Chapter 12
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 a deck perfect for entertaining.
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.
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, and 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. Because I could practically see him there, covered in a sheen of sweat.
Heat rushed through me and pooled in my core. Ugh. I should have packed my vibrator. Something to take the edge off all this…tension, or whatever it was building between us.
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 freshening up in the bathroom. 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 run somewhere 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 forced 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 each 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.
Artifacts were powerful objects. While they could only be made by humans, they could be used and controlled by anyone.
That’s why my necklaces worked so well for me.
One had been a gift from my father during my childhood, the charm that allowed me to see through glamor.
The other was a protection medallion that Professor Miller had come across long before she’d met me.
She’d found it accidentally, after seeing it worn by a female subject in a famous art piece.
It was what was supposed to keep me hidden after the Luke Incident.
My fingers drifted to my neck and I brushed both pendants.
Artifacts didn’t fail. Something had happened that allowed Luke to find me, after two years of remaining hidden.
I’d stopped leaving a paper trail, gotten rid of my credit cards, used a burner phone, and relied on Vivi to maintain the paperwork for our apartment.
I guess it was naive to think I’d hide from him forever.
I suppose I hoped he’d forget his threats, forget about me completely and move on.
Dragging my hands over my face, I squeezed my eyes shut and exhaled.
What I needed was a good distraction. I put my phone away and located Teddy. We curled up on the couch, him in my lap, a heap of pillows and blankets around us. I could get used to this, I decided. I unlocked my e-reader, diving into the spicy romance I was reading.
Teddy kneaded my leg while I petted him, whiling away the hours. My cheeks were already flushed when I heard the familiar buzz of a bike engine, listening as it grew louder. The mechanical jolt of a garage door gently shook the house, and then silence.
I closed out of my book and powered off my device. Bastian found me with an innocent look on my face, waiting for him. He stalked into the living room, tossed his leather jacket on the couch, and sank down onto the sectional, the same spot he’d occupied last night.
Unbothered by my presence, he released a tiny groan that had my nipples tightening. His arms stretched across the back, his legs splayed wide, like he’d just come home from a grueling day at work. His eyes lifted to meet mine. “Hey, sugar. Got plans tonight?”
A laugh burst from my chest. “You’re joking right?
” I was dressed in pajama pants and a tank top.
His eyes snagged on my chest. The thin camisole did little to hide my peaked nipples or the fact I wasn’t wearing a bra.
There was a flare of black around his irises, but it was there and gone in an instant.
“How’s Ted settling in?” he asked, turning his focus to the cat in my lap.
“Teddy, is settling in fine. He’s always been adaptable. Already got up and used the litter box like a proper gentleman.”
“Good. There’s a cordless vacuum in the closet there, for when he sheds all over the couch.”
My jaw dropped. “Can’t you like, magic it away or whatever?”
He grinned, and for the second time, that dimple on his cheek appeared. “I could, sugar, but I’d hate to deprive you of your new cat-mom duties.”
“And here I thought you were trying to be nice, asking about him.”
“I was.” He stood up and moved over to the liquor cabinet. “Want one?” I shook my head. He sat back down with a glass of dark amber liquid in hand. “Anyway, I was serious. You got plans tonight?”
I tutted. “You really think I have plans after I was A. Practically attacked last night—”
“You were attacked—”
“B. Saw my murdered professor’s house this morning—”
“Speaking of, you make that list yet?”
“C. Had my apartment broken into. D. Saw my neighbor’s dead body. And E. Adopted a cat?”
He shrugged a shoulder before shooting back his drink. “Just trying to be polite. Anyway, you don’t have a shift at Vortex tonight?”
“No. I’m off.”
“Good. We’re going out.”
“We’re—what?!”
“Going out. I need your help with something. I’ll cook us dinner, then we can get going. Unless you’d rather eat out?”
I gaped at him. “Wait, excuse me. You need my help? Is this something to do with the case?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then, no.” It was a rapid reaction response, because I really was curious. As much as I wanted to hide, an entire afternoon indoors left me antsy.
“Come on, sugar. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
I scoffed, but secretly, I perked up at the word fun because, what did goblins consider fun, anyway?
“What, exactly do you need my help with?”
“I’m meeting an…acquaintance. Distant cousin, technically. I suppose you could consider him a rival, of sorts. You’re going to be my plus one.”
My eyebrows drew together. “I’ll need more than that.”
“Fair enough. Let’s just say Aramis and I have a long-standing history of fucking with each other.
He’s a pain in my ass and I like to return the favor.
I haven’t seen him in a while. Last time, he got one up on me.
I’d like to have the upper hand. Anyway, he’s called me in to help with something.
Not sure what, but it must be important.
Aramis doesn’t ask for help, especially not from me.
” A dark grumble sounded in his chest. “I can’t wait to lord this over him. ”
“Oh…kay? So, what does this have to do with me?”
Now I was definitely curious, a little intrigued, and even flattered. I crossed my arms, shifting. Teddy didn’t complain, just kept on snoozing.
“The less you know, the better. Look at it this way, we’re going to play a game. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it as we go along, but you’ll have to let me lead.”
“That seems like a big ask. Pretty one-sided. What do I get out of it?”
“You help me tonight, and I’ll help you put your apartment back together.”
My brows lowered. “What does that entail, exactly? Like, you’ll help me clean up?”
“Nah. I’ll just use my magic to fix all the broken shit. Should save you quite a bit of time and money.”
My jaw dropped. “You… You can do all that?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. Smug asshole. “It will take a lot of magic—trust me when I say, I’m offering you a very valuable service.”
I hummed. “Well, goblin, you certainly know how to entice a girl.” I pretended to contemplate his offer, but my mind was already made up. “I just have to…follow your lead?”
“There’ll be a bit more to it than that, but essentially, yes. I won’t ask you to do anything…illegal.”
“Uhhh…”
“How about this? At any point, if I ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, or something you’re not okay with, just use the code word ‘Teddy’ and I’ll recalibrate, no questions asked.”
“So… like an escape clause?” I leaned back against the couch. That did make me feel safer, especially since he wasn’t forthcoming.
“Sure, if that’s how you want to think about it.”
“Fine. Deal. Where are we going? What do I need to wear?”
A mischievous grin stretched over his lips, one that had eager chills racing down my spine and butterflies exploding in my belly.
“Something sexy, sugar. Something you can dance in. I need you to play a part. I want you to attract attention, but still look classy as fuck doing it. High heels if you can dance in them…and I know you can.” His eyes heated, like he was remembering what I looked like at Vortex last night.
I leaned forward. “I can do that,” I said, ready to play along.
“Good. Because we’re going to The Vault.”
And then all my excitement slid right out of me and I reared back. “No.”
“Too bad. You already agreed.”
The Vault. I’d only ever heard rumors about it. “That was before you mentioned our destination.”
“You’ll be fine.” He stood, taking his empty glass with him. “Now, I have some dinner to cook. Let’s go, sugar. Clock’s ticking and we don’t want to be late.”
All I could do was gape after him as I processed what was in store for me and wondered what kind of mess he was about to get us in tonight.