Page 11 of Born Chaos

I shove him back, satisfied that I make him stagger back two steps. “When are you going to remember the fact that I’m a vampire, Sebastian? I survived on my own as a weak, five-foot-three human for twenty-eight years. You can’t lock me up in a pretty penthouse and expect me just to be the happy, safe little wife.”

“Sebastian,” Roman’s voice cuts through the noise in the club. I look over and see him standing just three feet away. His hands are in his pockets, but I’ve done enough reckless things with him to recognize the ready set of his shoulders, the danger that’s building in his hands. “You’re being an ass.”

“Stay the hell out of this, Roman!” Sebastian bellows, his eyes brightening as he glares at the man. “This is between me and my fiancée.”

A realization chills me instantly.

“How did you know where I was?” I ask, my voice going quieter and flat. “You were just at work. You only left just over an hour ago. How did you know I was here, Sebastian?”

His expression hardens as he looks back at me. His lips are set in a thin line, and he breathes hard enough, his nostrils flare slightly.

“Are you tracking me?” I ask flatly.

“Why the hell did you book a flight to Kansas?” he asks, his tone more controlled.

I stare at Sebastian in utterly shocked silence.

One heartbeat. Two. Three. A thousand.

“Why did you book a flight to Kansas?” Sebastian asks again, his tone sounding slightly defeated.

“Sebastian,” Roman says again. And even though it’s loud in here, and even though there are dozens of people around, talking, laughing, I hear his footsteps as he steps forward. He grabs Sebastian by the shoulders and backs him away from me. “We have a Council meeting in an hour. Maybe we should go now.”

The red in Sebastian’s eyes fades away, and instead, they’re welled heavy.

We stare at each other, shock, hurt, and uncertainty filling the space. But I’m frozen. Completely grounded and chilled to the bone.

“Come on,” Roman says calmly. He never removes his hands from Sebastian, as if he’s prepared, just in case, for Sebastian to make a quick move. Sebastian holds my gaze over his shoulder as Roman guides him toward the door. And through the crowd, I watch him go. And then they both disappear out the door.

I just stand there for a good five minutes. What… what just happened? How… how did I suddenly end up here? And what does it mean for the future?

I can’t answer any of those questions. Because right now, I feel kind of shell-shocked. I feel numb.

So, on clumsy feet, I slowly wander back through the club. But as I reach the door, I don’t know where to tell my feet to go. Home? To the place Sebastian gave me. To a place I’m not sure I trust right now? To Elena’s, to cry my eyes out? No, she’ll be at that Council meeting. Sigrid’s. No, she’ll be at the meeting too.

As a woman walks by with a group of her friends, I slip my cell phone into her purse. I watch as she continues on her way, unaware that she’s carrying a new device, a device I can’t trust right now.

Instead of walking out the doors, I turn back around. I look closer as I wander back into the club.

There’s a set of stairs that leads to the upper levels of the club. Three levels of balconies circle the entire open space. But from there, I see another set of stairs rise to a single door.

I take those stairs. There’s a door there, painted black, barely visible, to be honest, in the low light. I try the doorknob, and to my surprise, I find it unlocked.

I pull it open and step inside.

I step right into a cozy living room. Everything is black, from the walls, to the floor, to the furniture. There’s a small kitchen off of it, tidy and organized. I walk through the space, feeling something in me calm. Despite its dark and moody nature, there’s something… soothing about it.

Through the living room, I cross to the singular door. I push it open and step into a bedroom.

It matches the rest of the cozy apartment, all black and not overly large. There’s a wide window that looks out at the city, but there’s nothing ostentatious about it—glittering lights and street views.

Another door shows the way to a bathroom, but there’s nothing but a bed in this room.

It smells like Roman. I remember someone saying that he lives here at the club. This is his space. His home. The place he spends time alone.

It fits. Dark. Brooding. But… stable. Secure.

Moisture wells in my eyes, and my throat gets tight. I squeeze my eyes closed for a moment, recalling Sebastian’s anger. His demands.

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