Page 64 of The Heart of Moonlight Falls

Sebastian stared at the hole. He wanted to cry. They’d put all the pieces back. Four generations of Storms had held this intersection together and returning their bits of the missing piece should have been enough. What more could they give?

“What are we missing?” Sebastian whispered, his throat hoarse.

“I don’t know.” James began to tremble. “You made your sacrifice. There’s nothing left.”

“You’re right. I don’t think I have to give up my life for this, but we’re missing something. One more connection to the veins.”

“Selma?” James suggested in desperation.

Sebastian shook his head and immediately regretted it. He took a deep breath. “No, she never tied herself to this,” he gritted out.

“Then what?”

Through the pain, something clicked, and Sebastian smiled. “Nelson.”

24

JAMES

“Nelson!” James cried. He wanted to kick something. “We don’t have his body. He ran away, escaping the consequences.”

“Not entirely.” Sebastian’s smile was tired and his eyes were tight with pain. “Selma linked him to his brother. It must have been a link to the veins as well, and not just to Sullivan. I knew Sullivan could force Nelson to feed the imbalance but didn’t realize it made him a part of this, just like the rest of us. He wasn’t trapped, so I wrote him off.”

Sebastian took a staggering step into the woods, away from the clearing. James hurried to help him.

“But we don’t have his body,” James protested.

“We don’t need it. All we need is blood and bone.”

It took a second for Sebastian’s words to register. When they did, James wanted to laugh. “The teeth in the study.”

“Damn right. That creepy shit is going to save both our asses and the town.” Sebastian winced, doubling over for a moment before pushing on. “The doll has his blood on it. We have what we need.”

“Thank fuck,” James breathed, making Sebastian laugh feebly.

James hardly registered the walk to the house. He was increasingly disoriented, his exhaustion playing with his mind. It felt like the night would never end.

At last he crossed the front porch and wrenched the door to Storm House open. “I’ll get everything. Wait here.”

“No.” Sebastian gripped James’s arm, his voice more steady than it had been in a while. “I have to see this through.” He stepped over the threshold into Storm House. “After everything, this house doesn’t scare me. I’ve faced worse tonight. Coming in here one last time to destroy the curse that trapped me doesn’t feel like a bad thing.”

James followed, gazing adoringly at the man he loved. “I’m in constant awe of you.”

Sebastian blushed. “Who knew you were so easy to impress. I distinctly remember you playing hard to get.”

James snorted, leading the way up the stairs. “Nothing you’ve accomplished has been easy, Sebastian.”

He shrugged. “Maybe not. But I’m clearly willing to work for it.”

James laughed. “Even at a time like this, you manage to fill me with joy.”

Sebastian nudged his shoulder. “Only because you like me working for it.”

“Nightmare,” James muttered with deep affection.

They reached the landing and Sebastian pulled him close, bringing their lips together. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now, let’s throw some creepy, eighty-year-old junk into a supernatural hole.”

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