Page 33 of The Heart of Moonlight Falls

James blinked at him, his grumpy expression cracking to show a hint of amusement.

Sebastian turned back to his mom. “Or maybe the world really is ending. I can’t think why else you’d be here.”

She took a breath like she was trying to calm herself. “Now’s not the time for jokes, Sebastian.”

“It’s always the time for jokes,” he insisted like the contrary child he’d always been.

His mom sighed, making a show of her exhaustion. She looked old. Then again, Sebastian supposed he did too, compared to the last time they’d been face to face. Samantha had always dyed her hair a dark auburn, so she didn’t show her age through any grays. But she had more lines around her face and something about the way she was dressed didn’t match with what Sebastian remembered.

There was a very long, awkward moment where no one spoke. Hazel turned away and went back to work. Sebastian didn’t blame her. He wouldn’t mind avoiding this too.

“I take it you’re here to talk about the veins?” Sebastian asked.

His mom gasped, looking frantically between him and James. Right. She didn’t know anyone else knew the family secret.

“He knows. It’s fine.” Sebastian waved a careless hand. “He saved me from Storm House, actually. Mom, meet James Gray, my boyfriend.”

“James…Gray?” she muttered more to herself than anyone. “Boyfriend?”

Sebastian cocked his head. “Yeah. You knew I was bi, right? Or maybe not. I never came out to you.”

Samantha’s expression turned scolding. “I don’t care that you’re bi. I care that he knows. What do you mean he saved you? What did you do, Sebastian?”

“What did he do?” James took a step forward. “What about what you did?”

Sebastian expected his mom to deny she’d done anything. Instead, she took a nervous step backward, giving Sebastian a guilty look.

She adjusted her grip on her handbag. “There’s a lot to discuss. Why don’t we go somewhere less public?”

Sebastian looped his arm through James’s. “My house is right around the corner.”

He led them to the duplex, James saying a hasty goodbye to Hazel, who offered a sympathetic frown.

Sebastian unlocked the front door and ushered his mom inside. She seemed shell-shocked, looking around the bare living room like she’d never seen the inside of a house before.

Her eyes landed on the box of old papers on the table. “This is from Storm House.”

“Yep.” Sebastian sat beside the box, James at his side.

His mom sat opposite them. “How are you here?” she asked, tone imploring.

Sebastian ignored her. He wasn’t handing out information for free. “How’s Kira?”

Samantha’s hands tightened on her handbag. “Good. Far away from here.”

“Oh well, as long as she’s safe.”

Samantha closed her eyes. “Sebastian, please.”

“Please, what? Pretend you didn’t sacrifice me for her? I know you were never planning on having to own up to it since I only found out what you’d been doing all my life once I was trapped and unable to reach you.”

“You’re right. I never wanted to face this. How could I? How could I ever look at you again after what I did?”

Sebastian swallowed a lump in his throat. “You’re looking at me now.”

“Yes.” She set her bag aside and folded her hands in front of her.

“Why didn’t you answer my letters?” Sebastian choked on the words. Fuck, this hurt. He hadn’t planned to ask that. It just came out. He didn’t want to relive her rejection, but now that he was sitting across from his mother, he had to know.

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