I was thankful when I woke from a dreamless sleep. No new or old visions, no nightmares of Sebastian being furious and wanting nothing to do with me. Just darkness. It was a sleep that felt like I blinked my eyes and it was daylight. I was unsure what time it was, but because I knew how late I was up worrying, I knew I'd slept in.

I changed out of my night clothes and into a simple cerulean gown with three-quarter length sleeves and a skirt that nearly dragged on the floor. I picked out a pair of silver heels so I wouldn't be tripping over the dress, then hesitantly left my room.

Jasmine was sweeping the entrance hall of the suite. She smiled brightly when she saw me descending the stairs. "Good morning, Chrys!"

I stopped on the last step, hesitant to walk on the floor she was currently cleaning. "Is it still morning?"

"Just barely," came Sarah's voice from the hall that led to the rest of the castle. "How did you sleep?"

I gave her a small smile. "Better than I thought I would, thanks to you."

She waved off my thanks, giving a grin of her own. "I'm glad I could help. You need to make sure you're getting plenty of rest these next few days."

I nodded, looking toward the shiny white floor. She was right. Although I was a demon now, and didn't exactly need sleep, resting did feel like it gave me a bit of an extra boost for the day ahead. And if something were to happen between now and my coronation, I was going to need all the energy I could get.

Jasmine looked between us, confused. "What happened last night?"

I frowned. "Sebastian and I had a bit of a disagreement, and it bothered me. Sarah helped me talk through it. I'm going to go find him now and speak with him about it." I looked back up at my friends. "Do you happen to know where he is right now?"

Jasmine looked down at the small pile of dust she'd been sweeping up while Sarah nodded. "I'll walk you," she said.

With that, I finally stepped off the last stair and onto Jasmine's clean floor. I mouthed an apology that she smiled off, then I followed Sarah out of the suite and into the rest of the castle.

"You look well rested," she commented as we walked.

I smiled. "Did you think I was lying to you?"

She shrugged. "You've done a lot of things in the past to make us believe what you wanted us to."

My smile fell, and I turned my gaze to my feet. "I know. I just never wanted any of you to get hurt because of me. And I was so scared to tell you about my contract, or that demons were after me because I didn't want you to-"

"-to risk our lives for you," she finished for me. "I know. Wanting to protect us is admirable, but we were the ones who were supposed to take care of you. Not only as employees, but as your friends."

"And I meant what I said about you helping me last night. I'm trying really hard to come out of the mentality that everyone around me needs to be protected. I want to be able to open up and rely on others."

"Showing weakness around those who you've always been so strong around is hard, but it's okay to be vulnerable around your friends. We're here for you whenever you need us." She put an arm around me, then slowed to a stop. "He's just in here."

I looked up from my feet to Sarah, then at the door in front of us. The door seemed ordinary enough, like this wasn't any special room a king would be using. Still, I could sense that he was inside. I glanced back at Sarah, suddenly nervous.

"Just tell him how you feel. He'll understand." With that, she knocked on the door.

There was a shuffling sound inside, as if someone was fixing a stack of papers. Then, the door opened.

Lisa was standing in the doorway, dressed in her usual black with her hair in a braid rather than her normal ponytail. "What can I do for you ladies?"

I swallowed hard. "I need to talk to Sebastian. Sarah said he was here."

Lisa nodded, opening the door wider so I could enter.

"I'll see you later," Sarah said softly as I entered the room, Lisa closing the door between us.

Sebastian was sitting at a large table that filled the room, and suddenly I realized I was in the same meeting room that Lisa had taken me to see Sebastian in, the same one where I'd had a vision and he'd held me on the floor until the danger had passed.

He glanced up from the large stack of papers he was looking at and watched me for a moment, probably trying to figure out if I was still mad or not.

My gaze landed on the floor once again. "Hi."

There was a long silence. It was when I was beginning to wonder if he was still mad at me when he spoke. "Leave us, Lisa. Please."

Lisa left without a word. Once the door was closed behind her, Sebastian stood and walked over to me. I didn't look up, and even found my body tensing the closer he got. The thought that he could be angry with me, even after all Sarah told me last night, had me terrified.

He stood over me for a moment, no doubt waiting to see if I would look up at him. When I didn't, he let out a relieved breath, and I jumped a bit, startled, as he wrapped his arms around me.

It only took a second for me to return the embrace.