Sacrifice (Ritual Sins #2)

17. Rose

17

Rose

My heart ached as I watched Sebastian head into the bathroom. The weight of all the lies, his family’s betrayal, was still crashing down on him. I could see it in every tense line of his body, in the hollow look in his eyes.

It was crushing to see him like this, discovering truths that no one should ever have to bear. Layer upon layer of deceit, unraveling everything he thought he knew about his life. I wanted to take the burden from him, to shield him from the awful suffering, but I knew I couldn’t. All I could do was be here for him. Support him however I could.

For now, that meant giving him some space to cool off and collect his thoughts until he felt like talking about everything again. In the meantime, I decided to arrange and fold all our new clothes instead of leaving them lying around on the floor in their bags and boxes like we’d done in our exhausted haze yesterday.

As I folded a pair of jeans, a sudden knock on the door made me jump. I froze, glancing over at the open bathroom door, but Sebastian didn’t say anything. He must not have heard.

My pulse quickened as I moved toward the main door, feeling a knot of unease tighten in my stomach. I hesitated for a few seconds, then peeked through the peephole, half-expecting to see Sebastian’s father on the other side.

It was a petite woman in a hotel uniform, holding a tray with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Beside her was a large cart laden with more glasses and bottles.

I exhaled deeply, unlocked the door, and opened it a crack.

The woman smiled at me. “Hello!” she said in a chirpy tone. “We’re giving out complimentary champagne for all guests today. Would you like some?”

I briefly hesitated again. I could still remember the delicious taste of the champagne Sebastian had given me weeks ago, when we took our first bath together. Perhaps it would cheer him up to have some more.

I returned the woman’s smile and opened the door wider. “Thank you,” I said, accepting the tray from her.

She nodded and turned away to the opposite door. I watched her knock and offer a bottle to the couple staying in that room, and then I finally stepped back and closed the door, heart still beating faster than it should. Part of me was still expecting something to happen; still expecting Adam Thorne to spring out from a dark corner somewhere. But everything was fine. I just needed to breathe.

I did exactly that, inhaling deeply to center myself as I set the tray down on the nearest table. At the same time, Sebastian emerged from the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his hips. Droplets of water clung to his tanned, muscular abdomen, and I was instantly struck by the urge to lick them off.

“Did I hear voices out here?” he asked, brows knitting.

“Yes.” I nodded and motioned to the champagne bottle. “A woman came and dropped this off a minute ago. I thought it could be nice for us to have a glass or two together.”

Sebastian’s forehead wrinkled. “Hold on… what woman?”

“Someone from the hotel staff. She said it’s complimentary for all guests.”

“Are you sure she was definitely from the hotel?”

I nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry. I was paranoid at first too—I kept thinking it might have something to do with your father. But I watched her, and she was delivering champagne to other guests as well.”

He frowned, scratching his stubble-lined jaw. “Maybe we should call the front desk and double-check,” he muttered. “It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment. I just don’t want to underestimate my father’s reach at this point. Not after everything we’ve learned about him over the last few days.”

I nodded. “You’re right. We can’t be too careful.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the phone that sat on the table beside it. Then he pressed a button and waited for a moment. “Yeah, hi,” he finally said. “Sorry to bother you. I was just wondering about some champagne that got delivered to our suite. We were told it’s a complimentary treat for all—oh, it is? Ah. I see. Well, thanks. I appreciate it.”

He set the phone back in its cradle and smiled at me. “You were right. It’s just regular old champagne. Not poison sent by my father, or anything like that,” he said, slowly rising to his feet. “Apparently, the hotel is testing the waters for a potential partnership with a new beverage company, and they’re handing out complimentary drinks today.”

“Should we have some?” I asked, cocking my head. “It might help us relax a bit.”

“Yeah, we could definitely use some relaxation after everything we’ve gone through,” he said with a wry grin. “Also, I can’t remember if I ever told you this, but for us outsiders, champagne is seen as a celebratory drink.”

“We certainly have cause to celebrate,” I said, face brightening. “Because of that laptop we found, your father will finally be brought to justice.”

“Exactly. He’s not behind bars just yet, but he will be soon, if everything goes to plan.” As he spoke, Sebastian popped open the champagne bottle and poured some of the bubbly liquid into each glass. He handed one to me and lifted the other to clink against it. “Cheers to that, huh?”

“Cheers,” I repeated before taking a sip.

Sebastian gulped down half his glass before letting out a low whistle. “Damn. That’s nice stuff.”

“Yes, it’s delicious.” I grinned at him. “I’m surprised you could taste it, though, considering how fast you drank that mouthful.”

He chuckled and slowly sipped at the remaining champagne. “Better?” he asked, sliding one arm around me.

I smiled and stood on my tiptoes, tilting my chin upward to kiss him. His lips hungrily pressed against mine, the tip of his tongue probing my lips, demanding entrance. At the same time, his free hand moved from my arm to the back of my neck, fingertips leaving a blaze of heat on my skin.

An excited shiver rippled through me, and I parted my lips to allow his tongue to slip inside and tangle with mine. It didn’t, though, and I quickly noticed that his hand had gone limp and fallen from my neck.

“Sebastian?” I murmured, pulling away. “Are you okay?”

His head dipped slightly, eyelids fluttering. “Yeah…” he mumbled. “All good.”

Even though he said he was fine, his voice was sluggish, and his body was slumping forward slightly, as if the weight of everything had finally become too much. I knew he couldn’t possibly be drunk, because it had barely been two minutes since he downed his champagne, and it wasn’t enough alcohol to cause inebriation anyway.

“Are you still tired?” I asked. As I spoke, I noticed my own eyelids were growing slightly heavier too.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe I—” Sebastian stopped abruptly, and the glass suddenly slipped from his other hand, shattering on the floor.

Panic surged through me. I tried to grab his arm to keep him steady, but my own limbs suddenly felt as if they were made from lead. My vision was going blurry too, and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me, making me wobble.

“Sebastian,” I whispered. “Something’s wrong.”

He didn’t respond. He simply collapsed onto the bed, body limp and eyes closed. The room started to spin around me, and I tipped forward too, awkwardly landing on the end of the bed.

The door creaked open on the other side of the room. I blinked, unable to move or make a sound as I watched a dark figure approach the bed. Another figure followed a moment later.

“He’s still alive,” the first one muttered, leaning down to check Sebastian’s pulse. “Totally out, though.”

The second figure roughly rolled me onto my side and pressed a finger to my neck. His dark, unfamiliar gaze focused on my face, taking in my slowly blinking eyes. “She’s almost out too. Any second now.”

I tried to scream, but my voice still wouldn’t come. The edges of my vision were blurring even more now, narrowing until the rest of the world felt distant, like I was slipping into a deep, bottomless void.

The men’s voices became muffled, their words blending into a low hum, and the grip on my arm tightened. It didn’t hurt. In fact, I no longer felt anything at all. It was as if I was no longer present in the moment, my body drifting further away from my control.

I struggled to hold on, but my eyelids were becoming impossibly heavy. The last thing I registered was the faint scuffing sound of footsteps. Then everything fell away, and I was finally swallowed by the darkness.