26. Sebastian

26

Sebastian

S ebastian had been shot twice while he and the crew were in Queswen. One of the militants had seemingly come out of nowhere and got off two shots before he was taken down. General Sorn knew they were coming and had apparently lined up his entire army.

All of them had suffered injuries, including Julian. A dragon shifter was part of the general's regimen and engaged Julian in air combat. The enemy dragon managed to slice open Julian's belly with his claw. Julian had badly damaged his opponent's left wing, and the large grey dragon had fallen from the sky, causing the earth to shake.

Sebastian's crew were helped by some of the villagers in the area who were tired of the general's reign. The Americans stood back and let the villagers have the general to mete out whatever punishment they deemed appropriate. Other locals helped the six fighters get back to the meeting place.

He called Rory when he got back. Savvy, Beth, and Taryn rushed to Sebastian's building to see how they could help. Taryn put her hand on Julian's belly and was able to draw out the poison from the other dragon's claws. He was able to heal easily once the infection was gone.

The three witches were able to heal the various stab wounds and minor gunshot wounds that the others suffered from. Sebastian was the only one with more serious wounds. Rory took him back to his place. Savvy recited a spell that pulled the bullets out. Beth and Taryn used their healing magic to help his insides mend.

Finally, they decided that Sebastian was going to live. Beth and Taryn went home and Savvy went to bed. Doing magic took a lot of energy, and she was pregnant.

Rory sat in the chair in the corner of the bedroom. "We were so busy saving your hide that you didn't tell me how it went."

"As you saw, we all suffered quite a few injuries, but we won with the help of the local people. When we left, the general was still alive, but in the hands of some very angry people. He's done. The villagers have a couple old people they call The Wise Ones who will lead until they can sort things out."

"Good to know. I guess the general figured out too late that he shouldn't poke the bear."

"Nope. Like the lines in Toby Keith's song, ‘This big dog will bite when you rattle its cage' only Toby was referring to the US as the big dog.'"

"It was a very sad day when that man died," Rory said.

"Yes, it was. His last concert when he sang Don't Let the Old Man In , with his wife crying in the audience, almost brought a tear to my eye."

"I know. Me, too – almost, but not quite." Rory smiled and then changed the subject. "You need to text or call Talia."

"I know. She's probably completely pissed at me."

"She'll be fine if you talk to her. Beth and Taryn told her that you were going back to Queswen to take care of the general so he wouldn't hurt anyone ever again. She'll understand that you did what you had to do to protect her, us, and the rest of Angel's Creek."

"I wasn't there for her when she was so sick. What if she had died?"

"There's nothing you could have done for her. All you would have done is annoy the witches. Savvy would have petrified you and put you in a corner. She didn't die and once Beth figured out what was wrong with her, Talia was safe." Rory laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Hell, she was able to bring Conner back after the bull had stomped him nearly to death, smashing his insides."

"The woman does have talent. It's good to have someone like her on our side," Sebastian said.

"Yes. You should call Talia. If you wait and she finds out that you've been back and haven't contacted her, she's going to be furious. That's not good for… her."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at his brother. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Talk to Talia," Rory said.

"I don't want to text her. I'll go see her tomorrow after school."

The next day, he checked his watch every five minutes. Time seemed to crawl by. Finally, it was four and she should be home. He rehearsed what he wanted to say to her on the drive over, but it all disappeared as soon as he pulled into his driveway.

Sebastian felt like a schoolboy as he stood on her porch and tried to get up the nerve to press the doorbell.

The security company is going to call the police on me if I don't do something.

Finally, he pushed the button and waited. Talia looked shocked to see him.

"Sebastian. I wasn't expecting you. Come in."

She left the door open and walked into the living room.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Beth, Taryn, and Savvy took great care of me. I've been at school for the last couple of days. Life is back to normal. How are you?"

Sebastian hated the awkward distance he felt between them. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm okay. I was shot in Queswen, but as you can see, I survived. I'm so sorry that you were hurt because of me."

"It wasn't your fault. You can't control other people's bad acts. I'm not mad at you."

"We took care of the situation. You're safe."

She smiled and nodded.

Sebastian took a deep breath and said, "I really need to talk to you about something. I've turned off my phone so we won't be interrupted. Anthony is in charge for a few days."

Talia didn't say anything, but her fingers twisted around each other as though she was nervous.

"What I've been trying to tell you for the last month or so is that I've fallen in love with you. I realized after the last time that we made love that you are my fated mate. Will you go through the mating ceremony with me?"

Talia smiled and touched Sebastian's face. "I'm in love with you, too. I guess my soul knew, even at a young age, what my brain didn't. You are my fated mate. I will be honored to go through the ceremony with you."

Sebastian leaned in and kissed her deeply. The air crackled with passion and an intense need for each other.

When the kiss broke, Talia said, "There is something you need to know."

"What's that?"

"I'm pregnant. That's what I was trying to tell you the night you got that phone call."

Sebastian's jaw dropped and his eyes were as wide as saucers. "You're pregnant? With a baby?"

"That's usually what women get pregnant with." Talia laughed.

Firey rage exploded inside of Sebastian. "You were pregnant when those bastards had you. They could have killed you and the baby."

Talia gently touched his face, instantly calming him. "They didn't kill either one of us. She is just fine."

"She? How do you know?"

"Taryn said so and apparently she's an expert on the subject." Talia laughed. "It's a strange talent for an eleven-year-old, but she's a healer witch, so what do I know?"

"I know that I love you with all my heart and soul, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you," Sebastian said.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, sealing their bond with a kiss.