The Sleeper's Harp (The Arcane Artifacts, #1)

Chapter 11 - A Proposition

Most of my day passed in a blur. I got Teddy settled, finding a place in the laundry room for his litter box, putting the majority of his things in my own room. Then I showered and unpacked, taking advantage of the dresser and empty closet in the guest suite. I didn't know how long I'd be stuck here, but I had to admit, it was a big step up from my apartment in terms of amenities.

Not only was there a jetted tub in my guest suite, with a separate, giant shower, there was a pool and a hot tub out in the back yard equipped with an entertaining deck. Not that I could enjoy it, since I was stuck in the house. When I explored the rest of the house, it only got better. Besides two bedrooms on the second floor, one of which was Bastian's, there was a game room in the third floor attic. He had a collection of old arcade games, an air hockey table, and a pool table. The far side had a small wet bar. I stood in there and gawked for a good five minutes.

The finished basement had been turned into a giant gym. Not your run of the mill home gym. It was packed with equipment, sure, but it also housed an entire section of weapons, punching bags, and everything else a mixed martial arts student like myself might fawn over.

I wasn't that skilled, but I knew enough to be impressed. I'd only been taking lessons for a couple of years, twice a week at the private gym in Lower East. It had been Vivi's idea, actually, when I moved in with her, one of her stipulations. That's where I'd been yesterday before I'd stopped by Awake.

Once I had the chance to tell Vivi the details of everything that had happened, I planned to thank her. Bastian might have saved me on his motorcycle last night, but my lessons had given me the confidence to stand up against Luke. I never would have known how to get out of his choke hold. I never would have tried.

At least while I was here, I wouldn't get rusty. Maybe Bastian could teach me a thing or two. With a gym like this, given what he was, he was highly skilled. I'd seen how quickly the knife had appeared, how deftly it sank into Luke's chest. I wondered how often he practiced down here. That pulled certain images to the front of my mind. Images of him shirtless, fists taped up, throwing his body into punches. My eyes darted to the punching bag and my cheeks flushed.

I could practically see him there, covered in a sheen of sweat. Heat slipped down my abdomen and pooled in my core. Ugh. I should have packed my vibrator. Turning my back on the room, I trudged up the stairs.

Bastian had left earlier. I knew because I'd heard him shout his goodbye while I was in the guest bathroom, showering, again, to get the ick of earlier off my skin. I wasn't sure how long he'd be gone, and I didn't have his phone number, which was probably a good thing.

I wandered around the house, looking at things in more detail. My mind kept jumping back to my apartment. I didn't want to think about it, but each time I pictured the devastation, a sinking sense of helplessness washed over me. Assuming I was ever safe enough to return, what the hell was I going to do about the mess? How much was it going to cost to replace everything? Mattresses, furniture, my freaking TV?! It would be in the thousands. I didn't know if Vivi had this sort of thing covered under her renter's insurance, but I had a feeling we wouldn't see a penny of reimbursement. I was better off not thinking about this.

I turned my attention elsewhere, taking a seat at the kitchen island where I opened my notes app and spent some time making the list Bastian had requested. My phone was in airplane mode, just to be safe. I mentally confronted everything I remembered about Professor Miller's artifact collection, and then I started listing everything out. I put a couple of details about what I remembered about the artifact, and then a note for all the ones that were missing, which had been nearly all of them. As I'd told Bastian, I really didn't know if she'd gotten rid of them over the years or what.