Page 69 of Blood and Thorns (Twisted Ever After #1)

Arabella

Six months later

I didn’t think it would be this hard to say goodbye to a place I never cared about.

But it was once my home, a place I thought was safe.

With my single cardboard box, I stared at Dad’s armchair, trying to see whether I could see any stains.

Which of course I couldn’t, the place having been thoroughly cleaned to the point I couldn’t even see the rings that were once engrained in the table from his bottles of beer.

I’d been putting off coming back for so long, and now that I was here, all I wanted to do was leave.

To close this part of my story and honestly never think of it.

Almost pretend it didn’t exist. Which yes, was a super unhealthy way to deal with my emotions, but I’d already filled up several notebooks and had run out of space.

So I think I deserved a little head burying, thank you very much.

“Are you ready?” Sebastian asked, reaching over to take my box from me. It was pretty much empty other than my books and perfume bottle collection. Everything else I’d organised a charity to come pick up .

“I think so.” Taking the key, I left it on the table beside the armchair for the landlord to find. “You didn’t have to come with me, you know.”

“I know,” he said. “But I wanted to.”

I smiled up at him, finding those intense, midnight blue eyes on me. It was strange to think that nine months ago I didn’t know he even existed, and now I got butterflies at the thought of this dangerous man coming with me to say goodbye to my old life.

Because he was my new life.

With one last look, I left the house I’d shared with my father and walked out to the car. I smiled at the driver when he noticed me approaching, his returning expression warm as he opened the passenger door.

Sebastian appeared, shoving the box aggressively into the driver’s hands. I’d have rolled my eyes, but I’d already slipped into the seat, with Sebastian coming in beside me. He immediately pulled me onto his lap, spreading my legs so he could stroke my inner thighs.

“Bad girls don’t get to come,” he whispered against my neck.

I laughed, resting my head on his shoulder. “What makes me bad?”

He slapped my thigh, the sting lasting only a second before warmth spread across my skin towards my core. “Flirting with the driver. I’m going to have to fire him.”

I sucked in a breath, his fingers teasing the lace between my legs. “He… he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No?” He teased across the fabric, thumb pressing against my clit.

“Sebastian!” I groaned, trying to move, except he pinned me against him with a hand collaring the front of my neck.

“What does my beautiful little rabbit want, hmm? ”

I shivered at his words, his voice always huskier when he spoke French. “I want you,” I replied in the same language, having been learning it along with sign.

Sebastian tore the lace, his fingers finally touching me. “Ask me what he did, Ara.”

“What… what did he do?” I breathed, unable to concentrate while his fingers stroked, teasing.

Sebastian sunk a thick finger inside, thrusting languorously. “He looked at what’s mine.”

The car ride was a mixture of moans and cries, with Sebastian never letting me come but bringing me to the edge over and over.

So much had changed since I first agreed to take my father’s place. I’d gone from feeling like a captive to choosing to be here. From hating Sebastian to choosing him with my entire heart.

I was no longer locked in the tower, but Sebastian’s protectiveness was still a bit much, so I technically wasn’t allowed out without a guard.

But I was working on that, and every time I’d brought it up, he just watched me argue my point with this twisted amusement.

Seriously, it was rude. So I had a guard until further notice, and that was only if Sebastian wasn’t by my side anyway.

The car eventually pulled into the underground garage, and pushing away from Sebastian I opened the car door before the driver could, sprinting to the lift to press the button.

I didn’t need to turn to know Sebastian was there, his presence sucking all the surrounding oxygen.

My body felt tight, my thighs slick with need.

Sebastian pressed against my back, his erection so hard it must be painful.

I observed him in the mirror, completely cold except for his eyes, which watched me with such heat I could easily combust on the spot. He held my gaze, his breath against my nape almost enough to make me come at this point .

The lift came to a stop, my entire body on edge because of the man at my back.

The doors slipped open, and I hesitated at the darkness.

“Run, beautiful. ” Sebastian leaned down, lips brushing the shell of my ear. “You know what happens when I catch you.”

My heart pounded in my chest, but my legs moved without thought. Sebastian’s favourite game was to chase, to have me run and hide so he could catch me. And he always caught me.

Adrenaline surged through my veins, my breathing frantic as I tried to manoeuvre through our home with such little light. He’d drawn the curtains, making it almost pitch black save for a few candles here and there.

Stumbling over something soft, I swallowed my laughter, my movements frantic as I strained to hear him chasing behind. I couldn’t, but I knew he was there, stalking me in the dark.

Another candle, then another. They drew me down the west wing, past our bedroom and the studio to the stairs in the back.

Sebastian had placed a small candle on each step, and despite knowing it was a trap, I couldn’t help but go up.

I froze each time my foot hit the wood, not wanting to make a sound as I ascended.

Light perforated the darkness, candle after candle pulling me past the gym and towards the large, back room.

It had always been empty, used as storage.

But as I pushed open the door I gasped. Light came in through the large windows, illuminating the newly built shelves that stacked across every inch.

A creak of the floorboard echoed behind me, and I squealed when strong hands encircled my waist. “Caught you. Now, on your knees.”

I immediately followed the instructions, anticipation making my thighs slick with need. My mouth watered when he released his cock, my tongue coming out to lick the head. He groaned, tilting his head back to reveal the thick column of his throat.

It wasn’t long before he’d lost patience, bending me over to fuck me from behind.

I revelled in every feral thrust, in every slap of his palm.

It was only after we’d both come, still dressed and tucked hot and sweaty against his chest, that I finally raised my head to have a good look at my surroundings.

There weren’t just shelves, but also a large armchair and even a desk. Beautifully woven rugs covered the wooden floor, and Sebastian’s dark art claimed the walls beside the large windows. The shelves were floor-to-ceiling, taking up all the space including above the door frame.

Jumping up, I moved to the desk, my fingers touching the beautiful rose locked beneath the glass dome. It was the single colour in the room, a stain of red amongst the wood, greys and black.

“I built you a library,” Sebastian said, and I turned to find him standing.

“A library?” I asked, my voice husky. “Why?”

“I plan to gift you a new book every week, slowly building up your collection,” he said, his chest rumbling when he pressed against my side.

I swallowed past the emotions, grinning when I noticed the ladder on rails. “That’s going to take some time.”

“Months.”

“Years.” My eyes traced his face, my chest aching as I smiled. “All this just so I’ll read to you more.”

Sebastian laughed, and I drowned in the sound. He rarely laughed, but when he did, I made sure to kiss him. So I did, going onto my tiptoes so I could press my lips gently to his .

“I love you.” It wasn’t the first time I’d told him, and each time it felt right.

This possessive, dangerous man had somehow filled this emptiness inside me. I was no longer just surviving. I was living. Breathing. Wanting. And for the first time I could see a future that wasn’t full of seclusion and fear.

I had a life, and I couldn’t wait to see where it took us, together.

“I never believed in love,” he admitted, his voice low and rough, like gravel dragged across silk.

“I thought it was a weakness, something that only destroyed.” His hand cradled my jaw, gentle but possessive, tilting my face towards his.

“But what I feel for you is beyond love. It’s need.

It’s chaos. It’s the only thing that’s ever made sense.

You quiet the demons in my head and keep me from falling over the edge.

“I’ll never be the man from your fairytales, but if there’s one thing I can offer it’s this: Everything I am, everything I have, I’d give it all up just to call you my wife.”

I blinked up at him, lips parting at his words. “Sebastian, are you asking me to marry you?” I whispered.

His fingers moved down, tightening on the side of my throat as he kissed me, claiming me in his own, savage way. “No, I’m telling you. It’s not a question, because there isn’t an answer in this lifetime where you don’t belong to me.”

“I want nothing more than to be your wife,” I laughed against his lips. “Thank you for saving me.”

His head dipped, pressing his forehead against mine. “It was you who saved me . I didn’t know what I was missing until I found you. And now, I can’t let you go. Not now. Not ever.”

“Am I still in your debt?” I asked with a grin.

Sebastian laughed. “Always.”