28. Sebastian
Sebastian
I t was like an itch in the back of Sebastian’s skull, gentle at first, then growing more and more insistent until it finally roused him from his slumber. He had been absolutely dead to the world, but soon that would no longer be the case, and he was grumpy about it.
Do you think we should get him up?
The voice inside Sebastian’s head was light and gentle, caring even.
Let him sleep. We’ll deal with everything when he’s awake.
His brain stem tingled at the new, rich voice. There was no question. That was Pavel.
Okay, if you think ? —
“Are you two talking in my head?” Sebastian sat straight up, surveying the sparsely decorated bedroom to find his mates standing a few feet away, staring out the wall of glass at the Upper West Side view.
Both turned back to him, surprise in their eyes.
“You heard us?” Justin asked.
Sebastian stretched his arms up over his head, encouraging his muscles to wake up. “Of course I heard you! You were chattering away in my brain.”
Justin locked eyes with Pavel, who was particularly handsome backlit by the morning sun.
“So, we can’t speak mind-to-mind without the third hearing us,” Justin said.
Pavel gently scratched at his beard. “I wonder if that works over long distances. It could be helpful.”
Justin shrugged and padded toward Sebastian, his bare feet making soft smacking sounds against the expensive wood laminate flooring. “Freddie can speak to me over hundreds of miles, but he’s old and a lot stronger than me. I don’t know if the same rules apply.”
“So, from context clues, I take it we can speak into each other’s minds?” Sebastian asked.
Justin smiled, and Sebastian’s heart almost burst with the enormity of what they’d done. These two men were his mates, and from now on, they would not be parted. The universe had given him this gift. He would not be taking it for granted.
“Try,” Justin said, stroking Sebastian’s thigh with his soft fingers.
The two of you are the hottest fucking men I’ve ever seen in my life, and I can’t wait until you fill all my holes with your cum.
“Holy fuck.” Pavel’s knees wobbled slightly, and the man’s dick noticeably thickened inside the too-small gym shorts he had borrowed from Justin. “Okay, here for that, but can we have a quick discussion before we jump back into bed?”
“Sure,” Sebastian said. And then we can see if Justin can take both our cocks at once .
Justin whimpered, his hand going to his crotch at Sebastian’s silent dirty talk.
“Nope. Not yet. We have to deal with the most pressing matter first.”
“Fine.” Sebastian pouted, although he wasn’t all that disappointed. He liked teasing his mates and was looking forward to the next few hundred years of it.
Pavel strode over to a simple armless chair, upholstered in narrow gray and white stripes. Sebastian licked his lips as the gargoyle’s muscular chest and torso moved and shifted, all covered in fine brown hair. It was going to be a very, very long time before he tired of his beautiful men.
Sitting, Pavel leaned back and crossed his legs casually.
Sebastian loved how all three of them had gotten comfortable around each other.
Sometimes the urge to mate sped ahead of people’s actual familiarity, but the three of them just fit.
He scooted toward Justin and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“What’s going on?”
“Honestly, you would know best,” Pavel said. “How long do we have before your sister attacks in retribution? Will she assault the house again? Will it be today?”
“Hmmm.” Sebastian absentmindedly squeezed Justin’s hip. “I don’t think she’ll come here. And I don’t think she’ll come for me.”
“But I…I killed her witch. The dream guy.” Fear flashed across Justin’s face, although it was quickly replaced with resolve. “Not that he didn’t deserve it.”
“Yes, he did.” Sebastian disengaged from Justin and hopped up, looking around. “Do you have water?”
“I, uh, don’t drink it. I’m a vampire.” Justin shrugged apologetically. “We can go downstairs in a few minutes if you want.”
“Oh. Right.” Sebastian leaned up against the nearby chest of drawers. “I don’t believe Veronica has anyone stronger than Alistair was. If she did, she’d have used them on me.”
Justin’s eyes flashed red, hissing as his fangs dropped down from behind his upper lip.
“Calm down, my bloodthirsty mate.” Sebastian smiled.
It made him feel special these men were willing to fight for him, to protect him.
He’d never had that before. “She’s still far away.
I can tell that much. But I don’t think she’s all that interested in revenge.
Except against our mother. She’ll attack the Bayonne Circle again, and this time, she’ll come in force. ”
Pavel stared at him, wearing a skeptical expression. “Are you sure?”
Sebastian nodded. “She still views me as Linda’s pawn.
She blames our mother for everything. But with the vampires on security, the house in Bayonne is a tough nut to crack.
Which she knows. She won’t attack there for a couple of weeks.
She’ll gather every ally she can get her hands on for the assault. ”
Cocking his head, Pavel seemed to be considering Sebastian’s words.
“I don’t know your sister, and I trust your judgement.”
“You’re not going to stay in Bayonne, are you?” There was a tremor in Justin’s voice as he said the words. “If you need to, we’ll stay there together. It’s a commute?—”
“No.” Sebastian was aware of the metal that crept into his voice. “I’ll help Linda if she calls for me, but I won’t put my life on hold. She’s the most powerful witch in both New York and New Jersey. She has allies of her own, and I’m not her babysitter.”
Justin stared at him for a long moment, self-doubt lingering in his eyes. Sebastian hated that look. Justin was still worried he might choose his family over her mates.
“I can’t live the life my mother wants me to live. I don’t want to succeed her as Eldest, and I won’t atone for her sins.” Sebastian crossed to Pavel and sat on his lap, wrapping his arms around the gargoyle’s neck. “I belong here with you two.”
A small smile sprang up on Justin’s face. Pavel’s expression, on the other hand, didn’t change. Instead, his warm hand slid underneath the waistband of Sebastian’s shorts.
“I believe we have a proposal on the table involving filling all of your holes with cum?” Pavel asked.
Sebastian moaned in anticipation. This was going to be fun.
After a couple days of rest, most of which was spent in bed, Pavel and Justin had to go back to work.
On multiple occasions, Sebastian needled Pavel about whether or not the mating bond had made a difference in how he felt, but he insisted he didn’t notice anything.
Only time would tell if their mating would stave off permanent dormancy.
As Pavel and Justin returned to their respective jobs, Sebastian began rehearsals for Don Giovanni . It was his first major opera role in such an important house. Although not one of the leads, Leporello had plenty of stage time. The part was a lot of fun.
His first aria in the opera, the Catalogue Aria, was a blast, as Sebastian broke up with a woman on behalf of his lord.
He did it by listing the huge number of women Don Giovanni had screwed in different countries and all the varieties—young and old, princesses and maids.
It was silly and mischievous, and Sebastian reveled in it.
Every day, he walked into rehearsal gliding on air. Not only that, but the conductor was extraordinarily kind to him. Benedita Marques was making her debut at the opera house as well, although she had two decades of conducting for major European opera companies under her belt.
And the whole thing was made perfect by the fact that, at the end of the day, Sebastian came home to Justin and Pavel.
They all stayed at Pavel’s condo now, a few blocks from the Manhattan Lyric, although they hadn’t moved their stuff in yet.
Slipping into bed next to his vampire and his gargoyle every evening was glorious.
After three weeks of rehearsal, it was time for opening night, and it would be made all the sweeter having his two mates there to cheer him on.