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

Chapter 26 - Someone Watching

I carried Teddy to my room and changed into my PJs. It wasn't quite 10:00pm, so I grabbed my e-Reader and curled up in bed. The hours slipped by, and when I was finally ready, I popped into the bathroom for a few minutes, then crawled beneath the covers and turned off the lamp beside my bed.

Teddy circled around on the pillow beside mine, getting comfortable, then curled up. He began licking his paws. I snorted and flipped over, sinking into the plush mattress, pulling the covers tighter. Bastian kept the temperature many degrees below any sane person.

I closed my eyes and let my mind drift. Dinner had been unexpectedly...nice. Things with Bastian had been unbelievably awkward in the pool after our sexual activities. But after his waffles, and then our day at the library, we seemed to have reached a new normal. Maybe...

Vivi's words played over and over in my mind. What if Bastian and I didn't take this chance? What if two years from now, I was stuck in a loop, always wondering what might have happened? What if I regretted passing up the best sex of my life?

And I would regret it.

Something curled low in my abdomen, raking delicate claws over my insides. Bastian had already given me two orgasms, and they'd blown my mind. Better than anything I'd had with Luke, times, like, a million. I thought of Bastian in his goblin form, head between my legs, pointed ears peeking out. Heat sprang to the surface of my skin. What would sex be like in that form?

I knew, without a doubt, that it would ruin me. Utterly. Did I want to be ruined?

I exhaled, trying to push thoughts of him out of my mind. Otherwise, I'd be forced to put my hand between my legs. The back of my neck prickled. I went utterly still. My eyes darted to the glass doors leading out to the back yard patio. I stared at them, taking slow, deep breaths.

After a few moments, I closed my eyes again. The sensation returned, stronger this time. It wasn't like when Bastian stared at me. It felt...invasive. I had half a mind to throw the covers over my face and sink deeper into the bed.

A shadow stirred, just beyond the patio. My heart ratcheted up. I took a deep breath, gripping the top of the comforter. My eyes narrowed, focusing on the spot. The shadow moved again. It was too tall to be an animal.

I blinked, blinked again. But nothing else moved. Just my imagination.

"Fuck," I whispered. I was on the bottom floor, and all that separated me from the outside world was, presumably, thin glass. That wouldn't be much protection.

My pulse thundered in my ears. Another dark splotch caught my attention. The shadow moved out of view. I hissed in a breath. Okay, not my imagination. Someone was definitely out there.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I whispered, my skin turning clammy in an instant. My breaths grew shallower. I didn't dare look away, and probably couldn't if I'd wanted to, laying frozen.

Minutes stretched on, and slowly I relaxed. There weren't any more moving shadows. Again, I began questioning what I'd seen. Slowly...my eyes began drifting closed—

A shadow passed by the doors. My eyes flew open. It was too fast to spot, like someone striding past, blotting out the moonlight for a second or two. My body went rigid.

"Fuck this," I gasped. Sliding out of bed on the opposite side, I raced out of my room. My breaths came shallow as I sprinted silently up the stairs.

I tapped on Bastian's door, then pushed it open. "Bastian!" I hissed.

A swarm of shadows immediately surrounded me, rendering me frozen. I yelped. They immediately fell away. "Jesus, fuck, Elle. What the fuck?" I caught a fringe of those shadows retreating back towards the walls.