Page 23 of The Maestro's Mates
For any other witch, trying to improvise this spell with a single piece of rose quartz would have been a futile endeavor. But Sebastian was a chaos witch, and his spirits loved this kind of shit. The little guy who had found them in the elevator was particularly excited to wreak havoc on Sebastian’s sister’s spellwork.
He pushed his intention into the wisp of chaos swooping around the elevator, invisible to everyone but Sebastian, for whom it appeared as a pulsing shadow-cloud. The minute, shifting patterns inside the entity was a language Sebastian could decipher. After years of study, it came easily to him.
The spirit lit up with sudden power, the change startling Sebastian at first. Except…yes. Someone was amping up the chaos power in the suspended tin can, and Sebastian had a good idea who.
Justin and Pavel.
He finished up the spell quickly, instructing the spirit as it went to work weakening the magically reinforced walls of the elevator. In a burst of energy, it entered the metal,searching out and untangling the magic preventing them from leaving.
Sebastian ended his trance, his eyes opening in time to find his two mates locked in a hot-as-hell kiss.
“That was easier than I thought it would be.”
The two started, and Justin skittishly stepped away from Pavel. Both were blushing.
“The spell was easy?” Justin asked.
“As pie,” Sebastian answered, “but I meant getting you two together.”
Pavel sighed, rolling his eyes. “Can wegonow?” There was something about Pavel’s crankiness that got Sebastian’s engines revving.
“Not yet.” Sebastian grinned, leaning jauntily against the elevator wall. He hoped it looked flirty and not ridiculous.
“When?” Pavel’s tone was deadly, and Sebastian wanted nothing more than to torment the over-serious gargoyle.
“Who can say?”
“Sebastian…” Justin’s soft tone held a hint of warning, but Sebastian heard the smile behind it.
“Could be five minutes. Could be forty-eight hours.”
“Your magic isthatunpredictable?” Pavel threw up his free hand, keeping the other one in place, covering his junk.
“I told you, my affinity is chaos.” If they weren’t his mates, Sebastian wouldn’t tell them how his magic worked. But he wouldn’t have secrets from his men. “It’s not like an affinity for air or even fire, where the spirits can be destructive but happy to cooperate. My little guys have to be convinced what I’m doing will cause more chaos. They like to find a way to do what I ask while also enactingmore disarray.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Pavel growled, and Sebastian’s pants tightened at the sound. The man was stupid sexy.
“Oh, yes.” Sebastian winked. “Chaos spirits and I get along very well.”
“So…what should we do?” Justin’s face betrayed an undercurrent of anxiety.
“We’re going to hang out until my little friend finds his way to sabotage my sister’s spellwork.”
“And that could happen at any time.” Pavel was obviously getting frustrated. Why did that turn Sebastian on so much?
“Yep. Better be ready to go whenever.” He stepped in, closing the gap between himself and his two mates. “Now, wanna tell me what you two were doing when I came out of my trance?”
“Nothing,” Justin said under his breath. Sebastian cackled in response.
“Come on! You two are so deliciously awkward. I love it. Wanna keep going?”
“Listen,witch.” Pavel squared his shoulders, somehow making himself intimidating despite his nakedness. “You may be my mate and my student, but I am not going along with everything you say without question. I am more than three thousand years old, and during all that time, one thing has been repeated over and over among supernatural creatures.Never trust a witch.”
Sebastian bounced on the balls of his feet, clapping his hands together.
“Oh, you definitely shouldn’t. The reputation is well-earned, baby.”
Pavel grimaced. “I am not yourbaby.”
