44. Oh. Little Bird
Chapter forty-four
Oh... Little Bird
Astoria
“Oh, little bird... you really fucked up this time, huh?” A deep voice drawls.
It’s a voice that sounds too familiar. It pulls me out of that ridiculous dream in which I marry Sebastian. Slowly, my body starts feeling something very hard beneath it.
Where am I? What’s happening?
As I open my eyes, I realize my physical discomfort is from my heart beating too fast and a bunch of ropes digging into my skin all over my body. I try to move my hands but my wrists are tied behind my back. The rope around my neck is also around my knees, so I can’t pull them away from my chest. Nausea overwhelms me. I’m naked, in a fetal position on my side, and Sebastian is beside me, also naked, also bound with ropes, and unconscious. We are on top of a wooden table, in a kitchen. How did this happen?
Oh no. It wasn't just a dream. I did marry Sebastian. “No,” I cry.
“Hi, little bird.”
My head snaps towards the voice and the world swirls. I squeeze my eyes tight, trying to get rid of the disorienting sensation. At first, I can't see him clearly. Julian. He smiles at me. He’s not wearing a mask, skull make-up or contacts. Butterflies flutter in my belly at the sight of his beautiful blue eyes but they dig into mine with such intensity. The rage in them is silent but undeniable.
“Long time no see. Congratulations on the wedding, by the way. What are you going to tell me this time? That you didn’t know I'd come for you? Did you forget what I said the last time we saw each other?” I stare at him. “I will always find you.”
I shake my head with eyes full of a horror that’s also drowning me. My heart slams harder and faster. Something's very wrong with me and it's not just Julian's presence. He’s naked too, standing at the foot of the table, looking bigger than I remember, his muscles more defined. On my thigh rests his warm palm.
“Asher.” I call him by his first name, hoping that it helps pacify him somehow. As Asher, he was always somewhat human to me, as Julian he was the devil himself. I’m so nauseous I can’t help but rest my cheek back on the table.
“You look so tasty and plump. Love the bangs. I’m glad you obeyed me and never cut your hair.”
“Asher, just let me say one thing.”
“Okay, Astoria. Give it your best shot.”
“Don’t kill him. Okay? I’ll do anything you want. I’ll come with you and I’ll never leave again. I’ll have your child. Anything you want but please…” I can’t catch my breath, my heart is too fast. “He doesn’t know and… he has an amazing family. I can annul the marriage. I’ll say that I didn’t like the fact that he surprised me, that it felt like he was forcing me into it. Okay? I can fix this. I’ll say I felt tricked and it will be over. I promise on my life. Okay? I’ll do anything, but please let him go.”
Julian sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose, and shakes his head. “That’s sad, little bird. Very, very sad. He surprised you with a wedding?”
“Yes.”
“And you fucking married him, anyway?” His voice thunders into my ear and brain. I have to squeeze my eyes tight to avoid vomiting. Fuck. Nothing is going to calm him and I don't even have the strength to even try. “If that’s what I had to do, you should’ve just said so.”
“I-I felt–I didn’t want–I didn’t know what to… do.”
Like an angry dragon trying not to burn an entire village and only letting out smoke, he exhales.“It’s okay. You’ve told me enough, little bird.” I can’t process his words because my heart is about to explode.