Under Your Scars || Sebastian Sallow x MC

Chapter 32 - Curiosity Killed Sebastian

Sebastian POV

I awoke out of breath, disoriented and drained from running. My heart was thumping so loudly I could feel my pulse pounding in my head.

I had been running for ages on a winding path through the castle. I kept running and running through an endless barrage of tunnels and staircases leading to nowhere, never reaching any destination.

I untangled myself from the blankets and sat up in bed, trying to cool the sweat I was covered in.

Strange dream, I suppose.

I shook it off as a side effect of suppressing my dreams with potions for nearly two years.

Oh no.

My heart skipped a beat at the realization that Juliette and I had fallen asleep without taking our potions. My beautiful girl was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. And since I was the pillow, I had also forgotten all about our potions.

I looked down at the curse-breaker beside me. There were no words in the universe to describe how effortlessly beautiful she was, even asleep. Her head was tilted to one side, her perpetually-rosy lips slightly parted. The soft brown hair I had haphazardly braided lay on the pillow behind her head. She insisted that I had braided it beautifully, but I was not so convinced. 

She appeared to be peacefully asleep, her breaths slow and deep. I did not have the heart to wake her, the only reason being to give her a potion. Four goblin-silver rings still adorned her slender, delicate fingers. If she were visited by any nightmares, at least she would be safe.

My gaze lingered on the ribbon of smooth flesh around her neck, something it never did while she was awake. My vision blurred as I imagined all the terrible ways she could have acquired such a mark.

My sweet Juliette...

I shook the images away and swung my legs out of bed, knowing I would not be able to fall asleep again. I thought to mill about the room, perhaps take a stroll through the vivariums to clear my head. 

The bed creaked under me as I pushed myself off of it, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty behind me. I left my wand on the nightstand, as casting lumos would have also risked waking her. 

I donned a pair of pajama pants to combat the chill in the air. My darling Juliette had conjured a small wardrobe with spare clothes for me, should I spend the night more regularly in the future. 

The Room was eerily silent and I looked to the ceiling. It no longer portrayed a light rain but instead a clear night sky. Beams of moonlight streamed in through the grand floor-to-ceiling windows and cast long shadows across the marble floor. 

Thank Merlin.

I never got up the courage to tell Juliette that the rain sickened me, especially when she raved about how much she fancied it. It seemed to bring her so much peace.

I crossed the short distance to the stairs, passing the heavy curtain obscuring Juliette's office space. I noted a faint sliver of light peaking out from the gap between the curtain and the wall.

I decided it would be responsible to investigate, ensure that it was not a candle that had been left burning. I had never set foot in her office, but I would have hated to be responsible for actually burning the place down. Even if it had nothing to do with my completely reasonable, not-in-any-way-excessive use of candles. 

I drew back the curtain, expecting to find a cute, cozy office filled with books, knitting projects, and trinkets from her adventures. 

Instead, I found bedlam.