24. James

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."

Sebastian smiled, his dimples brightening his face. "Whoever thinks blood-and-bone rituals have to be serious clearly hasn't met us."

"Which is a good thing. We'd probably get a lecture."

Sebastian opened Selma's room and ducked in to grab the Nelson-doll from her dressing table. James was glad Sebastian didn't seem affected by returning to this part of Storm House. He'd conquered that fear.

They hurried to the study, James lighting an oil lamp along the way. The jar of teeth was on the shelf where they'd left it, and when he grabbed it this time, he didn't scream.

"Never thought I'd be glad to see these." The yellowing label baring N. Storm and S. Storm gave James a sense of relief.

"I never thought I'd be glad my predecessors didn't clean out the house. Imagine if the jar had been thrown away."

James grimaced. "I'd rather not."

"No." Sebastian pulled him toward the door. "Let's go."

If they could have run to the clearing, they would have. At this point, James was glad they were both still upright and moving. He didn't think he had much magic left in him, and Sebastian had to be running purely off adrenaline.

He couldn't wait to lie down, sleep, and wake up to the rest of his life with this amazing man.

They made it across the property to find the clearing as they'd left it.

Sebastian paused next to the fuel cell Hazel and Parker had brought out earlier that night. "Are we sure this doesn't have to go in as well?"

"I don't think it does." James considered the fuel cell. "And not just because I'd like to take it back to Gray Electrical when this is over."

Sebastian raised his brows.

"This fuel cell was connected by transferring the curse from Hazel, who was trapped by the secret. None of us trapped from learning about the veins have the true connection to them that you and your relatives do."

Sebastian nodded, seeming satisfied. "Thank goodness for that. Imagine if we had to cut fingers off everyone stuck here. I really wouldn't be popular." He turned his back on the fuel cell and approached the hole.

James joined him .

Sebastian's tired eyes found James in the dim light of the oil lamp. "Together?"

"Together," James agreed, and they tossed the items into the black abyss.

The doll and jar of teeth disappeared from sight as they tumbled into the darkness. James grabbed Sebastian's hand, not tearing his eyes away.

Bright light flared, almost blinding James. He shielded his face, holding Sebastian tight as the light shot up into the sky, illuminating the forest. For a split second, it was bright as day, then they were plunged back into darkness.

Sebastian gasped and crumpled against James.

"Sweetheart?" James clutched Sebastian, swiping Sebastian's messy hair from his face to find his eyes closed. "What's wrong?"

Sebastian groaned. "I felt it." He gripped James's arm to steady himself, only to wince in pain at using his injured hand. "It was like something was just pulled out of my core."

"Like your connection to the veins was severed?"

Sebastian glanced at James, suddenly alert. "Just like that." He looked down at their feet, James following suit, finding the hole completely gone. It looked like it had never been there.

"I think we did it," Sebastian whispered.

"We did." James squeezed him and kissed his tangled curls. " You did it!"

"Can we lie down now?" Sebastian slumped limply against James once more, his voice weakening. "You're the only thing holding me up, and I think it's gonna be a while before I can manage it on my own."

"We need to get you to the hospital." James summoned the last of his strength—something he didn't think he possessed after the night he'd had, but he would pretend and hope that was enough—and hoisted Sebastian into his arms. Putting one foot carefully in front of the other, James walked through the woods for what was hopefully the last time .

"Can we go after I sleep?" Sebastian whined. "I think I'm going to be sick if I keep moving."

"Be sick if you have to, but I'm not putting you down in the dirt. You need a doctor."

"You take such good care of me," Sebastian mumbled.

James snorted, ignoring his protesting muscles as he walked. "Not leaving you bloody and drained in a dark forest is hardly a high standard of care."

"Whatever. Take the compliment, James. I'm tired."

"Okay, sweetheart. I promise you can rest soon."

James settled Sebastian into his truck's passenger seat and climbed in on the driver's side. He wouldn't be able to make it all the way to Apple Valley. He'd pass out at the wheel and kill them both, but if he could get to Parker's, someone else could take them the rest of the way.

Sebastian went quiet not long after pulling away from Storm House. He slumped in his seat, and whenever James pried his tired eyes from the road to check, Sebastian was unmoving, his eyes closed.

Even though James knew Sebastian needed rest, it worried him. He hadn't let himself worry all night, and it seemed to be catching up with him. The longer he drove, the worse his anxiety became. His hands trembled and his chest tightened until his breaths turned shallow.

James wasn't sure how he made it through the drive to town, only that he did.

He pulled up at Parker's in a sudden panic that no one would be there. What if the hordes of shades he and Sebastian had seen coming through the gateway had come to attack? What if his friends and Eli had been hurt or worse ?

Before James could get a handle on his spiraling thoughts, the door to Parker's house flew open and Eli ran toward the truck. He yanked James's door open and pulled James into a hug.

"Oh my god, you're all right!" Eli cried.

Parker was a step behind him. They both looked fine.

"We need to go to the hospital," James managed to say.

Eli released him from his crushing hold, eyes wide. "Can we get to the hospital?"

"We should be able to." James turned toward Sebastian in the passenger seat. He still hadn't moved. "We need to hurry." He gripped Sebastian's hand. "Sweetheart, wake up."

Sebastian didn't respond.

Tears blurred James's vision. Sebastian had to be okay. He was probably just resting, but James couldn't control his fear that Sebastian wouldn't wake up this time.

Parker appeared at Sebastian's door, opening it and lifting Sebastian out.

"Wait," James called.

"I'll drive." Parker gave him a steady nod and took Sebastian away.

Tears fell from James's eyes. They had to get to the hospital, but he couldn't be separated from Sebastian. He didn't know what to do other than stay by his side. What if, after everything, Sebastian died?

"Come on." Eli pulled on James's arm. "Into my car."

James looked at him in confusion. "Is Sebastian okay?"

Eli exchanged words with Parker. "He's breathing. Let's go." Eli guided James to the back seat of his car as if James were a lost child. "You're probably in shock. You need the hospital too."

James collapsed into the back seat. Sebastian was there, his head lolled back against the seat. James was vaguely aware of Eli buckling him in as he reached for Sebastian. It was awkward holding him with both their seatbelts on, but James couldn't let him go .

It hadn't been too much, had it? Sebastian was going to be fine. He'd been talking and joking not long ago. True, he hadn't been able to walk to the truck, but that didn't mean anything.

Sebastian would wake up just like all the other times he'd passed out after using the veins. James tried to convince himself this was guaranteed, but he couldn't ignore the fact that Sebastian had gone through so much more than anyone should have to bear tonight.

It was the longest car ride of James's life. He didn't even register the moment Parker drove past the boundary that had trapped them. He hardly noticed the sun rising, warm and golden, except for the fact that it lit Sebastian beautifully, making him look like a fallen and battered angel.

Sebastian didn't stir the whole ride. The only sign he hadn't slipped away was his soft breaths in and out.

At last, they arrived at the hospital emergency room and James leaped from the car, only to stumble. He'd intended to carry Sebastian inside but was too unsteady on his feet to stand without bracing against the car.

Eli appeared at his side. "Let me help you."

James shook his head. "Get Sebastian."

"Parker's got Sebastian." Eli hoisted one of James's bloody and dirt-covered arms over his shoulders, propping him up.

James turned in time to see Parker carrying Sebastian through the sliding ER doors. James relaxed infinitesimally. Sebastian was going to get the care he needed. James clung to the hope it would be enough.

Inside, James was admitted and seen by nurses and a doctor. He could barely keep one moment straight from the next. He'd used too much magic, his body ached, and being unable to calm his worries was doing bad things to his blood pressure. He hated that he didn't know what was happening with Sebastian.

He was so tired. It made his brain foggy, but he couldn't have fallen asleep if he'd wanted to. James lay there in his hospital bed, sick with worry, wishing he could just get through this to what came next.

James had no idea how long it had been when Eli came bustling behind the curtain blocking James's bed from the rest of the ER. "Sebastian is awake."

Some of the tension was released from James's body. "He'll be okay?"

"Yes, James. He'll recover just fine." Eli squeezed his hand. "The doctors aren't happy about his finger though."

Tears of relief filled James's eyes. "No one's happy about that. Least of all Sebastian."

Eli gave him a searching look. "What the hell happened?"

James sank back into his pillows, having trouble focusing on his brother. "Had to put the pieces of the veins back together." He closed his eyes. Maybe he could sleep after all. "Tell you the rest later."