4. Sebastian
Sebastian
A s Sebastian stepped off the train car and into the crowd of people, a thrill ran down his body. He loved Manhattan: loved the busyness, the crowds of people, the cacophony. Growing up in distinctly more suburban New Jersey, he reveled in the thrumming energy of it all.
Wrapping his hand around the tiny glass vial hanging off his neck, Sebastian took in a breath. Inside was a simple luck spell. Almost not worth doing for a spellworker of his caliber. Most witches would have spent their time on something more powerful or not bothered with it at all.
Sebastian was not most witches. He was a chaos witch, and the spirits of chaos were strong in New York City. He couldn’t think of many other places where there was so much accumulated chaos energy. Tokyo, maybe? Mumbai? He wasn’t sure, although he hoped to visit one day and find out.
Regardless, the chaos spirits of the city supercharged his spellwork, so he took advantage of that.
A spell this simple might normally net a negligible result.
Maybe he’d find five dollars stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
Or there’d be a pencil tucked away in his bag right when he needed one.
A guy way out of his league might message him on a dating app.
In New York City, though, there was no telling what might happen.
He dodged three strollers with ease as he made his way to the stairs, taking them two at a time as he bounded out of the station.
The sun was bright as he stepped out onto the sidewalk, warming his pale skin. Across the street, the opera house awaited him. Some might find it imposing, but to Sebastian, the ornate stone behemoth was home.
His mother thought it incredibly strange, but he’d always been called to earth and stone. He didn’t know why. It didn’t have any special significance for chaos, but still, he loved the strength and power of it all. It grounded him.
He stepped out onto the fourth floor of the Lyric, heading toward the rehearsal studio, when he saw them.
Maestro Zaslavsky. Pavel, as Sebastian sometimes called the handsome artistic director in his mind, although never out loud. And someone new. A young-looking man, short and slender, with curly blonde hair that projected both innocence and impishness.
These two…
Sebastian stopped in his tracks as the words rang in his mind.
Unlike some affinities, chaos spirits seldom spoke directly to witches, instead preferring to wreak havoc or harmony as they pleased.
What was it about the two men? Pavel had been one of Sebastian’s teachers for almost two years now, and he knew the man pretty well.
The maestro was a gargoyle, although Sebastian was uncertain if he had any idea Sebastian knew about it.
You couldn’t hide such a unique magical essence from a witch as powerful as him.
The other was a stranger. An adorable stranger.
A warmth pulsed against his chest, and as he looked down, a flash of light burst from the glass vial he wore. It quickly died down, but the message was clear. There was something about these two Sebastian should pay attention to, should engage with.
Well, time to jump in the only way he knew how. Blindly and with a smile.
He sauntered down the hall, the heels of his leather boots clicking against the white hardwood floor. The maestro’s eyes flicked to his, and the man’s cheeks flushed. Was his mentor flirting with this adorable twink? Or maybe the twink was flirting with him.
As he walked, Sebastian let his hips sway a little. For someone as tall as he was, he did have a decent ass, and he used it to his advantage. When he reached the desk where Pavel and the unknown twink stood, the two had stopped talking, and the blonde was looking at him inquisitively.
“Maestro,” Sebastian said, reaching out and touching Pavel’s arm. There was a little jolt of energy where they touched: nothing too intense, but noticeable. Interesting.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” Sebastian asked.
Pavel’s eyes went wide, and he stammered as he spoke. “Uh, this is Justin. He’ll be the new schedule admin, and he’ll be manning the front desk. Justin, this is Sebastian. He’s in his second year of the young artists’ program.”
“What a treat!” Sebastian said, reaching out to shake Justin’s hand without removing his spare from Pavel’s bicep.
When they touched, there was another jolt of energy, but this was different. This was no static shock. It was a palpable, magical energy jumping between the three of them.
This was a fascinating turn of events.
Pavel wrenched his arm out of the range of Sebastian’s fingers, stepping back. He wore a look of terror on his face, but he quickly replaced it with a mask of indifference.
Justin, on the other hand, was totally unaffected, seemingly not noticing the maestro’s reaction. Sebastian glanced at him for a moment. There was something strange going on, but he wasn’t sure what he was sensing. So many mysteries here!
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Justin said, shaking Sebastian’s hand. His grip was strong, and his skin was cold, far colder than…
Of course. The man was a vampire. Sebastian should have figured it out sooner.
Justin must not be too old, if there were enough vestiges of humanity left that Sebastian hadn’t immediately sensed it.
Witches tended to be perceptive to such things, living as they did in the shades of gray between the human world and the supernatural one.
Sebastian turned to Pavel, who had backed a step or two away. Sebastian licked his lips. Performative? Maybe, but also the muscular older man was delicious, and Sebastian loved his irascible masculinity.
“I think the three of us might be very good friends,” Sebastian said, throwing more wood on the fire. “We should all go out together sometime soon.”
“I, uh, I don’t socialize with my students. Or other employees.” Pavel was keeping his anxiety in check, but it churned right behind his eyes.
“Aw, too bad.” Sebastian quickly glanced around. They were the only three people near the desk. Oscar stood a few feet away, and he was another vampire. Coast was clear.
Sebastian smirked as he continued. “It’s not every day you have a vampire, a witch, and a gargoyle together in one place. And all gay.”
“What?” Justin asked, shock spreading across his face.
Sebastian wasn’t surprised. Vampires, as a rule, were less sensitive to magical intricacies, mostly relying on their enhanced senses.
Witches didn’t have a particular smell, nor did gargoyles, so this was out of left field for him.
Not only that, but most vampire covens were insular, with little exposure to other supernatural creatures.
“Or at least bisexual, I should think.” Sebastian laughed, loving that he had pushed these men off balance. He didn’t know Justin, but anyone in a new job needed loosening from all the pressure. And the maestro… Well, Pavel had always hid behind layers of self-protective barriers.
“How did you…” Justin shook his head, confused. Sebastian reached out, cupping the vampire’s neck gently.
“Oh, darling, I’m the witch, in case you didn’t realize. We pick up on things.” Sebastian dropped his hand. Pavel stared at the two of them, still as a statue. “Gargoyles are somewhat sensitive as well, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he already knew you and Oscar were vampires.”
“I did,” Pavel said, his eyes wild. “But I wouldn’t bring it up in public.”
“You’re a witch and an opera singer?” Justin asked, reaching up and wrapping one of his blonde curls around his index finger. Sebastian wondered if it was a nervous tic. If it was, it was adorable, and he would endeavor to make Justin nervous as often as possible.
“I didn’t feel like going into the family business. My mom’s a lot to take. I love singing, so this was a good alternative.”
“I don’t… I’m not sure what being a witch entails.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to explain more, when Pavel let out a strangled sound. He and Justin turned to the sexy, bearded gargoyle.
“We can’t talk about this here in front of… I need a moment.” Pavel turned, walking away in the direction of his office, calling out behind him. “Sebastian, tell everyone to start prepping for the quartets. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but watch the maestro walk away. He had thick, solid thighs that strained against the fabric of his trousers, and his gait exuded power, even though he was obviously thrown off.
When Sebastian turned back, he saw Justin was staring at Pavel’s exit as well, his eyes locked on the maestro’s muscular ass. Oscar watched the two of them from the side with an amused grin on his face.
Sebastian leaned into Justin. “I didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable.”
Mischievous fire flashed in Justin’s eyes. “Didn’t you?”
“Well, not enough to run him off, anyway.”
“Oh.” Justin glanced back at the maestro as he disappeared into a rehearsal room. “I didn’t know gargoyles were a thing,” he whispered, wonder in his voice.
“I’d never met one before him. There aren’t many left.”
Justin glanced down at the slim silver watch around his wrist. “Isn’t it time for the session to start for the day?”
“Yes, and I suppose I should go tell everyone the maestro will be late.” Sebastian pursed his lips. “I wasn’t kidding about the three of us hanging out. ”
Justin’s expression was confused, but not unhappy. “I don’t think it will be easy to convince him.”
Sebastian shrugged. He was good at convincing people to do the things they should, even when they didn’t want to. Well, unless those people were his mother and sister.
Sebastian was unable to keep from smiling at the thought. “I’ll work on it.”