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

Chapter 16 - The News

I jumped, head still spinning. The roar of a motorcycle filled my ears, breaking the spell. I'd let Bastian...fuck! I groaned, banging my head against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut, then opening them and blinking, like it would change anything. I couldn't believe I'd allowed that—couldn't believe I wasn't more angry at myself for it. If anything, my frustration stemmed from Bastian running off.

It's better this way. Better that you don't have to face him. Better that you don't have to talk to him. Don't have to act like things have changed.

A goblin had just given me the best God damn orgasm of my life, and he hadn't even used his dick—or his freaking tongue, for that matter. Ugh. How was I supposed to put myself back together after something like that? How?!

The reverberations of his bike drifted through the walls from the garage, followed by the rumble of the house as the automatic garage door closed. I frowned, logic kicking in. Bastian's motorcycle? But—

I huffed. Why should it surprise me? Sure, we'd left it back at the club. Now it was here, in his garage. Freaking magic. I'd seen his garage earlier. He only had the one motorcycle—along with his truck and a sleek, black sports car—so, somehow, he'd moved it through space and time, right back home.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. Bed, that's what I needed. A quiet, dark room, and a bed, to process everything that had happened in the last several hours. I pushed off the wall and glanced at my phone, at his name in my contacts list. Bastian Croft. Posh as fuck. Yeah, he looked like a Bastian Croft. I shivered, walking to my room. Teddy was curled on my bed, a divot in the middle of the comforter surrounding him, right where he'd been all evening. He looked up and gave a quiet meow.

"Hey Teddy," I managed, walking straight for my bathroom. I turned on the faucet, dampened a cloth, used my makeup remover to clean my face, then set about the rest of my bedtime routine. A few minutes later, I was in my PJs, pulling Teddy to my chest like a stuffed animal. He gave a loud purr and cuddled in against me.

"You won't run off, will you?" I cooed, rubbing my face against his soft kitty fur. "No, of course you won't. You're a proper gentlemen. Not like some people. I'd rather cuddle with you, anyway." His purrs grew louder, then settled into silence.

In the dark of the room, I let my mind wander, listening to the sounds of the house, the creek of the wood as the temperatures outside cooled, as the house contracted. I tried not to flinch each time I heard a noise, letting my breaths deepen. I was safe in here, safe behind Bastian's magical security system, safe from people like...like Luke. No—I pushed him from my mind, forcing myself to think of Bastian, instead.

Bastian had handled me in a way Luke never had. Possessive, assertive, confident, and yet, he'd never once made me feel used. The opposite, actually. Aside from grinding against me, he'd taken off before I could return the favor. He'd made my pleasure his priority, then vanished.

"Just like sugar..." Those words echoed in my head, paired with the sinuous smile while he said it, the hungry gleam in his goblin eyes. He'd promised there would be more, but there couldn't be—shouldn't be. I needed this to be casual. A one-time thing, which I had no experience with. But I couldn't make the same mistake twice; I'd let someone else get close to me, and they'd used that against me, waited until I let my guard down to hurt me.

I brought my fingers to my lips. They were swollen, the skin around them mildly chafed from Bastian's stubble. I squeezed my thighs together, then smiled. The minor ache there reminded me of just how good it had been. All passion and heat, no room for thought or logic. Maybe I could do this, keep things casual, enjoy Bastian for the fuck-boy that he was, and move on once this case was solved.