23. Stevie #2
A gust of wind whips past me as his hands are on either side of my face.
His fingers and thumb press against my cheeks as he brings his lips close, hovering over mine.
“You will go to the restroom. Then come out and find me with Silas. You will act excited about the entertainment.” I swallow hard.
“We will need to stay later than everyone else, because it’ll look suspicious when they figure out Larry is missing tomorrow if we’ve left early. ”
My eyes bore into his lips as he speaks. Fuck, I’m dying to kiss him. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline, that he killed a man with these hands that are now on my face, or his authority. But whatever the hell it is, I’m buzzing inside.
Sebastian pauses, softening his tone. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I nod again, moving my head slightly from his firm grasp.
“Do you understand what I’ve just told you?”
“I do,” I say.
He gently releases my face and slowly ghosts his fingertips along my arms before dropping them to his side. “We will enter through the opposite side of the lounge, then I’ll head straight for Silas so he suspects nothing.”
“Okay, Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s hand captures mine, and he drags me through a second door on the other side of the terrace.
Taking in everything he told me, I drop his hand once I’ve reached the door to the women’s restroom. I’m dying to escape for a moment to myself when all of a sudden the door isn’t budging when I move to open it. Startled, I turn to find Sebastian holding the handle.
“I’ll be right there.” He points to the archway leading back into the lounge. “You only have five minutes before I come in and get you.”
My heart hammers inside my chest. “I won’t be long.”
He gives me a curt nod, then shifts his weight away from the door. From my periphery, I can see he doesn’t leave until I’m safely in the restroom.
As soon as I’m alone, my back hits the wooden door, overwhelmed with all the conflicting emotions. But I get a mouthful of cheap forest-green air freshener instead. I gag, and a wave of nausea rushes through me. I sprint to the toilet, heaving my body over the bowl, but nothing comes out.
After a couple of minutes sitting on the floor in the bathroom, I remember what Sebastian said about coming in here if I take too long.
The adrenaline that has racked my body since I followed Larry onto the balcony is finally calming.
Feeling more stable on my feet, I rise from the floor and toward the door, but not before stopping to take one long look at myself in the mirror.
The mascara has bled into the bottom of my eyelashes from my eyes watering from heaving, so I wipe underneath them with my finger, removing some of the raccoon lines. It helps a little.
“You can do this, Stevie,” I recite under my breath.
What the hell did I get myself into? And why is the first thought I have after coming down from all this is when we can get Pete, too? And the others?
Is this the addictive justice my sister spoke about? I know it’s all morally wrong. But why don’t I feel guilty about being a part of taking Larry’s life the way a normal person would? And why am I not frightened about what I saw in Sebastian tonight?
I run a hand through my loose curls, then gather my hair, pulling it to the side. “You don’t have time to think about this right now.”
Without another quick look, I turn away from the mirror and head out the door. As soon as I round the corner into the lounge, I spot Sebastian standing next to Silas. They both turn their heads toward me as I approach them.
“Annabel.” Sebastian smiles warmly, sliding his arm around me and resting his palm on my lower back. Damn. It feels good to have his arm around me right now.
“The Dark Prince and I were just talking about how much the two of you are enjoying your first killing season with the Society.” Silas rubs his finger along the condensation on his glass.
Swallowing every emotion, I plaster a grin on my face and reply, “It’s been great. I appreciate the secrecy and discretion of it all.”
“Well, of course. We do what we can to protect our own,” he says. “You saw what happened with Andrew.”
My ears perk up as he mentions his name, at the same time Sebastian’s body stiffens. “Yeah,” Sebastian begins. “It was a tragedy what happened,” he lies.
Silas’s expression turns somber, as if there’s an actual human under his evil demeanor. “It was. But we collected his body to make sure the police couldn’t trace any of the crimes back to him.”
That’s why it mentioned there was no body when Sebastian and the team with Lux and River burned it at the cabin that night. My eyes flick to Sebastian; his jaw is clenched as the realization bowls over him, too.
“And that is a service you offer as well?” Sebastian asks without flinching. “To make sure we aren’t caught, even after death?”
Silas smiles, then slowly sips his amber-colored beverage. “Yes, it is something we do and that we’re proud of. Protecting the legacy of our members.”
I keep my hand firmly tucked into Sebastian’s for the rest of the evening and well into the early morning hours as we wait for each member of the group to retire back to their rooms. Between the pretend conversations and the stolen glances between Sebastian and me, my brain shifts into self-preservation mode and processes even small doses—because that’s all I can do until I’m safely back in our hotel room.