Page 61 of Blood and Thorns

I quietly closed the book, placing it on the table before leaning forward to check him, only for his hand to snap out. I squeaked as fingers wrapped around my throat, the sudden shock forcing my survival instinct to kick in. I lashed out, managing to knock his jaw before he flipped me onto my back, his body hovering above.

Panic forced me to react, and I twisted and fought with all my energy, scratching along his arms and wriggling beneath his grip.

Sebastian frowned down at me, blinking.

“Why did you stop reading?” he rumbled, his grip tightening slightly when I managed to bite him.

I took a minute to calm down, my pulse racing. “I thought you were asleep.”

He chuckled, the sound low and dark. “I don’t sleep.”

“Everyone sleeps.” I tried to wriggle, realising I was stuck. “Can you let me go?”

His frown deepened. “Why?”

“Because you’re crushing me.” He actually wasn’t; he was clearly trying not to touch me anywhere but his fingers on my throat.

“You weren’t complaining last night.”

The urge to hit him again turned my muscles to stone, but I resisted because he was several times my size, and that would probably be stupid.

“Are you feeling better?” I asked instead, because I was a diplomat and would really like to not be stuck under hisbody for the rest of my arguably short life. Unless it was for other things.

No.What was wrong with me?

Stop thinking about his dick.

“You show all your emotions on your face,” he scolded, and if I wasn’t blushing before, I sure as fuck was now. “It’s inconvenient.”

“You’re inconvenient.”

Great.Honestly, I disappointed myself sometimes.

Sebastian clenched his jaw and then released me so I could ungracefully roll out from beneath him.

“So… what did Beatrice say to you?” I stood, needing to create distance.

“Beatrice?” he repeated, his voice a deep tone that caressed my skin as he followed. “You’re getting too close to my staff. You’ll address her as Mrs Potter.”

“I’m just curious.” And bored. “It’s not like I have anything else to do around here.” I pressed myself tight against the wall, his larger frame cornering me as he planted his hands on each side of my head.

“You’re not here to be curious.”

“No, I’m here to be your toy.”

There was a pause, then Sebastian slowly leaned forward. “You’re playing a dangerous game with me.” The threat danced between us, and for some reason it sent a thrill through me.

I’d have to make sure I wrote this down in my notebook later. To try and figure out where in my childhood it all went wrong. Which was a joke, because my entire childhood was a mess.

“It’s Ara. Notbelle. That’s not even part of my name.”

“Why are you here, Arabella?” he growled, the air vibrating with tension.

“To save my father.”

“The same father who doesn’t give a shit about you? Who gave you over like some common whore to save his own arse? Try again. Why are you here?”

My pulse beat against the side of my throat. “I don’t know what you’re asking. Why else would I be here if it’s not to save my father?”