Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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“The order to kidnap Lucas, Sebastian stated, his voice cutting through the tension, “came from the Gray

Manor.

His very presence felt dangerous, a palpable threat that lingered in the air. Even after years away, he was still the only true head of the Gray family whom the world both acknowledged and feared.

“Sebastian Carlos gasped, shocked by his words.

Tve already taken care of those responsible, Sebastian interrupted, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “In my own way.”

Anyone who knew him understood that his calm tone signaled real danger.

I’m not here to discuss this with you. I’m informing you,” he added.

After that, he finished his coffee without hurry. Behind those few casual words, several lives were destroyed.

“If anything happens to Grandma or Lucas,” he said, his voice low, “none of you will walk away from it.”

Sebastian’s handsome face was twisted with a cold, violent rage. He looked like a madman, poised perfectly between sanity and fury, and the place fell utterly silent.

A faint, chilling smile touched his lips as he lifted a hand and pointed at Lauren and Richard.

John and Jake moved forward without a word. The sound of snapping bones followed as they broke the siblings fingers one by one.

Screams echoed through the hallway, but no one dared to intervene.

This was the price of crossing Sebastian, a lesson even his own relatives had to learn.

A yawn escaped, cutting through the heavy silence at the worst possible moment.

Sebastian looked over at Stella. He could see how tired she was, her whole body relaxed in a lazy, weary way.

“Mr. Gray, could we move this along?” she asked, her tone flat.

The hallway now felt like a living nightmare, yet Stella showed no trace of fear toward Sebastian. She was simply too tired and hungry to care about anything but getting back to the island.

I’m hungry, Stella muttered from the bench. She rested her chin in her palm, her whole demeanor listless.

When he didn’t reply, she just gave his arm a light poke. That simple touch told everyone clearly that she wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest.

Sebastian’s cold eyes stayed on her. “Jake,” he said without looking over.

“Understood, Mr. Gray. Jake, who was still following orders, was stunned inside. While keeping his expression

in

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Chapter 9

completely neutral, he deliberately sped up the brutal work of snapping fingers.

He had to admit, Stella’s nerve was seriously impressive.

*****

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During the ride back, Lucas curled into a tiny ball on Stella’s lap. He looked like a frightened kitten, clinging to her as if afraid he’d be left behind.

After struggling to tap out a message on the little phone hanging around his neck, he turned it to show Stella the screen. It said, [Story?]

He stared up at her, his big eyes full of silent pleading.

Stella looked at him for a moment. “Alright,” she said. “What story would you like?”

She wasn’t a natural storyteller, but Lucas was already pulling a well–worn copy of The Little Prince from the car. He handed it to her, his whole face glowing with excitement.

‘Fine,‘ Stella thought, giving in. ‘For the money, I can do this.’

“To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes,” she began, her voice cool and unhurried, “But if you tame me, then we shall need each other.

“To me, you will be unique in the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”

A soft breeze drifted in through the window, lifting a few strands of her long hair and sending them drifting across Sebastian’s neck.

He found himself watching her, his intense gaze settled on her face.

The setting sun cast everything in a golden light, catching her neutral, faintly defiant expression.

Her quiet, steady voice was deeply soothing.

After a moment, Stella closed the book. In the quiet that followed, with Lucas asleep in her lap, the gnawing feeling in her stomach became impossible to ignore.

She turned her head to watch the city blur past the window, a restless, undefined annoyance tugging at her.

Suddenly, a heavy warmth leaned against her shoulder, and the deep, smoky scent of his cologne enveloped. her completely,

Sebastian had drifted off, his head resting on her.

“Mr. Gray…” she started, her hunger making her impatient. She was about to nudge him away.

But then she noticed Jake in the front passenger seat. He had glanced back casually, and then jerked so violently that he would have hit the roof if not for his seatbelt.

He didn’t make a sound, but his eyes were wide as he frantically shook his head and motioned for her to stay

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Chapter 9

perfectly still.

:

.

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Up front, John stopped at a red light. He caught the scene in the rearview mirror and stared, just as shocked.

Jake typed on his phone and held it up for Stella to see. The message was simple: [Mr. Gray has severe insomnia. Hasn’t slept in five days.]

He gave her a pleading look, his face full of silent urgency, before he typed more. [Please, Ms. Carter. Don’t move. Just stay like that. Let him rest.]

The car was plunged into a deep, heavy quiet. Stella didn’t know what to say.

But when her eyes found Sebastian sleeping beside her, that feeling shifted.

His long lashes shadowed the dark circles under his eyes. Even when he was asleep, his features remained sharp, his lips pressed into a thin, tight line. And the unnatural paleness of his skin gave him a delicate, almost vulnerable beauty.

The dangerous edge he always carried was gone. He just looked like a man who was finally, exhaustedly, asleep.

A small frown touched his brow, as if his dreams were troubled.

Then, as her light, clean scent drifted over him, the line between his brows smoothed away.

Watching the peace settle over his face, Stella felt her own exhaustion pull at her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and soon, she too was asleep.

Stella awoke in the dead of night to something cold and damp against her skin. Her eyes fluttered open to meet a pair of small, gleaming red ones staring back.

Sebastian’s enormous white python, Snowball, had somehow gotten into her room. Its massive body, coiled on the floor, occasionally nudged her through the blanket with its tail.

Now that she was awake, Snowball tapped her more insistently.

It slowly dawned on her that she was back on the island. Through the dark window, she could see nothing, but the glowing numbers on the nightstand clock read barely three in the morning.

Snowball grew visibly anxious at her stillness and reared up, its whole body tense.

Then, to her astonishment, Snowball began slowly and deliberately coiling its long body, forming one distinct letter after another: an S, then an O, then a final S.

‘It’s a python that knows Morse code?‘ she thought, stunned.

She slid out of bed and followed Snowball through the dark, silent halls. At every turn, Snowball paused, brushing the tip of its tail lightly against her leg to guide her forward.

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Chapter 9

Before long, Snowball led Stella to a bedroom with its door left partway open.

It was a place she didn’t recognize.

She pushed the door open. The heavy, coppery smell of blood greeted her immediately.

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From the black sofa, Sebastian lifted his head at the sound. Propped on one elbow, he met her gaze with cold, empty eyes, a smear of blood still at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re spitting blood?” Stella said, frowning as she strode toward him. A small, dark stain marred the carpet beside the sofa, confirming her fear.

“Out,” Sebastian said, his voice rough.

His eyes were blank, his face pallid and colorless in the moonlight. A thin layer of cold sweat coated his forehead, and his voice sounded deeper and rougher than usual.

“Stella-” he began, but she cut him off, pushing him back onto the sofa without ceremony.

“Be quiet,” she ordered.

Being woken by a huge white python in the middle of the night would sour anyone’s mood, especially when it just made her hungrier.

Stella rested her warm fingers on Sebastian’s wrist, checking his pulse. Her expression grew graver passing second.

with each