Two Steps From Hell | Sebastian Michaelis

Her Butler, Displeased

Ana woke quite early the next morning. The sun still hadn't risen yet but she felt so refreshed. She opened her eyes only to find Sebastian sitting on the bed staring at her.

"Oh... Well, this isn't creepy at all," she said sarcastically but also not sarcastically.
"Good morning, my dear," he smiled. "You slept well."
Her brows furrowed slightly. "Were you... Were you watching me sleep?"
"Yes. I find it to be rather therapeutic."
She sighed and sat up. "Well, I rather it be you than..." She didn't complete her sentence.
He tilted his head slightly. "Than who?"
"Nothing," she shook her head before climbing out of bed. "So, I was thinking about serving scones for breakfast with-."

Before she could even take a finish, Sebastian grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to his lap. She peered at him, his hair falling over his face slightly. There was a serious look in his eyes and his expression showed that he was in no mood for small talk.

"I want to know more about you, Anastasia," he spoke softly. "You told me before that there's so much to learn about your past. I want to know everything."
She avoided his gaze. "Uh... I don't think there's time."
He pulled out his pocket watch and clicked it open. "It's precisely 5:24am. The master is not due to wake for another hour and a half yet." Closing his watch, he returned it to its pocket. "That's enough time for you to at least tell me who used to watch you sleep."
She looked up at him and shook her head. "I don't think I should..."
"Anastasia." He gently cupped her cheek. "I won't allow you to leave until you tell me."
She pouted softly. "You just love getting your own way, don't you?"
He smirked. "That I do." He gently held her waist with his other arm around the curve of her back. "I want the full story."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and breathed out. "It was only one time. When I was working as a journalist, I had the opportunity to write a two page spread on Queen Victoria and her life after her husband's death. I was invited to stay the weekend at Buckingham Palace, which I obviously accepted." She lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "Queen Victoria's personal aide, Ash Landers, seemed quite standoffish when I first arrived there. I wanted to interview him as well but he would always avoid me, so I simply dropped it. After my first night there, I woke in the morning to find him sitting beside my bed. I don't know how long he had been watching me but I was quite upset about it." She felt his hand gently squeeze her waist but he remained silent. "He, uh... He had this weird expression on his face. When I asked him to leave, he said he would give me anything I asked for if I gave him something in return."
"What did he ask for?" he asked stiffly even though he had already figured it out.
She buried her face into the crook of his neck. "He wanted me to give myself to him."

Sebastian closed his eyes and breathed out deeply. After everything she had suffered in her life, she was subjected to such an atrocity by the aide of the queen no less. It angered him so greatly that he couldn't help but chuckle evilly. He placed his hand over his face and laughed coldly causing Ana to lift her head and look at him in confusion. She knew he wasn't laughing because he found it amusing. There was something hellishly frightening about it. He moved his hand away to reveal his demonic eyes and a devilish smirk but he didn't look at her.

"What happened after that?" he asked.
She began to hesitate. "He... I mean, uh... I... I said no and refused to stay at the palace for a moment longer and that I didn't care to write the article." She continued to look at his face as his hand clenched into a fist. "I was scared so I grabbed my things and ran. Straight after that I lost my job because Ash had the power to control the company. He also made it so that I was unable to land a job anywhere else. That... That's how I ended up living on the street..."

Sebastian didn't speak. If Ana hadn't been sitting on his lap, he would have already killed Ash Landers by now. Ana could feel a dark aura around him and the atmosphere of the room had become dense. She gently placed her hand over his first and held it.