“If we can’t control the paranormals, I can still kill all of them. Starting with you.”
Langford’s finger was moving on the trigger. Rory was raising his hand, but even the wind wasn’t going to be fast enough this time—
A shot rang out through the room. Langford hit the floor.
Sebastian drew a breath of surprise—
A hand swiped the brooch straight out of his.
An involuntary gasp left Sebastian as he felt the brooch’s hold on him disappear like ashes on the wind. He tipped over onto his back as a thud shook the attic, voices blending into a blur. For a moment, all Sebastian could process was the glimpse of the night sky peeking through a gap in the clouds, stars twinkling at him through the torn roof.
Finally, with a deep breath, he turned his head to the right.
And stared.
Langford was crumpled on the ground, while Alasdair was off the ground—slumped and apparently unconscious, but still pinned in place against the wall.
He jerked his head left, and there was Jade, kneeling on the ground next to him, the brooch relic sparkling in her hand.
“That really does pack a punch, doesn’t it?” she said with a wince. “I feel like I could move a truck. I was only trying to lift Alasdair and accidentally knocked his head against the wall a bit harder than I meant.” The curtains were rising up from the floor to wind around Alasdair like ropes. “He’s alive, but it may take him a few minutes to wake back up, as well as a few minutes for me to regain enough control to get everything else down.”
Sebastian glanced around to see all of the attic’s boxes now floating in the air. “Jade?” he said, voice breaking.
Jade glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I stole your brooch,” she said, with a wry smile. “Should be safe enough for me, and I don’t think any of us wanted to say goodbye to you.”
“Jade, bless you.” Sebastian took another deep breath, and let his head fall back, catching sight of Langford’s unmoving body. “So who—”
“Sebastian.” Wesley stepped over him, holding a revolver.
Emotion welled in Sebastian’s chest. “Wes,” he whispered.
Wesley reached down with his hand. Sebastian took it and let Wesley pull him to his feet.
“Are you all right?” Wesley said, looking into Sebastian’s eyes. “Sebastian, your magic—”
Sebastian stumbled forward, into Wesley’s arms, and planted his lips right on Wesley’s.
Wesley made a surprised noise.
“Estás ileso, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Words were tumbling out of Sebastian against Wesley’s mouth as he wrapped trembling arms around Wesley’s neck and kissed him with exhaustion and relief. “You saved my life—”
Someone cleared their throat.
Sebastian froze.
The attic had gone very quiet. Slowly, he turned his head. Arthur was frozen in the doorway, supporting Zhang. Jade and Rory seemed to have stopped midway through helping each other stand. All of them were staring at him and Wesley.
Wesley coughed. “I hadn’t actually told any of them yet.”
“Oh,” Sebastian said weakly.
The attic burst into a flurry of voices and movement.
“I refuse to deal with anything else right now. Teddy, are you hurt—”
“Ace, if you’ve got so much as a bruise I’m blowing this Alasdair fella all the way to the Hudson and will you tell your ex tostop kissing people—”
“One surprise at a time is enough—Jade, love, are you okay with that relic—”
