Chapter 7

James slept like a dead man and woke up feeling good. It was later than he'd planned to get up, but he'd purposely not set an alarm. His body had needed rest, and he'd been determined to give it however much it wanted.

Gray Electrical's storefront was closed on the weekends, so James had the whole day to work on rewiring Storm House. Before heading out, he stopped by the shop to pick up the generator for Sebastian. James even had an old mini fridge in his garage, which he'd already loaded into his truck.

He checked all his shade-lights were charged and working before locking the shop and heading out. As his truck idled in the driveway, James had an idea. He turned right instead of left and drove around the town center to park at the back of the diner.

Inside, Parker greeted him at the counter. "Should I be worried you're back so soon? I can't seem to keep you away."

James huffed. "Says the man who practically lives here."

Parker grinned. "Yes, but it's my job."

"And you love it because everyone in town is always stopping by." James matched Parker's grin. "Can I get a coffee and an order of tater tots to go?"

"Breakfast of champions." Parker laughed.

"Something like that," James muttered. The coffee was for him, but the tater tots were for Sebastian. Not that he was about to explain this to Parker, who'd only read something into it and assume it meant more than it did.

Every so often, Parker encouraged James to date. They'd become friends when James moved back to town. Parker was several years older, so they hadn't crossed paths when they were young, but that wasn't a bad thing. When James had come home after his grandma passed away, it had been nice for him to get to know someone new, who was also a Moonlighter. The two saw eye to eye on most things except dating. Parker had never understood James's reluctance to meet people and seek romantic connections.

The last thing James needed was Parker thinking there was any meaning behind him bringing Sebastian some tater tots.

The cab of James's truck smelled pleasantly of coffee and fried potato as he drove out of town, a takeout box full to bursting on his passenger seat. He sipped his coffee. If the gate was locked, he'd sit in his truck and eat all the tots himself.

Turned out he didn't have to. The gate was wide open when James pulled up. For some reason, it made him smile. He drove all the way in and parked next to the front porch.

The front door was open as well, giving him a glimpse of the shadowy entryway. It made the house look even creepier than usual, like it really was abandoned. James tried to ignore his unease. It was just the property's energy fucking with him.

He left his empty coffee cup in the cab and grabbed the warm box of tots, hoping Sebastian wouldn't think the gesture was weird. Surely, bringing him food he'd said he liked from the diner was fine—normal—just a friendly thing to do.

He was overthinking it, almost as if Parker's hypothetical analysis of James's actions wasn't completely irrelevant.

Piano music wafted out of the house as James climbed the front steps. It sounded eerie, but again, maybe that was the haunted atmosphere ruining things.

James paused on the threshold. "Hello?"

The music didn't stop. He assumed Sebastian hadn't heard him and walked in. The sound seemed to be coming from the back of the house, so he headed that way, down the hall to the left, leading toward the kitchen.

He wasn't sure exactly where he was going and wasn't entirely comfortable snooping around, but Sebastian had made a point of saying not to respect his privacy. It was a curious request. Still, James tried to comply and not let himself feel like he was barging in.

He passed the kitchen and turned down a dark hallway, following the music. There was a partially open door at the end. James pushed it wide and paused. The room before him was massive and mostly empty. He wanted to call the space a ballroom, even if he had no idea why anyone would want something like that in their home.

Large windows lined the far wall, letting in enough light for the space not to be dim. The floor was polished wood, not that the room had passed up the opportunity to sport the dark green found everywhere else. The ornate ceiling had been painted in it, as had the walls.

Sebastian was sitting at a piano in the corner by the window, facing away from the door. The music he played sounded less eerie now. The piece seemed well-practiced, the notes blending together perfectly.

James took a moment to watch the small, graceful movements of Sebastian's arms, the way he leaned in and out with the notes. It was captivating. A light fluttering spread through James's chest.

He forced his gaze away from Sebastian. The piano itself was beautiful and appeared well cared for, unlike many other things in the house. It was big, maybe a grand piano, not that James knew much about instruments. The top was closed and something sat on it in a place that struck James as strange.

"You can come in." Sebastian's hands didn't stop moving as he spoke.

James walked across the ballroom, his steps echoing. "Felt me staring, did you?" He belatedly realized how awkward it was to admit he'd been watching Sebastian, but he couldn't take it back now.

Sebastian stopped playing with a laugh. "No, I smelled"—he sniffed the air—"something yummy and fried."

Sebastian spun around so he was sitting backward on the piano bench. James held out the container, and Sebastian took the box as if it were something delicate, slowly opening the lid. His eyes went wide and he smiled, showing James those lovely dimples.

"You got me tater tots."

"Yep." James shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, trying not to echo Sebastian's wide smile or give away how happy he was to have inspired it. "You said you liked them, so…" He left it at that.

Sebastian popped a tot in his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring it. "I'm in love."

"What? That wasn't—" James stumbled over his words, happiness twisting and turning in his gut, mixing with discomfort. "That's not— It's only potato."

Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. "Oh my god, panic. You should see your face right now."

"Yeah, well, yours looks pretty silly too." Only this wasn't true. Sebastian looked gorgeous and full of light. He wasn't in his robe today. Instead, he wore a black button-up shirt that fit him well, paired with dark-wash jeans and polished shoes.

Sebastian ate another tot, giving James a challenging look. "If that's what you think, you must like silly."

Not usually, but James liked this side of Sebastian and couldn't seem to deny it, even to himself. He was disproportionally pleased Sebastian was enjoying his treat, even if no one should be that overjoyed by rapidly cooling diner food. "I'm glad one of us is enjoying themselves." He attempted to grumble, but it hadn't come out that way.

"Me too." Sebastian licked his fingers and hummed in apparent satisfaction.

James looked away.

The thing sitting oddly on the piano was an array of familiar books held up by book ends. Why the hell were they here? James was sure they were the same ones that had been on the stairs. Did Sebastian tote them around the house? James could see the titles better this time. They were leatherbound copies of the classic children's stories: The Magical Tales.

"Your favorites?" James gestured to the books. Only six out of the typical seven volumes were there.

"Not at all." Sebastian made a disgusted face. "Never liked the whiney characters. You?"

"I always found them a bit boring," James admitted.

Sebastian laughed before eating another tot. "I thought morality tales would be right up your alley, James Gray."

James's gut twinged. "Just because I followed the rules doesn't mean I was a boring kid." Or a boring adult. He turned his back on Sebastian and the books. Why were they here if Sebastian didn't like the stories? Was it just to set Sebastian up to make that jab at him? He'd thought they were starting to get along better than that.

"No…" Sebastian paused like he was considering. "You aren't boring at all. That wasn't what I meant. You're just very good."

James found himself flustered again, not sure what Sebastian's tone meant. It didn't sound like a compliment, but it hadn't felt like an insult either. He decided to let Sebastian eat in peace. He was impossible to decipher, and James didn't need to give himself a headache trying.

Instead, he inspected the rest of the ballroom. More instruments lined the wall beside the door, with chairs interspersed among them, almost like the space was a music classroom waiting for students to show up. Most of the instruments were in cases, except a drum kit and a few guitars. There were even stands holding sheet music off to the side.

"Wanna join my band?" Sebastian asked.

James snorted. "You wouldn't want me to. I'd make you cry."

"I thought you were good at everything."

James turned to face Sebastian, brow furrowed. The comment bothered him as much as the last one had. James couldn't deny he'd had a goodie-goodie reputation as a teenager. Was Sebastian holding on to some bitterness about that, or did it amuse him? And why would he care now? It was all silly. James was far from perfect. The only thing he'd really been good at when he was young was swimming.

"No one's good at everything," he said defensively. "Fixing electrical problems is my only talent these days." He was still a decent swimmer, but he only did it for exercise a few times a week at the rec center.

There was a pause. The only sound was the crunch of tater tots.

"I can't play most of those," Sebastian admitted, gesturing toward the instruments with a tot. "Not that it stops me."

Maybe James was being too touchy. Sebastian liked to tease him, that was all this was, and for the most part, James enjoyed it. He wanted to play along. "If that's the case, I'm glad I arrived while you were at the piano."

Sebastian snorted another laugh. "You're funny today."

James held back his smile. "It's not raining, and it's the weekend. I'm easy to please."

"Come on, now you're just setting me up." Sebastian pointed at him in accusation. "Like I haven't thought of several ways to please you, and now you're telling me it should be easy."

James made a shooing gesture with his hand, his grin breaking through. He turned back toward the door. "Eat your tots. I'll go set up the generator."

Sebastian followed James out of the ballroom. Of course he was going to continue to watch his every move. James hadn't expected any different.

"If you want some of these, speak now. Otherwise, I'm eating them all," Sebastian warned as they crossed the front porch.

"I'm good. Knock yourself out."

"Best. Day. Of. The. Year." Sebastian hopped down the steps and then spun around gleefully, managing not to spill any of his tater tots.

"Wait until we have the generator going. Then it'll really be the best day." James went around the back of his truck and opened the bed. He was in a good mood, like something had warmed his soul. He liked the feeling.

James wasn't annoyed that Sebastian ate his tots and watched him unload the generator and mini fridge without offering to help. James used a bit of magic to levitate the heavy objects, so it wasn't like he needed a hand lifting anything, and he didn't mind if Sebastian wanted to hang out. He'd rather that than Sebastian hiding off in a room alone, and okay, maybe Sebastian's company was growing on him.

Not one to use magic unnecessarily, James used a dolly to wheel everything around to the back of the house by the kitchen. A Nelson battery-powered generator didn't create exhaust, but he still had to set it up outside.

He ran a cable through a window to where he'd set the fridge in the kitchen. "I can wire it properly later if you want. But once the house is done, you'll only need the generator for emergencies."

"Whatever you say." Sebastian tossed the empty tot container into his recycling bin. "My stomach is too full to care about anything."

"Don't know why your stomach would care about the generator, but all right."

"Stop making me laugh." Sebastian giggled. "I'm going to burst."

The joke hadn't been that funny, but James found himself laughing along with Sebastian as he flipped the switch on the generator.

The things were quiet, but not this quiet, and the indicator light hadn't come on. Seriously? James flipped the switch off and on again. "You're not telling me I dragged this all the way out here and it's broken."

"What's wrong?" Sebastian came closer, their arms almost touching.

"It's not turning on, but the damn thing is new. The battery should be full, ready to run that fridge for a month."

Sebastian didn't say anything.

James wondered if maybe the switch was broken. That he could fix. It also made more sense than the generator being faulty. Nelson was known for quality, and magic didn't lose its charge the way mundane batteries did.

He unscrewed the panel covering the switch and checked it out. Everything seemed fine. James went back to his truck to grab his toolbox, though he wasn't sure there was more he could do. He took out his digital multimeter, but it wouldn't turn on either. "What the hell?" James's good mood slowly turned to frustration.

Sebastian just watched as if he were fascinated.

There was one more way to check the battery's charge. James opened the generator and examined it with his magic. He should be able to sense the trapped magical energy, instead there was nothing.

"It's completely drained." James turned to Sebastian, who was grinning like this was good news. A prickle of annoyance crept up on James. He didn't understand Sebastian at all. He shouldn't be pleased by this. "What's that look for?"

"What look?" Sebastian beamed.

James began closing up the generator. "That sly little smile. Is this some sort of joke?"

"What kind of joke could it possibly be?"

"I don't know." James took a breath. It wasn't like Sebastian knew the generator would be broken. But he seemed to have a devious streak. He liked messing with James and laughing at him. That was probably all this was: entertainment for Sebastian. He hadn't cared about setting up a generator, even if James had no idea why, so maybe it not working was funny to Sebastian rather than disappointing.

Sebastian poked at the toolbox with his toe. "Can't you recharge the battery?"

"Yeah, but I'll have to take it to the pumps at Gray's." James loaded it onto the dolly and took it back to his truck.

Recharging magical batteries could only be done using the master fuel cells inside filling station pumps. James and Hazel performed refilling spells, drawing the power out of the fuel cell and placing it into customers' batteries, but the spell was useless on its own. It was all part of how Nelson Power kept control of its products. Only the company knew how to create and recharge the fuel cells, and only they could train and license refilling technicians to use them.

James tried not to be too annoyed with the generator's failure and got on with the rest of his work. Disconnecting all the existing wires was time-consuming, and James figured Sebastian had to be getting bored watching him. They weren't talking much, but James still didn't mind his presence, especially when he started going into rooms he hadn't been in yet.

On the first floor, there was a receiving room, a billiards room, and a magical study full of jars and boxes James didn't want to inspect too closely. Especially not after the teeth incident.

There was a lot of green wallpaper. Too much, in James's opinion.

At the back of the house, next to the kitchen, was a sun room, or conservatory if you wanted to be fancy. There was no power in that room, just a bunch of house plants and wicker furniture covered in soft cushions and blankets. The sun room matched the kitchen, painted the same soft pink. It was more friendly than the rest of the house. A room James could actually imagine Sebastian relaxing in.

They were in what Sebastian called the front parlor when James suggested they put on some music.

"Sure." Sebastian's indifferent response came from where he lay on a green-and-gold couch, staring at the ceiling.

"Any requests?" James pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Whatever's hot these days."

James went to unlock his phone. The screen stayed black. "Oh, come on." It was dead.

"You didn't charge it?" Sebastian asked, something odd in his tone.

"I did." James put the phone back in his pocket. He was sure he'd charged it, but he'd been so tired last night that maybe he'd forgotten.

He turned away from the socket he was disconnecting to find Sebastian watching him. It wasn't with the casual air of companionship he'd felt earlier. Sebastian seemed to be waiting for something. His eyes were fixed on James, his expression serious. It was almost creepy.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sebastian's demeanor didn't change. "Like what?"

James wasn't sure what. He just knew something felt off, and it couldn't be the haunted atmosphere affecting him when he was inside the wards. "What are you waiting for?"

Sebastian blinked. "I'm not waiting. I'm watching." His tone seemed flat and unnatural.

James missed Sebastian's usual flirty teasing. This version of him was almost chilling. What was Sebastian playing at? James thought he'd done something good with the tater tots, gained some nice rapport. He even thought he'd built something more between them, his feelings for Sebastian growing warm. They were cold now. James had the sense he'd been tricked somehow but wasn't sure why.

He turned back to the wall, moving to the last switch in the room that needed disconnecting. He used his screwdriver to remove the fixture.

Sebastian continued silently watching him.