MASTER SEBASTIAN

Chapter 16

On getting to Sebastian's room, it was to find him staring out the airplane windows. He had a glass in hand and his dark hair was in disarray.

His back was to me but I knew he had sensed me come in.

What was I doing? I knew t--

He turned around. "Eleanor."

And just like that, my entire confidence sipped out of me. His eyes were unfathomable, his expression just shy of hard.

He had distanced himself again. The Sebastian I'd shared laughs with in the afternoon wasn't here anymore. Instead my eyes met steely ones and my throat suddenly grew tight. It was so easy for him and everyone else to just...put me aside.

"Why are you not in your room?"

I wondered if he could read my tensed face and see my emotions that were flying allover the place, if he could sense I was nearing a breakpoint. I reminded myself I had nothing to lose. If I kissed him now I won't see him again. Why it was so important that I carried a piece of him with me to my new world, I'd never know.

Maybe I wasn't thinking straight, maybe I was letting nerves get the best me, but before I could second-guess myself, I walked up to him, stood on my toes, and then... Kissed him.

Christ, I was kissing him! His large body was strung tight with tension, heat radiating off him in waves. Seconds ticked by. When my trembling hands made contact with his chest, he snapped.

With a growl that sent hot shivers down my spine, he palmed the back of my neck possessively, driving my head back with the force of his kiss. I struggled to catch my breath while he backed me into a wall, his hands like hot brands around my waist.

Blood rushed to my ears and my heart banged wildly. His firm lips slanted over mine repeatedly, wet, hot and insistent. Desire drugged my senses and stimulations rode my insides until I felt like I'd explode!

A whisper of air hit my thighs. The sensation was quickly replaced by his calloused hands. They gripped my soft flesh, kneading roughly, sliding higher and higher. I throbbed hard between my legs, growing damp. Soon thought fled me and I became a bundle of nerves, aching, trembling, desperate for release.

My insides burned, the atmosphere stretching tight as electricity crackled in the air like a whip.

Sebastian didn't just kiss me, he devoured me.

The hand around my neck slid up, tangling in my hair. He took fistfuls and then, without warning, snapped my head back, his wet mouth opening over my neck. An embarrassing moan tore out of me and I shamelessly rocked into his hard erection, wanting so desperately to climax.

His grip on my hips tightened and he growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating down my clit. My nipples were hard rocks, scraping against his chest as he greedily sucked at my neck. His open kisses trailed down, lingering around a beating pulse.

Bite me, I wanted to scream. Christ, I w--

He suddenly wrenched himself from me. Cool air blasted my sensitive skin and I hugged my arms around my skin. He traced to the other end of the room, head in hands. Confusion and dread churned in my stomach, slowly overriding my desire. "Seba--"

The fingers in his hair pulled tighter. "F*ck!"

My insides lurched and I jerked back. I had never heard him curse. Apprehension made my voice shake, "Sebastia--"

He faced me and I paled on seeing him. His fangs had lengthened horrifically and the whites of his eyes were fully black, the area around them pale and hollow. His voice was as deathly as he looked. "You cannot want me, Eleanor."

His words were rough, his accent slipping past its confines. At his harsh tone my anxiety ratcheted up. "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I--"

Like I hadn't said a word, he spoke over me, "You belong to another. The sooner you realize that the better!"

My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"

He gave a sharp laugh. "How naive you are. Do you think to claim your throne without being wed? Without a king?"

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been turned over my head. I suddenly felt out of my depth, exposed. All I could say in a barely audible voice was, "I'm not naive..."

"Of course you are! You walk around thinking everyone can be salvaged. And what that only makes you is a blind woman. You're blind to the evil around you. Blind to the evil in front of you!" His voice lowered. "And when you're blind, you get taken advantage of."

His temper was mounting and so was mine. "You have made it abundantly clear that--"

He turned away, muscles tight with tension. Silently he stated, "You will go to your room now, and forget about this night."

He had just dismissed me.

A lump grew at the back of my throat and my neck heated in shame when my eyes stung. "Don't you use that tone on me. I'm not a child!"

He turned. The anger in his eyes burned hotter. "Indeed. At least children know to avoid the ones they're not familiar with."

I snapped, "You talk about familiarity? I wasn't the one sticking their tongue down my throat!"

His jaw ticked. "Rest assured that will never happen again. Now, leave."

The knot at the back of my throat swole until I feared I wouldn't be able to talk if I tried to. My throat worked with a swallow and I struggled out three words, "Go to hell..."

Unable to even bare the sight of him, I turned and stormed out. But before I left, I thought I heard him grit, 'already there.'

My door banged shut behind me and I marched to my bed, collapsing on it. I turned on my side and gripped a pillow. Once I'd buried my face in it, I blinked back the tears, my chest tight. I hated him. gods, I hated him. So much I almost felt happy I'd never see his face again soon, never have him send my emotions running wild.

Just this afternoon I thought we were fated for each other... Now I thought we were fated for each other's throats.