Page 20 of The Maestro's Mates
“We don’t need to talk about that right now!” Pavel almost shouted, his tone revealing an uncharacteristic desperation.
Sebastian pursed his lips and rolled his shoulders forward like a swimsuit model.
“I don’t know,” Sebastian said in an affected, ditzy voice. “You want us to get out of here, right? Well, this is the most chaotic thing I could think of…big daddy.”
Sebastian blew a kiss, and Pavel buried his face in his free hand.
“Oh, God.”
“What’s going on?” Justin asked. These two knew something he didn’t, and his nervousness was turning into frustration.
Sebastian reached out and draped his arm over Justin’s shoulder. Justin shuddered involuntarily at the warmth of Sebastian’s limb against his neck, but despite his embarrassment, he didn’t want Sebastian to separate from him.
“Answer my question, sweetheart. What do you know of witches and their mates?”
Pavel’s jaw was clenched, and his eyes were still covered with his hand. Evidently, he’d decided he was opting out of this conversation.
“Nothing,” Justin answered. “Vampires don’t usually deal with witches. I haven’t been a vampire long anyway.”
“Oh. Well, vampires typically only have one mate, although it’s not unheard of for them to have more.”
Justin nodded. There were a few throuples in the Grosvenor Coven, even though his old dysfunctional covenhad explicitly forbidden them. Which was silly. It was impossible to ignore the mating bonds, so all of them had left.
Sebastian continued. “Witches usually have two or more mates, and we often mate with other supernaturals. Non-witches. Some think it’s because witches are so vulnerable in combat, fate provides stronger protectors for them.”
Where was this going? Justin was confused. Why were they having this conversation, and what did it have to do with chaos spirits?
“How many mates do gargoyles usually have?” Sebastian asked Pavel, who shot him a deadly stare. The maestro didn’t say a word.
Sebastian shrugged. “Gargoyles are rare. I don’t know much about them.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Maybe it was the events of the day, but Justin was struggling to break through the fog of his confusion.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Sebastian smirked and slid his arm off Justin’s shoulders. He came around and took both of Justin’s hands in his long, slender fingers, staring deep into the vampire’s eyes. Sebastian’s gaze was crystal clear and piercing.
“The three of us are mates.”
“What?!” Justin yelped, snatching his hands away from Sebastian’s.
Pavel let out a low sound, somewhere between a sigh and a groan, and slid down into a crouch.
“Why—how do you know?” Even though Justin was against the wall, he found himself pushing back, trying to get further away. There was nowhere to go.
“I can sense the bonds. Every witch has their specialty, but anyone with even a modicum of magic can feel the important connections tying people together.” A wicked smile spread across Sebastian’s face. He was enjoying this, which was infuriating. “So, what do you think?”
“What do I think? What do I think?!” Justin’s brain was gone now, and his words were powered by pure shock and anxiety. “I don’t know what to think! And the problem isn’t me, anyway. Clearly,heisn’t happy about us being mates!”
Justin gestured to Pavel, who was shrinking his naked body into the corner of the elevator car. Sebastian moved away from Justin and veritably sauntered over to the maestro.
“What’s put you all out of sorts?”
Pavel sighed, squinting against the harsh glow of the emergency lighting.
“You can’t be my mates.”
Sebastian crossed his arms, towering over the squatting gargoyle.
“That’s the thing, dearest. We are. I saw it as clear as day the first time the three of us were together.” Sebastian bent over and touched Pavel’s shoulder. “So you might as well stand up and?—”
