Pain & Pleasure

Part 10: Aftermath

For that split, confusing second when you just wake up, Esmeralda thought she was outside, somewhere dark, right underneath the thundering cloud. A second after she remembered she's incarcerated in the dungeon, and there's no way any outside sound could ever reach her.

These thundering sounds became louder and louder, alarming Esmeralda greatly. She didn't dare to move, in fact, she could not once she realized that it must be guards coming to execute her.

Everything banged and clanged around her making her cower into a little ball of desperation, trying not to scream out of terror.

The heavy door opened bashing into the wall before she heard heavy, rapid footsteps closing in on her. She couldn't help but whimper when the doors of her cell were slid open in one motion, the clanging of metals bars painfully echoing in her head.

Someone entered the cell and crouched next to her and Esmeralda felt strong arms wrapping around her petite frame, picking her up.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, expecting to be dragged out by her hair, just the way she was brought here yesterday, but instead she was met by some familiar embrace.

In the split second a million butterflies stormed in her stomach at the thought that it could be him... She just has to look and see for herself.

That's what she did, and was met by an unmistakable pair of burgundy glimmer. She didn't see his face because of the blind darkness, but she didn't need to. She knew it was Sebastian.

"Sebastian..." she whispered, feeling his grip tighten on her.

"It's me." he breathed out and Esmeralda shuddered, hearing mad yet contained odium in his voice.

She didn't say anything anymore; she didn't want to hear how did he get here yet – she just wanted to be held by him because that's when she felt safest. Literally, she felt so comfortable in so many ways while he held her – nothing could replace it.

After what seemed like a moment, Esmeralda felt something soft and cushy under her back and realized she was just laid into bed.

Sebastian's bed.

For a moment they just gazed at each other; it seemed like Sebastian was trying so hard not to break anything, what probably was exactly what he was doing.

Suddenly, he seemed lost. "A-Are you alright? Are you hurting?"

It dawned on Esmeralda that it's the first time she's seeing him so worried.

"I'm... alright." she replied feebly. "How did you—"

"Please, don't bother talking." Sebastian said before grasping her pale hand into his. "I'll make everything right."

He then set his sorry eyes into Esmeralda's, and a moment after laid his tuft of black curly hair on her chest. "Your heartbeat calms me."

Immediately, Esmeralda felt blood rush to her cheeks, rendering her, you could say, ecstatic. He cuddled in softly before she ran her hand into his curls, as if two puzzle pieces fitting together.

And just like that, they fell asleep, bathing in the presence of each other.

~

Sebastian sat up, his palms sinking in the mattress on the both sides of still soundly asleep Esmeralda.

It's almost dawn - Sebastian ought to do what he planned with that trash of a vampire Nix bitch. The younger one is dead already, at the hands of an angel sleeping right next to him.

He'd not yet decided what to do with the head of the Nix clan, Archibald. It seemed to Sebastian that he was innocent, at least partly, while his whore of a wife corrupted God knows how many of his servants and workers right under his nose.