Shadow of the Key | Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 36: Forebode

"Crossing my heart, I'd rather die, than be the needle in your eye."

- Melanie Martinez

Amelia's POV

"Are you positive this is the right cave?" Sebastian asked Amelia as they stand in front of the cave entrance.

She tightened the straps on her thigh that carried her daggers, sporting her black riding attire that she was able to fix up with a quick mending charm, evidence of her splinch long forgotten. "Should be, I've explored most of the caves here during fifth year, but never this one." She secured her ponytail with his green ribbon. "Worst case scenario, we simply backtrack and explore other caves until we find the library. We have about an hour until sunset."

When she glanced over at him, she noticed his intense gaze roaming over her outfit, like he was dying of thirst and needed to drink in every detail.

He was surprisingly wearing black Ashwinder gear accessorized with leather straps, but she didn't question why he had it in his possession when she was too busy admiring it on him.

To be fair, she hadn't stopped admiring him since this morning. While she was initially frustrated that he practically denied her pleasure, especially after their shared moment in the middle of the night, that aggravation dissolved into admiration when she came back to the tent after bathing. There, she discovered a decadent and fluffy strawberry omelette, sprinkled with powdered sugar, waiting for her on the coffee table.

It was the best damn omelette she had ever eaten.

She could recall Sebastian mentioning in his letters that he learned how to cook, but she was still taken aback by how well prepared her breakfast was.

And the fact he thought to bring strawberries for their trip beforehand made her appreciate him more than she did before, if that was even possible.

Amelia also couldn't shake the memory of seeing Sebastian's very detailed bulge in his grey sweatpants. Reliving it made her core tingle.

"Don't get me wrong, you look astounding, but are you not cold?" He asked with a flicker of concern, jerking her out of her lewd thoughts.

She shook her head with a smirk. "I've worn this in the middle of winter with no problem, I assume we'll be in some type of combat anyways. I'm more worried about sweating."

"Hopefully, said combat doesn't consist of spiders or trolls," he grimaced at the memories of fifth year.

She pulled her wand out of her pocket, gripping the white marble handle and peering inside the unknown cavern. "It'd be our luck, wouldn't it?"

"Anything but," he says, retrieving his own wand. He turns to her with a confident smile. "Ready?"

She returns it. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Lumos," he casts. He takes a few hesitant steps closer to the entrance until he turns back to Amelia with a cautious glint in his eyes. "Stay close, darling."

Pretending as if her stomach didn't just do backflips, she follows Sebastian into the dark cavern.

It was nothing but silent, eerie, and dark, with Sebastian's illuminated wand providing any light. The stone walls in the narrow walkway were covered in dirt, dust, and to Amelia's unsettling surprise, streaks of blood. The only sounds that filled the cramped space were their breathing and the echoing of their footsteps against the stone floor.