Hellbound Heart

The moment Elle turned her back to him and walked away, the dam that had been standing strong all these times finally crumbled, causing her tears to gush forth like a deluge of rain. r

It had been a long time since she had cried outside the confines of her dark room. She had long stopped crying where there might be others around who could see her. Because it made her feel even more vulnerable. She had never wanted to appear vulnerable in the eyes of anyone – most especially her father and Brandon Haze. No matter what kind of situation and hurt they put her into, Elle had refused to give in. She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She had always chosen to remain silent than risk crying before them. And she had succeeded every single time. r

But with Sebastian… she did not know why, but it had never been this hard for her to hold back. She thought she could at least hold her tears until she returned to her room. She thought she was going to manage until she could at least go to the bathroom and cry under the shower, allowing the sounds of the falling water to muffle her tears. But lord… why was everything involving Sebastian just so damned hard to bear? r

Her feet were now numb from walking barefoot in the freezing cold, but she continued walking away as fast as she could. She did not want him to witness her in this state – crying. Vulnerable. r

But then, a hand had suddenly grabbed her arm, turning her around without any warning. Her eyes flew opened wide as she looked up at the person that had clutched her. Though unclear, she could tell that it was Sebastian.r

Her eyes were blurry due to the tears that were flooding her eyes, so she could not quite see his expression. But she felt him instantly stiffening, seemingly paralyzed, as if something had shocked him to his core. r

She blindly pushed at his chest, stepping back from him. She harshly pulled her wrist from his grasp and walked away again, but he only resorted to grabbing her from behind and scooping her up into his arms. He tucked her tightly into his embrace and walked forward – toward the same direction that she had been moving in. He had moved so fast that Elle who was in an emotional daze and feeling utterly cold was late to register what had just happened. She could not do anything but to just give in as her body betrayed her and sought for his incredibly warm body. r

However, her tears did not stop, and she did not know why being in his arms made her cry even harder. Wanting to hide her face, she snuggled and buried her face into his chest, clenching his shirt so tightly in her fists, as she sniffled and fought to control her upside-down emotions. She was desperately hoping that once they reached their room, her tears would have somehow stopped flowing. r

But contrary to what she was hoping, her tears did not stop. Not in the least. They fell and flowed as though they were seemingly endless raindrops. r

"Get Lorna. Now." Sebastian's curt orders echoed, alerting Rion and Raven to immediately move. r

Sebastian pushed the door opened with his foot. The wolf was right there, sitting by the window. Only this time, it was facing the door, as if waiting for his master – Elle – to return. r

At that same time, Lorna had arrived before the door could even swing close. r

"Your Highness –" r

"She's… so cold." Sebastian cut the maid off, informing her of the problem. At the same time, his quiet words also seemed to be a statement he was telling himself. "She'd stayed out in the cold for too long and was even walking around barefooted." There was anger in his voice as he said the last line. r

"Oh my god…!!" the maid gasped. "Let me check on her." She hastily approached them as Sebastian sat at the foot of the bed, with no intention in letting Elle out of his arms. r

Elle was still burying her face into Sebastian's chest, refusing to let anyone see her face. r

Lorna touched her as if to feel how cold she was. r

"Do we need to rush her to the hospital?" Sebastian asked, the worry in his voice had surprised Elle. She had never thought that he would think of rushing her to the hospital just because she was exposed to the cold for a short while. r

She shook her head quickly without raising her face, letting him know about her refusal to be brought to any hospital. She knew she was cold, but it was not something that was so severe to the point of being sent to the hospital. He had already given her his jacket earlier. So, her feet were the only problem right now. It could be treated with just a warm compress. r

"I think she just need to get warm, Your Highness." Lorna said in relief after checking Elle over thoroughly. r

But Sebastian sounded skeptical. "Are you certain?" r

"Yes, Your Highness. And the princess seemed to not want to be brought to the hospital, too. I'll go prepare a warm compress. For now, wrap her up with a blanket and try to keep her as warm as you can. I'll have Rion take care of the hearth." r

Elle felt him cover her with the thick, downy blanket and then he picked her up and moved them towards the chair facing the fireplace. He did all those moving without putting her down even for a moment. r

Soon, Elle felt something so deliciously warm seeping up her toes and feet. The fire next to them was now, also glowing and crackling merrily. r

"When she calms down, have her drink some warm water. I'll leave it here, Your Highness. Call me if you need anything else." Lorna reminded and then she bowed her head before heading out the door. r

Once she shut the doors, Lorna sighed out heavily. She had honestly thought that the princess was in utter danger or perhaps even dying when she saw Sebastian's expression at first. To think that she was just cold, and he was already in that state. r