Chapter 34
Those were the only moments I had to myself.
I used them to read, to exercise in the basement, and even to simply catch my breath.
I tried to make him dinner in the evenings, often having something finished by the time he came in.
While he hadn’t returned covered in blood, I couldn’t help but hold my breath each night when I heard the garage door.
The hours before work usually passed in a jumble of carnal activities—sex, mostly.
He sampled me on just about every surface in the house.
Splayed me across the dining room table, let me ride him on the living room couch, took me against whatever wall was closest, bent me over his desk, clutched me to him in the pool, the bath, the sparring mats in the basement.
He ruined me for anyone else. I wasn’t sure how I could come back from something like this.
Maybe you don’t have to, said a voice inside my head.
And yet, in the quiet moments when I had time to catch my breath, I found myself wondering when the other shoe would drop.
Expecting it, because good things didn’t last, because someone like Bastian, a goblin bounty hunter for the fae, would never end up with a mundane human like me.
We just…couldn’t be endgame.
“Ready to go, sugar?” Bastian’s head popped into the doorway of my bathroom as I finished my makeup.
“Yep.” I turned and grinned at him, recalling too acutely the way we’d fucked like animals on the sparring mats just earlier, before I’d come up to get ready for work.
He’d shown me the secret button that opened an entire wall of weapons, which in turn, had made my panties flood with wetness.
Mostly because I had immediately dredged up fantasies of him using said weapons, which resulted in me being pinned beneath him for the next hour.
A phantom ache lingered between my legs as I squeezed my thighs. Bastian’s eyes darted there, and a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
“We can go back down there once we get back. I might even show you how I handle some of the more exotic pieces, if that’s your thing.”
“Or we could skip Vortex entirely,” I suggested, lifting my brows. “Go back down now.” Returning to normalcy had been his idea, after all. I’d worked five nights in a row and still no sign of Luke.
“Mmm.” His hand tightened on the doorframe.
Was he was considering it? He blinked, then dropped his hand.
“I want to, but I also want you to be safe. As tempted as I am to keep you locked up here—preferably chained to my bed, which is something we absolutely need to explore—I know you want your life back, Eleanor.”
“I do,” I nodded, expelling a huge breath.
Truth was, I missed it. I missed Vivi, missed our girls’ nights, which I never thought possible.
I missed all of it. But I especially ached for the fantasy he’d created—one where I might go back to school once Luke was gone.
“You’re right,” I said at last. “Let’s get this done. ”
“Good.” He walked forward. “I got something for you.” A narrow leather band appeared in his hand with a small dagger. It was the one he’d trained me with earlier. I’d never trained with weapons before, but he’d insisted. “Let me see your arm.”
I frowned but complied. He fastened it around my bicep. “There. I think you earned it, after today.”
“I can’t exactly walk into the club with this thing on, Bas.”
“Don’t worry, no one will see it, not even you, but it’s there.” He waved a hand and it winked out of existence. Then he waved his hand again and it was back. “Not even the supernaturals will know it’s there. But when you need it, reach for it and you’ll feel it.”
“Wow, that’s pretty freaking cool. Your magic is really impressive.” I reached for it, and even though I couldn’t see it, my fingers wrapped around the handle. I blew out a breath, impressed. Really, really cool.
“Goblins are masters of glamor, more so than other races.”
“Huh. Well, it definitely shows.”
Twenty minutes later, we found ourselves driving to Vortex in his sports car. A comfortable silence fell between us, and I simply watched the tall buildings pass.
“Vivi is flying back tonight,” I found myself saying.
“Oh? She’s not staying in the apartment I hope? You warned her?”
“I did. She’s staying with one of my coworkers until we get things sorted out.”
He nodded. “She seems like a good friend. I’m glad you have her.”
“She’s pretty much the best. I think you guys would get along.
Maybe the two of you can meet now that she’s back?
” The words came out before I realized what I’d said.
Suddenly, I wished I could take them back.
Why the hell would he want to meet any of my friends?
Hadn’t that been on his list of reasons for not wanting a relationship?
I glanced sidelong at him, bracing for his reaction.
His eyes flicked in my direction before finding the road again. “I’d like that.”
All I could do was blink at the windshield. Because his tone mirrored his words. He was genuinely interested in meeting her.
We pulled into a parking lot a block from the club.
Bastian escorted me inside, then did what he usually did and disappeared.
I never saw him when he lurked. Somehow, he manage to find the shadows.
I could always feel him though, that penetrating gaze between my shoulder blades.
I’d come to feel safe knowing it was there, knowing he was watching out for me.
It was also a confidence booster, knowing he stared at me so much.
I wasn’t sure he even realized how much and how often he did it.
I certainly wasn’t going to say anything about it.
I liked the attention—no, I liked his attention.
Two hours into my shift, Kaylee came to me, breathless. “Rose, please please, please, do me the hugest favor and take my spot in the cage tonight.”
“What?!” I frowned. “Eaden has you dancing?”
He rarely had her dancing. She hated that kind of attention.
Her hands covered her face and she groaned.
“Apparently two of his dancers didn’t show tonight and he’s insisting I go out there.
I’ll buy you that Ferris purse you wanted.
You know, the cute white designer one you have pinned to your vision board.
I’ll seriously buy it for you if you do this for me. Pleeeease,” she whined.
“God, Kay. You really hate dancing that badly?”
I glanced at the two empty cages in the middle of the floor, my heart kicking up a notch.
It had been a while since I’d danced. Truthfully, if it weren’t for the money, I’d do it all the time.
“All right. And you don’t need to buy me that purse.
I want to buy it myself when I can afford it. But maybe dinner sometime?”
“Deal.” She threw her arms around me, pulling me into a brief hug before saying, “I’ll handle the rest of your tables.” Then she scampered away.
I glanced around, not sure where Bastian was hiding, then headed to the locker room to get changed.
I left my dagger on my arm since no one would see it.
I wasn’t sure if it would hamper my dancing, feeling it there, but I couldn’t bring myself to remove it.
Then I stretched out a little, warmed up my muscles, and left the room.
I wore the signature Vortex outfit we danced in, the metallic gold crop top and thong.
I crossed the floor, nodding to Tanner before climbing into one of the empty cages. It gave a gentle lurch and started lifting. When the current song faded, a new one came on. I prowled around my cage, then reached for the bar and swung myself into the air.
A grin stretched across my face. It had been a little over a week since I’d danced. Soon my heart was pumping and my blood racing. I moved my body, letting the music flow around me, molding myself to it, becoming a part of it.
The gold ring on my finger gave a burst of warmth and I thought of Bastian.
I could feel his gaze. I remained alert, not blatantly looking for him, but simply keeping an eye out, then I spotted him in the shadows of the farthest VIP balcony.
He stood against the wall with his arms crossed, eyes glued to me.
My ring gave another flare when he saw me looking, as if to say hello.
He didn’t look too worried, but I could tell even in the shadows that he was tense.
I swung my body around, climbing up the pole, then sliding down, moving along it, arching my back.
The crowd was a blur around me. They’d all but disappeared with Bastian’s presence.
Knowing he watched, knowing I was dancing for him, sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
I couldn’t help but feel everything had come full circle.
We were here again, where everything had started.
It wasn't until I felt my ring flare hot—hotter than before—that my stomach jolted. I looked toward where I'd last seen Bastian, but he was gone. Then I found a frighteningly familiar pair of blue eyes latched onto me, and I understood.
Bastian had moved to intercept Luke.
I exhaled a shaky breath. My ex watched from one of the balconies, standing near the edge, forearms braced on the railing. When our eyes met, he gave me a salute. The grin on his face turned my blood cold.
Nausea pooled in my stomach. I pulled my gaze away, pretending like his presence didn’t affect me, and kept dancing. A few minutes later, I spotted Bastian. He’d moved, gotten a better vantage point to keep an eye on Luke.
I blew out a breath.
Bastian and I had gone over the plan a thousand times.
Knowing what I had to do, I finished my current song, then gave the signal for my cage to be lowered.
I caught Luke’s eye and gave him a nod of my head, angling it toward the back of the club.
I couldn’t be sure if he interpreted it how I intended.