He led me around the side of the palace, probably to avoid an interrogation from his family. He definitely wasn’t in the mood for questions right now.
I followed along, climbing a set of stairs and navigating grand hallways until we reached the familiar chamber of Sebastian’s room. He mentioned to a nearby servant that he was not to be disturbed in any circumstances barring an emergency and that he would be ‘very cross’ if he wasn’t heeded. The vigorous nod and freaked-out expression on the servant’s face were confirmation enough that we would be left alone tonight.
Once the doors groaned shut behind him, Sebastian slumped. I rushed forward without thinking. I didn’t want him to fall. He seemed smaller than usual in my arms. Being in private had stripped away both his cold façade and his aura of grandeur. Right now, he wasn’t the haughty asshole prince I’d met at the market. He was a frightened young man who looked barely older than my brother.
“Tell me the truth,” I said. “Are you hurt?”
“Not physically,” Sebastian mumbled. “I need to catch my breath, is all.”
At the same time, we both seemed to realize that I was holding Sebastian. Should I have let go? Would he collapse if I did?
“Lead me to my bed,” he ordered quietly.
I did as he asked, setting him down gingerly on the plush covers. He barely made a dip in the mattress.
Neither of us spoke. The room was so quiet that I didn’t even want to breathe. Sebastian went still. His expression was hidden beneath his feathery grey-blue hair.
My heartbeat felt too loud.
“Rourke,” Sebastian said. His voice sounded unusual, a mix of a plea and a command.
“Yes?”
“Kiss me.”
I hadn’t heard him properly.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
He lifted his head. His storm-colored eyes bore into mine, intense as lightning. “Do not make me repeat myself. Do it now.”
I didn’t know whether to be confused or appalled. The prince himself—the omega who had purchased me like a dog—was asking me tokisshim? Why?
And why did Sebastian look so broken up about it? He could have asked me to do anything in the world and I would have been obligated to obey. But this…
This was absurd.
The ferocious glint in his eyes made it clear I had a limited time to comply or else face consequences. I swallowed my pride, fear, confusion, every other emotion swarming in my head and just let my body act.
I leaned down slowly, the metal of my collar jingling in the silence, and hovered close to his face. He hadn’t closed his eyes. Should I have closed mine? Was he expecting that level of subservience? I didn’t know. Part of me didn’t want to back down, so I kept them open, staring back into his eyes like I was still expecting the viper to strike.
Our lips met in a chaste kiss. I didn’t dare add any tongue for fear that he might cut it off. I didn’t rush but didn’t linger. I pulled away after a solid moment of our lips touching.
Sebastian didn’t look satisfied. In fact, he almost looked angry. Was he mad at me?
“This is your final warning,” Sebastian said. “Do it properly.”
Was he really suggesting a deeper kiss? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“With tongue?” I asked hesitantly.
“Unless you know another proper way,” he snapped.
He was upset now. Not wanting to piss him off any further, I steeled my nerves and leaned in again. This time I closed my eyes. I didn’t leave them open long enough to see if Sebastian had done the same.
Trying to make sure I didn’t fuck it up a second time, I let my lips linger against his. They were soft, almost painfully so, like I couldn’t believe our lips were touching at all. I felt self-conscious about mine being rough and chapped, but he didn’t seem to care.
When Sebastian parted his mouth, I tasted his sweet breath. A shudder ran down my spine. I had never been overly romantic, and never in my life had I described someone’s breath assweet, but that was the only thing I could think of as I kissed him slowly. It wasn’t an exaggeration.
