“Oh my God,” I rasped dramatically, closing my eyes once more and letting my head fall back.
I then found myself dragging in another shaky breath as I clawed at the blankets, my fingers curling into the fabric as if that alone might anchor me back to reality. My chest ached, my pulse roaring in my ears, and for one terrifying second, I expected to open my eyes and see glowing white staring back at me from the shadows.
Instead, I heard a voice that most definitely did not belong to an ancient ruler of Hell.
“Wow,” Bo said mildly.
“That sounded like one hell of a wet dream.”
I screamed, sitting up quickly.
It wasn’t dignified. It was a full, high-pitched shriek that tore out of me as I flung myself backward. A choking sound that turned into one of outraged pain as my spine slammed into the headboard. My handsflew up to my face in pure reflexive terror, and my heart tried valiantly to escape my chest entirely. Especially as I stared at the small, hunched figure perched at the end of my bed like some kind of grotesque gargoyle.
Bo blinked at me, long ears twitching slightly as he tilted his head, utterly unfazed by my near cardiac event.
“Morning, sunshine,” he added, swinging his little legs back and forth as if this was the most natural place in the world for him to be.
“What are you doing in my bedroom?!” I yelled, my voice cracking as I clutched the sheets to my chest, adrenaline still flooding my system.
He smirked at me, and only then did I notice what he was holding.
My damn panties!
They dangled from one crooked finger, pale fabric twisted lazily as he spun them around with idle interest.
“Holy mother goddess! What the fuck are you… Wait, never mind, I don’t want to fucking know! Just give me those!” I snapped, lunging forward and snatching them out of his grip, my face burning hot as I yanked the sheets higher and glared at him.
“What in the actual depths of Hell is wrong with you?!” I screeched.
He snorted, clearly amused, leaning back on his palms as if settling in for a chat.
“Relax, girly. I heard you crying out. Figured I should check on you. You know, like a good little roommate.” He winked at me, giving me more than enough cause to roll my eyes at him.
“And you, what exactly? Decided to pick up my underwear in case you need a slingshot as a weapon?”
He shrugged his little shoulders and smirked.
“Something like that.”
“Oh, and FYI, you are most definitelynotmy roommate,” I hissed, placing high emphasis on the NOT part of that statement, while stuffing the offending underwear beneath my pillow like that somehow undid the crime.
Then I pointed a finger at him and corrected,
“Youare a goblin I accidentally summoned who refuses to leave and has absolutely no concept of personal boundaries.”
“Charming,” he replied dryly before adding,
“And here I was thinking concern was a redeeming quality.”
“If you must know, I was screaming because I was having a nightmare,” I told him, dragging a hand down my face as my breathing finally started to slow, though my pulse was still racing.
“Not because I needed you conducting some kind of weird laundry inspection.”
He squinted at me, unimpressed.
“Sounded pretty intense for just a nightmare.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t a fucking wet dream!” I snapped, making him smirk.
