The moonlight made her porcelain skin glow and her emerald green eyes were luminous. Her glossy black hair fell down her back and shone under the full moon. Blood dripped dark trails down her pale skin, mingling with the markings that covered her skin. In his many centuries, Sebastian had never seen a more beautiful sight. The pale and skittish lady he thought he knew had revealed herself to be a powerful young witch that defeated a grim reaper in a one-on-one battle without even lifting a finger. Lady Lilliana effectively became a goddess. His goddess.

His mate.

"Sebastian." His name left her lips in a tremulous whisper that threatened to buckle his knees. In the next second he was standing directly in front of her. His hands cupped her cheeks and he briefly noticed her deep green eyes grow wide before his crimson ones slid closed and their lips met. Sebastian's mark burned in the most delicious way and for the first time in his demonic existence, he knew peace in his soul. In the back of his mind, a sarcastic voice pointed out the irony of the peace felt in his soul and the fire burning in his body.

Sebastian eased back from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "My mate," he whispered tenderly. Lilliana clutched his shirt tightly in her fists and repeated his words. Their marks burned with the acknowledgement and acceptance of the bond, forging the initial, partial connection between them. A faint blush darkened her cheeks and Sebastian felt them heat beneath his hands. He smiled and shifted back so he could see her more fully, a hungry look again entering his gaze before being replaced by concern as Lilliana winced and paled. Sebastian felt the faintest twinge through their partial connection and realized she was in a fair amount of pain. Gently, he scooped her up into his arms and, ignoring her surprised squeak, swiftly made his way to her room to lay her on the bed.

"Sebastian, I'll get blood all over the sheets," she weakly tried to protest.

"They can be washed," he answered simply. "Can you heal yourself with your magick?"

Lilliana was growing increasingly pale and Sebastian felt himself beginning to panic. He did not know anything about her or her magick or her abilities, he realized. He felt helpless and lost, which sparked a touch of anger in him. How am I supposed to know these things, much less how to help her, if she intentionally hid all this from me?

Sebastian firmly stuffed those conflicting thoughts in a box in his mind to be examined when his mate wasn't in pain, and took a deep breath to refocus on the situation.

"I should be able to. I'm honestly not sure if scythe-inflicted wounds can be healed the same or if the reaper's power will complicate matters. I've never had to fight one for my mate before." Her weak attempt to lighten the situation with humor both annoyed and worried Sebastian. A twinge of guilt also made itself known at the realization that he was the reason she had sustained these injuries. Again, not that I had any idea in the first place, he grumbled to himself. So many questions, so not the right time for them. Again, the demon forced his thoughts away from the powerful, churning emotions he felt.

Sebastian nodded grimly in response to her honesty and pulled up a chair beside her bed. He watched her take a deep breath, wincing slightly at a twinge of pain that he felt a phantom echo of, and began singing in a strange tongue. Sebastian watched her closely and stiffened instinctively at the amount of raw power radiating from her voice. Even though he had witnessed her summoning the elements in her fight against Grell, the contrasting gentleness in her voice now was an entirely new experience. Sebastian was in awe of the beautiful sounds that left her lips and wished he could understand the words of her song.

As each element was summoned and surrounded her, Sebastian noticed color returning to her cheeks and let out a small breath he hadn't known he was holding. Her voice seemed to weaken as the song continued and, of its own accord, his hand reached for hers. Upon contact, Sebastian felt a pull in their connection and her voice almost immediately regained strength. Ah, the bond is boosting her strength with my own. Noted, he thought. Turning his attention back to her wounds, he blinked in shock. They were gone.

Puzzled, he searched again. Nothing. No wound marred the markings on her porcelain skin. His markings. Curiously, possessively, hungrily, he studied them intently. A swell of pride crested his mind and he grew smug as he noticed that they seemed to cover her from head to toe. His mind threatened to wander, but he firmly pulled himself back to the present and looked at Lilliana's blushing face as she stopped singing. He quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly and she averted her gaze.

"I was having difficulty healing the wounds until you lent me your strength. Thank you for that, Sebastian."

Sebastian's eyes widened as she squeezed his hand. "You're fully healed?"

She nodded timidly and sat up against the headboard, still not meeting his gaze. The silence stretched as Sebastian was lost in his thoughts, staring blankly across the room.

"Are you angry with me?" Her small voice snapped his attention back to her and his brows furrowed as he dissected his thoughts.

After a moment he answered slowly, "Not angry. Confused, yes. There are many pieces of this story that I seem to be missing." He neglected to mention the sting of hurt he was trying very hard to ignore due to the revelation that she had kept her identity hidden from him and now seemed..fearful of him?

Lilliana nodded, cheeks turning red again. A glance at the clock had Sebastian releasing her hand and standing. Her wide eyes flashed to his face, her gaze searching. "You need your rest, especially after tonight's events. I will return momentarily to replace your bedding." He bowed, feeling as if he was functioning on auto-pilot while his mind spun like a top. He disappeared out the door and was back in less than 10 seconds, gesturing for her to move her legs so he could take the blood-stained comforter off and replace it with a fresh quilt. Tucking the dirty laundry under his arm, he bowed again.

"Pleasant dreams, my lady."

"Wait, Sebastian-"

Her words echoed through the empty room. Lilliana suddenly felt the crushing weight of her exhaustion, but even that could not distract her from the confusion clouding her thoughts or dull the ache of her heart. Silent tears dripped down her face as she slowly slid under the covers and sank into a restless sleep.

A few hours later, Mey-Rin woke her from her fitful slumber to help her dress for the day. Lilliana felt so groggy she nearly forgot to conceal her markings before letting the maid in and she knew she looked as horrible as she felt when Mey-Rin flinched and gasped upon seeing her face.

"My lady, are you feeling alright?" came the concerned squeak.

Lilliana sighed. "Yes, Mey-Rin. I just didn't sleep well, that's all. No need to worry about me."

Mey-Rin looked unconvinced but didn't bring it up again while helping her dress. "The master plans to travel to London today, yes he does. There's a big fancy festival happening on the ice. That sounds like so much fun, yes it does! Except I don't much like the cold, no I don't." Mey-Rin sighed dramatically as she finished lacing Lilliana's dress.

"A festival does sound fun, doesn't it? Thank you for your help, Mey-Rin. I'll head down to breakfast now." Lilliana's voice lacked its usual energy and, truthfully, she was only half-listening to the maid. Most of her focus was tied up in trying to figure out what she was going to say to Sebastian when she saw him. Why did he leave like that last night? Lilliana closed her eyes against the hurt that filled her and forced a deep breath.

Taking up her hairbrush from the vanity, Lilliana set to brushing the snarls from her locks and taming them in a loose braid. There was no helping the dark circles under her eyes, so she stood with a sigh and made her way to the dining room.

Lilliana halted in the doorway when she saw only one place set at the table, already filled with food, and set in front of her chair. Weird, she thought. Maybe Ciel is eating in his study this morning? Lilliana grew more and more fidgety as she ate her meal and there was still no sign of Ciel or Sebastian. When she finally could not take the silence anymore, she decided to go hunt down Sebastian. He should be in the kitchen getting Ciel's breakfast, right? Lilliana pushed open the door to the kitchen and dead-panned as the door on the opposite side of the room swung shut after black coattails. Frowning, she turned and headed for Ciel's study.

Lilliana walked through Ciel's open door and her heart leapt as she finally caught sight of Sebastian. "I will prepare the carriage at once, my lord," he said as he straightened from his bow and walked toward the door.

"Sebastian-"

*Click* The door swung shut behind him. Lilliana's face heated and her heart lurched. Her mate had just walked away from her, blatantly ignored her, shut a door in her face. What was she supposed to think now? Did he not want her now? Had she screwed this up by hiding it from him for so long? Was he going to reject her now?

Someone cleared their throat behind her and Lilliana jumped at the sudden noise. She forced her thoughts back to the present and turned to Ciel. He frowned at her. "You look wretched," he stated. "Didn't you sleep last night?"

Lilliana's cheeks reddened again and she huffed at the rude boy. "You're lucky I haven't turned you into a toad yet."

The corner of Ciel's lips just barely turned upward, but he quickly schooled his features and returned to business. "We will be going into London today to visit the Frost Fair. It has been many years since they've been able to host it and it would be good for the Phantomhive image to be seen at events such as these. You are welcome to join us if you can promise to stay out of trouble."

She agreed, intrigued by what the Frost Fair might be. After a quick stop at her room to procure her heavy winter cloak, Lilliana made her way to the stables in hopes of being able to talk to Sebastian. She dashed across the yard, gripping her cloak tighter against the cold, and glancing at the gray sky that promised snow. When the heavy stable door shut behind her, Lilliana was immediately grateful for the warmth that lay within. She stood for a moment, absorbing the smells and sounds that only come from being in the presence of beautiful equines. For the first time that day, a smile graced her lips and she relaxed.

Lilliana reverently approached the stall door of a gorgeous bay mare with a deep reddish-brown coloring. The mare sniffed her curiously and playfully nudged her face and hair. Lilliana giggled and stroked her soft nose, resting her forehead against the mare's.

"Curious," a familiar voice came from behind her. "That mare has never been friendly with anyone."

She spun, her heart in her throat, to find her mate standing only a few feet away from her. Her feet automatically began moving in his direction, but her mind caught up and halted her steps.

"Sebastian-"

Her words died in her throat as he moved purposefully toward the tack wall, away from her. Humiliation filled her as the questions and insecurities filled her mind again.

"Sebastian, I-"

She tried again, only to be met with the sound of hooves clacking on the stone floor as Sebastian led a pair of horses out of their stalls. Lilliana huffed and felt irritation creeping into her thoughts. I don't have the energy for this, she thought.

"Sebastian, listen-"

A gust of cold air stole the breath from her lungs when Sebastian opened the stable door to lead the horses out to the carriage.

"The master is waiting," he called over his shoulder just as the door swung shut behind him.