Page 9 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

A moment later, Parker and Eli joined them in the kitchen.

“I can’t believe you came to the diner and didn’t say hi.” Parker crossed his arms. He was built like a brick wall, thicker than James and taller than Sebastian, who’d always found him intimidating.

“We didn’t stay long,” James explained, leaving it at that and not revealing the reason they’d left so abruptly. Sebastian’s insides twisted, constricted by the pain of more undeserved kindness.

“Never mind not saying hi.” Eli pushed in front of Parker with a dismissive wave, coming to stand in the middle of the small room. “What’s been going on?”

“There’s a reason I can’t tell you.” Exasperation laced James’s words, then he clamped his mouth shut and turned to Sebastian, his eyes wide. Neither of them would have been able to say that before transferring the cruse.

“What’s that look?” Eli pointed at his brother. “Why are you being weird?”

Sebastian considered how best to test the weakened secret-binding. “We can’t tell you why we’re being weird, but there is a reason. We just can’t explain it. Why do you think that is?”

Eli glared. “Because you’re hiding something.”

“Or?” Sebastian waved his hand encouragingly, making a significant face that relied heavily on eyebrow motion.

Eli scrunched his nose. “Or you’re playing some sort of a game.”

“This is serious,” James scolded, bringing out his most severe frown. “None of us is playing games.”

“Well, excuse me,” Eli sneered like he had reached the end of his patience. “I don’t see why I have to guess the reason behind you suddenly having a different personality. You don’t keep secrets, James. I have no idea why you’d be like this.”

Sebastian leaned closer to James. They had to try something else. “Please tell me you have the books.”

“I think so. Otherwise, I might go break into the library.” James stalked out of the room.

Eli and Parker glared at Sebastian.

“What did you do to him?” Eli asked.

“Nothing.” Sebastian’s face went red with shame. “I just needed him to help me.”

The comment confused Eli while Parker looked unmoved.

James returned carrying a pile of books. He began dropping them on the floor one by one. As he reached the second to last book, his movements became jerky, like he was fighting with himself. After a moment of struggle, he threw the book at Parker.

“The fuck?” Parker caught the book before it hit him in the face. He didn’t look at it as he went to set it on the counter beside him.

“No!” James and Sebastian called out in unison, both of them lunging forward.

Parker froze. He looked sideways at Eli. The younger man grabbed the book from Parker’s hand and began flipping through it.

After a few minutes, he looked up in horror. “No way. It can’t— Your tongues are bound?”

James dropped the remaining book to the floor and smiled.

Sebastian reached out and patted Eli’s shoulder. “See, when James asked me that, I kissed him because I was so happy. Don’t think I’ll make that offer this time though.”

Eli shook his head, maybe trying to dislodge thoughts of his brother kissing. He set the book aside. “So that’s the reason you can’t explain?”

Sebastian and James couldn’t confirm verbally, but Sebastian did his best to look agreeable.

There was a flurry of questions from Eli, most of which received no answers. In the end, Parker looked up an unbinding spell in one of Eli’s old magical theory books and wasted no time performing the ritual on James and Sebastian. Parker had a strong enough magical ability to do the spell without linking to anyone. After moving to the living room and shifting the coffee table out of the way, the spell went quickly, the magic binding James and Sebastian to secrecy no longer strong enough to force them to flee as it had done to Sebastian.

He tried not to think too hard about that night in the ballroom. He didn’t need to be fantasizing about James and those handcuffs with others in the room. It really had been way too much fun for such serious magic.

James wiped the blood from his and Sebastian’s bodies after the spell was done and told his brother and Parker everything. Eli looked more horrified the longer the explanation went on. Parker just looked pissed off.

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