MASTER SEBASTIAN

Chapter 53

The next morning saw me above deck. Fresh wind ruffled my hair, eliciting a serene smile. I looked ahead. Sebastian had blended in with the sailors, his muscles working as he assisted with various works around the ship. Presently he fought to tie heavy ropes. I watched his damp muscles flex deliciously as he worked and I felt a flush rise up my neck.

I brought the mead up to my lips. It had been thrust into my hands by the captain. Said it would get me in high spirits. Already I could feel a sweltering of heat in my gut and a wave of welcome lightness start to wrap me in a cocoon.

As if feeling my gaze on him, Sebastian straightened, standing taller than nearly all the men on the ship. He turned his dark head to me. My breath caught at his open perusal. Obsidian eyes leisurely ran down my body, intensity sparking deep in their depths.

His attention was snagged by one of the sailors and in no time he was engaged in some other form of work.

This went on for majority of our time at sea. On the third day, I'd gone below deck to bring Yver her lunch. I was just making my way out when Sebastian's form blocked the entrance.

His arms went around me and his lips came down on mine. He kissed me hungrily. We'd mostly been apart from each other, with him being engaged with work on the ship. I noticed a dark stubble had started to grow on his chin and when he pulled back, my hand went to his jaw, caressing softly. He leaned into my touch, his eyes rapt on my face. "The captain's spotted land."

I swallowed. We were soon to be in the dark fey kingdom. A shiver slid down my spine. Why I was nervous, I didn't know. I could rely on Sebastian's word and trust the good history he had with the dark fey king. Once, he'd told me the king had been the only one to take him in when he was exiled.

Time seemed to crawl by slowly, but all too soon we were pulling up by the wide shore. The land was littered with dark fey warriors. They drew to a protective stance once we started to pour out of the ship.

The tension around them relented once Sebastian came into view. He nodded at them, they bowed low. A few warriors dispatched to him. They were going to lead him to the king. But once their gazes fell on I and Yver, they shuttered, growing suspicious.

Sebastian shielded us from their view, his broad back cutting them off from sight temporarily. "This is my betrothed. Receive her as you would receive me."

Immediately they drew back, bowing almost apologetically. "Of course, Master," one said. "This way."

Yver stuck to my side and soon we were escorted into a magnificent carriage. I stepped in, barely stopping myself from gawking at the plush red interior.

The coach soon started to move. Sebastian sat opposite me. "We should be in Kaother by tomorrow."

I made sure to keep the pity away from my voice. "How do you feel about that?"

He understood immediately. How would he feel about stepping foot in a kingdom that had turned their backs on him so many centuries ago.

He looked away. "It must be done." Was all he said.

It suddenly struck me how much he was sacrificing for I and my kingdom. If he went back to Kaother, he'd be king. Rule over a nation that once despised him. I reached out and covered his hand with mine. "Thank you, Sebastian."