Taming Sebastian (Sawson's Royal College Book 2)

by Bella Anthony

  “No!” I say quickly. The last thing I need is my parents finding out. Their presence will just add to my stress.

  Sebastian looks at me quizzically and lets it go.

  We reach a hospital and I’m expecting to be rushed into the emergency room. Instead, I’m taken to a prestigious room and set up on a bed. This is the nicest and most comfortable hospital I’ve ever been to. It looks like a hotel.

  A doctor and a nurse come in immediately and start examining my body. Sebastian stays by my side and gently ices my bruises on the right side of my face, my stomach, and wrists.

  “You’re lucky.” The doctor begins. “Nothing is broken.”

  “Do not fucking call her lucky right now.” Sebastian threatens, getting up to confront the doctor.

  “Sebastian!” Edmond, Sebastian’s father, shouts.

  “Sebastian.” I say his name quietly, begging him with my eyes to calm down. Edmond goes up to him and whispers in his ear. Sebastian takes a deep breath and approaches me. He’s being so gentle as he takes my face and presses three soft kisses to my lips. He continues icing my swollen face.

  “As I was saying, you’re bruised quite heavily around your face and abdomen. I am very sorry about what happened to you, Miss Talen. We will do an imaging test to ensure there is no internal bleeding at all. I will have a nurse come in to give you anti-inflammatory medicine for the swelling, and painkillers for the bruises. I’ll be right back to take you to the imaging room.”

  A nurse walks in moments later and I’m immediately angered when I see her blush looking at Sebastian. With shaking hands, she approaches me. Dipping her fingers into the salve, she reaches over to spread it on my lips. But her eyes are on Sebastian, so when her fingers touch my swollen lip, it’s more of a hard poke and I cry out in pain.

  “Get the fuck out!” Sebastian yells. “I’ll fucking do it!” He snatches the salve.

  “S-Sir, I’m sorry, let me try again.” She whimpers. The way she’s staring at him makes it obvious she’s not taking this seriously.

  “Get out!” He shouts. “Dad, get her out, now!”

  Edmond leads the nurse out and he starts talking to Doctor Stevens about what just happened.

  “Well, if your nurse wasn’t too preoccupied with my son’s looks, this wouldn’t have happened.” I hear him say.

  “Here, look at me, beautiful.” I hear softly from beside me. I look into his eyes and he still looks completely undone. But in a scary way. He looks vengeful.

  “Are you okay?” I stroke his cheek with my palm. He grabs my hand, closes his eyes, and leans into my touch.

  “Not in the least. But I will be, we will be.” He promises. “Now, close your eyes, let me fix you.” He whispers. He leans down, to kiss my bruised and cut lip before gently spreading the salve. And he does it a million times better than the nurse.

  Another nurse walks in fifteen minutes later to give me the medication. This time, she’s a sixty-year-old bubbly woman named Andy who makes me feel far safer than the previous nurse.

  “It might put you to sleep, but that’s good. You need as much rest as possible now.” She says.

  “Where’s Selena?” I ask Sebastian.

  “Sleep, angel. She’s getting checked out down the corridor. I’ll get her for you soon.”

  I close my eyes and drift to sleep.

  Chapter 12

  I wake up hearing voices around me.

  “Are you sure she’s okay?” Selena asks someone.

  “Yes, baby. Are you okay?” Jax responds.

  “Yes, Jax. Of course, I have one stupid bruise, look at her.”

  “Sel?” I open my eyes. The bed was changed to lay horizontally. Sebastian is sleeping on the couch with his head on my bed and his hands holding mine.

  “Oh god, Isa!” She rushes towards me with tears. “I’m so sorry. They took you because of me! How do you feel?”

  “I’m fine.” I promise her. “Don’t feel bad. This is on Jeremy and Michael.”

  “Assholes. I hate what they did to you.” She says desperately.

  “How do you feel?” Jax asks, concern in his eyes.

  “I’m fine. The medication is good. It hurts to move around, but that will go away soon.”

  “Seb, how about we give the girls some time alone?” Jax shakes Sebastian awake.

  Sebastian nods then reaches to the side of the bed to change the angle, so that I’m sitting up.

  “We’ll be right outside.” He tells me.

  “What’s the time?” I ask Selena, who’s still trembling.

  “Almost midnight. Are you really okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “You pinky promise?” She sticks out her pinky finger reminding me of our tradition when we were in high school.

  “Yes.” I smile, wrapping my pinky around hers. “Come here.”

  She joins me in bed and holds my hand.

  “I was so scared, Selena.” I tell her quietly.

  “I know, Isa. Me too. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. What happened to them?”

  “I already gave my testimony which is enough to charge them with kidnapping. Sebastian told them that Jeremy threatened to rape you, but they need to hear it from you. They need your testimony, but Sebastian demanded they give you time. He promised me he’d take care of you. But I’m also here. I’ll take care of you too.”

  “Of course, you will. Where are your parents?”

  “Well, I didn’t tell them about the incident, I didn’t want to scare them. We’re going home soon so I thought I’d tell them face-to-face. We booked tickets home for four days from now. They want to keep you here for three days for observation. Well, Sebastian kind of forced them to. So Jax and Sebastian booked four tickets for us to travel back to Augusta.”

  “Right. That’s good.”

  Now that the fog is out of my head, I remember what happened with Sebastian.

  “He said no.” I say as my voice cracks.

  “What?”

  “Sebastian, when I asked him to be official, he said no.”

  “What? Why the hell would he say no? You must be wrong, Isa. You didn’t see the riot he caused in the hospital. He flew in the best doctor in California to check on you. And he was going through hell when we visited you earlier. He refused to leave you.”

  “Well … I guess he doesn’t want me, not like I want him.” I lean my head on her chest.

  “Well then fuck him. You’re too amazing to be refused.”

  “I’m so tired.”

  She starts playing with my hair. “Sleep, I’ll be here.”

  I wake up the next day and finally feel fully refreshed and awake. Selena is sleeping on an extra bed beside me and Jax and Sebastian are sleeping on the couches.

  I see my purse on the table next to me and my phone charging next to it. Grabbing my phone, I see two missed calls from my mother, and right then, an incoming call arrives from her.

  “Hello?”

  “Isabel, what’s going on?” She says emotionlessly. I guess she somehow found out what happened.

  “Two crazy guys from university attacked me and Selena.” I whisper, mindful of those resting around me.

  “Why would they take you?”

  “They wanted revenge on Jax. One of the guys was obsessed with Selena and the other wanted revenge because Jax embarrassed him and ruined his future, business-wise.”

  “Just fucking great, how many times have I told you to stop hanging out with Selena? She’s only bad news.” I close my eyes and swallow the pain I’m feeling on the inside.

  “Are you badly hurt? Is it important?” She asks.

  “I’m fine, don’t come.”

  “Fine. I’m coming to Augusta after my trip to Spain, anyways. Should be there in ten days. We’ll book a spa appointment for you. We have visitors coming in from Hong Kong and we need to be perfect…”

  I block out her next words and say hang up once she says bye. For the first time in my life, I truly hate m
y mother. I hate how she makes me feel. I hate how she belittles me and is able to bring forward all my insecurities. Why does she hate me? Why am I not enough? For her … for Sebastian. A tear falls down my face.

  “Hey.” Selena nudges me. “Is everything okay?”

  Sebastian and Jax wake up from our voices.

  “How are you feeling?” Sebastian stands and I flinch when he reaches over to touch my cheek.

  “I want you gone.” I say. I feel unwanted. I feel numb. And I revert back to the shell I was all those years ago, the shell my mother created.

  “What?” Sebastian says, astonished.

  “Thank you, sincerely, for everything you’ve done for me with the hospital and all. But you rejected me, and it hurts too much to see you in front of me, knowing you don’t want me as much as I want you.”

  It all hurts. My parents’ constant rejection, Sebastian’s rejection. My insecurities take hold of me.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Sebastian says.

  “Has anything changed for you? Can we be together properly?”

  “Isabel.” I see the answer in his eyes.

  “I can’t do this. It hurts too much. I can’t have you here as my fuck buddy or whatever you want us to be! It hurts because it reminds me how much I fucking fell for you!” Now, I’m hyperventilating, I can hardly breathe. I hear the machines spiking as my heartbeat races. “I fell for you and you don’t want me enough. No one ever does! So, leave, go away! I can’t be in the grey area with you. If you can’t be with me a hundred percent, then please leave me alone.”

  Selena sits next to me and holds me to her.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He repeats.

  “Sebastian, I grew up with parents who made me feel like I was never enough for them. I cannot continue feeling like that. I’m asking you, begging you, to leave me alone.”

  “You need to leave.” Selena says looking at him with sad eyes.

  “I can’t!” He shouts.

  “Look at her! She needs to be calm, and right now you’re making her sad, which she doesn’t need right now! Leave Sebastian!”

  Nurses come in considering my elevated heart rate.

  “You need to calm down, miss.” The nurse says. But I can’t. It’s all catching up to me, my emotions, my mother, the kidnapping, Sebastian. I can’t calm myself down.

  “Leave Sebastian, please!” Selena shouts. I want to tell her it’s not just him, it’s everything, but I can’t even breathe at this point.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll go. I’ll go. Just breathe.” He whispers. “But we aren’t done.” He says before leaving the room.

  I’m so overwhelmed. Is it bad that I don’t want to be around the man who broke my heart? I don’t want him here, I don’t want my mother here, I don’t want anyone here who’s ever made me feel like I’m not enough.

  Hours later, after Tina, Gary and Alayna came and left, I’m ready to fall asleep. I don’t know where Sebastian is, and I don’t ask. I want to be released, but I wasn’t allowed, which just pisses me off. Sebastian wants to make sure nothing pops up randomly from the drugs Jeremy and Michael gave me.

  I told everyone to go home at ten. I just want to sleep.

  I’m running fast through a park. The exit is so close, but no matter how much I run, I can’t get there. I’m held from behind. I’m punched. I’m hurt.

  “No, no, no!” I shout.

  “Shh, I’m here.” Someone says and it makes me feel calmer. “I’m here, go to sleep. You’re safe.” Suddenly, the scene evaporates, I stop shaking, I’m calmed, and I feel settled again.

  I wake up the next morning and see Selena, Jax, Alayna, Tina and Gary sitting around me.

  “Hey, was Sebastian here?” I ask them. Did he comfort me in my dream?

  “No, I haven’t seen him.” Selena replies and sits beside me. “Shall I find him?”

  “No.” I respond adamantly. I must’ve been dreaming.

  The day passes with me sleeping or eating. My friends keep me company and it feels good. My swelling is already going down. I refuse to look at myself in the mirror, I’m not interested in doing so. At least not right now.

  That night, the same nightmare comes to me. I swear I can feel Sebastian holding me, touching me, and kissing away my tears.

  He repeats the words “I’m here, I got you. Go to sleep, I did it, I got him back, he’ll never hurt you again. No one will hurt you again.” I stop shaking at his presence in my dream and fall into a blissful sleep.

  The next day passes like the day before. It’s eight at night, and Selena and I are watching Friends on her laptop.

  “So.” She begins.

  “So?”

  “Um, we leave tomorrow, and Sebastian wants to come with us.”

  “No.”

  “Isa-”

  “No.” I interrupt. “I – just want to heal first from this before dealing with him.”

  “Alright, I’ll tell him. But Isa, he looks troubled.”

  “Selena, I don’t know how to explain it but,” I feel numb, unworthy, sad, deeply sad and I feel like I’m a shell of who I was, “I fell in love with him. I can’t see him knowing that we’re not in a committed relationship. He broke my heart, and right now I want to heal both physically and mentally from everything first.”

  Chapter 13

  It’s been a week since Selena, Jax, and I arrived in Augusta and I don’t feel much better. I just want to be alone. My mother is meant to come in three days, though I’m sure she’ll postpone when the time comes. My father hasn’t even called.

  I look a lot better physically, which I am happy about. The swelling on my face is gone, all that remains are the bruises around my wrists. But I still feel like I’m in a dark hole. I don’t sleep much because of the vivid nightmares. I keep dreaming that someone kidnaps and hurts me. This time, Sebastian doesn’t appear in my dreams to help. I nap sporadically throughout the day and get maybe two to three hours of sleep at night. I’m exhausted, cranky, and lonely.

  And the loneliness? That’s my fault.

  I haven’t left my house once. I sit here and ignore most calls besides Selena’s, and that’s only because I know she’d come guns blazing if I don’t answer. She comes over every day and begs me to stay at hers because she knows I’m struggling. But I don’t want to.

  Sebastian hasn’t contacted me, and I think a huge reason for my inner turmoil, is his rejection. So, while trying to heal physically, I’m also trying to forget about Sebastian.

  Another two days pass and yesterday, I was forced to go to Selena’s house for dinner. I came back home feeling better. I opened up to Selena’s mom about my nightmares and she said I should consider therapy. I hugged her for ages and it actually helped.

  I groan when my stomach rumbles for the third time today. As much as I would love to hole up in my house, I need to buy groceries. I hate that I procrastinated the task, it’s now dark outside.

  I walk out and try to stay calm. Nothing is going to happen to me. I buy enough food to last me all of the Christmas holiday. That way, I don’t need to come back. It takes me two trips to get all twelve grocery bags from the store to my car.

  Slamming the boot of my car closed, I drop my keys. I lean down to pick them up when arms surround me from behind.

  I scream and a second later, the person is pulled off of me and I hear a grunt as they land on the floor.

  Turning around in fear, I’m shocked to see James holding my high school friend Alex on the floor. What the hell? Why is James here?

  “Stop, James! He’s my friend.” I plead. I lean down and rub Alex’s back as he catches his breath.

  “What the hell?” He wheezes out. “I was just going to surprise you! I saw you coming out of the store.”

  “I’m so sorry, Alex. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, of course. The bigger question is, who the hell is he?” He points at James who’s standing there scowling at Alex.

  “My friend’s friend.”

&n
bsp; “Right. I just wanted to say hi.”

  I smile at him. “Hi, Alex. I’m sorry. He thought you were attacking me.”

  James stands there as we make small talk. When Alex walks away, I glare at him.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to protect you.” He responds, after clearing his throat.

  “Protect me from what?”

  “Well, Sebastian said everything and anything.”

  “That guy was a high school friend.” I point at Alex’s retreating form.

  “I realize that now. Before, he was a guy about to jump you.”

  “I’m no longer in danger. Why would Sebastian send you here?”

  James shrugs his shoulders. “I just follow orders.”

  Relief. That’s what I feel knowing that James is here to protect me. Pure relief. I’m terrified all the time and having him around, rids me of some of the fear I’ve been living with for the last ten days.

  I clear my throat and ask the question I want to. “Where is Sebastian? How is he?”