25. Sebastian
Sebastian
S ebastian drifted in and out of sleep for what might have been hours or might have been days—he wasn’t sure. On at least one occasion, something pressed against his forehead, a slight, gentle hand. Justin’s? He didn’t know, but it was cool and soothing.
For the most part, the sleep was wholesome and desperately needed.
There was a current of unease there, though.
In the short time Alistair had Sebastian under his control, he’d brought forth a cavalcade of horrors.
His family and his mates tortured along with himself, all devastatingly realistic.
He didn’t have nightmares, but the memories of the emotions and the lingering physical sensations of the abuse haunted his slumber.
When he finally woke, it was immediate, the morning sun like a slap across the face. He didn’t know if his body was done with sleep, or if his mind wanted to avoid the state in which he’d experienced all that pain. Regardless, he was awake.
As his eyelids fluttered open, he didn’ t recognize the room around him. A sparsely decorated gray bedroom with a minimalist aesthetic, he lay on the only piece of furniture in the room, other than a single chest of drawers. The place didn’t have a trace of personality.
Turning to his left, he saw his vampire lying there on his back, one blonde curl splayed across his nose.
Sebastian smiled. Justin and Pavel had rescued him.
Justin had decapitated the dream witch in seconds, turning into an absolute killing machine.
For his sake. He wished it wasn’t necessary, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t impressed by his mate.
Pavel wasn’t the only one with killer protective instincts.
After only a moment, Justin’s eyelids snapped open, which made sense. Despite being a generally sleepy person, Justin was a vampire. He didn’t need all the naps he took.
Justin propped himself up on his elbow, returning Sebastian’s gaze with a concerned smile.
“How do you feel?”
Sebastian took in the question. How did he feel? Surprisingly well. He needed the rest.
“I’m good. Sore from being on the ground for four days, but good. Refreshed.”
The memory of Justin collapsing in the witch’s shack flashed back to him. Sebastian hated seeing him like that, unable to move, unable to speak.
“How are you ?” he asked.
Justin’s smile widened, and he reached out to rest his hand on Sebastian’s chest.
“I’m fine. The drop following the crimson surge hits vampires with different degrees of incapacitation. Mine was typical. I was out for the night, but I woke up the next morning with a clear head.” Justin smirked a little. “Unlike you. ”
“What do you mean?” Sebastian pressed his lips together, thinking for a moment. “How long have I been out?”
“Three days. It’s morning.” Justin squeezed Sebastian’s obliques affectionately. “You’re in my apartment at the covenhouse.”
“Really?” Sebastian sat up, taking in the place more fully. “The place is empty. Did you forget you had a personality?”
Justin smacked Sebastian’s arm with his palm. “Jerk.”
“What? I just expected more.”
Justin sat up as well, crossing his arms in faux outrage. “More what? How did you think I would decorate?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something sweet? Soft fabrics draped everywhere in calm neutrals, like beiges and very light pinks. Not gray walls and a black bed with white sheets.”
“Beige? Light pink ? Who do you think I am, Martha Stewart?”
Sebastian couldn’t suppress his laughter at Justin’s taking offense. “Ooh, you could lean into the whole gothic vampire thing. Why not do, like, dark-stained wooden lattices and blood-red candles and?—”
“And jars with human hearts in them?” Two sharp fangs dropped from behind Justin’s upper lip. “Would you like yours to be first?”
Sebastian ran his fingers across Justin’s stomach, which was barely covered by his thin white t-shirt. “I’d volunteer, yes…”
Justin smiled again, his fangs retracting, and he squeezed Sebastian’s hand. Being here together was perfect. The only thing missing was?—
“Wait. Where’s Pavel? ”
His smiling retreating, Justin sighed and then slid out of bed, keeping hold of Sebastian’s hand.
“Come on. Let me show you.”
The enormous shared common room of the covenhouse was empty of vampires, perhaps because it was early morning, and many of them had just gone to bed.
Everything looked the same as the last time Sebastian had been there, weeks ago, to ask for Freddie’s assistance.
The only difference was that it had gained a new sculpture, sitting proudly in the center of the room, right where the sofas and chairs were arranged facing each other for conversation.
It was Pavel.
He was large in his gargoyle form. Only slightly taller than his human form, but much thicker, with supernatural muscles and enormous, extended bat-like wings of stone.
“How long has he been like this?” Sebastian hated thinking of him, trapped in that form. He wasn’t sure what it felt like to go dormant like this, but he worried some part of his mate was still conscious, aware of his inability to move. It was a frightening thought.
Justin stepped up to the statue, touching it on the shoulder, almost petting the exaggerated trapezius muscle.
“Almost immediately after we arrived, or so I was told. We were both unconscious. He handed us off to Freddie and Anthony and immediately went to stone.”
Sebastian stepped up next to Justin, staring into those granite-gray eyes, searching for any sign of intelligence.
Was Pavel in there? The conductor had a brilliant mind.
Sebastian had seen it in action many times in the rehearsal room.
He was a genius, both at conducting but also at coaxing smart, beautiful performances out of his singers.
Even before Justin arrived and he’d realized the man was his mate, he’d been attracted to his artistic intelligence.
But there was nothing there. He didn’t know what that meant. Was Pavel gone for good? Sebastian refused to believe that.
“The asshole’s probably not gone.” The familiar voice rang out from the far doorway, the voice of the person who should probably be considered responsible for all this.
“Mother.” Sebastian turned to Justin, raising an eyebrow with an unspoken question.
“She came right away when I told her what happened,” Justin said sheepishly. “She brought a healing witch with her. You were… Your sleep was restless at first, and you were saying horrible things. They helped you. She’s been staying in one of the empty apartments.”
So that’s why he’d been able to sleep. His mother had brought someone to heal him. Sebastian sighed. Linda wasn’t a bad person. Tactless, maybe, and controlling, but she did love him.
“Why are you so sure Pavel’s still in there?” Sebastian asked, turning to his mother, who was walking toward them with purpose, already showered and ready to take on the day in a navy fleece vest.
“My affinity. I can still feel the spirit of your bond. All three sides of it. It’s possible the gargoyle’s end of the connection will fade away, but I doubt it. The dormancy is suppressing it, but it’s still strong.”
Sebastian nodded, reaching out and pulling Justin closer, wrapping his arms tight around Justin’s back. The vampire's mop of curly blonde hair fit perfectly under his chin. He put his nose to the top of Justin’s head, breathing in his sweet smell.
“He’s going to keep fighting us, you know,” Justin murmured into Sebastian’s chest. “Especially now. When he wakes up from this, he’s going to take it as a sign he’s getting near the end, and tell us we should let him go.”
Sebastian growled a little under his breath. Justin was right. Pavel was the most stubborn of the three of them, which honestly shocked Sebastian. He’d always thought he’d be the most stubborn in any relationship he was in.
No. He was the most stubborn. Pavel couldn’t outlast him.
“You came around,” Sebastian replied. “He will, too. No matter how long it takes.”
Justin didn’t say anything, but Sebastian could practically hear him thinking that they weren’t sure how long Pavel actually had left.
Linda sighed dramatically at the sight of their concerned faces.
“This is against my better judgement...”
Both Sebastian and Justin turned to her. She didn’t say anything. Sebastian knew his mother. Something had shifted.
“ What?! ” Sebastian barked. “Out with it. If you can help us, help us.”
Linda pursed her lips in annoyance, but after a second, she continued.
“I don’t know much about gargoyles and their history, but I do know about spiritual bonds.
Based on the little I’ve read in the old books—which were mostly bullshit, but still—there are ways to keep a fading gargoyle tethered to reality.
I’d imagine if you completed the mating, there’s a good chance it would put off the dormancy. Maybe permanently.”
Justin tensed in his arms, and Sebastian was sure he’d done the same. Being offered hope at this point was jarring. Sebastian released his vampire as his arms fell to his sides.
“How sure are you?” he said in a rough whisper.
Linda rolled her eyes, and it took everything in Sebastian not to smack his own mother upside of the head.
“I still think the three of you are a bad idea, but…I’m pretty certain. Say, ninety percent.”
Justin’s fingers brushed against Sebastian’s cheek, firmly guiding his gaze back to his mate’s. For the first time, Sebastian saw real hope in Justin’s eyes.
“We have to try.”
They returned to gazing at the stone form of their mate. If he didn’t return from this, there would be no chance to find out. They couldn’t mate with a statue. Pavel had to come back.
But despite the doubt, Sebastian couldn’t help but echo Justin’s words.
“We have to try.”