Page 31 of The Teddy Bear's Prize

“Yes. Of course. I want you to stay.”

Tobias presses my palm against my chest, his other hand tangling in my hair, as he leans down to kiss me. It’s slow at first, soft and lingering, breathing me in with every brush of his lips. His hand falls from my hair, circling my neck as his thumb nudges my chin, urging me to open myself to him. His tongue brushes against mine, it feels like he is ready to devour me. The steady thud of his heart under my fingertips, keeping time with my own.

Finally he releases me, I am breathless and swaying like the candle’s flames.

He whispers againstmy lips, “I love you.”

“I—”

A shock of cold lances through my palm, and I wrench my hand away, taking a step back. Tobias watches me with his lips parted, his red eyes glowing brightly in the dim light.

“What was that?”

“I—I don’t know. I feel strange, like something is pulling me away.” His voice shakes, he sounds scared, “Oh.”

“Pulled away where?” The question comes out sharper than I intend, “Tobias, ignore it. Stay here, you belong here. We broke the binding spell. You belong with me.”

He extends his hand, but I can’t feel his touch. I reach out, my fingertips slip easily through his form like I am trying to catch a shadow.

“No.” I grab for him, “I want to make a deal, please, Tobias.”

He mouths something to me, his voice mute, it looks a lot like.I am sorry, my little doe.

Shadows coil around him until he is nothing but a dark silhouette, then collapse to the floor like smoke, extinguishing the light from every single candle in the room in their wake and leaving me in perfect darkness.

“Tobias?!” I cry out.

It’s no use. He’s gone.

I don’t understand it. Why would they send him back now? He spent months in the mortal realm as a teddy bear just to—return seven days from when he was freed. Without a contract, without something to bind him here, the treaty forces him to return.

All I know is that I need to get him back, I can’t let him slip through my fingers, even if it costs me my soul.

SEVENTEEN

Mia

Without Tobias,the house is more empty than before. I leave out the candles in the same pattern, unlit, hoping that somehow they would act as a beacon to bring him back to me, even if in my dreams. That’s the only reason I fall asleep, cuddled up in the fetal position with the teddy bear he used to inhabit. It still smells faintly of cinnamon.

I think that if I could talk to him again, to tell him I love him and that I am trying to bring him back, then things would be okay. The summoning ritual broke before I could say those three words, the ones that I fought against foolishly in fear that he didn’t feel the same. Now he’s out there in the demon realm, however it might be, without knowing.

I wake up, make coffee and check my emails, hoping that my hold was ready, to no avail.

Frustrated, I sit down at my computer and go onto the library’s website, searching the database only to find my hold is gonecompletely.

“Dammit.” I check the time and call the local branch, leaning back in my chair.

The phone rings twice and someone answers.

“Hi, I’m trying to track down a book and my hold was just lifted. It’s Shades of the Occult by Michael Albert Hughes.”

The sweet librarian places me on a brief hold then returns after a few moments, “I’m sorry, that book is no longer in our database. We usually have a thirty-day window for them to return it before we cancel all holds.”

I sit up, my chair squeaking, “Lost? Is there a chance you could order one?”

In the silence, I can hear the click-clack of her keyboard. She hums, “That title is out of print. Even if you were to fill out a purchase request, we cannot fill it.”

“Thanks for checking.” I hang up, staring blankly at my monitor, my eyes going to the folder on the corner of my screen titled “Galloway Carnival”.

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