Chapter 9: Connections.
"Annalise!" Sebastian called out, stopping the girl in her tracks.
She felt her stomach flutter as the man said her name. She turned around slowly as she stared at him with tears in her eyes.
She had looked utterly torn.
"Please don't call me that..." She spoke, her voice no louder than a whisper.
The name had brought back so many unpleasant memories for the girl.
The butler remained where he was in silence, his face clearly showing that he did not wish to upset the girl any further.
Without anyone even noticing it, Ciel had run up to her and grabbed her by her wrist. Her back was turned towards him as he stared at her with glassy eyes, "Anna, ple-"
"Please." She spoke quietly as her voice wavered slightly, indicating that she was on the brink of breaking down. She didn't dare turn around to face the boy, "Just stop..."
In that moment, Ciel's heart had dropped. The girl continued to walk forward, her thin wrist easily slipping out of his hand.
She stopped once she was in the middle of the staircase, "Phantomhive's your last name, right?"
He wiped away one of the fallen tears as he spoke, "It is, why?"
"I went through hell because of that name." She muttered, resuming to make her way up the staircase and down the hallway.
Ciel sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Sebastian cautiously took a step forward, "What now, Young Master?"
"Lets just go back to the manor." Ciel mumbled, dropping his arms to his side and walking towards the door.
The demon hesitantly followed behind him, not wanting to leave his beloved mistress alone in the emotional state she was currently in.
It was already midnight, and the young earl lied awake in his bed.
"Is something wrong, Young Master?" Sebastian asked, sitting the candles down on a small table as he tucked the boy into bed.
"Why did she snap like that when you called her by her name?" Ciel asked, looking over at the tall butler.
He sighed silently, "Around the time she supposedly left the orphanage, she was kidnapped. She was horribly beaten and abused, and once she escaped her confinement, she wanted to forget about the past. She wanted to be someone else. Someone who was happy."
The boy furrowed his brows, "So what is it that she goes by, then?"
"Cassie." The butler stated, "It's not too far from her real name, considering that it's a shortened version of Cassandra, but it's different. She didn't want to forget who she was, she only wanted to forget what she went through."
"I see..." The earl spoke quietly as he looked away. "Do you think she'll forgive me?"
"What do you mean, my lord?" Sebastian asked as he narrowed his eyes at the boy.
He shook his head, "It's nothing... But there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
The demon had faintly risen his brow, "And what would that be?"
Ciel rolled over on the bed, his back facing the dark butler. "What is your relationship with Ann-Cassie?"
"Do you recall the night you first became my young master?" Sebastian had questioned, picking up the candles he had previously set down. "You had asked me not to hurt the young girl who shared that cage with you. As I'm sure you may remember, that little girl was Miss Cassie. When you asked me to spare her, I assumed she must have been someone you valued very deeply, so I decided to protect her once she escaped her imprisonment... the first time..." He said that last bit under his breath, so the young noble wouldn't hear him.
"But you were going to kill her!" Ciel shouted, sitting up in the bed as he glared at his butler.
Sebastian shook his head, "I don't recall ever intending to do such a thing."
The bluenette furrowed his brows as he spoke, "It was right when you finished killing the men and the other children, you opened my cage and reached for her so you could kill her as well!"
The raven-haired butler shook his head once more, "You must have misunderstood my actions, my young lord. When I was reaching towards her, I was going to pick her up so I could bring her with us. You ordered me not to touch her, so I had no choice but to obey. Besides, Miss Cassie was the one who summoned me that night."
The boy clutched the bed sheets as he stared into his lap in complete disbelief, "But... there's no way she could have summoned you... She was unconscious!"
Sebastian stood in the doorway of the bedroom as a small grin claimed his lips, "I assure you Miss Cassie was in fact conscious when I appeared before you that night. You may have thought she was comatose because she was beaten so harshly, but she wasn't. She was merely unable to move or speak. If you had looked at her closely enough, you would see that her eyes were partially open."
"That... That can't be right..." Ciel said under his breath. He was astonished, to say the least.
To think, the very girl whom he had shared his cage with during that godforsaken time was his illegitimate sister and the one who had summoned his butler... This was all too much for the bluenette to process.
"Sleep well, Young Master." The raven butler cooed, shutting the door behind him.
Cassie lied restlessly in the large bed as Sebastian lounged behind her, placing small kisses upon her neck. "Stop it, Sebastian." She grumbled halfheartedly.
The demon let out a soft, deep chuckle and wrapped his arms around the girl, his gloved hands resting on her stomach, "You never let me show affection when I want to, Young Mistress. Are you still upset with me?" He pouted, his voice full of lust.
Chills ran down Cassie's spine, and she was then forcibly rolled over, the two now making uncomfortably close eye contact.
A deep rose colored blush painted the girl's porcelain cheeks, causing the demon to smirk victoriously.
He placed his lips ever so gently onto her neck, causing goosebumps to cover the girl's skin. However, Sebastian seemed to have a habit of not being able to stay serious for too long with the girl.
A wide smile spread across his face and he rained small kisses upon the bluenette's face and neck, making tiny kissy noises while doing so.
"Get off~!" The girl spoke while trying to push Sebastian off of her. Of course she didn't mind the shower of affection; in fact, she loved it. However, these little teasing games were her favorite thing to do after a long day.
"Is that really what you want, my dear?" Sebastian asked, looking deep into Cassie's sapphire blue eyes, a light smirk on his face.
She remained silent, slightly pouting. She didn't want to admit defeat to him, but at the same time, she craved this moment more than anything.
Sebastian chuckled and in one swift movement, sat up, lifted Cassie into his arms, and placed her down on his lap. "If I couldn't tell the difference between your stubbornness and your want for affection, what kind of a lover would I be?" The raven-haired demon spoke softly into the girl's ear.
She rested her head against his shoulder, taking in his heavenly scent. "Shut up..." She breathed quietly.
Eventually, she was so fatigued from such a long day, she had slipped into slumber while in Sebastian's arms. He smiled tenderly as he laid her back down on the bed, placing feather-stuffed covers upon her tiny body.
Nights for a demon are long and tedious, but he was perfectly content with staying by the side of the one he loved. In fact, he was glad to be with her during the night. He could observe her when she's in her most peaceful state.
He sat down on the oaken floors next to the sleeping bluenette that his heart longed for so badly. He watched the small rises and falls of the girl's chest and listened to the rhythm of her heartbeat.
He only wished that he could always see her look as innocent as she did when she was sleeping.
In the middle of the night, a dream Cassie couldn't remember had woken her up.
In the corner of her eye, she'd caught Sebastian sitting with his back to the bed, eyes closed but not asleep. "Sebastian, you idiot..." The girl said in a groggy voice, moving over a bit more to one side of the bed. "Get up here, I'm not upset with you."
He had turned around to face her, and she smiled tiredly, recieving one from him in return.
Requited, Sebastian obliged, pulling Cassie's small frame close to him. "I'm glad you're not upset anymore." He whispered, resting his head slightly above the girl's.