Chapter 129
Lirael
Sebastian blocked the attack with his thigh, his expression shifting to something almost amused. "Is that the best you've got?"
"Fuck you," I spat, still struggling against his hold even though we both knew it was pointless.
"You already did," he said softly, and the reminder sent a bolt of heat through me that I absolutely hated. "And you were so perfect for me, weren't you? So desperate and needy and—"
"Let. Me. Go." Each word came out through clenched teeth, and I channeled every ounce of authority I had into my voice.
Sebastian just smiled, slow and predatory. "Make me."
"I believe the lady asked you to release her, Sebastian."
Damian's voice cut through the tension like a knife. Sebastian's head whipped around, his body still caging mine against stone, and I saw Damian standing at the edge with violence promised in his carefully controlled tone.
For one heartbeat, nobody moved. Then Sebastian's grip on my wrists loosened fractionally, though he didn't actually release me.
"Damian." Sebastian's voice was deceptively casual. "Interesting timing. Were you watching, or did someone send you?"
"Does it matter?" Damian took a step closer, his eyes flashing gold. "Let her go. Now."
Sebastian's thumb pressed harder against my throat, making my pulse flutter against his skin in a way that was humiliatingly obvious. "And if I don't? Going to challenge me for her, Gray?"
The air between them crackled with pre-violence tension. Damian's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his wolf rising to meet Sebastian's challenge.
"She's my employee," Damian said, his voice dropping to something dangerous. "More than that—she's someone under my protection. You will let her go."
Sebastian's smile turned cruel. "Your employee? Is that what you're calling it?" He leaned in closer to me, his lips brushing my ear in a way that made me shudder. "Tell him, Lirael. Tell Damian exactly what you are to me."
"Fuck you," I spat, still struggling uselessly against his hold.
Sebastian's laugh was low and dark. He finally released my wrists, but before I could move, he turned to face Damian fully, positioning himself between us.
"You want to know what she is?" Sebastian asked, his voice carrying across the garden. "She's mine. My mark is on her throat. My blood is in her veins. She saved my life with her body, and that bond doesn't break just because she runs away and plays corporate executive for two months."
"Sebastian—" Damian started, taking another step forward.
"No." Sebastian's eyes flashed full gold. "You don't get to interfere with this. You don't get to play white knight and pretend you're saving her from the big bad wolf when we both know she came to me willingly that night."
Damian's expression darkened. "She came to save your life, not to—"
"To what?" Sebastian interrupted. "To give herself to me? To let me claim her in every way that matters?" His smile was vicious. "But she did. And now she's trying to pretend it meant nothing."
I'd heard enough. I used Sebastian's distraction to dart around him, putting distance between myself and both men. My hands were shaking and my lip was still bleeding and I could feel bruises forming on my wrists, but I was free.
"Both of you shut the fuck up," I said, my voice sharp enough to cut through their posturing. "I'm not a prize for you to fight over. I'm not anyone's property."
I looked at Sebastian, putting every ounce of steel I had into my voice. "I saved your life because I didn't want your death on my conscience. That's it. We're done."
Sebastian's expression shifted to something calculating. "Are we?" He took a step toward me, and I retreated instinctively. "Because from where I'm standing, you're still running. Still lying to yourself. Still pretending you didn't feel anything that night."
"The only thing I felt was relief that I'd never have to see you again," I shot back, even though we both knew it was a lie.
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. Then, faster than I could track, he moved. His hand shot out and caught my wrist again, pulling me toward him with enough force that I stumbled.
"Sebastian!" Damian lunged forward, but Sebastian was already moving, hauling me against his chest with one arm while his other hand went to my throat—not choking, just holding.
"Stay back," Sebastian warned Damian, his voice dropping to something feral. "Unless you want to find out exactly how far I'm willing to go."
"Let her go," Damian demanded, but I could see the calculation in his eyes, the way he was measuring the distance, trying to figure out if he could reach me before Sebastian did something we'd all regret.
"No." Sebastian's grip tightened fractionally. "I'm done letting her run."
Before anyone could react, he shifted his hold, bending down and throwing me over his shoulder in one fluid movement. I let out a startled yelp, my fists immediately pounding against his back.
"Put me down! Sebastian, you fucking—"
"Damian, I wouldn't," Sebastian said calmly, even as I struggled against him. I could feel his other hand pressed against the back of my thighs, holding me in place with embarrassing ease. "Unless you want this to get messy."
"You can't just—" Damian started forward, but Sebastian's eyes flashed with something deadly.
"Watch me." Sebastian started walking toward the garden's side exit, carrying me like I weighed nothing despite my continued struggles. "She's mine, Gray. She was always mine. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be for everyone."
"Sebastian!" I beat my fists against his back harder, trying to use my magic, but he must have anticipated it because his hand moved to press against the small of my back in a way that disrupted my focus. "You can't do this! There are people—Damian, do something!"
But Damian had stopped pursuing, his expression dark with barely controlled rage. I saw him pull out his phone, his fingers moving quickly across the screen even as Sebastian carried me further away.
"Don't worry, baby," Sebastian murmured, loud enough for Damian to hear. "We have a lot to discuss. Two months' worth of conversations, in fact."
We reached the garden's side exit where a sleek black car waited, engine already running. A man I recognized as Marcus stood by the open back door, his expression carefully neutral even as I continued to struggle.
"Let me go!" I demanded, twisting in Sebastian's grip. "You can't just kidnap me in front of—"
"I already did," Sebastian said calmly. He deposited me into the back seat with enough force that I bounced slightly, then slid in beside me before I could scramble for the opposite door. The locks engaged with a decisive click.