(Hey all! I know it's been a really long time since I last updated this, but I've had major writer's block for EVERYTHING lately. It honestly hurts. But I got a really strong urge to write just now, and BOOM! This chapter was born! So I apologize in advance if this is the worst thing you've ever read, but I'm trying to take baby steps to get myself back into writing. Please be patient with me, and I love you all! I hope you enjoy the chapter!!)

(Note, I didn't have time to proofread this chapter, so if there are any mistakes you notice, feel free to let me know. Thanks in advance!)

My shoulders slumped. He was right. I had no one else. It was why I came to him in the first place. I had needed someone, and he was the only one I could turn to. With both of my parents missing, and none of the other demons approving of my hunting ways, I was all alone. Sebastian was the last one who cared.

"Do you see now?" he asked, sounding slightly upset.

"Are you trying to tell me that you won't help me?" I asked, my gaze at the floor. "Are you trying to tell me that if I get into trouble out there, no one will save me?" I glanced up at him, my anger returning. "If you are, then you should know that I don't care! I don't need you to protect me! I'll be perfectly fine on my own. Besides," I said, lowering my head once again, "if something does happen to me, at least you won't have to babysit me anymore."

I heard him sigh, and the next thing I knew, he had grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. His expression seemed genuinely upset, but so was I.

"Luna, don't you ever think that I wouldn't want to protect you. I will always be there for you. But there comes a time when you need to realize that rash decisions are not always the best ones. If something happened to you out there..." he trailed off, and I could tell he didn't even want to think about anything happening to me at all. But I was growing up, and I knew he wasn't really going to always be there for me. Soon I would have to start making my own decisions, whether they hurt him or not.

"I might be the only one you have left," he went on, "but you are the only one left for me as well. I can't let something happen to you. We must stay strong together."

I nodded. I had never so strongly believed in something he told me. All the anger I'd had toward him before melted away, and I finally let the tears fall.

I shook his hand from my chin and latched onto him in a tight hug. I sobbed, and he held me. He hadn't held me like this since I was 12, when my parents had gone missing, and everyone told me they were dead. Our parents.

"Thank you, big brother," I said between sobs.

He held me tighter. "Anything for you, Luna."

*

I didn't release my hold on him until we heard a bell ring. Sebastian pulled away from me, and I reluctantly let him go. He had a job to do here, I couldn't let myself forget that.

"I'll be right back," he said to me, and I nodded as I watched him leave the room, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

I let myself fall down onto the bed. After everything he told me, I seriously considered giving up hunting. I had no idea he'd felt that way. He'd had that bottle up inside for the past four years, while I threw my life away, risking it to illegally get my fill. Knowing all that, I felt worse than I had before. I'd been causing him so much pain...

But he'd done the same to me when he decided to leave for his stupid contract with that stupid child. I'd been 14. He'd left me to fend for myself, only coming back a year later to help me get my first contract, then leave me again just a few short hours later.

It had been with a stupid woman who had only wanted to fulfill her dream of meeting some famous person, then she said her life was complete and that I could have her soul. It took 6 months before her dream was completed and her life came to an end. It was ridiculous. It was also way too long of a wait.

Sure, if there were people who wanted to be in a contract for a month and then hand over their soul, that would be fine by me. But, unfortunately, that was never the case. All of them always had an unknown time frame, which just made me hate them even more.

The clock chimed again, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up and saw that it was once again dusk, and that I had been lost in my thoughts for several hours. Sebastian had not once come to check on me, and that was just rude on his part.

I stood from the bed and crept over to the door. Cracking it open, I checked to see if there was anyone out in the hallway. I couldn't see or hear anyone, so I opened the door and stepped out into the cool corridor.

I looked both ways before relaxing. There was no one there. But it was still early. All the servants were still hard at work for the day. They wouldn't be coming back up to their rooms anytime soon.

I walked to the end of the hall and peeked around the corner. No one was there, and I was too antsy to just sit around and do nothing while waiting for my brother to come back and check on me. It would be breaking his rules, but I just had to do it. I couldn't stand it any longer.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and rounded the corner.

And walked straight into my brother. 

(OMG! You don't even know how hard it has been to keep that a secret for the past 5 YEARS! In His Butler's Acquaintance, she was indeed Sebastian's little sister, I just never published the part where the audience found out. Now, after working on the Sebastian's Daughter series, it's hard to talk about Sebby as a brother rather than a father. But I suppose I'll just have to deal with it and keep going. I don't know when the next chapter of this story will be, because next I want to work on Fighting for the Lost and Yes, My Lady. But I hope you enjoyed this, and if you're new here, please check out my other stories. I've poured my heart and soul into every word I've written, and I'd love for you all to enjoy them.)