Consuming Darkness: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 88

-Ronnie-

It felt eerie to be back in Feldcroft, back in this house, with Salomon's grave just outside, and by the way Sebastian gripped my hand I knew he felt the same.

Nurse Baliney finished getting Anne comfortable before turning to Sebastian and me, fussing over our healing injuries. My injuries were practically healed, but I was still left with this overwhelming exhaustion that I felt in the very marrow of my bones. I hadn't been sleeping well at all since the ball, since Professor Pierce, since seeing Sebastian within an inch of his life. And after I'd woke up I hadn't had a moment of solace.

Anne was slightly awake, though unable to speak and the potion that really helped alleviate her pains would kick in soon. She'd be back asleep in no time. Sebastian was at her bedside, fussing over her blanket and helping adjust her pillow while Ominis held her hand. Both their shoulders sagged and I couldn't help but wish there was something I could do to take their pain away...

"Veronica dear, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Nurse Blainey asked as she finished packing up her supplies.

"Of course," I nodded, pulling my eyes from them and following her out into the warm summer night air.

...

I sat on the fence that surrounded the house, staring out at the sky as it changed from blue to an amazing display of pinks and oranges until darkness finally fell. My eyes remained on the night sky, staring at the vast expanse of sky as if it had answers for me, but instead, it only provided me a greater sense of dread. The tragedy of the last few days had been suffocating and even outside in the warm summer night breeze, I shuttered thinking about it all.

"Ron?" Sebastian's voice finally broke through my thoughts.

I turned to him with a small smile. I saw the burden of his grief weighing so heavily on him as darkness whipped at the left side of his body. The shadows only continued to increase in power... While he's been in the hospital recovering, the shadows had been feeding off of all of the grief, pain, and suffering that filled every corridor, and now they feeding off of his own grief and depression. I wished for nothing more than to have a way to relieve him from that.

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my neck. I leaned back against him, placing my hands on top of his. Neither of us spoke for a moment, trying to find comfort while the shadows loomed, bringing out the darkness that sat inside us.

"What did Nurse Blainey have to say?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"After they examined Professor Pierce's body, they discovered that my magic had been killing him from the inside... or that's Nurse Blainey's theory. She said it looked like his insides had been burned..." I told him and paused, my gaze once again fixed on the stars. "Ancient magic can only be wielded by those born with it..."

Sebastian kept ahold of me but pulled his face back and looked at me. I turned to look at him, our faces only a few inches apart.

"Well that's good... hopefully that will deter people from trying to take it from you again..." he said softly.

I nodded, now very distracted by having him so close. "Hopefully..." I whispered, as my eyes dropped to his lips.

He moved his mouth closer to mine and all thoughts seemed to leave my head. "Hopefully..." he repeated with a small smirk and I closed the distance between our lips. Kissing him felt like coming up for air after nearly drowning. His lips slowly moved against mine, as if he were trying to savor them.

I broke the kiss and he looked at me with a dazed confusion before I turned around on the fence to face him. He grabbed my waist as he moved between my legs, while the shadows whipped along his shoulders. His lips hovered above mine and the air between us practically hummed.