Heat flares in my chest, but I can’t decide if it’s a pleasant warmth or a scalding burn. Sebastian held his end of the bargain. That’s good. That’snice. And yet, healsodidn’t tell me.
“Where’s his room?” I demand.
I expect Beatrice to deny me. Instead, she sets off down the hall, gesturing for me to follow.
“Do vampires sleep?”I ask as we hit the bottom of the spiral staircase. Beatrice glances at me, eyebrow arched. She doesn’t slow though, pushing through the door and into a narrow hall. It looks like any of the others, but I don’t think I’ve been to this part of the manor.
“Most do,” she says. “It’s not something vampires need. They do it mostly out of boredom. It’s far more common with the sun curse. If you’re asking ifSebastiansleeps, the answer is no. He’ll be awake.”
My pulse quickens at the idea. We’ve been walking too long, and now, my thoughts have muddled. I can’t decide if I have a right to be pissed. I’m not sure whether I should yell at Sebastian when I see him or if I should thank him.
“This is him,” she says. She stops abruptly, not flinching when I crash against her side. She nods toward the door, plain and unmarked.
“Am I supposed to knock?” I ask. My stomach dips with embarrassment, and I realize how stupid I’m being. I’m literally seeking him out in the middle of the night, as if this couldn’t have waited until the morning.
And what am I meant to do? Tell him I’ve only now realized he unlocked my cell door? That he kept his end of the bargain and I was too stupid to notice?
Beatrice doesn’t reply, but it turns out she doesn’t need to. The door swings open, revealing a shirtless Sebastian.
Before I can resist, my eyes sweep over his toned chest and abs. His hair is messy. It’s not from sleep, which meansit’s either from his hand running through it or someoneelse’shand. I lean, peeking into the room behind him.
It’s simple but nice, and though he supposedly doesn’t sleep, there’s a four-poster bed against the center wall. A plain dresser across from it. A wardrobe to the side. A magnificent rug at the center
Zero naked women.
It wouldn’t matter if there was, I chastise myself. He can have all the mistresses he wants.
“What’s wrong?” he asks. His words come out sharp, and his eyes match their intensity, flicking between me and Beatrice.
“My door is unlocked,” I finally say. I sound like a moron.
Iama moron.
“And?” he asks. Another flick between me and Beatrice.
“Never mind,” I say quickly. Blush burns my cheeks, as I turn to Beatrice. I’m sure everyone can hear the desperation in my voice. “You should take me back to my cell.”
Sebastian looks between us, a slow smirk taking over his expression. He clears his throat roughly before nodding at Beatrice.
“You’re dismissed,” he says.
Beatrice returns his nod, and then has the audacity to wink at me before disappearing down the hallway. She’s gone in a flash of dark hair, leaving me alone with Sebastian and my own stupidity. I force myself to look at him. My spit tastes like acid.
“I didn’t realize you unlocked the door,” I say finally. I shift on my feet, my eyes once again drifting down the hall. “I asked Beatrice to bring me here so I could…”
I trail off.
“So you could…” he prompts.
“Yell at you?” I finish. It comes out more as a question, and quietly enough I barely hear it.
Sebastian does though. Of course he does.
“Yelling is typically much louder,” he says. His mouth unleashes into a grin, so painfully beautiful I can’t look away. He leans a shoulder against the doorframe, and my eyes snag on the deep V that disappears beneath his slacks.
“Thank you,” I say. I force my eyes back to his. He’s already watching me, grin in place, but eyes darkening with familiar intensity.
“We had a deal,” he says. He doesn’t move, but his hands loosen and tighten at his sides, as if he’s resisting the urge to reach for me.
