Serpent's Embrace | A Sebastian Sallow Story

Preface

    "Sweetheart, look at me right now!"

    His voice echoed through the ruins of the Rookwood estate, wild and desperate. She couldn't help it as her eyes shifted from her target to the boy across the court yard. The wand under her finger tips was slipping, vibrating wildly, as it connected with Victor Rookwood's, the killing curse he aimed at her held back desperately by her own stunning spell.

    Sebastian Sallow was standing only feet away from her, his expression pained and angry, but unable to hide the terror in his eyes. His wand was drawn, and though she expected to see him shaking as he raised it, he held it steady. She knew that look, the way he subtly flicked his jaw to the left, for her to dive out of the way.

    Her head shook slightly to the right, eyes narrowed. Refusal. If she dove out of the way, she'd have to break the connection between the wands, and that risked Sebastian getting hit by the curse. On the other hand, if she didn't dive out of the way, then there was a very good chance that Rookwood would end her right here, in front of his eyes. Sebastian would never recover; not after discovering it was Rookwood who cursed Anne. If he lost the both of them to this monster of a man, he'd be lost forever.

    His jaw clenched. Head jerked to the left again, eyes pleading her to trust him.

    She knew she needed to trust him.

    She nodded, looking back to the man before her, who's eyes were glinting with devilish pleasure as he attempted to force the curse back on her. She gripped her wand tightly, took a steadying breath, and pulled up on her wand.

    Her body hit the ground hard, and though she could see it through her eyes, there was no way to tell which caster had been successful, and who's body had thumped to the ground, lifeless.