Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Chapter 73

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Outside the villa, Stella tipped her head back. She stared up at Sebastian’s window, narrowing her eyes as if she were measuring the distance for a jump. Allan and Jake stood beside her, confused by her silence.

“Stella?” Allan asked.

Stella didn’t answer. Her mind was somewhere else. Sebastian was as fragile as a porcelain doll, so she worried he might actually pass out alone in his room just like Allan said.

Getting the cold shoulder, Allan decided to be a pest. He leaned in and dragged her name out into a long, annoying whine. “Stel… la?”

Suddenly, Allan’s eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped open. “Holy shit,” he blurted out.

Stella had grabbed the carved stone pillar with one hand and smoothly pulled herself up onto the second- floor balcony. The moonlight caught her face as she climbed, her expression cold and focused.

“Hit me,” Allan stammered while pointing at his cheek. “Wake me up.”

Jake didn’t hesitate for a second. He smacked Allan hard across the face. “Ouch! That hurts,” Allan yelled, rubbing his cheek. “Okay, I am definitely not dreaming.”

Jake stared at him silently. He thought, ‘Of course it hurts, Man. I hit you hard enough to leave a bruise.

“So this’s actually happening,” Allan said, his voice rising into a panic as he started pacing in circles. “Get Stella down. Is she insane? I just told a tiny lie to spice things up. Why is she going full Spider-Man right now?”

Panic set in as he watched her go higher. ‘She’s doing that without a rope,’ he thought. ‘If she slips and falls, Sebastian won’t just kill me. He’s going to feed me to something with big teeth.

“Mr. Reed,” Jake tried to speak.

“Do you think Sebastian will feed me to the lions or the tigers?” Allan asked, looking terrified. “I’m dead meat.”

“Mr. Reed,” Jake tried to speak.

“I need a plane ticket,” Allan rambled, ignoring him completely. “Monterra? Farronia? Where is the hardest place for him to find me?”

Jake looked up at the lit balcony outside Sebastian’s room. Stella was already outside the railing, clinging to it. He looked back at Allan, who was totally freaking out, and decided to just keep his mouth shut.

*****

Up on the balcony, Sebastian sat frozen in his wheelchair. He stared blankly at the girl who had just popped her head over his railing. Stella froze. She hadn’t expected an audience.

They locked eyes for three long seconds in total silence. The moment only broke when hot ash fell onto Sebastian’s hand. “Stella!” he hissed.

18:53 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 73

A flush of anger colored his pale face. He looked at her in total disbelief. ‘We are on the fourth floor, he thought. ‘Did she seriously just climb up with her bare hands?’

Stella weighed her options for a second before she decided to play it cool. She kept her face completely blank and offered him a stiff little wave. “Hi.”

Sebastian’s grip tightened so abruptly that the cigarette crumbled in his hand. “Get in here,” he ordered, offering a hand.

Stella took it. Using his grip to anchor herself, she swung her legs up and vaulted over the railing in one motion. But the landing was a mess.

She tripped and fell right into his lap. A low groan rumbled in her ear. She froze. That definitely wasn’t part of the plan.

“Get off me,” Sebastian gritted out.

“Right,” Stella said, scrambling to her feet.

He immediately scanned her from head to toe to check for injuries, but she was just a little dusty. Once he saw she was fine, his voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Do you realize how high up we are?”

“The fourth floor?” Stella guessed, acting like it was no big deal.

Suddenly, she remembered her audience. She leaned over the railing and gave a casual wave to the two men watching from the garden. Sebastian wheeled forward to see who she was signaling. His icy glare landed on

Allan.

Allan started to sweat. “Jake, you…”

But when he turned, the spot next to him was empty. Jake had already bailed. Allan cursed under his breath.

*****

On the balcony, Stella glanced at the tiles. The floor was littered with enough cigarette butts to fill a bucket. It was obvious Sebastian had been chain-smoking all afternoon. When she looked up, he was still glaring at her with cold, angry eyes.

“You knew it was the fourth floor, and you still decided to free-climb the wall?” he demanded.

Stella didn’t answer immediately. Then, a small chuckle escaped her, and she turned her head. Sebastian frowned. “What’s funny?”

“I figured you would be mad about the break-in,” she said, looking back down at him. “I didn’t expect you to be mad about how I got here.”

“Allan told me you have a weak stomach,” she continued. “He said you might cough up blood and pass out cold. That’s why I am here. Oh, right. I gotta have John bring the food up.”

Stella slid the glass door open as she spoke. Without asking, she grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and rolled him inside. Sebastian didn’t fight her. He just let her move him into the bedroom.

18:53 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 73

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She walked over and unlocked the bedroom door to find John already waiting. Jake must have tipped him off. He stood there holding a tray with the reheated dinner and her beef stew.

“Ms. Carter,” John said as he handed the heavy tray to her. Then, his voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “Thank you.”

The door clicked shut. Stella set the tray down on the table. She nudged the larger plate toward him. “Yours,” she said, then pulled the bowl of stew to her side. “Mine.”

She didn’t wait for a response. Reaching over, she pried his clenched fingers apart and jammed the fork handle into his palm. Then she flopped onto the sofa opposite him, ignoring his dark mood as she dug into her dinner.

It took a long moment for Sebastian to even lift his hand. When he finally did, he picked at his food slowly. Every bite seemed like a chore. Since the accident took a quarter of his stomach, eating felt like nothing more than a burden.

Watching him carefully separate the carrots from the rest of the meal, Stella broke the silence. “If you think Lucas runs away because he’s scared of you,” she said. “You should just ask him. Locking yourself in this room fixes nothing.”

Sebastian’s fork froze mid-air. His face darkened. “I don’t care,” he said, his voice heavy. “It doesn’t matter if he’s scared of me. As long as he’s alive.”

His appetite was dead, even though he had barely managed a few bites.

Stella leaned back, sinking into the cushions. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who had just scaled a four-story wall like a spider. “Sebastian, you should see your face,” she drawled. “You look so… sulky.”

Sebastian stayed silent, but his mind raced. He thought, ‘Sulky? Me? I am not sulking. She’s delusional.’

He went to drop his fork back onto the tray, but he never made it. Stella shot her arm out, using her spoon to block his hand mid-air. Her expression was dead serious. “You barely ate anything.”

“I’m not hungry,” he said. And he meant it.

“Have a couple more bites,” Stella ordered.

She didn’t budge, and she kept her spoon right where it was. Geezer always said nothing in the world mattered more than a full belly, and she took that rule seriously.

Sebastian stared her down, but she held his gaze. Finally, realizing she wasn’t going to back off, he gave in and forced himself to swallow a little more. Stella nodded, satisfied.

Once her own bowl was empty, Stella curled up on the massive black leather sofa. She looked tiny, practically swallowed up by the dark cushions.

A question popped into her head. “So,” she said as she looked up. “What is the dungeon like?”

“You want to see for yourself?” Sebastian asked, his voice low.

18:53 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 73

Maybe the food had helped, because the violent tension in his eyes seemed to have relaxed. He watched her quietly from across the room.

Stella hugged a throw pillow to her chest and rested her chin on her hand. “Yeah. Kind of.”

Her mind drifted to the other missing resident of the house. ‘Also, where is Snowball?’ she thought. ‘I haven’t seen that snake all night.’

Sebastian gave her a long look before saying, “Let’s go, then.”

Stella wheeled Sebastian to the entrance of the dungeon. The moment they crossed into the restricted area, the smell hit her like a punch to the gut. It was thick and heavy-old blood mixed with rot.

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18:53 Mon, Jan 19