AN: I am just on a streak tonight. Here's the next update for this one. Thanks everyone for being patient as I take hiatuses without telling you! You're the best!
SEVEN: Sebastian
I sat up quickly and Sebastian chuckled. Unlike this morning, he now wore a battered old fedora on his head.
"You do care about finding out," he addressed me.
"How did you get in here?" I demanded.
Ignoring the question, Sebastian continued.
"I can tell you. I was there."
"I-"
"All you have to do is ask me."
I bit my lip, weighing the decision as he stared at me expectantly.
"You should leave now, before Erik returns."
"Destler isn't returning for a while. That meeting is supposed to go until lunch time," Sebastian remarked.
"What happened?"
Sebastian smirked.
"What happened?" I repeated.
"Why don't you come with me somewhere private and we can talk?"
I bit my lip again, hesitating.
"Well, are you coming?"
I swallowed, a thousand alarms going off in my head. I heard Erik's words from the list echoing through my head.
Stay away from the man in the fedora- he's trouble...
"Where exactly would you be taking me?"
"Why? Don't you trust me?"
"Honestly, from what I've heard so far, no I don't."
Sebastian laughed at that.
"Where would you be taking me?" I repeated.
"I can't tell you."
"Then I'm not going."
"Oh come on, now. Don't you want to know?"
"Not enough to go anywhere with you alone."
"Destler has you on a pretty short leash, doesn't he."
"Leave now."
"I don't think so."
Just then, Nadir came back into the room.
"What's going on here?"
"Nothing. He was just leaving."
"You won't know what happened."
"Curiosity killed the cat. I think I can manage."
Shaking his head, Sebastian left. Nadir walked over and locked the door behind him.
"What did he want."
"He said he could tell me what you were too afraid to. If I had left with him, he would have told me everything as well as do God knows what to me."
I shook my head vigorously.
"Are you okay?"
"For now..."
"He what?"
"He got in. He wanted to take her somewhere alone."
"I'm fine. Nothing happened," I insisted.
Erik glared at me.
"What? It's true."
"Yes, but he tried."
"Key word there is 'tried'. He didn't actually do anything."
"Yet."
"Erik-"
"No. Didn't I tell you-"
"'Stay away from the man in the fedora- he's trouble.' I know. That's what went through my head right before I told him to leave."
"What did he want?" Erik asked Nadir.
"I'm not completely sure."
"You know exactly what he wanted. I asked you how Erik has had experience with war, you said you couldn't tell me and left the room and then he showed up and said he could tell me what you refused to tell."
"WHAT!"
"It's not like it sounds."
"Really? Because it sounds like you almost let vital information about my past get leaked out!"
"He didn't do anything wrong!"
"You stay out of this!"
I looked down, Erik's harsh tone like knives in my gut. He turned back to Nadir to yell at him some more, then looked back at me. All of a sudden, his manner changed and he returned to calm, cool, collected Erik.
"Nadir, get out of my sight. As for you..."
I looked back up to meet a much softer gaze.
"You do not leave my side unless I've given you permission."