Page 28 of How to Woo the Undead

“But I didn’t dream,” she teased, arching a brow before she gasped. “Oh! You! You had a bad dream, didn’t you?”

Austin scrambled to speak only to have his voice die on his tongue. Hyacinth shifted up onto her knees, throwing one between his thighs. She straddled his leg where her hand had slowly burned a hole through him. His cock jumped again and he was so grateful it was againstthe other leg.She put her hands to his shoulders to steady herself and leaned toward his forehead. He bowed his head to her, letting her press those soft, pillowy lips to the space between his brows. Every inch of him melted like hot butter as she lingered there. When she withdrew, she did so with a soft whisper. “Sweet dreams, Austin.”

“Thank you.” He watched her climb out of his lap, curling up into his side once more and hug her teddy bear to her chest. After a moment, she sputtered, which was followed by a snicker to herself. He cocked his head, “What?”

“I’m your teddy bear,” she giggled, curling up against his side again. And with a truly impressive skill…fell asleep damn near immediately. Austin lay there, holding her to his side. Fighting sleep because he just didn’t want to stop staring at the beautiful thing in his arm.His teddy bear.

But her kiss to his brow worked like a charm, and Austin fell asleep with his head against the headboard.

“Austin,”Agathawhisperedinhis ear and the dead man jerked awake. His gaze roamed the empty room and found himself tangled up in a nest of blankets all by himself.What…where?He pulled up the duvet and looked under it, then searched the floor. Nary a Hyacinth to be found. He glanced at Agatha, the banshee’s face split in half with a wicked grin. She wacked himin the middle of the chest with a pillow. “Why do I change the sheets of all these rooms if everyone is going to share a bed, huh? What are you doing?”

“Where’s Hyacinth?” he blurted out.

Agatha rolled her eyes teasingly, floating over his head. He stumbled out of the bed as she went to work, her spectral, misty magic undoing the sheets and changing them out for the clean ones in her hands. “She’s in the bath. I ran her a bubble bath with balm for that frost bite on her feet. Somethingyouought to do for yourself. But you refuse to let me run you a bath.”

“I don’t fit in the bathtub, Aggie.” Austin tossed his arms out to the side.

“You could just soak your feet!” She harrumphed. “Besides, don’t change the subject. Why are you both in here with frost bite to your ankles? I know you didn’t go traipsing through the mountain side door portal without boots on again.”

“That wasone time,” he groaned, stomping around the bed to give Agatha access to the other side. Also to inspect the steam rolling out from under the bathroom door. “And Havershum dared me to do it.”

“Speaking of our fine, boney, brethren,” Agatha giggled, floating up beside him. “Have you seen him lately? He looked rather irate last night, and I couldn’t get a word out of him that wasn’tmumble, mumble, mumble,pests and such.”

Austin shrugged at Agatha who rolled her eyes, swatting him again with a tea towel.You’re no help.He heard it in her voice so much she didn’t even need to say the words anymore. Just suck on her teeth and make a slightly disapproving cluck at him, then smack the center of his chest with her towel. It was only when it came to gossip or investigations. Agatha was nosey and cravedthe knowledge. However, if sheactuallyneeded something, Austin hoped she knew she could count on him.

Can she?A cold wash of self-doubt rolled over his body as Agatha flitted about, finding a towel and dress for Hyacinth.Your fault. Your fault. All your fault.Could anyone inside Rosemont Manor count on him when it mattered?

“Ah-HA!” Havershum’s battle cry woke Austin out of his melancholy in time to catch a flying bundle of fluff. Snuffles bound off the floor, and he caught the bunny with clumsy fingers. The creature scurried, back feet and all, into his arms. Austin hugged Snuffles in bewilderment as Havershum raced into the room. “There’s the pest! Good catch, Austin! Now I will slay—”

“Slay? No, you won’t!” Austin barked, twisting away from the wraith’s daggers. Havershum skidded to a halt, mid-air.

“Havershum! What are you doing?” Agatha zipped to the side of the pair.

“Thatpestwormed its way into the house. I’m ridding the house of it,” Havershum growled, eyes flashing red.

“Pest?” Austin squawked with offense, backing away with Havershum slowly. “His name is Snuffles, and he’s a part of the house now.”

“What?” Haversham glared, his ghostly face screwing up in the shadows of his hood. “That’s a parasite!”

“It’s a rabbit, Havershum,” Agatha sighed, patting down the air in a feeble attempt to cool down the conversation.

“Tell that to my cloak it tried to bite.” The wraith twisted to show off a chunk of his already shabby cloak ripped away. Austin would have defended Snuffles further, but when he glanced at the inky creature, he found the ash-colored fabric still stuck inhis teeth. Austin pried it free, letting the bunny thump at his chest unhappily.

“He was probably just curious. And I can sew this back on. No harm, no foul.” Agatha took the flappy fabric from Austin and waggled it at Havershum.

“No! No way! All the foul! All the harm! That little bitey cretin drained a ghoul and ripped it to shreds.” Havershum flashed his daggers again, but Austin jerked back.

“Snuffles is a rabbit. Rabbits don’t eat ghouls. There’s nothing nutritious in them.” Austin furrowed his brow at the floating ghost. Wraiths were knights cursed to live out the rest of their afterlife till they fulfilled their oath. Havershum did his duty, fulfilled his oath by defending Dahlia years ago. He chose to stay, to be a part of the Rosemont family. As did Agatha, she chose to stay even though she’d finally gotten her banshee wail.

They chose to be part of his family. Something Snuffles and Hyacinth never chose. He felt a smidgen bad for Snuffles, who was essentially rescued then held hostage till he felt like a pet. Austin feltworseabout Hyacinth as he glanced at the bathroom door.My teddy bear. Made to make me happy so my maker doesn’t worry I’ll spiral out of control.No one asked Hyacinth if she wanted to be here. And suddenly the angry little voices filled his turbulent belly again.

The bathroom door cracked open, like she was summoned from the steam. A fairytale princess emerging from another world, her wings fluttering behind her as she raked fingers through her long curls with some sort of product. Hyacinth stopped in the doorway, staring at every else eyeballing her. In a satiny lavender dress with puffy sleeves that draped around her arms and a heart shaped top, she wasbreathtaking. The first thing he noticed was the healthy scarring around her stitches. The second was how pillowy her breasts looked pressed against the fabric.

And she definitely didn’t ask me to drool over her!Austin ripped his gaze away from her to stare at Havershum again. “Leave Snuffles alone, I’ll help you find what killed the ghoul.”

“I’mtelling you, that blood-sucking bunny ate it then tried to eat me!” Havershum yowled, floating out of the room as if he could stomp his feet. Austin gave Hyacinth an apologetic smile before plopping the bunny unceremoniously into her arms. He didn’t even get to thank her for the good night’s rest, as he could hear Havershum losing every shred of patience he had out in the hall.

He wasn’t sure why he did it, but in the heat of the moment, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. When he pulled away, he saw her face light up. Her eyes sparkled, arms curling around the bunny. Austin’s heart skipped a beat, and he wasabsolutelysure he was blushing.