Chapter 18
Ihad my fists wrapped, taking my frustrations out on the punching bag in Bastian’s gym, when he appeared. I paid him a sidelong glance as he got comfortable against the wall, leaning against it with a shoulder, arms crossed.
One look at his smug smile had me faltering.
I lifted my eyebrows, barely an acknowledgement, then turned back to the bag, throwing my body into every punch.
It helped. All the guilt I felt surrounding Professor Miller’s death, all the frustration over my choices, like letting Luke into my life, sacrificing my dreams, my trashed apartment, my dead neighbor, faded into the background.
I didn’t want to face any of it, but I couldn’t run forever.
Luke was like a festering sore, bleeding and infected. He’d burrowed so far into my life, that disappearing hadn’t been enough. I should have known better—
“You hungry, sugar?” Bastian’s voice pulled me from my spiral and my movements slowed to a stop. I was panting, my chest rising and falling in bursts. I blew a lock of pink hair out of my face.
Bastian’s eyes darted over my sweat-slicked body, over the sports bra and stretchy, barely-there shorts. There was heavy heat in that gaze, words unspoken, pleasures left untested. My cheeks flushed.
“I could eat,” I said, stepping away from the bag.
He glanced at it, smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “You throw a mean punch. Something tells me there’s a story there?” I shrugged. “All right, then. Keep your secrets—for now. Up for a little sparring later?”
I opened my mouth, then frowned. That was not a good idea. Getting so close to him after last night…
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he teased.
I scowled. Fun? Right. Assuming that by fun he meant, ending up on the floor with our clothes off, tangled up in each other, yeah, sure, fun. I didn’t respond.
“I’ll let you think about it. Meantime, I got sandwiches from the deli. Come and eat. We can talk.” He nodded with his head toward the stairs. I swallowed, hesitating.
“Here—” He stepped forward and took one of my hands before I could stop him, then began unwrapping my fists. I winced. “Sugar…” he scolded, eyes darting up to meet mine. “Is there a reason you got blood seeping into your wraps?”
I took a deep, slow inhale. “No…” I said at last. He lifted a brow.
“You know I can smell a lie,” he warned. I snorted. “All right. I won’t push. Come on.” He led me up the stairs and into the kitchen, only dropping my hand when we got there. “Grab the bag there, and I’ll get the rest.”
I hesitated, watching him move around past the island. He pulled a couple of bottled waters from the fridge, a bag of chips from the cabinet, napkins, and paper plates. Then he moved to the French doors, opened them, and walked outside. “You coming?” he called over his shoulder.
I rushed to grab the bag of sandwiches and chased after him. He set us up beneath the umbrella on the patio, overlooking the pool and hot tub. Trees shaded the perimeter of the backyard. It was late spring, warming up to summer. The weather was perfect.
“It’s beautiful back here,” I found myself saying.
“You like it?” he asked, gaze searching my expression.
I nodded. “It’s like a little slice of paradise.”
“I had the pool put in after acquiring the property. Most goblins don’t like water, but my mother…” He trailed off. “Anyway, got it from my fae side, I guess.”
I hummed, avoiding his gaze, taking a seat and shuffling things around before unwrapping my sub. I could see him out here swimming. Alone. The thought of him in a pair of swim trunks, water droplets dripping down his skin, over his tattoos, had my heart rate spiking.
Bastian inhaled through his nose, sniffing. My eyes shot to his face in time to see his pupils dilate. “What are you thinking about, sugar?” His voice pitched low.
My body betrayed me, heating.
“That’s not fair,” I snapped. “And it’s intrusion into my privacy.”
He chuckled. “Is that what it is? Not like I can just turn it off. Can’t help what I am.”
“Well, it’s not like I can—” I stopped myself before I said anything embarrassing.
“—control what you feel for me?” He finished, lifting an annoyingly perfect eyebrow.
God. Sometimes I hated that stupid dumb face of his. Hated how perfect and handsome and…ugh.
“You’re unbelievable,” I muttered, grabbing my sub and shoving it into my mouth, taking a bite. I chewed slowly so I wouldn’t have to speak, wouldn’t have to admit that he was right.
At last, he did the same. A long silence stretched out between us. It wasn’t until we nearly finished that the conversation picked up again.
“What happened last night?” I asked after swallowing. “The mayor’s thing? Is that why you got the phone call?”
Bastian sighed, leaning back in his chair. He picked up a chip, regarded it with interest, then tossed it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “More or less, yes.”
“You work for WBI, don’t you? That’s why everyone knew you at my apartment.”
“Sort of—yes.”
“Sort of?”
“I work for a special branch of WBI, the Supernaturals Affairs office. It’s…a subset. SA for short, since we all love our acronyms.”
“The SA?” I frowned. “Never heard of it.”
“You wouldn’t have and you’re going to pretend you haven’t. Surely you don’t think the world is ignorant of supernaturals?”
“Well, I mean, I figured the few people who do know about them keep it quiet.”
“They do, mostly. It’s better that way. Less dangerous. Can you imagine if the world… Well, never mind. That’s not the discussion we’re having.”
“So… What does the SA do?”
“Also not the conversation we’re having,” he said, holding a chip between his fingers, playing with it.
“Okay? Then, what is the conversation we’re having?”
“Aramis isn’t paying me for his favor.”
I lifted a brow. “Okayyy? You mean, looking into the sleeping fae issue?” He nodded. “But you’re going to do it anyway?”
“I don’t have much choice. Not after last night. Professor Miller’s case, while important, is getting shoved to the back burner.”
I frowned, not sure how I felt about that, especially given my gut feelings about Luke. “So… You don’t need me anymore?”
“Now, now, sugar,” he said, his voice dropping to a low purr. “I didn’t say that. I still have plans for you.”
The promise of those words made my thighs squeeze together. Green eyes darted to my lips and back. Wait… Were we still talking about the case? Or something else entirely?
I cleared my throat and groped for a topic change. “Those sketches on the news, the ones you mentioned—of the perpetrators—they were at the event?”
He sniffed, shoulders relaxing. “On the guest list, yes.”
“What?” My eyes bulged. “But how is that possible? They showed up?”
“They did.”
“But…” My eyebrows drew together. It didn’t make sense.
“Aramis confirmed that they remain safely locked in his high security vault under constant surveillance. They’re in hospital beds, closely monitored, with a fae healer on duty at all times.”
“Then…how?!”
“That’s what I’d like to know, sugar. That’s what I’m looking into.”
A long hesitation and then, “Where does this leave me?”
“Ah. Yes. Let’s discuss that,” he said. I shifted, crossing my legs. “Your apartment is in shambles. And if I’m not mistaken, it appears you’re in some kind of danger? This Luke person, yes?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Yes,” I managed.
“Then you’ll understand why I cannot let you return home, even if we clean the place up and all that.” He waved a hand.
I opened my mouth—
He lifted a finger. “I made a deal, Eleanor. I intend to uphold my end. The magic required to fix your apartment will take most of what I have stored, and that’s fine.
But I’d like your permission to hold off for a few days, given the state of everything else.
I have no idea what I’m about to get myself into. ”
I frowned. That was unexpected, but refreshingly so. Thus far, he’d been a lot more honest with me than I expected. His magic, especially. Was it because he knew how much power he held over me? That I was no threat whatsoever?
I cleared my throat. “And…what…you expect me to just…stay here?”
“That’s exactly what I expect, yes. Even if I fix everything today, I will not let you back into your apartment until I know the danger has passed.” His tone was firm. I sighed. “Not the answer you were hoping for?”
“Actually…” I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth. “I… I’m not sure I’m ready to go back yet, anyway, given what happened with Peter.” I said his name like a whisper, like I could barely acknowledge it. “And you’re right. I don’t think it’s safe.”
I’d once promised myself I wouldn’t do this again—alone. That I wouldn’t expose myself to danger and keep quiet. That I wouldn’t sit back and let Luke destroy my life while staying silent about it. Plus, Bastian didn’t seem to mind my presence in his home.
“I do like it here,” I admitted. “It’s peaceful, compared to the city.”
He grinned and his dimple appeared. “Glad to hear that. I feel the same. And since you’ll be sticking around a bit longer, that brings me to my next point.”
“Oh?” I sat up straighter.
“I might need your assistance.”
“Really?” The word came out breathy.
“Sure, why not? An extra set of eyes. An extra mind. Someone I can talk things through with.” His words meant more than I cared to admit. “I know you’ve got a smart brain under that head of pink hair. Might as well earn your keep while you’re here.”
Then he winked.
My chest expanded, wider and wider. I shifted, trying not to preen, trying not to reveal exactly how his words made me feel. “Right. Fine. Deal,” I said casually, like he hadn’t just made my day. “What do you need to discuss?”
I didn’t want to be a mooch. If I could help in any way, I would.
But it was more than that.