Sebastian had finished setting the library ablaze, which hadn't taken any time at all. Then he'd gone in search of his young master who, as usual, had wandered off on his own. He was no doubt going to get himself into trouble and then Sebastian would be required to step in and save him. It was really very tiresome. He didn't understand why his young lord couldn't just stay near him.
He heard the commotion as he made his way through the halls. It sounded as though, as assumed, the Earl had gotten himself into a predicament. The demon knew he had the poker, but Ciel wasn't especially skilled at hand-to-hand combat against something non human, which is why he favored guns, and of course his favorite weapon, Sebastian. He took his time in moving to rescue him. Oh, he was going to of course, but it would do to let the boy squirm for a bit. Perhaps it might teach his charge to be less impulsive.
Then there was an even bigger set of crashes and exclamations followed by hushed voices. It appeared Adeline had come to the rescue.
Really, young master, needing to be saved by a lady, Sebastian thought. He had no issues with women, but the Earl's pride was sure to be bruised. Much like the rest of him by this point.
He rounded the corner to find Adeline and Ciel walking toward him, the former clutching a large stake in her hand. The butler eyed the tool with amusement. Wherever had she been hiding that all evening?
"There you are," Ciel scowled at him. "Took your sweet time, didn't you? I was almost strangled."
"My apologies, young master," Sebastian said, with a slight inclination of his head. "I assure you that no serious harm would have come to you."
"No serious harm," Ciel began, his tone icy. "That thing nearly crushed my neck!" He glanced awkwardly back at Adeline. "Sincerest apologies, my lady, I didn't mean to speak ill of your brother."
Adeline gave a small half smile. "It's alright, I know you didn't mean it that way."
"His body is back there," Ciel motioned. "Sebastian, I want you to retrieve it and meet us in the front hall. We have to go."
"Go?" Sebastian asked. He had perfect hearing and was well aware of what the Earl had said. But they couldn't go. Not yet. "My lord, the job isn't finished. If I'm not mistaken there are still two vampires left."
"I know," Ciel said. "But they're powerful, more powerful than I'd thought. Besides, Marina is sure to have fled by now. Silas would protect his daughter above anything else, especially since his wife is dead. He has probably escaped himself as well."
Sebastian wanted to tell the Earl that this wasn't true, that he could still sense both vampires in the manor, quite strongly in fact. They were going to come for them and he understood Ciel's fear. However, he was a demon, and though he would also have preferred not to deal with the vampires, it was his duty to serve and protect the young lord. The Queen had commanded his master to stop the disappearances and murders caused by the vampires (or the cannibalistic killers to her knowledge). Therefore, it fell to him to complete the task in his master's stead. Never mind the fact that he wanted nothing more than to rip Silas Beaumont apart to satisfy his own desires.
He was going to protest when Ciel narrowed his gaze.
"We're leaving. That's an order."
Sebastian nodded and stepped past the pair to go and retrieve Edmund's body, quietly seething. He knew that if he really wished to, he could ignore the young master's order. He had done so before on occasion, but not when the Earl was so serious. Demons obeyed on principle, but they were creatures prone to rebellion if the mood suited them. Still, he didn't want the young lord angry with him. He might start withholding other things…
These thoughts were driven out of Sebastian's head as he rounded the corner to find Marina Beaumont kneeling on the floor over Edmund's lifeless body. Someone, Adeline he supposed, had closed her brother's eyes. The vampire was sobbing, but she stopped immediately when she caught sight of Sebastian. Her demeanor changed entirely from one of sorrow to unparalleled rage.
"You killed him," She hissed. Her fangs were unsheathing themselves as she rose up off the floor and stalked toward him. He noted that she had at some point changed her clothing. Her dress was still that deep red color but was now sleeker, hugging her body more. It was to sort of attire a woman wore to seduce men. It also provided more freedom of movement if one planned to battle.
"No, I actually did not," Sebastian, replied. "He unfortunately had to be brought down by his own sister due to your families' careless feeding selection. Really the whole thing is quite the tragedy."
"We were happy," Marina said.
"He was a human," Sebastian said.
"He wasn't anymore," She scoffed. "He adapted to the change better than any of the rest of them. I knew he would. Besides, who are you to lecture me?"
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, no?" Maria said. She had begun to circle him the way that a predator stalks its prey. "My father told me about you. You and that little Earl you serve. The obsession you have his soul…demon…it's unhealthy."
"I believe the obsession your father has with his soul is a bit more unhealthy," Sebastian said. "I have a contract with the young master, nothing more."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Marina said, with a slight giggle. She rushed at him, claws extended. Sebastian dodged her and dealt his own blow, which she danced away from with equal dexterity.
It appeared that Marina was a force to be reckoned with. Her mother had been old, and the fledglings inexperienced, but Marina was an adolescent vampire, appearing to humans as a maid in her early twenties, but probably having celebrated only a hundred years in vampire birthdays.
Her words irritated the demon. She knew nothing about what was going on between him and the young master. He still didn't completely understand it, and he had been fully present to the whole affair since the beginning. Besides, no one knew about their relations. They had been so careful… well, except for that one time on the catwalk.
"My father is one of the most powerful vampires of the last five hundred years," Marina said. "He goes by a different name from time to time, since he can't keep on being the same person forever, and he's become acquainted with your kind many times over the years. He's killed quite a few as well. Which is what he'll do to you if I don't take care of business first."
She lunged at him again. Sebastian dodged out of the way, but not quickly enough. Her claws caught him in the shoulder and blood burst forth. He'd collected all the cutlery from the bodies of the fledglings earlier and he hurled them at Marina who avoided each and every one. Well… almost every one. One of the forks wedged in her collarbone and she screeched, the gilded fire of her eyes deepening with rage.
"I can sense you're a powerful beast too," She said, ripping the silverware from her muscles. "Or you were, before that brat made you soft."
Sebastian didn't know which made him more furious, the fact that the vampire was taunting him or what she was taunting him about. He knew she was doing it to distract him or get a rise out of him, something to help her gain the upper hand. He wasn't going to give into it. This was most unacceptable, both to his role as the young master's butler and his character as a demon. To even spare a thought toward Marina turning the bond into something ugly…
"It doesn't matter anyway," She said, smirking. "You can shortly do what you please again."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "I don't follow."
"I notice you've split up from your precious master," Marina said. She grinned and he could see her fangs. "So good of you to let him roam off on his own. Father is going to kill him shortly, that vile sister of my fallen lover too. Then he'll probably be happy to end things for you as well. You know if you'd rather not live without him."
Sebastian for once had nothing to say. The young master had commanded him to recover Edmund's body and leave the manor. So that was he decided to do. He darted forward as though he were going to try lunging for Marina again. She took the bait and moved to stop him. Sebastian launched himself into the air, flipping gracefully, and Marina sailed by under him. He touched down, easily gathered up Edmund, and raced toward the foyer. He would very much have liked to kill the despicable lady, but he needed to ensure the young master's safety.
Sebastian covered the distance in no time at all. He sprinted through the still empty but now darkened ballroom, coming out on the other side into the foyer. Ciel and Adeline were waiting at the foot of the grand staircase. He hoisted Edmund higher over his shoulder and started toward them.
"What took you so long?" Ciel asked. His gaze found Sebastian's shoulder. "What happened?"
"Marina, the enchanting offspring, decided to give me a personal farewell in the hallway," Sebastian said. "Don't worry young master, 'tis but a scratch."
"Did you kill her?"
Sebastian hesitated. "Regretfully not. She proved to be the most worthy opponent I've encountered thus far tonight. I thought it best to depart."
"You ran away?" Ciel's tone was slightly disbelieving.
"I most certainly did not," Sebastian said. "She implied that your wellbeing might be in jeopardy and that is my highest priority. So I collected Edmund and came to your aid since earlier you implied that I didn't rush to your side swiftly enough."
The young master opened his mouth to say something more when Adeline gasped. The others turned to look. Silas was standing at the top of the staircase, one hand lightly gripping the ornate marble bannister.
"Leaving so soon?" He asked. He began to slowly descend the stairs, speaking merrily as though nothing of the last hour had occurred. "I thought we'd been having so much fun. You slaughtered all my pets, my beloved wife. Injured my daughter. You'd have been wise to leave when all the other guests did. Perhaps I'd have left you alone, trusted you to keep my true identity a secret. However, it appears you wanted to have another round. So…let's end this party with a bang."
Hello to the new followers! So happy to have you join us on this journey!
Guest: yes, fortunately most are gone. However, the two left are quite powerful, so a bit too early to celebrate yet. ;)
LonelyStargazer: Welcome! I understand, I am often a lurker reader myself but I really shouldn't be. Follows, likes and reviews do wonders to boost the author and encourage them to write. I'll have to get better on that myself, but I am truly happy for each and every reader I have whether they are vocal or not. Thank you so much for your kind words. I was initially not a SebaCiel shipper either initially, but now they are one of my favorite pairings and one that I find most fun to write. I hope you'll continue to enjoy.
Promocat: I know! I was sad for her but her story will start looking up in a few chapters.