Into The Flames (Sebastian x Reader)

Proof of Loyalty

Ciel Phantomhive didn't even spare me a glance as I sat down at the table. His gaze remained focused on the paper in front of him, his eyes trailing back and forth across each line of typeset, as he absentmindedly took a sip from a teacup at the end of every paragraph.

Sebastian silently set down a plate in front of me, and as the smells of the hard boiled egg and pastry reached my nose, I realized that I was absolutely famished. My stomach growled in the quiet of the room, but I refrained myself from reaching for the food until Sebastian had set down a teacup in front of me, full to the brim with steaming liquid.

I nodded to him as he stepped away from the table to stand behind his master's chair, and then, unable to contain myself any longer, grabbed the pastry from the plate, stuffing some of the flaky bread into my mouth. It was all I could do not to let out a moan of pleasure as the croissant melted away on my tongue, leaving a hint of sweetness behind, clinging to my lips and teeth.

I took another bite and this time, I was met with a sharp contrast of flavor. What was it? It took me a moment of thoughtful chewing before it clicked. Lemon. There was lemon custard filling the inside of the pastry. And I realized, in the same moment, that I had eaten these as a child, before ...well, before everything.

"You eat like a starving dog."

The boy's pitched voice drew me away from the deliciousness of the baked good before me, and as I flicked my gaze up to his, which still hadn't left the paper in front of him, I thought about sticking my tongue out at him for just a brief moment, before I decided on saying nonchalantly, my voice flat, "Did you know that a starving dog can rip the flesh from a human corpse in just under five minutes? Terrifying, isn't it?"

His gaze lifted to mine for the briefest of moments and I flashed him a smirk, watching as anger flickered briefly across his face before he returned to his paper.

I stuffed the rest of the pastry into my mouth and then wiped the crumbs from my chin and dress as I reached for the teacup, feeling satisfied that I had fully annoyed him for the first time of many today. Taking a sip of the still steaming tea, I was caught off guard by the rich flavor of the drink. This wasn't normal tea. This was something else entirely.

Sebastian must have noted my minute facial expressions after my first sip, because he volunteered in a perfectly clipped voice, "Do you like the tea, my lady? The leaves have been brought in personally for my young lord from the fields of India."
I set the cup down in its saucer, the china rattling a bit, and glanced over at Sebastian, who still stood unmoving behind the kid. "It's a little rich for my taste."

I hoped the brat had caught my jibe behind the uttered words.

As if on cue, he let out a long sigh and finally laid the paper down in front of him, folding it neatly as he did so. His one eye met mine and we stared each other down for a moment, practically daring the other to look away first.

After a long moment, he spoke, his voice short, his fingers drumming impatiently on the newsprint in front of him. "Enough chit chat. You will prove yourself to me tonight. I want to make sure that I haven't entered into a contract with an incompetent."

I snorted under my breath. "Chit chat? Odd choice of words." I leaned back in my chair, watching him intensely, as I reached for the boiled egg. "I don't need to prove myself to anyone, and especially not to you. You know what I'm capable of, or you wouldn't have sought me out. You came to me, remember?"

The boy ignored my goading, leaning toward me and lowering his voice to a dangerous level as he said, "Watch yourself. You're under my command until our contract is fulfilled. Don't forget that."
I rolled the boiled egg between my gloved fingers as I studied him for a moment, his uncovered eye never leaving my own, before I finally chuckled dryly and said, "Fine. I always honor my word. But I will never bow before you, little boy. You are not my master. Don't you forget that." I stopped the motions of the egg, our glares sending daggers between us, before I continued, "Now. Tell me what you need me to do."

Ciel sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze dark and once again unreadable as he announced, "We're holding a ball here. Tonight. At Phantomhive Manor." He motioned for Sebastian, and the butler stepped forward, bowing slightly as he handed me an invitation on heavily embossed parchment.

I skimmed the words etched in gold ink.

'Cordially invited.....Phantomhive Manor.....Lady Bellamy's Debut.....London Season.....'

I glanced up at the boy, who was watching me silently from across the table, the pieces clicking into place in my head as I rubbed the thick paper of the invitation between my fingers. "A ball. To announce your dear cousin." I flicked the invite across the table to him and he caught it nimbly in his fingers. "I'm guessing there's a certain guest you'd like me to entertain more than the others?"

He handed the invitation back to Sebastian, who tucked it out of sight inside his suit coat, and then said, "You catch on quickly. Yes. Lord Nicholas Irvine. Sebastian." The kid's voice changed to an order as he said the butler's name.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian leaned forward, putting another piece of paper into the boy's outstretched hand.

Ciel flipped the paper back over the table to me. I caught it easily and glanced down at the man in the photograph. He was imposing, tall, mid thirties, perfectly groomed and coiffed hair and mustache. I could tell by the suit he wore that he was ridiculously wealthy. And his eyes, dark, hard, holding an edge, a secret.

"Irvine is operating a certain drug cartel within the shadows of London. I need information from him on his operation. It's a piece in the bigger puzzle."

I flicked the photo of the man between my fingers, not really looking at what I was doing, lost in my thoughts for a moment before I spoke again. "Easy enough. I'll get him alone. Lower his defenses. And then I'll get him to spill the info."

I looked over to Ciel as he reclined back in his chair once again, his dark hair falling over his blue eye, blocking my gaze from his as he said, "Good. Sebastian will be nearby if you should run into any trouble."

I laughed slightly, dropping the photograph onto the table in front of me as I stood from my chair. When I spoke, amusement dripped from my words. "Trust me, young lord, I can take care of myself."

I glanced over at Sebastian briefly, and noted that his crimson eyes were focused on me, even though he still remained like a statue behind the chair of his master. I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything, our gazes locked for several brief seconds, before I turned to leave the dining room.

"Remember." Ciel's voice called out after me, causing me to stop for a moment in my tracks, my hand on the door knob into the hallway. "This is a test. And I don't like to be disappointed."

I felt a sneer cross my lips as I glanced over my shoulder to meet his piercing gaze. "Oh, trust me, my lord." I held up my hand, spreading my fingers to show him the photograph placed neatly between them. "I'll give Nicholas Irvine a very warm welcome. Something he'll never forget."

With one swift movement, I brought my other hand up, the butterknife from the table clenched in my fist, and nailed the photo of the Nicholas Irvine to the door in front of me, the blade piercing directly between his two perfectly manicured eyebrows with a hollow thud.

Then, without looking back, I left the room, shutting the door behind me on the two men.

A humorless smile lifted the corners of my lips as I walked down the dark corridor.

Yes, Nicholas Irvine was going to receive all of the Lady Bellamy's attentions.

And when the gloves came off, I would make sure as hell that he regretted it.