The bed itself was a humongous four-poster, easily large enough to sleep at least three people. Caitlyn, however, had somehow managed to claim it diagonally, stretching from one corner to the other with impressive efficiency. More impressive were the sounds coming from her, which were akin to a chainsaw at full throttle.
Smiling, I wondered if it was just the traveling that had her snoring like that, or if this was a nightly occurrence. As I headed back onto the landing to check the empty bedrooms, I slipped my phone from my pocket and opened the Witchmart app, searching for the only brand of magical earbuds I knew: Hushbuds.
The standard version promised to dampen spellwork and active magic—an essential, according to the description, for students trying to focus in shared spaces. They filtered out magical interference while still allowing ambient sound and conversation through.
Unfortunately, that last part ruled them out.
Caitlyn’s snoring—superhuman though it sounded—wasnota result of magical enhancement.
I was just about to abandon the search when my eyes caught on the Hushbuds+.
I nearly laughed.
Not only did they offer all the protections of the standard version, but the plus model also canceled out snoring. Perfect, according to the description, for spellcraft students who valued their focus... and long-suffering partners of chronic snorers.
And perfect for an incubus who desperately needed sleep but was still overprotective enough to want to wake at the slightest bump in the night.
I placed the order immediately, opting for theTeleport to these coordinatesoption at checkout before continuing my rounds.
All was quiet downstairs. I found Creep perched on the kitchen windowsill, staring wistfully out into the night.
“Searching for a house hubby?” I asked.
Her head snapped toward me, menace somehow radiating from a face permanently fixed in porcelain cheer.
I raised my hands quickly. “Okay, okay—no more jokes. I promise. For tonight, anyway,” I added, grinning despite myself.
The cupboards began to rattle. Knives in the block quivered, metal whispering against wood. I took that as my cue to leave.
Last on my list was a quick check outside, which shouldn’t have taken long given we were standing in the middle of a barren field. I stepped onto the porch, the crisp morning air biting at my skin, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of ocean spray despite us being ten miles inland.
My skin prickled. Something felt off, but as I narrowed my eyes across the field, nothing looked amiss. I allowed my senses to unfurl.
Caitlyn’s honeysuckle scent drifted from upstairs, threaded with the soft chamomile of a peaceful sleep. Still safely snoring.
But the ocean scent was everywhere, heavy and roiling like the air after a storm.
Whoever was out there didn’t mean harm. But they sure as hell were anxious about something all the same.
I moved quietly along the porch, deliberately missing the second step I knew would creak, and rounded the side of the house. My shadows curled beneath my feet, catching my weight and swallowing the sound of my footsteps.
A black-haired woman stood with her back to me, one shoulder braced against the wall. The blue glow of her phone backlit her in an eerie halo that reminded me of something bioluminescent that belonged in the deepest reaches of the ocean.
Despite the anglerfish impression she gave off, she didn’tfeeldangerous. That—more than anything—was why I stayed still, wrapped in shadow, instead of hauling her off for answers.
“You promised me,” she said, her voice pleading. “You promised you wouldn’t leave. It’s not safe.”
My skin prickled.Not safe?
I let my shadows uncoil.
They whipped forward in a sudden rush, lashing around her without ever making contact—a deliberately restrained display. A not-so-polite warning that she was no longer alone.
She spun, phone clutched in her hand, a dangerous glare snapping into place that didn’t quite match the pulse of panic thrumming through the air between us.
“Who are you,” I asked, my voice hovering somewhere between soft and lethal, “and what are you doing at my house?”
“Yourhouse?” she scoffed. “Oh, you mean this place that just randomly appeared in the middle of a field?”
