Page 63 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

Sebastian hated that they were getting nowhere. Nothing they’d learned felt helpful. They didn’t know why the veins on his property had a weird energy pattern. They didn’t know what exactly the fuel cell had done when it was linked up to everything. Being trapped wasn’t even their biggest problem.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“I swear it’s even darker today.” Sebastian glanced over his shoulder as he got out of the car in front of the electrical shop. It was more like night than pre-dawn.

He caught sight of a few shades swooping around the duplex across the street. That wasn’t a good sign. They hadn’t seen any of the beasts in town yesterday. It seemed the prolonged darkness was making them bolder. A few had been floating in the town center when they’d driven through.

Hazel wasn’t at the shop yet. James checked the time. “It’s only ten past.” He sounded worried but seemed to be trying to suppress it.

“Give her a call.” Sebastian put a reassuring hand on James’s arm. “It’s probably nothing, but with what’s going on, I’d say it’s better to be cautious and check on her.”

The tension in James’s brow eased. “True.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Hazel, pressing it to his ear. “Hey, you’re late,” he said grumpily when she picked up. “Don’t huff at me. It’s the apocalypse, remember? Are you coming in?” After a few more words, he hung up.

“She’s alive and well?” Sebastian bit back a smile at the look of frustration on James’s face.

“She’s fine.” He rolled his eyes, perhaps more annoyed with himself for worrying than with Hazel. Not that he was admitting it. “She’s heading over now. Said she was with Eleanor.”

Sebastian followed James as he crossed the shop. “What’s she doing with Eleanor this early in the morning?”

James snorted. “I’m pretty sure they’re sleeping together.”

“What!” Sebastian squealed, causing James to snort another laugh.

“I’ve had a feeling something was brewing between them.” James plopped down at his desk. “Hazel keeps deflecting every time I ask, but it’s not like she’s trying that hard to hide it either.”

Sebastian perched on James’s desk. “How old is Eleanor?”

James shrugged. “Mid-forties, I think.”

Sebastian sucked in a breath, a shit-eating grin on his face. He loved gossip and hadn’t had any in years. “An older woman in a position of power? Hazel doesn’t mess around, does she?”

James gave him a bemused look. “You’re making it sound way more scandalous than it is.”

Sebastian swung his legs back and forth. “But it’s more fun that way.”

“Right.” James captured Sebastian’s legs, stilling them. He rolled his desk chair to position himself between them, hands sliding up to Sebastian’s hips. “How are you doing?”

“Um?” Sebastian squirmed. “Good. But I don’t think it’s the best idea to get me all excited if Hazel is on her way.”

James pinched Sebastian’s side. “That wasn’t what I was doing, you nightmare.” His amused smile softened. “I meant after what Eli was saying about you and the veins being connected like a unit.”

“Oh, that.” Sebastian slumped. “I don’t know. I’m not exactly looking forward to Eli testing his theory. The dips look pretty damning, even if it’s not totally scientific proof. I just— Does it matter if he’s right or not? I might not be able to do anything about it.” Sebastian tried valiantly to fight a familiar hopeless feeling. “I have to believe that when we find a permanent solution to the imbalance, I’ll be free of the veins, no matter how I’m connected to them now.”

James pulled himself closer to Sebastian. “I just want you to know I’m here for you, no matter what we find out. No matter what it means.”

“I know, James.” Sebastian cupped his face. “That means so fucking much to me. It makes scary unknown magical shit easier to face. And I’m here for you too. If I can use this supposed two-way connection to help us, I will.” Even if he didn’t want it, and even if it meant he’d never be rid of this mess, Sebastian would do anything for James, and in the end, he believed they’d still be together. No matter what. They’d make this work.

They were inevitable. Bound together through their pasts and the choices they’d made in their present. Nothing could separate them.

James held on to Sebastian’s hips and looked into his eyes. Sebastian reached out and traced his jaw. There was so much affection in James’s expression, and even in the dark, surrounded by magic he didn’t understand, James made Sebastian feel light.

They sat quietly for a while, but Sebastian didn’t want to dwell.

“I bet Eleanor is holding Hazel up.” Sebastian waggled his eyebrows at James ridiculously. Hazel still hadn’t arrived.

James cracked a grin. “I’d say it’s more likely Hazel is holding Eleanor up. Eleanor is too responsible to be late for work, especially in a crisis.

“Ha. You’re right. I feel like Hazel and I have that penchant for misbehaving in common.” Sebastian wrapped his legs tight around James, who was still sitting between them. “She seems like fun.”

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