Hellbound Heart

Time seemed to stop for a long while as they locked eyes with each other. Sebastian stilled in his movements while Elle blinked up at him. She could not react for quite some time as she was still bleary with sleep and her eyes were still unable to fully focus.

But then suddenly, she violently scooted back, grabbed the white wolf in her retreat from Sebastian. Even as she was struggling to even lift half of the massive wolf's body, Elle still insisted on bringing him along with her as she continued moving back and away from the figure that had suddenly appeared in her room.

Elle quickly reached for the lamp behind her and turned the lights on. Her other hand was protectively wrapped around Snow's neck.

Once the dark room had been lit up by the warm glow of that single lamp, Elle stiffened at the sight that welcomed her. Speak of the devil.

"S-Sebastian…?" she muttered under her breath, her eyes stretched wide as she looked up at him. She was still not quite believing what her eyes was seeing. Perhaps it was because she had been expecting him to come for so many days, but he still had not come. But now that he was here, it was as though she was seeing a vision.

The man was just standing there, tall and darkly handsome, and imposing as ever. He might as well be the life model of some dark evil prince from a fictional fantasy book right now. His looks and the aura surrounding him was just too perfect for it!

His intense grey eyes held her own for a long while before those breathtaking orbs moved down before blazing with even more intensity. She wondered what was it that he seemed to be so upset about and followed his gaze down, only to notice that his eyes were locked onto her arm that was currently curled around Snow's neck.

"Let go of that wolf. Now." Came his commanding yet calm voice. No, to be more precise, Elle was aware that he only sounded calm. That voice was enough to send goosebumps sprouting all over her body. That did not seem to bode well for her. Thus, she stiffened her back and opened her mouth…

"No." Came Elle's firm reply. Now that she had recovered from the shock and bleariness of just waking up from sleep, everything from the past few days came rushing back to her. Her current situation. The fact that he had kept her confined here in the dark for five days straight without even saying anything at all. Now he was suddenly back and looking like he had been dragged through hell.

To think that his first words to her as soon as he returned was this! Elle felt the aching lump in her throat already. Good lord… she had practiced so many times on her own, while not knowing what else to do in her confinement to her room, that she was to lash out at him as soon as she saw him. But… now that he was here, before her in the flesh… this lump in her throat was tighter, more painful than she had ever imagined. If she spoke up now, she might… she might just break down and cry.

"Listen to me and let the wolf go, Izabelle." He relented and softened his approach, coaxing her to listen to him.

When he reached out to the touch the wolf, Elle glared at him and hugged Snow even closer to her. "I said no!" she burst out with the stress of the pent-up emotions from the last few days. She could only speak one or two words. If she said anything more, her tears would definitely come out and she would end up crying instead of confronting him.

Her breaths became labored. Now that he was here, her anger at him was back at full force. It was like all the pent-up frustrations and anger she had kept within her for five days were threatening to overflow and explode from within her. And due to all the violent emotions that were now crashing at her like waves, she did not notice the shock and that flash of something like hurt that had bloomed in Sebastian's eyes when she glared at him.

He retracted his hand and turned around, as if to hide his face from Elle. However, Elle could feel his rage. The familiar suffocating wave of his aura was filling the entire room.

"You don't know what kind of danger you are putting yourself into by keeping that wolf with you, Izabelle…" he spoke after a long while of strangling silence. He spoke to her without turning back to face her.

And Elle who had somehow managed to control her emotions a bit and lessened the tightness in her throat lifted her gaze at him. However, the turmoil that she somewhat suppressed were still raging within her expressive eyes.

"And you don't know… what kind of torture you have been putting me into… by imprisoning me here." She managed to say through gritted teeth. It had taken her so much struggle to keep herself from giving in and tearing up.

Her words seemed to have shocked him. He whirled around. "Imprisoned…?" he echoed. His voice filled with utter disbelief. He slammed his hands on top of the mattress as he looked at her with those raging eyes. "I'm not imprisoning you! I'm keeping you locked in here to protect you, Izabelle! Why can't you understand that?"

That last line had Elle jerking back in reflex and her whole body recoiled in the next second as she felt as though her entire world was falling apart. How many times… how many times had she heard that same familiar line before? For so many years it had been told to her. She wished… she had wished in her heart that Sebastian had never uttered those damning words to her. Ever.

Her eyes watered as she forced her words out of her trembling lips. "You… you sounded like my father… and Brandon Haze." She smiled. It was a smile with a touch of hysteria. "They used to… tell me that exact same… words."

____

A/N: Hi guys, if you like this book, do consider leaving a review. Reviews are like tips to the author and it means so much. Thank you in advance. <3