Chapter 11 - Answers

(August 5, 1888)

Resting comfortably in bed, Sabrina woke. However the feeling of the sheets and mattress beneath her, felt extremely different. Her eyes opened to find herself staring up at a ceiling of a different design. The sun shone through the window, indicating a new morning. Wherever she was, it definitely was not her bedroom at the Phantomhive manor. This room was too 'girlish' to be from Ciel's home. She couldn't even remember how she got there. All she could remember, for the moment, was clouded images of something terrifying happening.

"Where am I?" she asked as she sat up. She noticed she was still dressed in her clothes from the day before.

Looking around, it took a while before she recognized a familiar bedroom of her family estate they had seen not that long ago. How did she get there? Suddenly the memories of the fight came rushing back. Finally a familiar voice broke her thoughts.

"How are you feeling, my lady?" She turned her head as she saw Sebastian enter the room.

"Sebastian!?" she gasped. She looked down a moment, allowing everything to set in. "Better, thank you. How did I get here?" She looked around the room, feeling an immediate sense of comfort. "How is Ciel?"

"We brought you here. It was young master's idea." By 'we', she knew he meant Vernon. "He's resting for now. The healing process has taken a lot out of him. Vernon assures me his spine will heal fully in a few days."

"His spine?!" she gasped. "I thought it was his ribs that were injured."

"Two ribs were broken but the most damage was in his spine, which was why he couldn't walk or even feel his legs. Feeling has returned back in his legs, but it will be a bit before he will walk. Vernon was able to reset everything." It was a bit hard to tell, but it almost seemed Sebastian was relieved Sabrina now knew the truth.

She shook her head. "This is hard to grasp. You're not human. You're a demon as well as Vernon." Her eyes widened. "Vernon has been here the whole time hasn't he?" She stared back at the man. From the ordeal the night before, her hair was in complete disarray.

The butler smiled. "Yes, for your protection. He didn't wish to raise suspicion so he kept himself hidden. He's uncharacteristically kind hearted for one of our race." She knew the truth; no longer was there a need to hide things from her. He was free to speak without any worries.

"This is so confusing," she replied, looking away again. "When I was a little girl, my father would tell me a story to get me to settle down. He'd say the demons would get me. I always believed him but when I got older, I learnt to believe demons were just that, a story..." She looked into his demon eyes. "But he spoke the truth."

The butler chuckled softly at the tale. "I assure you, we are real. We just keep ourselves hidden among society." His explanation did not really help, but sounded a bit like he was gloating, like a demon would.

"Yeah...I can see that... Vernon was shot by that man who ended up being shot by Ciel." Her eyes widened once more. "Don't tell me... he's one too!?" She could vividly remember when Ciel shot their attacker; the guy was still able to throw Vernon off him and into the furniture. No human male with a wound like that could do that.

"Yes... I'm afraid so." His expression a bit more serious now. "He and his partner are both demons, which is why it was safer to have Vernon stay."

"Edward was killed by a demon? I was supposed to die that night, wasn't I? And then Vernon showed up and stopped them." She pulled the blankets back to get out of bed. For the first time, she noticed the large tear in the dress. Standing, she looked up at him. "Why would he do that? The story is demons take human souls."

"Yes they do," Sebastian answered with a smirk. "But Vernon has no interest in taking souls. He feels compelled to help others, even when it isn't his responsibility."

Her mind was swirling on everything from the past few days. "You are a soul collector then? Ciel and you are connected. I saw his eye, and there was a symbol in it. What does that do?" Her heart was beginning to hammer. Was he going to take her soul?

"The symbol is known as a Faustian contract, an agreement if you will." He removed the glove of his left hand, which held the same mark on the back of it. But that was not all she saw. His fingernails were black. "An agreement that I would help him avenge his family's death. Until then I am his humble servant. I will protect him with my life until the day I can consume his soul."

"And this contract, it's consensual?" she asked.

"Yes, very much so. No demon can make a contract with a human without his or her consent."

She stared at the mark and then quickly turned away from him. At that moment, she remembered the kiss they shared in her bedroom moments before everything went to hell. The kiss was so sweet and passionate, making her forget about her troubles, but now to find out he's a demon, what did that mean? How could a demon kiss so tenderly?

Suddenly she turned back to him as anger appeared on her features, tears in her eyes. "You kissed me. Why!?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "What? You want my soul too!?"

Replacing his glove, he gave her a look, one he often wore when toying with people. "I cannot deny your soul attracts me...I kissed you because I wanted to. It had nothing to do with your soul, at that moment."

"My soul attracts you? You bastard." Her arms uncrossed as her anger flared. Stepping away from the bed, she approached him. "You have played on my grief. Manipulated me to suit your needs to get what you wanted. You self-righteous, egotistical..." She rose her hand to slap his face.

Watching her hand, he did nothing. "Striking me won't do you any good... It doesn't hurt," the man said rather amused by her reaction.

Him saying that with an arrogant smirk, made her even more upset. She swung her hand, slapping him across the face. "How dare you play on my feelings! You're no better than that one who attacked us. You can't have my soul! I will never allow you to..."

Unlike the times Ciel had slapped him, this time his head hardly moved, showing it did nothing. When Ciel slapped him, he did in the amusement of allowing the boy to vent out his anger. However, with the woman in front of him, he remained still, taunting her. His eyes glowed pink a moment before going back to crimson.

Looking back to her, he suddenly reached forward, grabbing her wrist and pulled her to him. She didn't even have time to react or back away. He wrapped his arms tightly around her so she couldn't get away. His other hand reached up, forcing her head to be still as he stole a kiss.

Her eyes widened in shock at the force of the kiss. His lips were pressing against her almost brusingly. How dare he kiss her again!? Using all her might, she brought her hands to his chest and pushed on him.

After a minute he decided to toy with her some more, letting her go so she would tumble back onto the bed. Instinctively she crawled back to get away, her back hitting the headboard. "If I were like them...would I have allowed you to live so long?" he teased as he stepped up to the bed, leaning his knees on the mattress before crawling up onto the bed after her. His eyes did not leave hers. He looked almost sexy doing that, like a predator hunting its prey. He moved slowly, as if to tease her. Giving her a few seconds to try and get away before he had her pinned again. He hovered over her a moment and then leaned down kissing her exposed shoulder.

The gown was purple in color with a ruffle on the top that went across the chest and became the sleeves. She also wore a choker of the same color and a golden piece in the center by the throat. The choker connected to the dress by a transparent piece of material. The pattern continued on down the length of the gown. The dress itself was very elegant.

Sudden fear gripped her heart. Fear that he would take her soul, now that she told him he couldn't have it. She clenched her eyes shut as he lowered his head, but they only flew open again when she felt something against her neck. It was a new sensation. Never before had she been kissed anywhere but the lips or on the cheek. Her heart raced as her breathing went laboured and a small moan escaped her lips. His kisses were sending shivers down her spine.

He had her pinned good, straddling her with his long legs, easily able to keep his body off of her. The way he had her pinned, his knees were pressing against her dress, preventing her from moving her legs much.

"Get off me!" she demanded after a moment.

The demon paid no mind to her pleas as he continued. He kissed along her neck when suddenly she felt him lick the skin as well. Making his way up her neck, he looked her in the eye a moment before covering her mouth with his. Kissing her once more. He didn't bother to ask permission as his tongue slipped inside. All that restraint he had in the time he knew her, was gone.

She tried to struggle, but feeling him kiss her like they were the night before, brought back the sensations of what she felt. But how could she feel like that now? He was a demon, not even human. He wanted her soul. How could she let him seduce her like that? Then again... the idea anyone, even a demon, could find her worthy made her feel somewhat comfortable. She hadn't felt safe since before Edward's death.

As he kissed her, her walls started to cave and she began to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. He made the kiss just as passionate as before, if not more from his dominance. The kiss was only broken after a minute when they heard a knock on the door. Sebastian staying put, glanced over his shoulder.

It was Vernon. "Sebastian, don't forget you have to control yourself... Ciel will be angry with you if you go too far," The man called through the door.

Sebastian chuckled. "That's not exactly new to me..." Looking back to the woman for several moments, he soon pulled away from her, getting up off the bed and letting her go.

When Sebastian gazed at the beautiful woman, he saw how her flushed cheeks clashed with the purple of her dress she wore. He could see her chest rising and falling to her breathing.

She wasn't sure if she should breathe a sigh of relief or disappointment when he removed himself off of her. Her eyes slowly opened to look at the man, wondering what he was going to do next.

"Why me?" she whispered, afraid her voice would squeak if she spoke any louder.

The man hummed. "Simply because..." he answered, leaving it at that. Going over to the door, he opened it to Vernon standing there wearing his usual expression. "I came to see how Sabrina was doing and figured you were visiting her," he said in a calm tone.

At the mention of her name, Sabrina came out of her shock and threw herself up off the bed, trying to look more presentable other than being kissed senseless.

"Vernon?" she called as she walked over to the door. As she got closer to the butler, she knew she couldn't avoid him this time. She was a target and everyone knew it. She had to have protection. Not only that, but he was the only one who could help her change her clothes.

The blonde man looked to her. "Are you alright? I hope he didn't scare you too badly." Sebastian just looked more amused when he said that.

"I don't wish to talk about it," she huffed. "So what's going on now? Why are we here exactly, and what about clothing and food?" She was in need of a bath and fresh clothes, and since they didn't eat last night, she was very hungry.

"Most of the supplies have been brought here for now. We'll retrieve more tonight. Until Phantomhive manor is repaired, we'll be staying here. It is also for our protection as well. Raelinn doesn't know where your family estate is, so we should be safe here for a while. It will give us time to recover and come up with a plan," Vernon explained.

"It's still very curious why she retreated," Sebastian spoke up, his bent finger to his lips in thought. "And the fact that she didn't abandon her partner to die when he was wounded, and took him with her means something... I believe we found her weakness."

Vernon thought about it. "So she most likely won't return until her partner's wounds have healed. That gives us a month at least. You did a good number on him."

"What do you mean?" Sabrina asked.

"Sebastian broke his arms in several places," Vernon answered. "For now we should focus on calming our nerves. I'll be making breakfast, which gives Sebastian plenty of time to help you get cleaned up." He let the matter drop for now.

Vernon then glanced to his friend as Sabrina's jaw dropped. "Just remember to keep your hands to yourself." he stated casually before turning to leave. He knew he had no control over what his friend did.

"No promises," Sebastian smirked.

At the mention of Vernon saying he'd make something to eat while Sebastian helped her, caused her to brightly blush once again. She was quick to turn away from the men, wanting to disappear in a corner. But when Vernon spoke about the butler keeping his hands to himself, she hugged herself. There was no way the butler would leave her alone now. She gasped at the butler's words, but kept her back to them.

Vernon made his way down the hall, leaving the two alone once again. Sebastian's voice then could be heard in her ear. "No need to be shy. I'll still wear the blindfold if you wish me to," the butler said with a smirk.

At the mention of the blindfold, she abruptly turned around. It now explained why he could do everything perfectly, even with a blindfold on. It's because he was a demon. "That's why you knew everything so well. It's not because of observing. Your 'demonic' power allows you to do things blindly. Can you actually see through the cloth?" Her anger was able to hide her blush.

The man chuckled. "I don't need use of my eyes. My other senses work just fine."

That was at least a relief he hadn't seen her naked. "Fine." She crossed her arms. "Might as well draw me a bath then, so I can at least get this filth off me from yesterday." She turned away from him and made her way to the bathroom.

Following her into the other room, "First we'll have to brush your hair so it doesn't get in the way." he told her before doing it. In that way she was aware of what he was doing and wouldn't be nervous.

She wanted to fight him on the matter, but he was the one who knew if there was anything in her hair. With a huff, she complied and allowed herself to sit. The second she was sitting; his fingers were in her hair, carefully removing anything that may have been there. Now knowing him as a demon and not a human, it seemed a bit odd.

"Why are you always so persistent on helping me dress or even undress? You could have been stern and had Mey-rin to help me. Then again, I guess my soul must be that divine for you then if you keep insisting on helping."

There was now no need to withhold the truth from her any more. "That is true. I don't mind helping if I get to be close to a soul I desire." The way he said that sent shivers down her spine. Unsure if it was a good or a bad feeling. She looked down at the ruined dress. "Guess this will be lost now," she sighed.

"Why do you say that?" He finished with her hair.

"Look at it. It's ruined," she complained. "This tore when I was trying to get away and tripped."

He smiled. "I have a question for you. You know my master's parents were murdered. How do you think they were killed?"

"What does it matter?" she asked.

"They were murdered and then the house burnt, nearly to the ground," he replied coolly in her ear. "When my master summoned me and our contract was made, I rebuilt the manor in the matter of mere moments. The house resembles everything that was before the fire, including cracks."

She gasped and whipped her head to look at him. "Are you serious?!" she asked. "You recreated the house exactly how it was before the fire?"

"Including everything in it. The drapes, furniture, paintings and even clothing." His voice was smooth like velvet.

She gawked at him a moment, letting the information set in. She had no idea his powers were that great. So he had the ability to manipulate matter. He could easily mend her dress as good as new. That would explain how dishes that wound up broken would soon appear good as new.

Not wanting to speak anymore, she remained quiet as he went and blindfolded himself after filling up the tub and then undressed her.

When Sabrina had been washed and dressed the two came down for what was now brunch, considering what time of day it was. Vernon wasn't there at the moment, but the places were set and they could smell the food from the kitchen.

Not long after Sebastian helped her into her chair, Vernon emerged carrying Ciel on his back. The boy was awake, his arms around the man's neck as Vernon had a hold of his legs. Ciel wore a pouty face as they entered the room. "This is so humiliating..." the boy said as Vernon carried him to his chair.

"My apologies... but I thought you wouldn't like it if I had brought you in a wheelchair."

Ciel knew he was right, so he just huffed and kept quiet. Reaching the chair, Vernon knelt down so all Ciel had to do was to pull himself onto it. He winced as he did so, his spine still a little tender.

It was an adorable sight to see Vernon carry the Earl on his back like a child. Nothing like she would expect from a demon. Sabrina wanted to smile at the tenderness her host was given, but she couldn't get herself to do so. Not with the demon butler so close.

"Ciel, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better..." the boy replied. "I just don't have much feeling in my legs." He was irritated by the thought, but he kept his irritations to himself.

"I apologize, I wasn't able to prevent it..." Vernon said, a bit of sadness and guilt on his features.

Ciel leaned on his one arm. "Don't be silly. It couldn't be helped. At least I'm alive."

Vernon didn't argue and nodded. Excusing himself, he left to get the food for everyone.

Sabrina had noticed Vernon had a habit of apologizing for things that wasn't his fault.

"Did you know he was interested in me?" Sabrina asked suddenly to Ciel after Vernon left. She was quite upset about everything. She had to know how many others knew about Sebastian's intentions. She had gotten the confirmation of Vernon's when he mentioned about not going too far.

Ciel glanced up to the woman. He wasn't impressed with the idea she knew the truth, but at least they didn't have to tip toe around her anymore. "Yes, I was aware. Hard enough not to with how he's been acting..." The boy was more used to being around demons then her.

"And don't you care?" she asked. "Or is that because you agreed to have your own soul devoured by him?"

The words sounded harsh, but it was only because she was a bit confused and still trying to understand everything.

"It's none of my business," Ciel said in a matter of fact kind of way. "I may be his master but Sebastian does what he wants in the end, unless I order him not to. Even then..." he paused.

"Even then, what?" she asked curious. What was she missing about being a master to a demon? She glanced at the demon beside him and wanted to glare at him, but couldn't find the will to do so. He was being honest to her about himself, now that everything was out in the open.

"In certain situations he will disobey my orders," Ciel finished. "For example, if my life is in danger. I hold the contract so his first priority is to me." The boy said, reminding the demon of his status.

Sebastian just played it off, placing his hand over his chest. "But of course... my young lord."

"I see," she answered, somewhat disappointed. "So he will save your life above mine? I guess I can't blame that, since you two have known each other a few years, and I only just came into your life a couple months ago. He only helps me to dress and bathe."

Sebastian looking to the woman again with a certain look in his eye. "He will if you make a contract with him," the boy remarked. "It may be in your best interest for your protection from Raelinn and Adrian."

"My protection!? Are you crazy?!" She snapped, nearly jumping out of her chair but forced herself to remain seated. "To sacrifice my life to protect myself from the enemy, that's just insane. No. I won't do it. That's basically having me thrown to a pack of wolves and hoping I'd survive."

"It's your choice," Ciel answered. "But I can't control what he does when I don't give him an order." The boy understood what she was saying. Signing a contract with one demon to protect her from another did sound strange. But the advantage to having a contract was the human had control on when they were to die.

Sabrina huffed, knowing he spoke the truth. The two times the demon kissed her, he did it on his own accord. Of course she did kiss him second, but to her that didn't count as she thought he was human then.

Vernon soon emerged from the kitchen with the food, pushing it on a cart to serve the two humans at the table. It was refreshing to have someone else cook and serve the meal, as it gave Sebastian a break. "I hope this is to your liking." Vernon said to Sabrina, who never had his cooking before.

He walked over to her, serving her first and then Ciel. She glanced at the food. "One way to find out."

With Vernon in the room, she felt a little more comfortable. Sebastian would rarely try anything with others in the room... or would he since he did do it once before, when he dabbed her lips saying there was food on them. Thinking back to that moment, she started to wonder if he was telling the truth.

Unknown to Sabrina, Vernon was also the chef at his Inn and he was quite good at it. Not as good as Sebastian but still remarkable to any human. He had created dishes himself that could satisfy any palate.

She took a bite of her food and marveled at the taste. "This is good. Where did you learn to cook?"

Ciel took a bite of his food as well. "I must agree."

"I taught myself," Vernon replied. "I've had several years to perfect it."

She had no idea he was referring to the centuries he had been alive.

"I didn't think a priest needed to learn such a skill," Sebastian remarked teasingly.

Vernon said nothing, realizing Sebastian was practically opening up 'Pandora's box' on that remark.

"A priest?" Sabrina asked, confused. "Just how old are you anyway? A better question would be how long have you guys been demons?"

Ciel said nothing as he silently ate. He had an idea but he too didn't fully know, Sebastian was always able to avoid the subject.

Vernon spoke up first; knowing his friend would no doubt dodge the question and she deserved the truth. "We are centuries old... I was a priest in what has become known as the Dark Ages... I died in my early 20s. Sebastian was one of the boys in our choir."

Ciel stopped eating immediately. "So you've been alive since the medieval times." He knew that era was known as that though many would call it differently. "Now I see why you know so much about humans." He looked as though he wasn't surprised, but one look from Sebastian and he knew. Ciel was often hard to read unless you knew him well.

Sabrina on the other hand began to choke on her food, completely in shock by the news. The man she kissed was far older than she ever thought was possible.

Sebastian made his way to Sabrina, patting her back gently to stop her from choking. "Yes well, I was just a child then." The demon didn't seem bothered by Vernon telling them. He even found their reactions amusing. "Vernon was my guardian until his death."

Sabrina took a drink of water as she felt Sebastian pat her back. She lost all nerve to speak.

"And how long after he died, did you become a demon?" Ciel asked. His interest was now spiked.

"A few years," Sebastian replied. "I died around the same age he did. It didn't take me long to find him again."

Finally Sabrina was able to breathe normally and got her voice back. "Wait! Wait! Wait a minute!" she blinked. "Are you both telling me that as humans Vernon is actually older than you? Unbelievable!"

"In human years," Vernon stated. "Sebastian is only about 7 years younger than myself. Times were different back then. Children were adults by the age of 14 most of the time."

Ciel looked to his butler. "So you died and became a demon, and since then you've been devouring souls."

Getting over the shock, she added, "That explains why you look so young." Now that she was breathing normally again, she started to continue eating. "How did you die?"

Looking to the tray Vernon had brought, Sebastian said, "Oh dear, you seem to have forgotten the tea." He gave a smile. "I'll go fetch it." Leaving the room abruptly, he completely avoided the question. This was not lost on both humans.

Vernon's eyes just watched as he left. "Do forgive Sebastian. He doesn't like to talk about these things. Not even to me." Vernon was one of the only demons who knew how he died, but he wasn't going to tell them that. There was only one other person who knew how he died, but she was currently elsewhere with someone whom Sebastian wasn't very fond of.

Sabrina snorted. "Figures he'd avoid it. He's good at doing that."

"He does have a habit of evading when he doesn't want to answer," Ciel replied. "It can get quite unnerving. He won't come out and just say he doesn't want to talk about it."

Sebastian soon returned with the tea on a different tray. "Here we are." He said pouring his master a cup before Sabrina.

Not wanting to say anything more, Sabrina sipped her tea quietly. She understood all too well when to close a matter. She didn't like talking about the death of her fiancé very much, and she surely didn't like talking about her discomfort about the whole decision of her family's company.

Ciel too was quiet. He did have to admit Sabrina's family home was wonderful. He did have to also admit that Sabrina got her wish on wanting to actually stay here sometime. But that nagging feeling of being watched was bothering him. When things calmed down, he was going to need Sebastian to check it out. After their first trip to Parker manor, Sebastian was never given time to investigate.

Another thing that was bugging him was his other servants. They had a habit of destroying things by accident. He had hoped Sebastian had made sure to tell the others not to touch anything. It was one thing when it was his own home, but Sabrina was a different matter.

With the meal now in silence, Vernon and Sebastian offered to work together during the meal with whatever they needed, including picking up the dirty dishes. It was only fair. Everyone was still reeling over what happened at Phantomhive manor.