The walk was silent.
Not tense.
Not rushed.
Just… quiet.
Sebastian didn't explain where they were going. He simply moved, and Eliana followed—because something told her resisting him right now would be pointless.
Or worse—
Unnecessary.
The palace felt different here.
Quieter.
Colder.
Guarded.
By the time they reached the doors, Eliana's thoughts were spiraling again—Adrian, the transformation, the way he had looked at her—
She's the key.
The doors opened without a touch.
Sebastian stepped inside first.
She followed.
And the moment she crossed the threshold—
She felt it.
A shift.
Like the outside world had been sealed away.
No noise.
No presence.
Just them.
The doors closed behind her.
Soft.
Final.
Eliana turned. "Where are we—"
"My chambers."
Her words stopped.
Not because of the place.
But because of how close he suddenly was.
She hadn't heard him move.
Didn't see him step forward.
But now—
Sebastian stood right in front of her.
Not touching.
Not yet.
But close enough that it changed everything.
"You wanted answers," he said.
His voice was lower now.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Just… focused.
Eliana swallowed. "I still do."
A pause.
His gaze held hers.
Steady.
Unreadable.
But not empty.
"Adrian isn't dying," he said.
Relief hit her chest instantly—
Then tightened again.
"Then what's happening to him?"
Sebastian didn't answer immediately.
He moved past her instead, slow, controlled, as if the space itself adjusted to him. He poured a glass of something dark, untouched, before speaking again.
"He crossed a threshold he wasn't prepared for."
"That doesn't explain anything."
"It explains enough."
"It doesn't explain why he looked at me like that," she shot back. "Or why you said I'm involved."
Silence.
He turned then.
And this time—
His attention locked fully onto her.
"You are," he said.
No hesitation.
No softness.
Just truth.
Eliana's heart pounded. "How?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Like he was deciding something.
Not whether to tell her—
But how much.
"When I marked you," he said slowly, "it didn't end with me."
Her breath caught.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he continued, stepping closer again, "you're no longer invisible to things like him."
"Things like him?" her voice dropped.
"Things that exist beyond control."
The room felt smaller.
"Adrian is reacting to that," Sebastian added. "To you."
"That doesn't make sense—"
"It doesn't need to," he said quietly. "It just needs to be managed."
Managed.
Like this was strategy.
Like this was normal.
Eliana shook her head. "You're not telling me everything."
"No."
The honesty stunned her.
Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Sebastian stopped in front of her again.
Closer this time.
Too close to ignore.
"Because you're not ready for all of it."
"I decide that."
"No," he said softly.
And somehow—
That was worse than if he'd raised his voice.
"I do."
Silence stretched between them.
Tight.
Charged.
Her chest rose and fell as she held his gaze, refusing to back down this time.
"Adrian said I'd go to him for the truth," she said.
That did it.
Something in Sebastian's expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not jealousy.
Something sharper.
More dangerous.
"Then don't," he replied.
Simple.
Final.
"Why?" she challenged.
Another step closer.
Now there was barely any space left between them.
"Because I'm telling you not to."
Her breath caught.
Not from fear.
From the weight of it.
The control.
The certainty.
And beneath it—
Something else.
Something that had nothing to do with power.
"You don't trust me," she said quietly.
For the first time—
Sebastian hesitated.
Just slightly.
And that was all she needed to see.
"It's not about trust."
"Then what is it about?"
A pause.
Long enough to matter.
Then—
"It's about keeping you alive."
The words landed differently.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Just… real.
Eliana's expression softened, just barely. "From Adrian?"
"No."
That single word sent a chill down her spine.
"Then from what?"
Sebastian held her gaze.
And this time—
He didn't look away.
"From what you are."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Eliana's heart pounded violently.
"What I am?" she whispered.
But Sebastian had already stepped back.
Distance restored.
Control back in place.
Conversation over.
"For now," he said calmly, "you stay here."
Her head snapped up. "What about Adrian?"
A brief pause.
Then—
"I've contained him."
"How long will that last?"
Sebastian's expression didn't change.
"Long enough."
That wasn't reassuring.
At all.
And they both knew it.