…Anastasia POV…

Sebastian has made it very clear that what we had, our love and our bond, does no longer exist. This, even after Augustus admitted that he, in fact, drugged me into believing that I was in his bed as a result of a sexual encounter.

I always firmly believed that Sebastian is a man of reason, but the man that I saw in front of me, the man with a blood-stained shirt and that evil look in his eye, that is a man that I do not know. There is an evil that has consumed his being, and I, sad to say, I am the reason behind that. I have driven a man to his brink, and he has now toppled over. He has fallen into an abyss of darkness. Shall he return? Shall he stay? That I shall never know, for I am not allowed near his presence.

Beyond anything that ever existed between us, our love and our bond, he is and remains my Vampire Master, and I shall do as he says. I know, and as I have seen on so many occasions, he shall bring his full wrath down without even having to blink for a second.

So as I once again find myself in the Belmont household, my presence is somewhat welcomed in the way of common courtesy. I can see the way that Lilith and Edward look at me now; I am not the Anastasia whom they have cared about. Now, I am the woman that broke their brother's heart. With saying this, Sebastian has moved out of what used to be our room and boarded the room so that no one shall ever enter it again. He has taken a room in the west wing where Lilith and Edward also keep themselves. As for me, I am all alone in the east wing. Pushed aside and, with even more convenience, it has a separate exit and entrance to the main door, thus, once again proving that my presence here is only to keep the Vampire community from saying a word.

Once I have gathered all my belongings that have been scattered among the common room that we salvaged from our burnt down home, I make my way with somewhat difficulty up the stairs. At the very moment I reach the top; I see Sebastian approaching the very same set of stairs. He stops for a brief moment and looks at me with a look of total disgust in his eyes, that evil is still there. As he snaps his head from the trance he finds himself in, he turns around and makes his way back to his room. The simple gesture brings a sting to my body; even though I do not have the ability to cry, the feeling of rejection still cuts like a knife.

Once I step into the confines of my room, I slam the door with the utmost force that the windows vibrate, carrying the sounds down the corridor. I kick off my black stilettos and drop down onto the bed and stare at the roof. What have I done?

…Sebastian POV…

She is not wearing her red stilettos. Should I be bothered? Should I even be looking at her in such a way?

No.

Anastasia has made a bed, and she can lay in it, she can stew in her own betrayal, she can turn over in her own deceit. She is merely here for the simple fact that I do not wish to have my kind, the Vampires that follow me without fail; I do not wish for them to lose faith and judgment in me. Therefore, I do not care for what the color of her stilettos is. She shall come and go as she pleases, just as long as it is not in my presence or in my way.

Yes, her beauty still captivates me, the way she swayed those hips as I saw her disappeared down the corridor, the way her hair was waving over her shoulders, the way that body moved in perfect precision. But beauty only runs so deep; it is what is inside her that makes me want to run as far as I can away from her. The desire to take her into my arms and ease that pain that she feels, that I feel, it lays within me, but I shall rather be sucked into a black hole than give her what she desires. She shall not have her way with me, not now, not ever again.

After making confidently sure that she shall not return from her room, I make my way down the stairs only to hear her slam her the door to such an extent that it vibrates down the corridors. Every inch of my body fights the urge to walk up to her room and demand her not to act like a woman any less than what she already is.

As I enter the kitchen, I find Edward there with a very worried expression on his face.

"My dear brother, do I dare even to ask if this thing with Anastasia is permanent, for I can sense the tension thick in the house."

"I apologize for that, Edward. But, yes, I am afraid that this is how my feelings for Anastasia be from now on."

"But did this man not say that nothing happened."

"Indeed he did, but it is the fact that she ran to the arms of a stranger in a time that we had difficulty in our relationship. I do not even want to know if she drank from him. But seeing his obsession, I can gather that she had."

"How long shall she stay here?"

"Well, hopefully until she finds another Vampire to stay with. We cannot have her stay with the Vampire Hunter; it shall cause alarm in the community."

But there is a different kind of worry that lies in Edward's eyes; I have full knowledge of what he wants to ask, but yet he is afraid to. As with any truth, it only becomes real once you have asked and received an answer to your question. He seems greatly terrified and deeply disturbed. Shall I put him out of his misery?

"Yes, Edward, it was me. I slaughtered them for my own satisfaction, and I can say with all honesty I have not felt so alive in a very long time. If I did not have the desire to be with a mortal, then I would have never found myself in this position. I have no calm in destroying every single one of them that comes in my way."

"But Sebastian…"

"Edward, I need not remind you who your Master is. Now, if you shall excuse me, I would like to be alone."

With that, I leave the kitchen; as I move down the corridor on my way to the study, I find that the door is wide open. An immediate anger sets over my body; the staff knows that this door shall remain closed at all times. Someone is going to have hell to pay for disobeying my very orders. But as I set my foot inside, I find that it is Anastasia; she seems to be running over the books held on the shelf as if she is looking for something. Once again, her presence sets an irritation over my body.

"Anastasia."

She jumps at the mention of her name, but I believe she has an even more fright as to know that it is me that find myself behind her.

"Sorry, Sebastian, I will leave at once."

"What is it that you are looking for?"

"Something to read."

"Read?"

"Yes, a book to read, something to pass the time."

Her very words knock me back; I have never known her to read. Then again, have I ever stopped to learn who she was as a mortal. Truly I have not; the mere fact that she finds a book to pass the time somehow sets a spark alive.

"I have never known you tor read."

"You never asked."

"Well, I shall leave you to it then."

"No, please don't leave on my account. I shall be finished in a minute."

As I sit down in the chair behind the desk, I cannot but help study her intensely. She is still not wearing her red stilettos; in fact, she is not wearing any shoes at all. Why on earth am I finding it so goddamn sexy. But the way she wiggles her ass up that ladder to get to the book that she wants sets my body aflame.

In an instant, I find myself behind her, lifting her off the ladder. She turns around to face me; there is clear confusion in her eyes. Underneath this raging animal, there is a fire waiting to be released. I tangle my hands in her hair and seek the softness of her lips. With every wink, I pull her closer, and then I pull away. I taunt and tease, slowly claiming her as mine.

The carnal desire to feel that raw passion takes over my body. I clear the entire contents of the desk onto the floor, the whiskey glass falls and shatters to pieces. I grab her ankles and slide her closer. With gentle but tremble hands, I lay her back on the table.

I stare into her blue eyes. She arches her back and pushes herself into my raging erection. Her body whimpers and begs to be touched.

"Sebastian, take me,"

As she says these words, I feel a sharp bolt shoot straight through my heart, knowing that she will give me everything that I desire. My mind says no, but my body says yes; how can one have what you desire within arm's reach but not want it at the same time. Then all reasoning steps out the door.

Her arms clasp around my neck as she needs to have my body closer. My body jerks at first, but then I allow myself to give in. The thought of her naked body fuels the raging fire within me; she consumes my body. It is not her lips that I reach for; my tongue finds the sensitive parts below her ear. The moan that escapes her lips awakens an even greater longing for her body and soul. The touch of her skin against my tongue sends a fiery passion throughout my core. I cannot keep my self-control any longer, my mouth finds her lips, and I prepare to take him, take every bit that I can have. It's like a battle raging in my mouth as my every stroke is aimed to make her body quiver.

Her hands unlock behind my neck, and they are moving all over. First down my shoulders, then down my chest, I can feel my heart pounding beneath my flesh. Her touch sends my blood racing as she moves further down to my waist. My body freezes, and for a moment, I stop breathing, then her hand reaches between my thighs, finding my erection. A growl escapes my lips.

"Stop! I cannot do this. Please leave."