Chapter 15
Leona walked into Sebastian’s house silently, her movements rigid and tense. She looked down at her big dress and felt like it was poisoned. She didn’t want anything on her that had been in the same room as him. Her eyes followed Sebastian as he locked the door, then went to check around the house to make sure they were alone.
She hurriedly yanked the sleeves down her arms. It was like she was being burned worse than the sun. Reaching behind her, she fingered the knots of the ties in the back, loosening them until the dress pooled at her feet. She did the same with the corset, her body relaxing. She stepped out of the offending garments, clad only in her black lace panties. She started to take those off too when Sebastian came back in and abruptly stopped in his tracks.
“Oh,” he said dumbly, before quickly turning to protect her modesty. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were… disrobing,” he mumbled.
For the first time since Gideon showed up, she let a soft smile grace her lips. She was so protective of this man. She wouldn’t allow anything to happen to him. “I’m not used to covering up. Men don’t usually complain,” she teased, bending down to pick up her clothes.
“That wasn’t a complaint,” he said, still turned away from her. “Do you want to wear something of mine? I’m afraid I can’t concentrate with you naked in my living room.”
Leona bunched her clothes up in front of her and nodded. “Yes, Sebastian. That would be nice. Thank you.”
He led her to his bedroom and fetched a pair of his boxers and a simple, black t-shirt. He cut his eyes away from her as she dropped her clothes and took the items from him. She rivaled Charlotte as far as confidence went. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d seen the blonde just wandering nude around her house. It was her right, of course, and he’d have never done anything untoward against her, but it didn’t stop him from feeling uncomfortable. Victor had never seen him as a threat, and he was confident in their marriage, so he never batted an eye. Sebastian had also walked in on them more times than he could even remember, much to his chagrin. Some of those instances were seared into his brain forevermore.
When Leona was dressed, she began folding up her dress. It was a shame it was tainted now, it was beautiful and expensive. “I’m decent now, Seb,” she said. “Thank you for being such a gentleman,” she added as he turned back around. “And thank you for being so brave back there. I’m sorry he hurt you. It is extremely difficult for me to retaliate against him. Fledglings are compelled to protect their sires. It goes against my genetic code to fight him.”
“You call him ‘sire?’” Sebastian asked, helping her fold.
“I try not to,” Leona said, sporting a laugh laced with zero humor. “He doesn’t deserve such an honor. But technically, yes, he is my sire. I am his fledgling. That’s what the creators, createes call themselves. Since he made me, my instincts try to prevent me from harming him. He’s too powerful for me anyway,” she said sadly. “I have never stood a chance. He just finds my protests amusing. It’s another chance for him to show off his power.”
“I could feel some sort of pull against me when I looked at him. Almost like he was willing me to bend to him. Is that part of your power?”
“Yes,” Leona said, sinking down onto the edge of his bed. “It’s part of our predatory capabilities. We lure you to do what we wish, then we strike. It makes the hunt a little easier. I’m sure he was willing you to step aside, hence his anger when you didn’t. I’m surprised those powers didn’t work on you. They certainly work on everyone else, immortals included.”
“Maybe I’m just special,” Sebastian teased, trying to lighten the mood. He sat down next to her and angled his body toward her, their knees touching. “I wasn’t about to sit back and let him take you again. I promised you that he wouldn’t harm you ever again. I meant that.”
“You said you’d protect me with your dying breath. Did you mean that?”
He looked into her eyes and nodded. “Every word.”
Leona shuddered out a long breath, before slipping her hands into his. She squeezed them gently. “I want to show you something, Sebastian. I can’t… do this with you until I do. You should know everything about me.”
“Nothing is going to scare me away, Leona,” he reassured.
“Just let me show you.” She reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face. Pressing her thumbs into his cheeks, she focused hard on his eyes. Sebastian’s pupils dilated, and then his eyes glazed over. She could tell by his expression that he was in her head, seeing everything she’d been through.
1704.
“Come with me, darling. I want to show you something,” Gideon said to a much more vibrant Leona. Her red hair had a sheen to it that gave off life. Her cheeks were rosy and the smile on her face actually reached her eyes.
“What are you showing me, my love?” Leona beamed, hanging off his arm like he was the greatest thing in the world. To her, he was. “More flower arrangements? I believe we’ll have every gardener in the country working our wedding!”
“In here,” Gideon said, ignoring her comments and leading her to a darkened room in the basement of his estate. It was lined with barrels of wine, racks of bottles of various alcohol. The floors were pebbled with cobblestones of varying colors and textures. He let Leona go in before him, then he shut and locked the door behind him. No sunlight came into the room. No moisture. The only light sources were sconces lit in every corner.
“What is this place, Gideon?” Leona asked, looking around. “Wine cellar? I’ve never been in here before.”
“In a sense,” he said. “You know I want to be with you forever.”
“Of course,” she said, turning to face him with a smile. “The wedding is in a week. Are you getting cold feet?”
“Not at all,” he replied. Slowly, he took her hand, relishing the warmth of her skin. He could feel the life pulsing through her. “I really do mean forever.”
“So do I.”
He pulled her close against him, dipping his head down so he could kiss her neck. Leona giggled and squirmed, playfully attempting to nudge him away. It was improper for a lady to accept such forward advances from the man she courted, especially so close to their wedding day. Gideon had stolen a few kisses and touches over the last four years, but overall, he had behaved like a perfect gentleman. She was head over heels in love.
His kisses got a bit more insistent and hard. Leona’s giggles faded and she worked a little harder to push him off. “Gideon, you’re hurting me,” she said, her voice wavering with a lilt of fear. “Gideon. Stop,” she said firmer. His grip was like iron melded around her body. She cried out as she felt a searing pain in her neck, as if she’d been stabbed. “Gideon!” she protested, thrashing as much as she could in his vice. The man didn’t let go, and eventually, the room began to spin. Black spots flecked her vision and she felt her legs go weak. Collapsing against him, her eyes fluttered, her skin pale. “Gideon,” she whispered.
“Shhh,” he soothed, pulling back from her, his chin glistening with blood. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Sebastian jolted slightly in his trance, tears streaming down his cheeks. His body tensed and began to tremble in pain. His breathing hitched, then got heavy and rapid. His eyes were moving back and forth and paralysis took over
It was the worst pain he’d ever felt in his life. It was mixed with terror, betrayal, and regret. Through his veins, he could feel an insidious presence creeping its way in. A hundred spiders filled with venom invaded his body, biting every inch they could. His heart stopped and constricted in a way that made breathing a thing of the past. His body felt both ablaze with white fire, but frozen inside the sharpest glaciers. He made a small noise in discomfort, only because the scream begging to be let out died on his tongue. The tears were flowing rapidly now, dripping down onto his thighs.
Leona opened her eyes as an immortal, and the first thing she saw was darkness.
She was alone.
Pushing herself to sit up, she looked around. The sconces were dimmed to embers now. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness instantaneously, and she could see every fleck of dust in the air; every grain of dirt wedged between the grout of the flooring; every knot in the wooden barrels containing something she knew not to be wine. Her eyes moved to the bottles lining the racks in the room, the red, deep glint of their contents suggesting something other than wine as well.
She inhaled, though no breath entered her lungs. Only scents. The deep, earthy wisps of dirt, trees, the remnants of sunlight. She could smell her own blood, and the blood hidden in the room.
Though the room was barren of windows, she knew it was nighttime. Closing her eyes, she listened, giving in to these new senses. She heard the hum of insects outside, the rustling of leaves in the trees that lined Gideon’s estate, the creaking of the upper half of the castle.
Her hands felt along the rough stone flooring, the dirt particles rubbing against every fiber of her skin. Suddenly, she brought her hands up to her neck, but there was no wound there. Her fingers traced her skin, which was colder than she’d ever felt before. Everything was pristine, smooth, unblemished. If she wasn’t inundated with a plethora of new, heightened senses, she would have thought she just woke up from a nightmare.
“Gideon?” she whispered, only to be met with silence.
The room felt hollow. She pushed herself to stand, feeling both weaker and stronger than she ever had before all at the same time. She maneuvered through the room to the door, pulling at the handle. It was locked. Claustrophobia set in and she frantically looked around, searching for any way out. Where was Gideon? What had he done to her? Why had he done this?
With her panic increasing, Leona gripped the door again and pulled as hard as she could. The hinges exploded and the wood splintered, causing the door to fly past her and out of her grip. It crashed into the liquids being kept across the room and broke them open. Suddenly, she was so overwhelmed with hunger and thirst that it froze her in place. Her pupils dilated almost completely, her green irises a mere halo around the eclipse that had found its way into her eyes. Instead of leaving, she turned on her heel, back to the place she’d been on the floor. In a flash of movement, she was on her hands and knees, licking up the blood pooling on the ground. A frenzy overtook her body, her senses, her soul, and she lapped up everything she could like a woman starved.
“Christ, Leona,” a voice said in disgust from the doorway. She whipped her head around, her face and body covered in blood now. Gideon stood there, looking less than impressed. “You ought to conduct yourself in a more civilized manner. This is grotesque,” he said, taking the few steps down to where she was. “Get up.”
Leona obeyed, though she was terrified. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him. “What are you?” she whispered shakily.
Gideon smiled and tilted his head. “Come now, flower, surely you’ve worked it out by now? What about all those scary stories you love to read so much?”
Leona merely stared at him, afraid to say the wrong thing.
He approached her, his magic keeping her in place. Bringing his hand up, he gently wiped some droplets of blood from her lips. Leona flinched at the touch. “You are such a beauty. I did well in choosing you. You will make for a fine immortal.”
“Immortal?” she whispered, her eyes wide.
“Vampire, immortal, whatever you choose,” he said dismissively. “Monster, demon, creature, the list goes on. The humans are rather creative with their names,” he chuckled. “We need to go over some things first. I can smell your hunger though, and I know you won’t pay attention to me before you eat, so… let’s get that out of the way.”
“Why did you do this to me?” she asked, tears brimming.
“I did this for you, flower. Don’t you see? We can be together forever now, just like you wanted. We’ll never be apart. And now you can use the true potential of your body. We’ll exist together for the rest of eternity. I’ll show you how to make the most of your immortality.”
As she stared at him, a million thoughts raced through her head faster than she’d ever experienced before. She felt the most intense, paralyzing fear in her life, but it was covered with a thick blanket of… comfort. It was almost as if someone — or something — was trying to distract her from her true feelings. It was a pull unlike any other, one she couldn’t help but bend toward.
Gideon’s fingers were ice cold. Had she never noticed before? There had been times when they’d held hands that he’d been cold, but… God above, it was December! They were all cold. Weren’t they?
Her emerald eyes roamed over the demon in front of her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t know him at all. She had been glamoured by his fancy words, his nice clothes, his pretty face, his smooth voice, even the way he smelled beckoned her closer. He had always been dressed up in suits, buttoned up to the neck. Perhaps she just hadn’t had a chance to touch any of his skin before. But then again, she wouldn’t have cared if he was as cold as he was now.
How could she have been so blind? Every time he had insisted on visiting her in the night, she thought it was just some romantic gesture so they could steal a few kisses under her father’s nose. But now…
Her eyes were wide with both realization and terror. He wouldn’t hurt her.
Would he?
“Okay,” she eventually said, her voice wavering. “I… I trust you.”
Lie.
“Good girl,” he purred. “Let’s get you changed and cleaned up. I’m going to show you how to hunt.”
“When do I get to see my parents again? What about the wedding?” Leona asked in the early hours of the next morning.
Gideon peered up from the book he was reading. “What are you talking about, flower?”
“The wedding. My parents,” Leona repeated. “Are we still getting married?”
Gideon shut the book and chuckled, folding a leg over the other. He was lounging in an armchair. They had just gone to feed and Leona had taken down two full-grown men, much to his surprise. She would be a fighter. “I’m not sure you understand what’s happening, sweetheart. You will never see your family again. I have already arranged a messenger to send word to them that you’ve died in a riding accident. The wedding is not happening. Your family will mourn you, and in a few decades, everyone you know will be dead. It’s the way of the world.”
Leona was horrified. “What?” she whispered. “I… I never get to see them again? I’m not dead. I’m alive. I’m right here.”
“Put your hand to your chest,” Gideon said. She obeyed. “Do you feel a heartbeat?” he asked. At her silence, he tilted his head. “You are not alive. You aren’t dead either. You are reborn. That’s the new life I gave you, my sweet. Aren’t you thankful? You will forever be beautiful, forever young, forever untainted. You will not fall ill, you will never get harmed by silly accidents, you will never be hot or cold. You can see the world as I see it, in every form it decides to take on.”
“But…” Leona trailed off, her lips pursed in thought. She stitched her eyebrows together and looked at him. “What about a family? Our family? Our children?”
“Children?” Gideon repeated, then replaced that with a chuckle. “My dear, have you not listened to a word I have said? Those are mere mortal whims and desires. We do not have children. We cannot. Our organs no longer work as theirs do. Ours are improved. Better. Are you understanding me? I know you are not stupid.”
Leona flushed in embarrassment. She always hated being belittled. As a beautiful woman, it happened more often than not, and she flared up every single time. “You killed me.”
“Killed you?” Gideon scoffed in sheer amusement. He was shocked she was so standoffish about this. “I saved you, Leona. Surely you can see that.”
“You killed me,” she repeated, angrier this time. “You’re a monster. You… You ended my life. You took my life from me. I wanted to marry you, raise a family, live happily ever after…”
“This is your new happily ever after,” Gideon interrupted. “I’d think you’d be more grateful all things considered.”
“Grateful?” Leona laughed in disbelief. She stood up and glared at him. “I am leaving.”
“Careful,” Gideon said, slowly rising to stand. “My patience only goes so far, darling. You don’t know what you’re saying. I know what’s best for you. I can teach you everything. You just have to trust me.”
“Trust?” Leona said. “Trust?!”
“Yes,” he said. Leona ignored him and moved to leave, but he was quicker. He grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall, pictures rattling down to the floor with shattered glass. “Listen to me,” he said in a low snarl, the glamor on his eyes fading. What was once a dark blue faded into a sinister red. She was frozen. “I am your master. You will refer to me as ‘sire,’ and I will protect you. I will nourish you, watch over you. You are to be my mate, Leona. I’ll not tolerate your insubordination. Do you understand me?”
Silence.
He tightened his hold on her, causing her to cry out in pain. “Do you — understand — me?”
“Y-Yes,” she squeaked out.
Slowly, he released her. Backing up a half-step, he stared down at her. “Never disobey me again. Never try to leave again. Or you will regret it.”
Sebastian’s gaze returned to himself and he came back to Earth. His body was still quaking and his cheeks, thighs, and top of his shoulders were all soaked with tears. Leona’s face was that of somber defeat, like a racehorse that had finally been whipped into submission and broken.
“It only got worse after that,” Leona said sadly. She hadn’t wanted to overwhelm him. “When I left the first time, it was a few decades after he turned me. I had grown close to Piper and Whitney. They helped me escape. We ran away, as far as we could come, to this city. As I told you, everything was different. I thought I’d start fresh. How stupid and naive I was,” she laughed bitterly. She had a faraway look in her eyes and Sebastian knew she wasn’t there with him. “Damien led him to me. It was revenge against Whitney at the time. Theodore tried to shield me, keep him at bay, but nobody can stop Gideon from doing what he wants to do. He came and forced me back with him. When we got back to England, he locked me away for a decade. All I had were rats to feed on. When he deemed me fit for leaving my cell, he would rape me over and over, until I was begging him to stop. Then he’d throw me back in. People think they know what Hell is… they have no idea. Death was so tempting.
“It took Whitney years to convince Damien to let her in. Gideon was off traveling, learning of new medicines the humans had begun creating. He also heard whispers of a tribe of our kind in the Amazon. He is always looking for additions to his clan. While he was away, Whitney came, Piper in tow, and we ran away again. We didn’t come back here, we stayed in Greece. It was hard. I was terrified the entire time, for decades. He found me eventually, all on his own.
“The bond between sire and fledgling is… intricate and intense. As I told you, the only way to break it is through death. He has killed his own fledglings before. He has made me watch, threatening that this will be my fate if I dare to defy him. If only I could be so lucky,” she huffed. “I learned long ago that he will never let me die. I exist as an example to others, a demonstration of his power. He enjoys seeing my pain, inflicting it. A thousand years won’t be enough punishment,” she said. “The second time he took me back was worse than the first. He physically abused me, beyond rape. He would beat me, to the point where I felt like my chest was concaving and I would suffocate, despite my lungs being inoperable for two hundred years at that point. He would threaten my friends if I tried to go. He would threaten to drag them in front of me and skin them alive. Slowly burn them until their screams were the only thing I could hear in my deepest nightmares,” she said with a shallow whisper. “I was too scared to retaliate for a long time. I resigned myself to this life.
“Piper helped me escape. Again. I still think we got away too easily. I believe it’s a long game Gideon is playing. His showing up here proves just that. He’s never really allowed me to escape. But… several months ago, Piper told me of some friends she met in Spain. Friends that could help us if turned. Friends that could... maybe be enough to end this.”
Sebastian regarded her thoughtfully. It changed his perception of everything. “Do Charlotte and Victor know this is your purpose for making them immortal?”
“We were going to wait… but Gideon has sped the timeline along. I imagine Piper and Whitney are briefing them on the situation just as I am doing with you right now.”
He frowned and felt conflict deep in his heart. “This isn’t their fight.”
“No, it isn’t. But it’s the price of entry to our coven,” she said. “We all exist with targets on our backs as long as Gideon is alive. Whitney and Damien’s relationship is volatile and, as you’ve seen, proven costly to our safety.”
“Why doesn’t she break up with him?” Sebastian asked. “If it’s so dangerous.”
“They’re mated, Seb. It’s not so simple. It’s similar to my bond with Gideon. Though… I believe somewhere, Damien does truly love Whitney. I can see his loyalty to Gideon waver when she is threatened. It’s the only reason we haven’t killed him yet,” she admitted. “And because it would destroy Whitney in the process.”
“Would she die as well?”
“No. Not necessarily. But I can’t do that to her,” she said. “She is one of my oldest friends. She has put her life on the line for me more times than I can admit. It wouldn’t be right. As I said… Damien is who she chose. I must respect that.”
Sebastian frowned and shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense,” he muttered. “Why are they so cruel? You, Piper, and Whitney are not that way.”
“We are different than some others of our kind. We believe living with humans can be feasible. Others merely look down on them. Predator versus prey. We don’t want to be that way. At least I don’t,” she said. “I want to be normal. I want all of this to go away. I want you to be safe.”
Sebastian looked at her, feeling a cross of anger and compassion for her situation. He hated he got dragged into this, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He knew his friends would turn eventually. And they would probably die trying to protect him.
It was almost enough to change his mind about immortality.
Almost.
“Do you think he will come back tonight?” Sebastian asked.
“No,” she said. “But I don’t think it will be long. I’m so sorry I’ve involved you in this. My selfishness clouded my judgment.”
Sebastian shook his head. “I could have walked away. I could have said no, distanced myself from the situation. I didn’t. I’m in this now,” he said. “For as long as that may be.”
“He’ll kill you?—”
“I’m not afraid of dying, Leona. I’ve faced death all my life. I’ve faced men who step on women they view as lesser beings, too. I made peace with death a long time ago. If I die, I die. If it’s by my own hands, so be it. If it’s by another’s, alright. But dying for something worth fighting for? That’s worth it to me,” he admitted, placing his hand over his chest. “You deserve your chance at a normal life. At happiness. That’s what I want for you. I want you to go through life without fearing that someone will take everything from you. I want you to laugh with your friends, to enjoy this never-ending story that’s being written as we speak. You are worthy of love, Leona. You are worthy of all the things you dream of. No man, monster, or being, no matter how powerful or ancient, deserves to take that from you.”
Leona stared at him, growing emotional all over again. She brought her hands up to hold his face yet again. This was what she’d been looking for all her existence. Those words were something she’d been yearning to hear for three hundred years.
“You make me feel alive again,” she whispered, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Slowly, she pressed her forehead against his, his warmth seeping into her. Leona’s fingernails gently trailed into his hairline, and she held him close, as if he would disappear in an instant.
“I love you, Sebastian.”