I'm stunned. Is it really him?
"Yes. It's me. Can I come up?"
I open the building door without a word. While I wait for him to climb the stairs, my mind races. How the hell does he know where I live? And why is he here?
All of those questions disappear the second I see him.
He has a small smile on his lips, but it's forced. His eyes are tired, and his shoulders are hunched, drawn tight.
I open my apartment door wider. "Come in. Are you okay?"
He starts to say yes, but then shakes his head and presses his lips together. I pull him into me and hug him tightly. He wraps his hands around my middle and burrows his head in my chest.
"What's going on, little one?" I whisper, slipping back into the old nickname I had for him. Aziel always hated it, so I stopped using it.
Sebastian just shakes his head.
"Let's go inside," I suggest.
He shakes his head again, refusing to let me go. I'm starting to get more and more worried by the second.
If he won't move, then I will.
I hook my arms under him and lift him easily. He lets out a startled cry, then wraps his arms around my neck and clings harder.
I close the door behind us and carry him to the couch. I try to set him down, but he won't release me. He's stronger than I thought.
"Sebastian, you need to let me go," I murmur.
"No," he says.
At least he's speaking.
"Come on, little guy. I'll get you water, and you can tell me what's wrong."
"Nuh-uh."
I sigh, shutting my eyes for a moment. He's obviously shaken. Even earlier, when I saw him at the club, I knew something was wrong. Whatever it is, it's bad.
I make up my mind. Sitting on the couch, I shift him onto my lap. He shivers, so I grab the blanket draped nearby and wrap it around him.
"Better?"
He nods against my neck.
I stroke his hair gently. Offering what little comfort I can. The position is strange as hell, I know that. But this is Sebastian. Even if we didn't spend much time together when I was with Aziel, I always felt protective of him.
As much as Aziel was cold, I had a soft spot. Sebastian had a way of twitching his nose when he was nervous, like now. It makes him look so small and defenseless. It makes me want to shield him.
If sitting in my lap helps him tonight, then so be it. But I will find out what's bothering him. No matter what it takes.
Chapter ten
Sebastian
Ifeel fragile as I sit in Daddy's lap.
It's not a feeling I'm used to. At least not in the presence of other people. But this is not just someone else. This is Daddy.
