Chapter 6
652words
Lord and Lady Ashford summoned me to the manor's study.
Father sat in a high-backed chair. Mother elegantly sipped her tea.
Firelight from the hearth flickered across their faces.
"Isabelle, keeping a vampire as a pet is one thing, but developing feelings for it is quite another. Our family's future depends on strategic marriages. You've publicly humiliated the Grey Pack Alpha over a vampire—do you have any idea how this reflects on the Ashford name?"
Sebastian cracked open the study door, assessed the situation, and quietly withdrew.
I dug my nails into my palms. "I understand. It won't happen again."
Satisfied with my apparent submission, they softened slightly. "Don't get attached to just one. Three years with the same vampire is excessive. They're all the same underneath—they only want your blood. Have your fun if you must, but don't mistake it for something real."
"Mm. Fine."
"We hear Dominic has returned. The Grey Pack controls significant territory in the Scottish Highlands. You two had chemistry before. A Mating would benefit everyone. Perhaps send him a Christmas gift to mend fences?"
"No. Not him."
"Isabelle." Their voices hardened in unison. "Don't be childish."
Outside the window, London's night glittered. The Thames gleamed under moonlight.
I lowered my head, fingers worrying the hem of my skirt, eyes burning with unshed tears.
They were always like this—offering the illusion of freedom while tightening invisible chains.
They'd built a gilded cage, but a cage nonetheless.
Taking in Sebastian had been a happy accident.
But falling in love with him was my first real act of rebellion.
As a parting shot, they added, "We've frozen your accounts temporarily. Get rid of the vampire, and we'll restore your access."
I left the study in a daze, staring blindly down the corridor.
In the sitting room, a single floor lamp cast a warm pool of light.
Sebastian sat hunched over his laptop, eyes downcast, fingers flying across the keyboard.
The soft light haloed his dark hair, softening his sharp features.
He worked in complete concentration, his composure never slipping, occasionally murmuring single-word responses.
"Mm."
"Got it."
I approached with tear-stained eyes, dropped into his lap, and buried my face against his neck.
His familiar cologne wrapped around me, mingled with that faint metallic scent unique to vampires.
Only then did the tension begin to leave my body.
"What happened?" His typing stopped immediately, one hand settling at my lower back, his attention entirely mine.
I kept my face hidden, saying nothing.
His phone buzzed—a video call from his development team.
He glanced at it, then answered briskly, "Continue with testing. Document any bugs. Send me the report when you're finished."
"Everything okay, Sebastian?" a programmer's voice asked.
"Minor issue." He hesitated, glanced at me, then added, "My... girlfriend needs me right now."
"Wait—you have a girlfriend?!"
Before the barrage of questions could continue, he ended the call.
He darkened the screen, set the phone aside, and gently brushed hair from my forehead. "Isabelle, what's wrong?"
I turned my face up to meet his gaze.
The burning in my eyes intensified. I blinked, and tears spilled over.
"Sebastian."
"I might not be able to... keep you anymore."
His Adam's apple bobbed, but he remained silent, cool fingers gently brushing away my tears.
He understood without explanation. He always did.
Night deepened outside. A cool breeze slipped through the half-open window.
Moonlight painted one corner of the room silver.
His fingers tightened imperceptibly against my skin.
After a long silence, he lowered his head to kiss my eyelids.
Cool lips. Gentle touch.
"Isabelle, you can end this whenever you want."
His voice roughened, barely concealing the pain beneath.
"You found me in that dark alley."
"You gave me blood when I was starving."
"You showed me there was still light in this world."
"Isabelle, you let me—a damned vampire—feel human again."
