. If I don't pin you to the wall and fuck you soon, I'm going to lose my God damn shit."
My lips parted, eyes widening. No one, not ever, had talked to me like this. This...dirty. This direct.
"I warned you, Eleanor," he said, voice dropping to a low, menacing growl. I couldn't tell if he was frustrated, but it sounded like he was. "I warned you what would happen." There was a flicker, his glamor wavered, like he was fighting it. I wasn't sure why. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him, so why was he holding back?
He huffed, and the tension in the room evaporated. He set his empty glass on the wooden tray sitting on the ottoman, then crossed his arms and leaned back to regard me. "A handful of days—that's all it took." He shook his head.
"Took?" Took for what?
"It's time for you to call Eaden. Get yourself on the schedule tonight, and every night thereafter, until I can get my hands on Lukas Portman. We can go by your apartment tomorrow, clean things up. The sooner you're back at Vortex, pretending everything is normal, the easier it will be for me to catch him."
I jolted, bouncing from one emotion to the next. The whiplash had my mouth opening and closing. "You...you weren't kidding about the bait thing?" Cold trickled down to my extremities until my toes tingled.
"If Eaden has a problem, he can come to me. Get yourself on the schedule."
I swallowed. "This is your plan, then? I don't have a choice?"
"The mayor was severely wounded. He's in critical condition. Might not pull through."
I froze. "What?"
"Someone tried to take him out." My eyes widened. I stared at him. "There's no proof that it was Luke, but...don't think it was a coincidence, do you?"
"But..." I scowled. "Luke's using the harp to...to put people to sleep, not to...to murder the mayor."
"And yet, he was capable of killing Professor Miller and your neighbor, all, presumably, so that he could get his hands on the harp in the first place," he said. I swallowed. "And then we have the sleepers. Aramis's sleepers were seen at the mayor's gala the other day, and they were used to kill a number of people. How do you think the mayor was handled?"
"I..." I scrubbed a hand over my face.
"Luke might be too weak to kill supernaturals, being human, but he can certainly use other supernaturals to kill for him."
I sucked in a breath, struggling to fill my lungs. "How...how many has he used the harp on?"
"Hard to say, from the intel I've gathered, he's got at least twenty people under his control now?" I made a choking sound. "This has to end, Eleanor."
"But..." My eyes blurred. I blinked, trying to clear the fearful tears away. "If you go after him, he'll use it on you. You can't."
"I can, Eleanor. I'm decided on the matter. Now, go call Eaden, please." He used the last word like an afterthought, to placate me.
I struggled to make my limbs move. I hated the truth, but Bastian was right. If this was Luke, he needed to be stopped. And no matter who went against him, there was risk. Maybe Bastian was the best for the job—more equipped than most. So...why did I feel a crippling sense of dread at the idea?