Page 61 of The Maestro's Mates
“Your sister’s…complex? Compound? Supervillain lair? I don’t know what she’s calling it these days.”
Sebastian paused to take in what he was saying. A more important question sprang to mind.
“Who the hell are you?”
The man chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “What, you don’t recognize me? I’m the author of your nightmares, little city mouse.”
Recognition quickly dawned on Sebastian, and he scrambled away from the figure. “You’re the dream witch.”
“At your service. I thought the fire was a nice touch. Youjust didn’t want to wake up. I don’t know who you saw in the flames, but it gave you the boost you needed to pop back into consciousness.”
Affinity with dream spirits was a dangerous thing. It could easily drift into evil: manipulation and mind control. Understanding the danger he was in, Sebastian’s eyes darted around, searching for his backpack.
“Your bag is long gone, city mouse, as are the contents of your pockets.”
Shit. Without any supplies, Sebastian was vulnerable. In a pinch, he could attempt to entice chaos spirits without any of his tools or offerings, but they were unpredictable. Most chaos witches relied heavily on their spell ingredients, unlike those with more pliable affinities, like water spirits.
“But I’m being rude,” the man continued. “My name is Alistair. And I, of course, already know yours. I’m looking forward to spending more time together. Your sister will be here any moment, I’m sure. No doubt she had a magical alarm alert her when you woke up. She’d never depend on a person when there’s a spell that will do the trick.”
Sebastian racked his brain, his thoughts spinning, desperate to find any advantage. His supplies and ingredients were gone. Perhaps he could appeal to Veronica’s sense of family, as he had originally planned, although the fact she had knocked him out didn’t bode well. She had left him with Alistair, so?—
Oh. This wasn’t good. Alistair’s power with dreams made this situation precarious. To keep control of himself, he would need to stay awake. No matter what.
They could drug him, of course, but that would be less useful for Alistair. Any drug that would put him to sleep would also suppress his natural tendency to dream.
He sure as hell hoped someone realized he was gone and come after him. He wasn’t sure how many days he could stay awake.
Panic rose in his gullet as the door to the shack swung open, crashing against the wall with a loud bang. The room was flooded with light, surrounding his sister in the door frame like an unholy halo.
“Little brother. Glad to see you’re with us.”
Veronica’s long, dark hair acquired a glossy sheen, backlit by the sun filtering through the trees.
“Vee, this has gone too far.” Sebastian scrambled to stand. He would meet his sister on his feet, even if he looked a mess from lying unconscious on the dirt floor.
“Linda took it too far a decade ago. I don’t know why you defend her.”
Veronica’s accusation was supposed to hurt, Sebastian assumed, but all it did was annoy him. In so many ways, she was a controlling brat, much like their mother. Andhewas supposed to be the chaotic, ridiculous one?
“I’m notdefendingour mother. But the Circle is not just her. It’s a community of witches, none of whom have wronged you. If you hated Bayonne so much, you could have left. You’ve set yourself up here. Why come back?”
Veronica scoffed, stepping into the darkness to confront her brother. Her features were angular and harsh in the shadows of the shack.
“For power.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Vee?—”
“No. You might think I’m petty. ButLindadoesn’t deserve it. The Circle. The grimoire. None of it. She’s treated both of us like pawns our whole lives. The same as she treatseveryone. Ordering them around and using them as she needs.”
“She wasn’t that bad,” Sebastian said, frantically racking his brain for a way to protect himself.
“Our own mother used me as bait, more than once. I was almost killed by that feral wolf shifter pack she pissed off!”
“I don’t believe for a second your life was in danger. And she wasn’t only using us for her own ends. She also taught us to be strong.”
Veronica’s eyes flashed with anger. “Bullshit.”
Sebastian reached out and touched her on the arm, but Veronica recoiled, quickly pulling away. Her eyes went hard.
