Derrick

Eleven.

This chapter has 1401 words in it. I made it extra long because I felt bad for not updating yesterday. Updates may or may not be a little sporadic as I get over some things that have happened, but there will definitely be updates. Please be patient with me. I'm sorry for any spelling errors, there was a lot to re-read and check. Thank you for reading!

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As soon as Roy wished me sweet dreams and left, I hurried to my bedside table. I got out a scrap of paper and a pen, and wrote the numbers he'd used to unlock Sebastian's door. 48208.

I shoved the paper under my pillow, in case Roy decided to check on me. I went to my huge closet and looked through the clothes. Sebastian, being a vampire, didn't need any climate control in his room. Because of this, I was sure his room would be very cold. I walked along the racks of clothes, in search of something warmer. I found what I needed at the very back: winter clothes.

I pulled out a white wool sweater, a thick pair of sweatpants, furry boots, and a white hat with a pom pom on the top of it. I hung them on the rack closest to the closet door and left, closing the door behind me. I got into bed and waited. My nerves felt like the ends of exposed wires, so I didn't have to worry about accidentally falling asleep.

I was right; a couple of hours after I got into bed, the doorknob creaked as Roy turned it. I screwed my eyes shut, thankful that I'd borrowed my head into the covers. I heard the gentle whoosh of wind as the door opened, and a faint light brushed my closed eyelids. It stayed like that for a moment, before the door closed again.

The room was silent, and I risked opening an eye. My curtains were still pulled back from earlier in the day, and the moonlight washed my room in a comforting blue glow. Roy was nowhere to be found. A look at the clock deemed it past late; everyone would be asleep. I waited an extra hour, so I could be sure Roy wasn't awake.

The wait was agony. When it was finally time to act, I almost leaped out of my bed. I went to my closet and changed into the warm clothes. I grabbed the paper with the door code on it and shoved it beside my ankle in my boot, and quietly opened the door. I'd been careful to watch the way to my room when Roy and I left, and I cautiously peeked down the long hallway. Nobody was there, and I slowly retraced my steps, thinking backward.

I kept nervously glancing behind me. When I reached the creepy corridor that led to Sebastian, a chill crept up my spine. I worried that the people who were in the cells would be loud and call me out. I was so close to my destination, and because of this, my traitorous brain thought of everything that could go wrong. I took a deep breath and kept walking.

Thankfully, the corridor was as silent as the rest of Roy's palace. Before long, I was in front of the familiar huge door.

I pulled the paper out of my boot and punched the code in. 48208. The lock clicked, and I pulled on the door handle.

It was heavy. I was only able to open it wide enough to squeeze through, and by the time I got the door closed again, I was out of breath. There was a dark chuckle behind me. I whipped around, and was met with Sebastian's silvery gaze.

"Roy wouldn't be pleased," He said. His deep voice held a subtle note of surprise.

"Will you tell him?" I asked. My voice seemed loud and shrill in comparison to his, and worry shot through me. Would anyone be able to hear me outside?

Sebastian grinned; the moonlight from the small window glinted off of his white teeth. It was relatively dark in the room, but his eyes seemed to glow.

"You're lucky the cameras are off at night," He said. I gathered my courage and walked forward. I sat down in front of him on the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked. The chains jingled as he rubbed his wrists against the arms of the chair, a habit I didn't realize he had.

"Why did you come?" He responded. His head tilted slightly, and my heart stuttered.

"I don't know," I admitted.

He leaned forward. He'd had a change of clothes since the last time I was with him, and he looked even closer to his normal painfully beautiful self.

"Will you do me a favor?"

Suspicion settled in my stomach.

"Maybe," I answered. "What is it?"

"I want you to take these chains off of me. Only while you're here."

I shook my head immediately.

"I don't know how." I said as a means of sugarcoating my refusal.

"I'll talk you through it."

"Roy said you needed more time," I argued.

"Roy is a scared child."

I blinked, surprised. Despite what Roy did to Sebastian's kingdom, I thought they were on somewhat okay terms.

"Elizabeth." My name fell off of his lips like satin. "I don't intend to jeopardize my safety here or yours. I only want to be able to stretch when I'm with you."

His words made it harder to think. I knew it was wrong, that it could end in disaster. But as Sebastian silently pleaded with his eyes, something told me that he was being honest. I looked at the door, thinking. Sebastian didn't say anything as I deliberated, which made me believe he was being honest even more. Surely, he would have insisted even further if he wanted to manipulate me.

I thought about how long it would take me to get Roy if Sebastian got out. I was sure there was no way he'd be able to get out of Roy's large kingdom by the time I could wake Roy up.

I stood slowly and made my way to the first set of his chains.

"I can do the second set after you loosen the first." He said. His hair fell over his eyes as he gazed up at me. My heart twisted, and I studied the chains.

"Pull the smaller bit of it towards you," He directed softly. I did as he said, and the chains loosened slightly.

"Tug on these as hard as you can," He murmured. I pulled; it was difficult, but I could see that it was working. The chains pulled back bit by bit, until Sebastian was able to pull his hand through.

"Stop," He ordered quietly. "It will be easier to re-tighten them if you leave it as it is."

Relief flowed through me. So he was being honest.

He repeated my actions with his free hand and got the chains loosened much quicker. When both of his hands were free, he stood and stretched, his bones popping in the process. He let out a breath and sat on the floor in front of the chair, criss-cross style. He gestured to the floor in front of him. I sat.

"We don't have very much time, so I'll need to keep it short. You never came for me," He said. He didn't say it coldly, like he did the last time.

"I couldn't," I whispered. He held up a hand, stopping me.

"But you did get me out. Thank you." His deep voice was a rumbly, warm thing, nothing like the cold and sarcastic voice he used when Roy was around.

"I'm sorry you didn't get out sooner," I said.

He placed his elbows on his knees and rested his head on his hands.

"Can I ask you something?" He murmured. I nodded helplessly.

"Will you come here often? Without him?"

My heart jumped, and I nodded again. There was no way I could refuse. He smiled faintly.

"You need to go. He doesn't sleep long. Come earlier next time, and we can play a game."

In one fluid motion, he stood. He stretched again, slowly, obviously savoring the freedom to do so. Then, he sat down and slipped one of his hands back into its chains. He tightened it as quickly as he'd loosened it, and I stood and walked to his other hand, where he talked me through tightening it. I was sad that I didn't get to spend as much time as I thought I could with him, but I knew he was just being extra cautious.

When his hands were trapped again, I made my way to the door.

"Elizabeth." He called. I turned.

"Yeah?"

"Don't marry him."