Chapter 10 Sebastian's Cold Gaze
SEBASTIAN'S POV
The moment the execution chamber doors closed behind Aria, something inside me snapped.
For eight hundred years, I'd controlled myself. I'd buried every emotion, every desire, every hint of weakness. I'd become the cold, perfect lord the court needed me to be.
But watching them drag her away to die—feeling her terror through our bond like knives in my chest—destroyed every wall I'd built.
"Let. Me. Go." My voice came out as a growl that made the vampires holding me flinch.
"Sebastian, calm down," Elder Cain said. "The law is clear—"
"I don't care about the law!" Power exploded from me, throwing the five vampires backward. They crashed into pillars, groaning.
The entire throne room fell silent.
I turned to face the court, and I knew what they saw—the monster I'd kept locked away for centuries, finally unleashed. Ice spread across the floor from where I stood. The chandeliers overhead shook.
"Anyone who touches her dies," I said quietly. "Starting with you, Morgana."
Morgana stepped back, but her smile didn't fade. "You'd kill your own court for a human? You've gone mad."
"No." I moved toward her, and vampires scattered from my path. "I've finally woken up. You want to know the truth about the Winter Feast? About why I've performed that ritual for eight hundred years?"
Through my rage, I felt Aria's confusion through the bond. She was listening somehow, still connected to me even in the execution chamber below.
"I was cursed," I continued, my voice carrying to every corner of the room. "The night I killed the rebels who murdered my family, their leader—a blood witch—cursed me. Every Winter Feast, I must drain a bride or die. For eight centuries, I've been your executioner because I had no choice."
Gasps echoed through the throne room. Even Elder Cain looked shocked.
"But Aria's blood broke the curse," I said. "For the first time in eight hundred years, I felt something other than death. And you want me to kill her for that? To go back to being your monster?"
"The law against Sanguine blood exists for a reason," Elder Cain argued. "Those bonds threatened our entire society—"
"Those bonds threatened your power," I interrupted. "The truth is, the Winter Feast ritual was never necessary. It was a method of control. A way to keep the noble houses dependent on blood sacrifice instead of finding alternatives."
Morgana's face went pale. "You can't prove that."
"Can't I?" I pulled a rolled parchment from my coat—documents Kieran had found in the ancient archives three days ago. "These are the original laws, written before the ritual began. The Winter Feast was meant to be a celebration, not an execution. The blood sacrifice was added later by nobles who wanted to maintain power over humans."
I threw the parchment at Elder Cain's feet. "You've all been lying for centuries. And I've been your willing tool because I was too broken to question it."
The throne room erupted in chaos. Vampires shouted at each other, some demanding proof, others calling for my arrest.
Through it all, I felt Aria's emotions—her shock, her hope, her fear. They were taking her deeper underground. I could feel her getting farther away.
I had minutes at most before they killed her.
"Sebastian." Celeste's voice cut through the noise. My stepmother stood beside Morgana, looking smug. "Even if everything you say is true, it doesn't change the fact that Aria is illegal. Sanguine blood is forbidden. Execute her, and we can discuss reforming other laws later."
Something about her tone made my blood freeze. "What did you call yourself?"
"What?" Celeste blinked.
"You said 'my stepmother.' But you introduced yourself to Elder Cain as Celeste Thornwell." I moved closer, studying her face. "Thornwell was Aria's father's name. Which means..."
My voice trailed off as the pieces clicked together. The way she'd known about Aria's bloodline. The way she'd arranged for Aria's selection. The hatred in her eyes when she looked at her stepdaughter.
"You're not just Aria's stepmother," I said slowly. "You married into the Thornwell family specifically to get close to Aria's mother, didn't you? To learn about the Sanguine bloodline?"
Celeste's smile faltered.
"Who sent you?" I demanded. "Who's been hunting Sanguine descendants?"
"That's ridiculous—"
I grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground. "Who. Sent. You."
"Sebastian!" Elder Cain shouted. "Release her!"
But I'd already seen the answer in Celeste's terrified eyes. I dropped her and turned to face the one vampire in the room who'd been suspiciously quiet during my revelation.
Prince Dante stood near the throne, his expression carefully neutral.
"It was you," I said. "You've been hunting Sanguine descendants for decades. Your sister was executed for being one—you've been trying to eradicate the entire bloodline ever since."
Dante's mask finally cracked. "They killed my sister for falling in love. Executed her in front of the entire court as an example. Yes, I've been hunting every last Sanguine descendant. And I'll continue until they're extinct."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Because as long as they exist, the court has an excuse to murder anyone who threatens their power!" Dante's voice shook with rage. "Don't you see, Sebastian? The law against Sanguine bonds was created specifically to prevent vampires from choosing love over duty. They want us cold. Empty. Controllable."
He pointed at me. "And you were their perfect weapon—the broken lord who would never question orders. But then Aria woke you up, and now you're dangerous to them."
Through the bond, I felt Aria's horror. She'd heard everything.
Elder Cain's voice turned cold. "Lord Dante, you admit to orchestrating the selection of multiple Winter Feast brides?"
"I admit to trying to save our kind from repeating history," Dante shot back. "Every Sanguine descendant I found, I made sure they were selected. Let the ritual drain them before they could form forbidden bonds."
My hands shook with rage. "How many? How many brides did you send to their deaths?"
"Fifteen over the past century," Dante said calmly. "Including Lydia three days ago. She was going to expose everything, so I had her hunted down and killed."
The throne room exploded. Vampires loyal to Dante drew weapons. Those horrified by his confession backed away.
And through it all, I felt Aria's life force dimming. They'd reached the execution chamber. They were preparing to kill her.
"This ends now," I said. Power flooded through me—not just my own, but Aria's too, flowing through our bond. Golden light mixed with ice-blue energy, creating something the court had never seen before.
I vanished from the throne room in a burst of speed, heading for the execution chamber.
But I wasn't fast enough.
The moment I crashed through the chamber doors, I saw Aria strapped to a stone altar. A vampire executioner stood over her, ceremonial blade raised high.
And Morgana stood in the corner, chanting words that made reality itself bend.
"Too late, Sebastian," she called. "I've activated the blood seal. If you try to save her, the spell will kill you both. You have to choose—your life or hers."
Through our bond, Aria's thoughts reached me clearly for the first time: Choose yourself. Live. Please.
The executioner's blade began to fall.