A Ballad of Snakes and Shadows // A Dark Sebastian Sallow Romance

Chapter Forty Six: Long & Lost

(tw: hangover consequences - sickness, mentions of vomitting and bad choices.)

Snow fell slowly, laying neatly on a head of dark curls. Each one seemed to be placed with great care and intention as they littered his hair. I couldn't help but watch them, transfixed on how they danced from the sky and landed so gently, so beautifully, on Sebastian.

I couldn't bring myself to look at his eyes, only at the hair.

But I could feel his gaze, I could feel the intensity in it. If I met his eyes, I knew that I would melt just as the snowflakes in his hair eventually did.

He was hot, like hellfire, and I was just another kindling provided to help stoke the flames.

"Hyacinth," I could feel his breath against my face, but his voice sounded so far away. Like it didn't belong to him.

"Look at me." He said, repeating my name once more.

But I was afraid to. I felt a sense of dread in my chest as he demanded my stare again and I didn't understand why.

Why was I scared to meet his gaze when I had challenged him so many times before?

My stomach turned as his fingers grabbed my chin. But I willed my eyes to stay in place.

Another snowflake, and another. One, two, three -

"Look at me, Hyacinth." His voice was closer, and on instinct, my eyes snapped to his.

It was all flames and heat, all passion and grief. It was everything I hated, everything I wanted to avoid.

Yet it was everything I ever wanted.

The dreams that were brought on by indulging in too much alcohol were enough to have me running for the toilet. I wanted to vomit up the poisonous thoughts, the ones that threatened to undo the carefully laid line I was now putting between Sebastian and I.

All I had vomited up was chunks of regret and worry.

I wiped my mouth, groaning as I slowly sunk onto the floor of the bathroom. I'd hoped that the cool tile of the floor would help soothe it, but I was very wrong. Instead it reminded me that all actions had consequences, and last night's escapades had resulted in a bitter taste left in my mouth and a splitting migraine.

It did nothing to quell the despair I felt, the grief, the anger.

Belilah's deceit, August's assault, Erebus' charming smile, and all of Sebastian's lies.

Every bit of those things became additives to the headache and the irritation of my barely settled stomach. They only urged me to seek out a tonic or two from Nurse Blainey.

A trip to the Hospital Wing would help me wake up from that lingering nightmare, and hopefully get rid of the swimmingly painful ache in my head.

┌─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐    

I had apparently slept the entire day away, I noticed as I walked back up the stairs towards the Room of Requirement. The moon was bright as it filtered in from the windows, and the sight of it on the blanket of snow across the grounds brought me back to the memories of last night.

As I picked through them, a few things became very clear to me which each step I took up the stairs.

One, August and Belilah were not to be trusted under any circumstance.