Chapter 8 Preparation Day
ARIA'S POV
I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine, in a room I didn't remember entering.
My body ached everywhere. The bond with Sebastian pulsed faintly under my skin, a constant reminder that I'd tied myself to a vampire lord forever. Through it, I could feel his emotions somewhere in the palace—cold, distant, and guilty.
So guilty.
"You're awake." Elena sat beside my bed, her eyes red from crying. "You've been unconscious for two days."
"Two days?" I tried to sit up, but my arms shook. "What happened after—"
"After you saved Sebastian's life and bound yourself to him forever?" Elena's voice was sharp with worry. "The court went insane. Morgana tried to kill you right there, but Sebastian stopped her. Then he carried you here and locked the door. Nobody's been allowed in except me and Iris."
I touched my collarbone. The crimson rose mark was still there, but now it glowed brighter, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. "Where is Sebastian?"
"Avoiding you," Elena said bluntly. "Iris says he's been in the war room with Elder Cain and the other lords. Something about the bond you created breaking ancient laws." She grabbed my hand. "Aria, what were you thinking? You saved him, but now you can never leave. If he dies, you die. If you die, he dies. You're trapped."
"I know." My voice came out as a whisper. "But I couldn't watch him die. Even if he's a monster, even if he only wants me for my blood—I couldn't just let Dante kill him."
"Why not?" Elena demanded. "Dante might have been kinder—"
"Dante would have drained me on Christmas morning without hesitation," I interrupted. "At least with Sebastian, there's a chance he actually wants to break the curse, not just use me and throw me away."
Elena opened her mouth to argue, but the door burst open.
Three vampire women swept in, their faces cold and professional. Behind them came Iris, looking worried.
"The First Bride will prepare now," the lead woman announced. "Tomorrow is the presentation ceremony. You must be ready."
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"To meet the court as Lord Sebastian's official bride-to-be." The woman's smile was sharp. "The binding ceremony is in ten days. Until then, you must learn how to behave like a vampire lady, not a common human healer."
They pulled me from the bed before I could protest. Elena tried to follow, but the women blocked her.
"Only the First Bride," one said firmly.
"Aria—" Elena's voice was cut off as they slammed the door.
They dragged me to a bathing chamber filled with steam and the overwhelming smell of roses. The water in the massive tub was pink—rose petals floating on the surface.
"Strip," the lead woman commanded.
My face burned. "I can bathe myself—"
"You are Lord Sebastian's bride. We prepare you according to tradition. Now strip, or we'll do it for you."
I had no choice. I undressed quickly, trying to ignore their critical stares, and sank into the hot water. It should have felt relaxing, but instead, it felt like drowning.
They scrubbed my skin until it was raw, washed my hair three times, and rubbed strange oils into my shoulders that made my mark burn hotter. Through the bond, I felt Sebastian's attention suddenly focus on me, as if he could sense what they were doing.
Then they pulled me out and dressed me in a white gown—silk and lace with silver thread that caught the light. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever worn. And the most terrifying.
"You're the First Bride," one woman explained as she tightened the corset. "Lord Sebastian's chosen. This gown marks you as his property."
"I'm not property," I said through gritted teeth.
The woman's laugh was cruel. "Tell yourself that if it helps you sleep."
They painted my face, braided my hair with silver ribbons, and placed a thin silver circlet on my head. When they finally let me look in the mirror, I barely recognized myself.
I looked like a bride preparing for her wedding.
Or a sacrifice preparing for slaughter.
"Come," the lead woman said. "Lord Sebastian is waiting."
My heart jumped. "He wants to see me?"
"He wants to inspect you. To ensure you're suitable for presentation." She grabbed my arm. "Move."
They led me through winding corridors to a set of massive doors carved with roses and thorns. The guards opened them, and I was pushed inside.
Sebastian stood at a window, his back to me. He wore all black, and even from behind, he radiated power and danger.
"Leave us," he said quietly.
The women bowed and left. The door clicked shut.
We were alone.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Through the bond, I felt his warring emotions—anger, guilt, fear, and something else I couldn't name.
"You look like a bride," he finally said, still not turning around.
"I look like a prisoner in fancy clothes," I corrected.
That made him turn. His ice-blue eyes swept over me, and something flickered in them—surprise, maybe even appreciation. But it was gone quickly, replaced by his usual cold mask.
"Why did you do it?" he asked. "Why save me? You could have let Dante win. He might have been kinder."
"Dante would have killed me in twelve days without a second thought," I said. "You, at least, need me alive."
"Is that the only reason?" Sebastian moved closer, and the temperature dropped. "Or is there another reason you bound yourself to a monster forever?"
I lifted my chin. "Does it matter? It's done. We're stuck with each other now."
"Yes, we are." He was inches away now, studying my face like he was searching for something. "Do you know what happens in ten days? At the binding ceremony?"
"I become your bride," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"You become mine," he corrected. "Not just my bride. Mine. Body, blood, and soul. The bond we created is incomplete—it only connects our life forces. The binding ceremony will complete it. You'll feel everything I feel. Think everything I think. There will be no secrets between us, Aria. No walls. No privacy."
My blood ran cold. "You'll be in my head?"
"And you'll be in mine." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Every dark thought. Every terrible memory. Eight hundred years of death and guilt—you'll feel all of it. And you'll hate me for what I've done."
"Then why complete the ceremony?" I demanded. "If it's so terrible, why not just—"
"Because without it, you'll die." His hand moved to my face, his cold fingers brushing my cheek. "The partial bond is unstable. In ten days, if we don't complete the binding, your body will tear itself apart trying to maintain the connection."
I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. "You're saying I saved your life, but doomed myself?"
"Yes." His thumb traced my cheekbone, and his eyes held such pain it made my chest ache. "I'm sorry, Aria. If I'd known what you were going to do, I would have stopped you. But now we're both trapped."
Before I could respond, the door exploded inward.
Morgana stood there, flanked by a dozen guards. But she wasn't looking at me.
She was looking at Sebastian with pure hatred.
"You told me she was just a tool," Morgana hissed. "You told the court you felt nothing for her. But I can see it, Sebastian. The way you look at her. The way you touch her." Her voice cracked. "I've loved you for two hundred years, and you never looked at me like that. Not once."
Sebastian's hand dropped from my face. "Morgana, leave. Now."
"No." She stepped into the room, her power crackling around her. "Not until you tell the truth. Tell her what you really are, Sebastian. Tell her what you did to the last girl who tried to save you."
My heart stopped. "What is she talking about?"
Sebastian's face had gone pale. Through the bond, I felt his panic, his shame.
"Tell her!" Morgana screamed. "Tell her about Lydia! About how you let her fall in love with you fifty years ago, how you promised to save her, and then you abandoned her to a life of running and hiding because you were too much of a coward to complete the bond!"
"That's not—" Sebastian started.
"Lydia is dead, Sebastian!" Morgana's voice cracked with grief. "She died three days ago. Hunted down and killed by the vampires who wanted to stop her from exposing the truth about the Winter Feast. And you did nothing to save her because you were too busy waiting for your next tool to arrive!"
The room spun. "Lydia is dead?"
"And you'll be next," Morgana said, turning to me with tears in her eyes. "Because Sebastian Thorne doesn't save people, little bride. He uses them. And when he's done, he lets them die."
Through the bond, I felt Sebastian's emotions—and realized with horror that he wasn't denying any of it.
Every word Morgana said was true.