7

STARLING

“Time to wake up, little bird,” a low, somewhat familiar voice says, dragging me from sleep.

Blinking my eyes, I stare up at an unfamiliar high ceiling, a modern chandelier hanging from the center. The bed moves beside me and I jolt all the way awake, snapping my head to the side and finding a very smug-looking Sebastian smiling down at me.

“Where am I?” I ask, my voice shrill.

“My house.”

“What? Why? Oh my god, what time is it? My mom is going to kill me,” I blurt, speaking so fast I can barely understand myself.

“Calm down, little bird, your mom is here, remember? She’s downstairs drinking coffee with my parents.”

“Am I dead?” I blurt.

His laugh is loud and warm, the audible equivalent of a mug of hot cocoa on a cold day. “No, baby, you’re not dead.”

“I must be, there’s no way in real life I’d be in bed, in your house while my mom is downstairs having coffee with your parents. Oh god, this isn’t your bed, is it?” I gasp.

“No, this isn’t my bed, the first time I get you in my bed, I want to be in it with you and for you to be fully conscious.” He smirks.

“Why am I here? What happened? Why is my neck sore?” I demand, anger bleeding into my words, now that the initial shock has started to wear off.

“What do you remember about last night? Dr. Harris never mentioned you’d have any issues with your memory.”

A barrage of memories hits me as I think back on everything that happened after I got to work. “You got me fired, and you were spouting all this bullshit about me belonging to the freaking Elite.”

“You belong to me,” he snarls, then smooths out his expression and smiles again. “But you’re part of The Elite now, and if you’re working every night, when will we get a chance to see each other? I’d assume your neck hurts because you slumped over in the back of the car when you passed out, and I didn’t want to risk your safety by removing your seat belt to put you in a more comfortable position,” he says simply, taking my hand in his and twining our fingers together.

I try to yank my hand free, but he just tightens his grip, refusing to allow me. “I don’t want to see you, I don’t know you,” I shout, feeling a pulsing headache building at the back of my head.

Strong hands curl around my waist and then I’m being lifted from beneath the covers and lowered down into Sebastian’s lap. “Shhhh, little bird, it’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. I know this feels like a lot right now, but this is all meant to be. The moment I saw you for the first time last year, I knew you were mine, but you were a freshman and completely off-limits. I’ve stayed away, but I can’t do that anymore. I’m going to take such good care of you, I promise. I’m obsessed with you, my little bird; I’d give you the entire world to make you happy.”