Chapter 2

James had forgotten how far out of town Storm House was. His truck wound along the road leading north, surrounded by nothing but forest. Most people would probably find it scenic, even if the tall redwoods blocked a lot of the daylight.

James wasn't most people. Knowing bad things had happened out here always made it feel sinister. No matter how old he got, he couldn't seem to forgive this stretch of road or see it as just another place, so he didn't come up this way much.

Moonlight Falls was a tiny dot on the map a couple of hours south of the Oregon-California border. Despite his aversion to North Road's shady atmosphere, James liked living in a town amid a sea of trees. The town was peaceful for the most part, and the area had a magic that comforted James. Outsiders found the energy unsettling, but that was Moonlight Falls for you.

Magic was always said to be strongest out in the wilderness. Maybe people had naturally settled in places far from the veins of power running through the earth, or maybe, the flow of power avoided people. Either way, cities didn't feel like Moonlight Falls. It was why true citizens of the town were always drawn back. Moonlight Falls called you home.

James had always known he'd return to this place and hadn't gone very far when he'd left. Maybe Sebastian had felt the same gnawing restlessness that being away from Moonlight Falls had triggered in James, and that's why he was back, staying at a place like Storm House. Maybe the house didn't faze Sebastian. The residents of Moonlight Falls had a higher tolerance than outsiders for things that went bump in the night, and the Storms were some of the most tolerant among them.

The town seemed to draw shades as much as the people it had claimed as its own. Everyone here embraced a magical life and a few oddities, but in James's mind, there were limits, even here, and most people's lines were drawn around Storm House.

The radio in James's truck turned to static, so he switched it off. His destination should be coming up. The notorious house was the last building on the edge of a vast expanse of logging land. There were no other driveways out here, no other homes, only a forest that slowly turned from redwood to pine, so he wanted to ensure he didn't miss the turnoff.

There wasn't much north of Moonlight Falls. The town spread in a southern direction as if trying to reach out to its closest—albeit not that close—neighbor. The woods out here were claimed by other things, and the people working the logging land had the strangest stories of anyone in town.

James came upon the driveway at last and noticed the gate was shut. He let out an annoyed sound as he made a U-turn and stopped. At least he was able to pull completely off the road.

James hopped out of his truck, but as he went to open the gate, he spotted a chain and padlock. "Oh, for fuck's sake." James shoved the metal gates and the chain clinked. They were embellished Gothic-style iron monstrosities and looked ridiculous. A gargoyle sat on either side of the gate, perched on the stone wall that ran the length of the property in both directions.

He could just see the blasted house at the end of the long driveway, though a mix of redwoods and pine trees blocked the rest of the property from view. It looked as creepy as ever, weather-worn and dripping with an air of general abandonment.

Who painted a house forest green? Whoever had designed the place had made some odd choices. All the ornate trim and Victorian details clashed with the stone gargoyles lining the north side of the driveway, to say nothing of the gate. It was all distinctly unwelcoming.

James thought about driving back to town. Sebastian hadn't left a phone number, so perhaps James should write him a letter back, asking Sebastian to arrange a time for him to stop by when the damn gate wasn't locked. Or he could get this over with now and climb the wall.

He could have used a spell to unlock the gate, manipulating the air inside the simple locking mechanism until force clicked it open, but that would technically be breaking the law. It was a good thing the wall wasn't very high.

The stones weren't cut flat, so they provided good footholds. James just hoped he wouldn't scuff his jacket. It was his nice leather one, and if the fall air wasn't so brisk, he might have left it in his truck just to be safe.

James landed on the grass on the other side of the wall and brushed himself off, the sleeves of his jacket looking no worse for wear. He stepped around the gargoyles and walked up the unpaved driveway.

The house might have looked foreboding, a large two-story mansion with a tower at the back, dark windows, and a shadowy porch, but the property seemed well-tended, not creepy or neglected. The lawns he passed were neat, and no trees crowded the house. It wasn't as James remembered, though he'd been a kid the last time he'd ventured up to the gate.

There was an off feeling about the place, like the energy was wrong. You could groom the land, not change its nature, and being on the property had always made people anxious. James's heart rate had picked up as soon as he'd come over the wall. He had the sense of being alone yet watched, an unsettling but well-known sensation that could always be felt here. It was why people said Storm House was haunted.

As James reached the porch, he glanced to his left. Beyond the lawn lining the driveway was a paddock housing a single cow.

That was odd.

James stared. It wasn't the kind of odd he expected from Storm House. The gargoyles, fine, whatever. The skin-crawling sensation, yes, he'd anticipated that. But the cow made James pause. What was it doing here? This wasn't a farm or anything like that. The animal didn't fit the haunted aesthetic. It seemed happy and not even remotely possessed.

The cow ignored James, busy munching the grass. He turned away and proceeded up the steps, crossing the covered porch to the front door. There didn't seem to be a doorbell, so he knocked.

James waited, his annoyance with the situation growing as his patience thinned. The house was so damn big that he doubted anyone would hear him knocking. He rapped his knuckles on the door again. What if Sebastian wasn't home? That could have been why the gate was locked. A possibility James hadn't thought of before he'd climbed the wall.

After several more minutes of knocking and waiting, he pounded on the door. "Hello?" he called out as loud as he could. The air seemed to swallow the word. It was still out here, like being in the middle of the forest with no signs of civilization. Maybe no one was home.

James shivered. In addition to the anxiety-inducing energy that hung around the property, there was a chill in the air, the kind that shades seemed to like. He hoped one of the nasty beasts wasn't about to pop out from under the front porch. There were enough shadows around here for one to be out on a cloudy day like today.

Shades were creatures from Beyond. As the name suggested, they drew power from shadows and darkness and couldn't materialize in direct sunlight. Most shades weren't actually dangerous. Their ghostly forms frightened people who weren't used to them, city folk mostly. To people in Moonlight Falls, they were pests, more than anything, mischievous little devils. The kind of nuisance James didn't need to deal with right now.

He knocked one last time, mostly because he didn't want to have to come back here.

To James's surprise, the door swung open. The small success did not wipe the scowl from his face.

"Hello!" Sebastian stood before him, sounding delighted to find James on his doorstep. He was a bit breathless, as if he'd come running. It didn't stop him from beaming at James, his pale cheeks cut by the sort of dimples people found endearing.

James clenched his teeth. He was not endeared and had a renewed sense that this guy was going to be nothing but trouble.

"I wasn't expecting you." Sebastian swept ginger curls back from his face with slender fingers. He was taller than James, poised, and cut an elegant, trim figure, his muscles lean and stomach flat. A fact James couldn't help noticing because Sebastian wasn't wearing a shirt.

"You sent a letter asking me to stop by." James's eyes ran down Sebastian's body without him wanting them to, annoyance at how eye-catching Sebastian was prickling at his senses.

Sebastian wore slim-cut jeans, no shoes or socks, and what looked like a robe. Not a fuzzy bathrobe, but some sort of sophisticated thing with silk accents on the cuffs and lapels. Did robes even have lapels? James had no idea. The garment, whatever it was, was dark purple and made Sebastian's expanse of pale freckled skin pop in contrast.

James found himself captivated, mostly wondering why? Why to any and all of this.

Sebastian leaned against the doorframe, resting one arm above his head. The position stretched his body languidly. "You're right. I did ask you to come by. Now that you're here, you've got me thinking it's my lucky day."

"What?" James's gaze shot back to Sebastian's face. Was there a flirtatious edge to his voice? James narrowed his eyes. "I doubt that. I assume you called me because you have a problem for me to look at. Sounds like bad luck to me." He kept his gaze fixed on Sebastian's.

He shouldn't have let himself look, but he'd been caught off guard by Sebastian's unusual appearance. James wasn't in the mood for flirting or finding anyone attractive. Especially Sebastian. However, he had to admit—grudgingly—that Sebastian was good-looking.

"I've got a few things you could take a look at if you're interested." This time, there was no doubt that the line was meant to be flirty. Sebastian's purring tone was over the top, and he seemed to be enjoying himself, going by his sly little smile.

James didn't allow himself to react. He wondered if Sebastian was just messing with him after catching him staring. It served James right and seemed like the kind of thing Sebastian might do. He'd been a boy who'd liked causing trouble and riling people up. In other words, the opposite of James.

James hadn't changed much, even though he was twenty-eight and not the boy he'd once been. Unfortunately, he was remembering more and more instances when Sebastian had caught his eye in the past, both for appealing and annoying reasons. It seemed that being in Sebastian's presence was bringing it all back.

"Why don't you come in?" Sebastian stepped back from the door and gestured inside with a flourish, purple sleeve flapping. "Can I tempt you with a lemonade or something else?"

James stepped inside, looking away from Sebastian. "I'm fine, thanks."

The large entryway was dim, the only light coming in from the open door and skylights in the vaulted ceiling. The floor was tiled and looked cold, especially for Sebastian's bare feet.

Narrow tables covered in unlit candles lined the walls. At the center of the space was another table housing several old-fashioned oil lamps and a row of leatherbound books. James had a sudden urge to push the two bookends closer together to better hold the volumes on display. The ones in the middle leaned to the side, leaving enough space for at least one more book between them.

Beyond the table was a grand set of stairs tiled to match the entry floor. Gargoyles guarded the banisters on either side.

"I can't get you anything? You're sure?" Sebastian sashayed forward, heading toward a hallway to the left of the stairs. He'd left the front door wide open.

Wasn't he cold? The temperature in here didn't seem much warmer than outside.

James followed Sebastian. "I had to climb your wall, you know."

"I'm sorry, had to? Says who?" Sebastian turned to face him, tone teasing. He bit his bottom lip, making it look like he was trying not to laugh.

James didn't reply. Sebastian's cheekiness wasn't endearing. It was infuriating, and James was annoyed by how much effort he'd had to expend just to get here.

Sebastian's soft hazel eyes lit up as something seemed to occur to him. "You must have been eager to see me if a locked gate couldn't keep you out."

"Why would I be eager to see you?" James couldn't keep the frustration from his tone. "I don't even know you."

All of Sebastian's playfulness died. "No?" He crossed his arms over the open front of his robe, sleeves falling back to his elbows. His voice turned sneering. "Never seen me around before? No idea who I am? I thought everyone knew everyone in Moonlight Falls. All looking out for one another, more like a family than a town. Not that it ever seemed to apply to me."

James opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt a twinge of guilt for being a grumpy ass for no real reason and maybe even a smidge of guilt for ignoring Sebastian when they were young.

"Look." James ran a hand through his short hair. "Why don't you fill me in on why you need an electrician?"

Sebastian marched down the hall in a huff. James reluctantly followed. He didn't know Sebastian, not really, and saying so shouldn't have been a big deal. James hadn't seen him in at least ten years. Still, he knew enough for this interaction to feel familiar.

Sebastian had kept to himself back in high school, and James hadn't hung out with many younger kids. There were at least two years between them if he remembered correctly. He shouldn't have to feel bad for never really talking to the guy. Most of the times he remembered noticing Sebastian, the younger boy had been creeping around town alone, acting out, or messing around with magic when he wasn't supposed to be.

James was pretty sure Sebastian had set the park bench on fire once.

It's not like James had wanted to get involved with any of that. He'd never been that much of a sucker for a cute face and was proud to say he still wasn't. James didn't want anything to do with Sebastian Storm now, any more than before.

Sebastian stopped halfway down the darkened hallway. James looked around at even more unlit candles and faded green wallpaper. Sebastian flicked a light switch. Nothing happened. He flicked it off and on rapidly before turning to give James an exasperated look.

"The light doesn't work." James glanced at the ceiling to see a bare bulb hanging above them.

"Not the light." Sebastian's exasperation had reached his voice. It was as if he thought James was dumb for needing the problem pointed out.

Why was he acting like this? It's not like James knew what was going on. Explaining what needed fixing was standard and shouldn't be an annoyance. Not like climbing a wall was.

"So the power isn't working?" James guessed.

Sebastian smiled. It was toothy and appeared genuinely heartfelt, a jarring contrast to his mood a second before and nothing like the heavy-handed flirtation from the doorway. "Can you fix it?"

James suspected this guy was going to give him a headache. "Sure. Do you know why it's not working?"

The happiness left Sebastian's features. "Isn't that your job to figure out?"

It was going to be a long afternoon.