Page 17 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

“Let’s get you caught up on the latest hits.” James switched on the radio and selected a station.

“Once I learn the lyrics, I’m going to make you sing with me,” Sebastian warned.

James pretended not to hear the threat, and Sebastian smiled at his feigned grumpiness.

Taller trees loomed ahead. The road was less windy down this way than up near Storm House, but once you got past the neighborhoods, the forest took over. Sebastian frowned at the music. He couldn’t say he liked the song playing and wondered if he was destined to be an old man at heart after living in isolation. People enjoyed listening to this? What had happened while he was away?

A loud bang and the scream of crunching metal drowned out the music. Sebastian lurched forward in his seat, his seatbelt catching him, digging painfully into his neck and chest. His breath whooshed out of his lungs. The airbags deployed, and Sebastian smashed into them.

CHAPTER SIX

They’d stopped moving. Sebastian had no idea what had happened.

“James?” he called, pulling himself up and pushing the deflating airbag away.

“Yeah. I’m okay.” James looked around in confusion, eyes darting from Sebastian to the steering wheel to the road. “We crashed? How did we crash? What’s happening?” He sucked in a breath, then another, like he wasn’t getting enough air.

“We’re all right. Look at me.” Sebastian grabbed his arm.

James focused on him, eyes wild.

Sebastian pushed the power button on the dash, turning off the truck and stopping the annoying music. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

James looked down at himself. “No. I don’t think so.” His breathing came in increasingly short, rapid breaths. “I could have killed us. Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Sebastian took James’s unsteady hand. “I’m fine, just confused. I didn’t see that coming. It definitely wasn’t your fault.”

James didn’t look convinced. “Sebastian.” He sounded terrified.

“I’m okay. You’re okay.” He smiled at James, not breaking eye contact, trying to project a calm energy.

James took a deep breath and nodded. He kept his attention locked on Sebastian until he was breathing normally. “You’re okay,” he agreed at last, almost like he didn’t believe it. “We’re okay.” His fear of losing Sebastian was written all over his face. He repeated his own words again with a little more confidence. “We’re okay.”

“We are,” Sebastian murmured in reassurance as his pounding heart slowed to a normal rhythm. He was impressed with how well James was handling himself. A car accident had to be a worst-case scenario for his anxiety. Sebastian wanted to wrap him up and save him from all the world’s uncertainties but settled for gripping his hand.

Once he was settled, James looked around. Sebastian followed suit, sensing James’s need for support waning as the desire to figure out what happened intensified. There wasn’t anything out the window. No other cars, nothing on the road. He unbuckled himself and jumped out, quickly circling around the back of the truck to James’s side and opening his door.

“Here.” He helped James out.

James shook and didn’t seem as settled as he’d been a moment ago. Sebastian checked him over. At least he found no injuries.

James looked desperately at Sebastian. “I’ve never been in an accident before.”

Sebastian hugged him. “Me either. But hey, we weren’t going fast. We’re fine.”

James buried his face against Sebastian’s neck. Any sort of accident would be traumatizing for him after what had happened to his parents, and having someone in the car with him would trigger all his fears about losing people. The poor man didn’t need the added stress right now. He’d been through more than enough.

Sebastian held him close, trying not to think about being the cause of James’s distress or that his family and their curse had done this to him.

After a long moment, James pulled back. He ran a hand through his short hair, expression hard and unsmiling. “What the hell happened?”

Sebastian looked around helplessly. They’d hit something, but what? The front of the truck was smashed, only there was nothing around. No deer or other animal, nothing fallen in the road.

James examined the damage to his truck. Given they had no idea what the hell they’d hit, it was wild that the whole front bumper was smashed, along with the headlights. Even the hood was crunched. “The truck looks like I drove straight into a wall.”

“Like an invisible wall?” Sebastian tried to joke. His delivery failed and ice ran down his spine. Could it have been an invisible wall? No. What was he thinking? They were done with all that, and it wasn’t funny.

James’s brows shot up. “It looks exactly like I crashed into an invisible wall. And the impact felt like hitting something head-on.”

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