Chapter 20
“Ready, Sebastian?” Piper asked as she smiled at him. At his meek nod, he gestured for Victor and Charlotte to come out.
Sebastian slowly approached them. They didn’t look that different. They had already been pretty much flawless, this was just amplified. They held themselves differently, but he could still see his best friends inside. “Are you going to try to kill me?”
“Not today,” Charlotte giggled, before throwing her arms around him. “I missed you so much, Sebby!”
Sebastian groaned in immense pain, his legs nearly giving way beneath him. “Charlie… crushing… me…” he ground out, trying to get out of her grip.
“Sorry!” she said as she pulled back. “Not quite used to my new strength. Never been able to bring you down before,” she laughed, poking his chest, which made him stumble back a bit. She quickly brought her hand back to her chest. “Sorry,” she whispered whilst making a face.
Victor shook his head. “Can you tell she’s excited?” he teased. “We’re the same as we’ve always been, Bas. Just a bit less fragile.”
“Mhmmm…” Sebastian hummed, before looking at Leona. How did he venture into a part of his life where everyone he knew was a vampire? What had his world become? He watched them closely; wondering how they would change and being faced with it were two very different things. Seeing them so normal made his head spin. They hadn’t tried to attack him. They hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. It made him think about possibly considering…
No.
His internal monologue was constantly pulling an angel and devil on each shoulder act. It wasn’t as if he had anything to lose at this point. He had no family, and his only two friends and girlfriend were part of the underworld. He would still be able to take photos and create art, and if he decided he wasn’t suited for their lifestyle, Leona had told him there were ways to end vampires’ lives.
It was overwhelming him. A couple of months ago, he would have never expected to be put in the middle of a potential vampiric blood-bath between an evil overlord and a woman whom he couldn’t imagine being without.
Would it be so bad? To be like them?
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions. That’s normal,” Whitney said, looking at Sebastian as if he was about to run out of the door. “You know we won’t hurt you, Sebastian. Or pressure you. This is for your protection. Nobody will touch you now that you’ve got five vampires as a security detail.”
He had a hard time believing that, not when Gideon Valdis was out for his blood — literally. Folding his arms, he slowly sunk into a chair. “Have you been killing people?”
“Yes. Piper took us a few states away. Criminals, like they do. Bad areas, crime-ridden, where our presence wouldn’t be noted as severely. Metropolitan areas are best and most inconspicuous,” Charlotte explained. “It’s a whole new world, Sebastian.”
“Do you miss the sunlight?”
“Yes,” she said, looking to Victor as he agreed. “But it’s a small price to pay for the wonders we’ve experienced. They have shown us that we don’t have to be cooped inside twelve hours a day. There are ways around the dangers of the light, as I’m sure Leona has explained to you. Things won’t be that different, Sebby, I promise. We’re still going to be here for you always.”
Leona could sense that Sebastian wasn’t listening too intently to what they were saying. It was a lot to take in, especially given how close they were to him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure they’re both grateful for your respect in their decision. You are handling this well, Sebastian. Much better than most. I’m also sure that they will want to prove to you that their change was not a mistake.”
It was too much all at once, despite knowing the outcome. It reminded him of his youth, when everyone else would have the shiny, new toys, and he’d be left behind with scraps. He had always been a misfit, even when being taken in by the Labasques all those years ago. This felt no different. Here he was, the only human in the group. It would be all too easy to change that, but he was still steadfast in his decision.
“I want to be alone with my friends,” Sebastian said.
“Sebastian, maybe that’s not the best?—”
“Fine,” Piper said, cutting Leona off. She looked at her pointedly and communicated, Don’t push it without actually saying anything. The blonde, redhead, and brunette left the room. Sebastian knew they would probably be able to listen into their conversation, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to be with his family at the moment.
“You both look like you,” he said quietly. “What are your favorite parts about this change?”
Victor spoke first. “It has been a difficult adjustment, I’ll admit. Finding things to do at night instead of sleep. Occupying your time. Hunting was quite an experience, one that was more daunting than I anticipated. But I don’t regret it at all. It’s just a whole new world. Or at least… my understanding of the world has been expanded. There’s so much more for us to learn.”
Charlotte nodded. “We’re still us, Sebby. I promise,” she said, moving to squat down next to him. Comfortingly, she took his hands in hers. “I appreciate you being so patient with this decision and respecting it. I know it’s hard and I know you hate it, but… just trust that we know what’s best for us. This is what’s best for us.”
“Can you evanesce? Leona said it would take a while for a new vampire to become properly trained, but that a well-traveled human would have a head start.”
“We are learning. Charlotte is better at it than I am,” Victor said, glancing at his wife. “She can go long distances, but I can’t go quite as far yet. She carries me a lot of the way.”
“Always better than you, glad that hasn’t changed,”
Sebastian said with a half-hearted smile.
“Anything else you want to know? We want to answer all your questions,” Charlotte reassured.
Sebastian shook his head. Honestly, his brain was swimming. There was so much happening, so much change… Things were different, they were different, but not. How long would it be until they moved on? Got bored of their pet human?
He felt like his mouth was full of cotton. There were so many things bubbling within him that died on his lips before they made it out. His abandonment fear was coming true, and eventually, everyone would be gone. Or rather, he would be. He would grow older and they would stay frozen in time. They would never get sick or get into some accident that took their lives. Would Leona grow bored with him when he turned grey? When he got wrinkles? When his skin started to sag? Would they all leave because he couldn’t keep up with them anymore? Because they didn’t want the same old, same old, and disappeared to find something new?
“Sebastian,” Victor said, drawing him out of his manic daydream. “You’re panicking. Stop it. Take some deep breaths,” he said, squatting opposite of Charlotte. Sebastian stared at them, worried that if his chest constricted any tighter, it would concave and pop inside him. Victor moved closer to him and pulled him down onto the floor with him. “Lie on the floor,” he said softly, making sure his face pressed to the cool stone below. “Breathe deeply. Just like I said. In… Out,” he soothed, laying down with him. This wasn’t the first time they’d done this together. Victor had learned how to handle Sebastian’s anxiety when they were teenagers, and he had never left him alone in the middle of an episode. This was no different. “I’m right here, Bas. Right here. I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. We made a pact, remember? We’re brothers forever. Even into oblivion.”
Sebastian focused on him, his vision going in and out. The cold floor was enough to ground him, and he could feel his chest loosening. Faintly, he heard Victor instruct Charlotte to get him some water and a cold, wet rag to press to his head. Victor stayed with him, just as he said he would.
Sebastian hated getting like this. He hadn’t been this way since his parents died and he was worried he would go to prison for the rest of his life. Victor had calmed him down like this, but in his bedroom. They lay together and talked, worked on breathing, and leveled each other. It was one of the few moments they shared where Sebastian truly felt like he was magic.
“Let me know when you want to sit up,” Victor whispered. After an age, he got up, the blonde reaching up to keep the compress against his forehead. Sebastian’s black locks were damp and strung against his temples and cheeks. He was pale, but he was past the point of passing out. Looking up, Victor took the glass of water from Charlotte and handed it to his best friend. “Drink this. All of it. Okay?”
“Okay,” he muttered, doing as he was told. He felt like a teenager again, and here was Victor, always to the rescue. After downing the drink, Sebastian set the glass down on the floor with a clink. He leaned his head on Victor’s shoulder and shut his eyes, the lids burning with exhaustion. His body sagged against him and he just started to cry. Charlotte joined them on the floor and held his other side, allowing him to let his feelings out.
Sebastian wasn’t crying over their loss of life. It was much more than that. The fear he harbored about his own mortality was part of the mix, but he mostly felt relief. For the first time in this entire, insane situation over the last few months, he felt like things were going to be okay. He felt relief in that he could focus on the here and now, the happiness he’d been gifted with Leona, without fretting about her falling out of love with him. About his friends going away. About something wretched happening that would leave him isolated. His friends would be there for him. Leona would love him. Her words were true, and he was okay.
Slowly, he brought his arms up to clutch onto his friends’ embrace. He considered it a win that they weren’t crushing him with their brute strength. He smiled to himself at the thought and closed his eyes, a laugh rumbling from the bottom of his throat. “You two get changed into vampires and I’m the one that steals the show.”
The couple both joined in his laughter. Victor shook his head and nudged him away. “You always were the dramatic one, Beliveau.”
He opened his eyes and looked at them, his insides settling to their normal places. The fury and uncertainty in his stomach died down to a whisper — one he could ignore for a little while longer. He hoped for silence someday.
The vampire trio emerged from the adjoining room, not wanting to encroach on their moment, but sensing the request for privacy had passed. Sebastian moved his gaze from his friends, to the woman he loved and her people. He was sure she felt scared to lose Piper and Whitney, just as he did with Charlotte and Victor.
We’ll be okay, Sebastian thought. No matter what.