Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Stella turned her head toward him, raising an eyebrow.

Allan said, “There’s a street race in Haliville tonight!”

Allan was a total motorhead, obsessed with both official races and wild underground ones. Just talking about it had his adrenaline racing.

Stella repeated, “Street race?” Her eyes flashed with a bit of streetwise attitude, but she didn’t look the least bit interested.

“It’s totally illegal: no rules, no safety, you crash, it’s all on you,” Allan said, glancing at Lucas, who was still a ways off, and dropped his voice.

To Stella, Allan looked just like a guilty puppy sneaking around!

Allan said, “There’s this legendary mountain road in Haliville, the Death Road. Every racer in Clusia knows about it. It’s insanely challenging.”

Whenever Allan talked about something he loved, one could see the excitement practically shining in his

eyes.

Because the death and accident rates were so high, races on the Death Road only happened once every six months or even a year. This was Allan’s first time actually catching one.

“What’s the prize?” Stella asked.

These street races always came with some jaw-dropping prizes.

It just cranked up the excitement even more.

“Let me check,” Allan said, scrolling down to the very bottom of his phone.

He didn’t say a word for what felt like forever.

Stella snapped her fingers, giving him a raised eyebrow, totally deadpan.

Allan turned his phone toward her.

The prize was a Pagani Zonda.

It was the one Sebastian wanted.

Allan said, “Whoever wins tonight’s street race gets to drive off in this Pagani Zonda!” He tried to play it cool, but inside, he was practically buzzing. He was dead set on bringing this car home for Sebastian.

“Stella, wanna come with me tonight and see some real action?” Allan asked.

“Count me in,” Stella said, her eyes sharp and her whole vibe turning fierce. She was clearly interested now.

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Chapter 79

Allan was absolutely floored.

“Did you just say what I think you said? I must’ve misheard,” Allan asked again, just to be sure.

“I said, I’m in,” Stella repeated herself, slow and clear, dead serious.

Allan was stunned for a moment.

When he realized Stella was actually serious, a chill ran down his spine. He instantly regretted ever mentioning it.

“Hey, Stella, chill! This kind of race is seriously dangerous,” Allan blurted out, worry all over his face.

“I know. I’m still in,” Stella replied.

Her voice was lazy, like she didn’t care, but her presence was just as fierce as Sebastian’s.

“People can seriously die in these races,” Allan pleaded, worry written all over his face.

He was trying everything to talk sense into her, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“I! Am! In!” Stella replied, her voice icy and unshakable.

She just stared him down, cold as ice.

“No way! Absolutely not. If Sebastian finds out, he’s seriously gonna murder me,” Allan blurted out, just picturing it made him shiver all over.

But then, Stella fixed him with a look full of meaning, her eyes saying way more than words ever could.

Stella said, “Oh, and if Mr. Gray finds out…” She trailed off, giving Allan a meaningful look.

Allan just froze.

Lucas, who’d been scampering around the garage, finally came running back. He sensed the weird vibe in the air, so his little head turned from Stella to Allan, back and forth.

He reached out his tiny little hand and poked at Allan, who was totally zoned out like a statue.

Allan cursed inwardly, ‘Shit! I’m so dead.’

Night fell.

In the dining room, for once, Allan was actually on time, no jet lag in sight. He showed up in a smoky grey suit, his hair slicked back in a classic style, and those gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose again.

He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Sebastian.

“Sebastian, I need to head out for something tonight,” Allan said.

As he spoke, he tried to act normal, picking up his fork, but his hands were shaking like crazy.

18:56 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 79

Stella just stared at him, thinking, ‘Is he for real?’

Sebastian looked up at Allan, his face totally blank. His icy eyes were as deep and unreadable as an ancient

ocean.

“It’s really important!” Allan said with a dry laugh, trying to emphasize just how urgent it was.

Suddenly, Sebastian raised his hand, making Allan jump.

Snowball, which had been lazily coiled around the decorative tree, perked up at its master’s call. It slithered down, hissing softly, and draped its huge head over Sebastian’s shoulder like it owned the place.

“Just how important is it?” Sebastian asked, his voice low and steady as he absentmindedly stroked Snowball, looking as unreadable as ever.

Allan swallowed nervously, let out a couple of awkward chuckles, and said, “Super important, really, really important.”

Sebastian was speechless.

Stella kept eating, completely unfazed. She chimed in, “I’m heading out tonight, too. Allan, you’re driving

me.”

Lucas, who hadn’t cared one bit about Allan leaving, was instantly stunned by Stella’s words. His fork dropped with a loud clatter; his little mouth quivered. He looked absolutely devastated.

Lucas typed on his watch.

Big Ben, standing nearby, asked, “Hey, can Lucas tag along?”

Stella turned her head and placed a piece of meat into Lucas’s bowl. She said, “Not happening.”

Lucas typed again.

Big Ben asked, “Stella, you heard me, right?”

Stella’s hand froze for a second. She asked, “What?”

Lucas repeated the movement.

Big Ben said, “Lucas’s heart just broke!”

Stella was speechless.

Snowball, who’d been curled up comfortably by Sebastian, suddenly shuddered, almost making all its scales stand on end. It hesitantly lifted its big head and sneaked a nervous glance at Sebastian.

Right then, Sebastian was absentmindedly petting Snowball, but his icy gaze was locked on Allan and Stella.

The air in the huge room felt thinner by the second, as if the whole place were freezing over.

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Chapter 79

John frowned, elbowed Jake, who was still spacing out, and shot him a look. The two of them made a quick exit from the restaurant.

“When will you be back?” Sebastian asked.

He glanced away, but the tension in the room was still thick as ice.

Allan grinned, feeling oddly touched. He said, “Wow, Sebastian, didn’t know you cared. I’ll be back before you know it, promise.”

Deep down, Allan actually felt a little guilty.

Sebastian looked up, his eyes cold as ice as he stared Allan down. He demanded, “Get lost.”

Allan was stunned for a moment.

“When will you be back?” Sebastian asked Stella again, his voice cold and unyielding.

He was unusually persistent about getting an answer.

“No idea, depends on how things go,” Stella replied, grabbing a napkin to wipe her mouth like she didn’t even notice the bone-chilling air coming off Sebastian.

One thing was crystal clear to Allan now: Stella wasn’t afraid of Sebastian. Not even a hint of fear.

When Stella answered, Sebastian’s grim face grew even darker. The shadows under his eyes from last night’s lack of sleep made his stare downright scary.

Allan ducked his head as low as he could, his hands trembling so hard it was a miracle he didn’t drop anything.

He thought, ‘Seriously, did someone set the AC in this place to arctic blast or what?’

“Whatever,” Sebastian said coldly.

After a moment, Sebastian, face like ice, steered his electric wheelchair away.

Snowball shot past everyone’s feet at top speed, slithering out of the restaurant so fast it didn’t even glance at its food bowl.

It made a desperate dash for safety.

Maybe on purpose, maybe not, but Sebastian’s wheelchair slowed down a little as he passed by Stella.

Stella didn’t even look his way, totally ignoring him and busy cleaning up Lucas’s face.

The next second, Sebastian grabbed Stella’s wrist.