26. Sebastian

26

SEBASTIAN

They'd fallen asleep so early that Sebastian woke at midnight feeling relatively well-rested, even if it took him a moment to figure out he was in James's bed. He couldn't remember any of the last week, and for a second, he wasn't sure if the darkness outside was natural or a sign the shades had reinvaded.

The throbbing in his hand cleared things up, triggering a flood of memories.

Sebastian got up and took something for the pain. What happened in the woods was harrowing, but he was able to focus on his success and the immense relief of having it all behind him. He was in a place he feared he'd never reach and wouldn't stop being overjoyed to have his life back.

As he climbed back into bed, James stirred.

"What time is it?" James mumbled.

"The middle of the night, babe. Go back to sleep."

James cracked an eye open. "You good?"

"A little sore, but I'm fine."

James wrapped his arms around Sebastian and buried his face in Sebastian's neck. "Want me to take your mind off it? "

Sebastian ran a hand down James's bare back. "How were you thinking?"

"I was having the most vivid dream," he murmured, kissing Sebastian's throat.

"Oh, were you?" Sebastian arched his neck, smiling wide. "Tell me more."

"You were balls deep inside me, fucking me on the beach." James pressed against Sebastian, and sure enough, he was hard.

Sebastian groaned. "I love your imagination."

"I love waking up naked with you, knowing we can make it all a reality. Well, maybe not the beach part. There was a distinct lack of inconveniently placed sand in the dream."

Sebastian snorted.

James lifted his head, finding Sebastian's gaze. "How about I blow you? That should make you feel good."

Sebastian rested his bandaged hand against James's cheek. "Fucking you would feel good too."

Heat darkened James's eyes. "I want you inside me so badly right now, but maybe we should wait."

"For what, marriage?"

James choked on a laugh. "No, for you to heal."

"It's my finger, not my dick. I think I can manage to fuck you without hurting it."

"I know, I just feel a bit rude asking you to do all the work. You only just got out of the hospital. I've been out for days."

Sebastian gave him an evil grin. "Oh, I'm happy for you to do all the work, babe."

James's eyes flashed. "Ah. I was stuck on the position from my dream, on all fours. I hadn't even thought of riding you."

Longing coursed through Sebastian. "Well, we're both thinking it now."

James groaned, reaching between Sebastian's legs and clasping his half-hard cock. "I want you so much. Having you inside me will be like screwing everything we had to do to get here."

"I love that," Sebastian gasped as James stroked him to full hardness.

"I love you." James captured Sebastian's mouth in a deep, languid kiss. He rolled Sebastian on his back and straddled him, continuing his drawn-out kisses.

Sebastian melted. He loved that James had been dreaming about him and had shared it rather than not saying anything. He couldn't wait to get James on all fours and make him scream in pleasure. Not at the beach, he had to agree, but maybe in the garden of his imaginary new house, the sun on their backs in a perfect reverse-recreation of one memorable afternoon they'd had at Storm House, trapped and waiting for the fuel cell to arrive with nothing to do but get each other off.

James had fucked Sebastian in his garden and made Sebastian see stars. Those days waiting in limbo before they escaped the property had been strangely wonderful, and Sebastian planned to take all the good from that time and bring it forward, leaving the rest behind.

Dreaming of the future felt like a gift, and Sebastian couldn't wait to make every idea bursting in his mind a reality, but tonight, he preferred slow and sensual to the wild images filling his head. Like the one of James on his knees in the grass next to blooming flowers, moaning as Sebastian pounded into him.

One day…

As James got up to find the lube, Sebastian propped himself against the headboard. He pulled James into his lap and held him close, just feeling him, breathing him in, and getting lost in all the little things.

Sebastian stroked James's stubble-rough cheek. "Can I watch you get yourself ready for me?"

James paused. "I want to see you, not be facing away."

"Me too. Do it like this." Sebastian cradled James's hips, sliding one hand around to his ass and finding his hole. "Sit on my lap and open yourself up while I kiss you."

James smiled almost shyly. "I can do that."

James squirted lube on his fingers and reached behind himself. Sebastian moved his fingers out of the way and let James touch himself, opting to stroke James's cock instead. James let out a soft moan, his other hand braced around the back of Sebastian's neck. His fingers flexed on Sebastian's nape and his eyes fluttered closed.

Sebastian was enraptured. James touching himself was beautiful. He was so open and needy, his expressions shaping his face freely, letting Sebastian see exactly how he felt. Sebastian ached for him. The way James rocked into his hand, dick leaking on Sebastian's stomach, felt even more intimate than when Sebastian had been the one stretching James.

"Almost there," James panted, getting more lube. Sebastian got some on his own hand and reached back along with James. As James realized what Sebastian was up to, he whimpered. "Yes," he pleaded, leaning his forehead against Sebastian's.

Sebastian slipped a finger in beside James's two, his hand covering James's. They moaned in unison, and James leaned forward, sealing their lips in a kiss. Sebastian rested his bandaged hand on the back of James's neck, pain forgotten, as they fingered James's hole together.

James broke the kiss. "Now, Sebastian. Please."

Sebastian smiled, filled with pure joy, as he slicked himself up. James had a desperate, almost hungry look as he lined himself up, holding Sebastian in place as he sank down, letting out a soft whimper.

It was Sebastian's favorite sound. This one, in particular, was different from the noises James made when he topped Sebastian. It was something unique that only the two of them together in this specific way could create .

"I love you, James," Sebastian crooned, his voice thick with pleasure.

"I love you," James echoed before dropping his head back and swiveling his hips.

Sebastian gasped in pleasure. "You feel so perfect, James."

James let out another of those little whimpers, and Sebastian got lost in the rhythm of James's hips.

They'd had no small amount of sex up to this point, but nothing like this. In many ways, it was a miracle they were here, together, expressing their deepest feelings. It felt like the true beginning of something, with all their worst obstacles stripped away. The rest of their lives had started, and Sebastian couldn't wait.

The next morning, Sebastian and James walked into town. The air was brisk and the sky was steadily clouding over. All Sebastian could think was it felt great to be out in the fresh air.

"I've always liked being outside, but I think staying in the hospital has given me a new appreciation for it," Sebastian said as they crunched leaves under their feet, passing the school.

Everything was back to normal in Moonlight Falls. The school had reopened after its brief closure, and everyone who had evacuated seemed to have returned without delay. People here really were unfazed by unusual occurrences and more tolerant than most to a bit of horror. Sebastian didn't doubt that anywhere else, people would have been reluctant to return after the darkness, vein-induced earthquakes, vicious shade attacks, and possessions. But not here. Moonlight Falls was home.

They walked into the town circle, hand in hand. Something immediately caught Sebastian's eye near the stone. It looked like signs and flowers had been placed in the grass .

He turned to James. "It's not election season, is it?"

"No." James's brow furrowed as they approached the grass.

Sebastian read the phrase painted on the largest sign: Thank you, Sebastian Storm, for saving Moonlight Falls . It was covered in puff-paint hearts that looked like they'd been done by someone's child.

Sebastian stopped, dead still. " What? " He turned to James. "Did you know about this?"

James beamed, his eyes glassy. "No. I had no idea. I knew Eleanor addressed the town. Parker said the town hall meeting was so packed there were people out in the street. She told everyone that you saved Moonlight Falls from exploding by fixing the broken veins and fighting off the invading shades. I don't know who put all this here, but it looks like lots of people are grateful for what you did."

One sign proclaimed Sebastian a hero. He had no idea what to think of it. Another sign said Moonlight Falls commends the Storm family for keeping us safe .

"They're pretty forgiving of the fact that the Storms started the problem with the veins," Sebastian muttered, still in shock.

"I think it's nice they're acknowledging the sacrifice you all made for the town." James wrapped an arm around Sebastian's waist. "The whole mess with the curse is complicated, with no easy rights or wrongs. There's no doubt your family did more than anyone should have had to for this town, even if they accidentally started it all."

"True." Sebastian stared at a bunch of roses laying in the grass. "I'm glad people know the truth about Stephen and the family. We do deserve a bit of acknowledgment."

"You're an important part of Moonlight Falls, sweetheart. You and your family helped shape this place and kept it safe."

"Even if we were the ones to let the shades in," Sebastian replied dryly .

James shrugged. "The gateway wasn't a problem for eighty years, and it helped us establish a solid bit of tourism."

Sebastian smiled at James's optimistic take on the situation. "Wonder what we'll do about that tourism now that shades won't be popping through from Beyond all the time."

James considered. "I'm sure everyone will adjust. It'll be strange to not have shades around Moonlight Falls, but after the last weeks, I won't be complaining."

"Sebastian!" a voice called from behind them, stealing their attention.

Sebastian spun to see his mom exiting the diner. "She's still here?" He couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to see her again," James agreed.

"Sebastian." Samantha stopped a few feet from them, looking between him and James as if she was unsure how to approach. "I'm glad you're all right."

"You are?" Sebastian asked without thinking.

She flinched. "Yes. I can't believe any of us survived that." Her eyes strayed to the signs, then back to Sebastian, conflicted emotion lining her face. "I'm sorry for accusing you of trapping me. And I'm sorry for putting all this on you, for transferring the curse, and for how I let that dictate the way I treated you all these years. I'm sorry for all of it and for not trying to make it right."

Sebastian let himself absorb her words. He sighed. "I appreciate you saying that." And he did. Even if it couldn't undo the past or change anything, her apology gave Sebastian a small sense of relief.

Samantha fidgeted. "I didn't want to leave before saying something."

Sebastian gave her a tired smile. "It was a nice surprise."

She returned his smile. It looked slightly pained. "I'm glad you get to live the rest of your life free from this. I hope you'll be happy."

"Thanks. I think I will be." Sebastian took James's hand. The moment had a strong undercurrent of awkwardness. He valued his mom's apology but wasn't going to tell her it was all right or act like it was enough to forgive everything she'd done and go on as if it had never happened.

"I owe you an apology too, James." Samantha looked at her shoes. "I'm sorry for my part in your parents' deaths."

James gave a curt nod as if his feelings mirrored Sebastian's.

"If there's anything you want me to do… I know I can't make up for it, but…" Her words seemed to fail.

James's attention found Sebastian. He seemed unsure how to react. Sebastian squeezed James's hand, and James turned back to Samantha, clearing his throat. "The secret-binding is completely gone. Nothing is stopping the truth from coming out."

Samantha's eyes widened. "You want me to admit we caused the accident publicly?"

"I don't know." James swiped a hand over his face. "Just don't lie about it when it comes out."

"People are going to find out the whole story," Sebastian reminded his mom. "The transfer of the curse from Kira to me, our connection to Nelson Power, all of it. I'm not interested in hiding family history when what happened with the Storms affected everyone."

Samantha seemed to gather herself. "I won't ask you to. But I'm not planning to stay and endure the town's hatred."

"No, I wouldn't have thought so." Sebastian knew his mother wouldn't completely change. There was no magic to heal their relationship, and after everything, he didn't need there to be. "Guess this is goodbye then."

Samantha nodded, eyes lingering on Sebastian's bandage for a second. "Goodbye, Sebastian."

He watched her walk to the bed and breakfast and disappear inside.

James leaned in close. "You okay?"

"It's the best I could have hoped for. I wasn't exactly holding out for us to reconnect and have the mother-son bond I once longed for. I'd much rather make my own family."

"You've already got one."

Sebastian turned to face James and found a delicate smile on his face.

"I think a few of them are at the diner now if you feel like stopping in?"

Warmth bloomed in Sebastian's chest. "In that case, a late breakfast sounds perfect."

The diner was bound to be quiet at eleven a.m. on a Tuesday, and he had his headphones around his neck in case the noise started to put him on edge. "Let's go bother Eli and Parker. I have to thank them for getting us to the hospital. It completely slipped my mind before."

They crossed the street and Sebastian opened the diner door, ringing the bell. Eli leaped from behind the counter and rushed to them.

"Sebastian!" Eli threw his arms around him, and Sebastian returned the hug without hesitation. "I'm so glad you're out of the hospital."

"Feels good to be free. Thanks for getting us there."

"Of course." Eli gave him one more squeeze before moving on to James. "Good to see you back in town too."

James ruffled Eli's hair. "Nothing can keep me away long."

Parker exited the kitchen and didn't delay giving Sebastian his own near-crushing hug. "Good to see you on your feet."

Sebastian's face was hot from all the attention, but he didn't mind. The only other person in the place seemed to be Princeton, sitting alone at the opposite end of the room.

"My feet weren't exactly the problem," Sebastian joked.

Parker released him, a hand lingering on his shoulder. "How's your finger?"

"Pretty much completely gone." Sebastian lifted his bandaged hand. "The doctors expect it to heal fine now that they fixed the mess I made of it."

Parker squeezed Sebastian's shoulder, looking him in the eye with that intimidating expression of his. "Thank you."

"For?" Sebastian's gaze flitted instinctually to James, then back to Parker.

"For making a sacrifice for us and for the town."

"Oh." Sebastian squirmed, and Parker withdrew his hand. "You don't have to thank me."

"For cutting off your finger to save us, I think we do," Eli argued.

To Sebastian, it didn't feel like a huge deal, not compared to having to give up his life, but maybe James hadn't told the others about that part of the night. They didn't know how far he'd been willing to go.

"Everyone in town is grateful," Parker went on, gesturing to the display around the stone. "Even if Eleanor didn't broadcast specifically what sacrifice you had to make. She kept the details out of it, making sure your privacy was respected, but everyone knows you did something brave for them."

Sebastian stared at the hand-painted signs, glad his missing finger wasn't the talk of the town. "They aren't going to forget it any time soon, are they?"

James studied him. "Does the attention make you uncomfortable?"

"A bit," Sebastian admitted. "But not in a bad way. It's nice to be appreciated. It makes me feel like I've been accepted."

"You have been," Parker said resolutely. "I've already had people ask when I'm putting your photo up in the diner."

Sebastian's mouth fell open. " My photo? "

Parker and Eli grinned, the big man hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his apron. "A key piece of town history like you vanquishing horrible shade-beings and stopping the veins from blasting the place off the map has to be celebrated. "

Sebastian was overwhelmed with pleasurable embarrassment. He wasn't a fan of too much attention—he found it stressful—but when it came with the sense of belonging and accomplishment he had right now, he didn't mind so much.

James studied him, an understanding expression on his face like he knew exactly what Sebastian was feeling. "We could take a picture right now, out by the stone."

"You have to be in it with me." Sebastian pulled James against him.

"Anything you want, sweetheart," James agreed before turning a calculated look on Parker. "Speaking of pictures, we could replace my old photo with this new one. I can't be up there twice."

"No, you can't take it down. I like it," Sebastian whined, tightening his grip on James. "I won't let mine be put up if you get rid of yours."

Parker nodded approvingly. "Good call."

James laughed. "Fine. If everyone likes the damn photo so much, I'll stop complaining."

"Really?" Eli gave him a weird look. "You've complained for ten years. You're really going to give in now ?"

James gazed adoringly at Sebastian. "Yes. How could I complain about something that makes this man smile?"

Sebastian kissed him. A quick, hard peck. "Careful." He felt his smile turn devious. "You know I'm going take advantage of that."

"I can't wait," James whispered.

Sebastian loved him so much he didn't know if he'd ever stop being amazed by it.

They went outside, and Eli took a picture of Sebastian and James in front of the stone and the signs. He even snapped a few extra as James dipped Sebastian into a kiss, one of Sebastian's legs flinging into the air in surprise.

Eventually, they returned to the diner to eat .

"What happened with you all that night?" Sebastian asked Eli after Parker disappeared into the kitchen.

"We pretty much hunkered down." A frown pulled at Eli's lips. "Hazel and Eleanor were with us at Parker's. I tried to call you guys, but it must have been after you went to Storm House. When the tremors stopped, we were so relieved, but you still didn't turn up or answer your phones. I wanted to go look for you both, but so many shades were flying around town that we couldn't leave the house. We were lucky they didn't attack any of the buildings."

"I'm glad you were safe." Sebastian was immensely relieved. He'd have hated for everyone to have been stuck fighting shades while he and James figured out how to fix the veins. Digging up those graves took a hell of a long time. Sebastian was thankful it was all a blur in his mind now.

Eventually, Eli left them to eat and went back to his work.

A dull ache started behind Sebastian's eyes. He must have made a face because James caught on.

"Headache?"

Sebastian nodded. "It's not bad, but after this, I might be done with being in public for the day."

The doctors had told Sebastian his headaches might be a permanent side effect of using the veins' power. They couldn't be totally sure since no one had harnessed power like that before, and they didn't know exactly what it might do to someone's body.

Sebastian hadn't had any pain as severe as he'd had that night or even the days in between first using the veins and when it was all over. He was taking that as a good sign, hoping that now that the veins were repaired and he wasn't a piece of them, the headaches wouldn't be as bad.

The bell above the door sounded, and Hazel and Eleanor walked in .

Sebastian smiled. It seemed he could take a bit more socializing after all.

The two women joined him and James in their booth and asked how he was.

"I cannot thank you enough," Eleanor said once the catching-up was out of the way. "This town owes you."

"Don't worry about it. Really," Sebastian insisted. "No one owes me. It's not a debt that needs to be repaid."

Eleanor smiled. "You'll have to take our eternal gratitude anyway."

"I suppose I can deal with that," Sebastian relented, that pleasurable embarrassment returning, making his cheeks hot.

"I hope it goes some way to making up for William's behavior," Eleanor continued, her familiar, serious demeanor making an appearance.

Sebastian scrunched his nose. "What happened with him?"

Eleanor and Hazel exchanged a glance. "He's been arrested for inciting a riot and assault, along with breaking and entering. The people who went along with him have been arrested too."

Sebastian was relieved to hear it. "I'm glad no one's getting away with it."

"No, of course not. It was awful." Eleanor gave him an understanding look.

"What about the possession?" James asked.

Hazel shook her head. "William tried to say the shade made him do all of it and he wasn't in his right mind, but no one's taking his word for it. He can use possession as a defense in court if he wants, but it was pretty obvious when the shade inside him was acting. Parker said his eyes went black and he had the pointy teeth and everything."

"Yeah, I had the impression he organized the angry mob himself," Sebastian agreed. "I wonder how long he was possessed."

James grabbed Sebastian's arm. "Remember the night we saw William leaving town hall and a shade flew up to him but didn't bother him?" Sebastian nodded. "What if he was possessed then, and that's why the shade didn't attack."

"Could be. But then he might be able to pin everything from the B&E to the riot on being possessed."

"I don't think so," Eleanor countered. "William had already shown he was willing to turn people against you at the town hall meeting, and regardless of when exactly he became possessed, Hazel is right. It was obvious when the shade was controlling him."

"You don't have to worry about him, Sebastian." Hazel gave him a comforting pat on the arm. "I doubt he'll ever be back in Moonlight Falls, even if he manages to avoid prison."

"No one here will be happy to see him again," Eleanor agreed. "I doubt he'd want to face the scorn of the rest of the people in town. They won't want anyone bothering you."

Sebastian repressed a smile. Moonlight Falls had well and truly chosen him. He was home.