Sebastián

f i v e

Cristine

It was raining when I stepped out of the taxi cab. In front of me stood a seemingly abandoned apartment complex, it was as if time hadn't passed. Everything looked the same as if I was still sixteen.

Making my way up the stairs I gingerly knock on the moldy wooden door. I hear several crashes before the door opens. A familiar pair of blue eyes peers through the chain lock.

"Cristine?" She questions, making me automatically smile. I wish I didn't have to leave this place, that I could've stayed in high school, but I couldn't, not while he was here. The door quickly closes before it bursts open again. The witch pulls me into a bone-crushing hug. "Come in, come in" She hurries me inside. I sit down at her rusted kitchen table as she fiddles with the stove. "Tea?"

"Yours is the only kind I can have" I beam at her. Ever since I took one sip of this drink, I fell in love. It tasted of cinnamon and spices, it was heaven in a cup.

"So, what brings you back here?" She asks a small look of worry in her eyes. I watch as the burgundy colored tea is poured into a cup.

"Bralee, I need your help" Her dark eyebrows scrunch together worriedly against her tan skin.

"Did Liam-" She starts before I quickly interrupt her.

"No, no, he's still in jail I think" She audibly sighs in relief. "I have a mate" I admit hesitantly. She nearly drops the tea kettle.

"A what now?" She carefully places the kettle back on the stove before hurrying her way over to the table, sitting directly across from me.

"A mate," I take a deep breath. "I need you to remove his mark" I decide it's not the best idea to tell who my mate is, it might make her unwilling to do it. She'd be executed if anyone were to find out. But I'm not about to let that happen.

"But why?" She reaches across the table to grab my hands. "You can't spend your whole life running..."

"I know...it's just...complicated" I couldn't let her know that I was expected to be Queen for said mate, so it really didn't make sense to her as to why I wanted my mark removed. "Please, at least try?" She solemnly nods before gesturing me to show her the mark. Obeying, I move my hair to the side and show her the now healed mark. I flinch when she touches it, my skin felt like it was sizzling.

"S.S." She slowly reads. "Who's initials are those?" I could feel her breath on my neck, it sent chills down my spine. "I'll do it, but I need a full name in order for the incantation to work." She gives me a pointed look, she knew I was hiding something, something big.

Sighing, I silently pray she isn't educated on her royal names. "Artemi Sebastian Angelo Santos VIII" I mutter under my breath. Sadly, she is in fact informed on supernatural hierarchy.

"WHAT!" She screeches, jumping away from me as if I've burnt her. "You're mated to the Alpha King? Oh no no no honey" She vigorously shakes her head, I felt as If she found out I had a contagious disease, so dramatic.

"Please! You know me, you know I can't be a Queen, please..." I beg, my voice cracking. Rolling her eyes she sighs and relents.

"Fine" She hurried to her cabinets and mixes many different spices together. She pulls out a white flower that looks slightly ominous, but I decide not to bother her with annoying questions, she looked too concentrated. Dipping her fingers in the powder, she presses them to my mark.

"This is going to hurt" She gives me one last chance to back out but I straighten my spine, telling her to do it. Closing her eyes and raising her head to the heavens she starts muttering words in a familliar language. "Você está livre da mordida que te prende" She mutters, "a partir deste momento, você é obrigado a ninguém" It was Portuguese. How does everyone know Portuguese?