Page 57 of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches

“I— Wow. That’s great news.” Sebastian stepped aside. “Come in—I was just finishing up a project I’ve been working on. Tell me more.”

Kieran stepped over the threshold, taking in the state of Sebastian’s room.

He was, Kieran had to admit, much tidier than Kieran was.

Everything was neatly arranged, from his freshly folded laundry to his throwing knives and a whetstone beside them.

The only area with a mess was the table beneath his window, which was covered in wood shavings and loose whittling tools.

At the center of it was a reddish piece of wood half carved into the rough shape of an anatomical heart.

“Oh, wow,” Kieran said as he took a seat on the other side of the table. He pointed to the heart. “Sebastian, that’s incredible. How long have you been working on that?”

“Hmm. A week, maybe? The red cedar’s a bit hard to work with, but I like the color. Grabbed some the last time we stopped.” Sebastian shook his head, sitting down on the other side of the table and quickly sweeping his project to the side. “But—more important—how did you find out the curse broke?”

“I was downstairs getting something to eat and I heard the phone ring. Turns out it was Ash.” At the sound of the other boy’s name, Sebastian tensed a little.

Kieran continued: “He told me he felt it break this afternoon. He…didn’t even realize he was cursed until it did. And we had a chance to talk, and—”

“He wants you back, doesn’t he?” Sebastian interrupted.

Kieran’s eyebrows shot up. In retrospect, he had made it clear early on that that’s what he wanted.

Upon reflection, it was hard for him to pinpoint the exact moment he’d stopped praying that Ash would change his mind.

The last few weeks had been such a whirlwind, it felt as if he’d blinked and suddenly the world’s axis had shifted entirely.

Or perhaps he was the one who’d changed.

“He…no. He doesn’t.” Kieran offered a small shrug. “Somewhere along the line, I think I realized I didn’t want him to take me back either. We actually talked about how it’s better we just stay friends in the long run. We…weren’t good for each other, I think.”

“Really?” Sebastian’s jaw hung open for a moment before he shook his head. “Sorry, it’s just—you made Ash out to be so smart. Clearly, that isn’t the case if he didn’t want you back.”

For a moment, Kieran was too stunned to speak. Sebastian, meanwhile, looked perfectly casual, as if what he’d just said was the most obvious statement ever spoken.

He added, “As much as I know how much you wanted to fix things with him, I am, selfishly, a bit relieved that it isn’t happening.”

Kieran’s mouth went dry. What did he mean by relieved ?

Was he trying to look out for Kieran as a friend, not wanting him to be in a relationship that wasn’t healthy?

Or was it more? Kieran had convinced himself that Sebastian just wanted to be a brief blip in his life—someone he used to blow off steam with, like Hélène.

Maybe that wasn’t the case.

Kieran guessed: “Because…you don’t want me to go back to a bad relationship?”

“Of course not,” Sebastian said. Kieran felt himself deflate for a moment before Sebastian added, “You deserve far better than that. And because I…well…um…”

Kieran’s eyebrows shot up. Sebastian was avoiding his gaze, cheeks having flushed pink.

Kieran’s heart thumped hard against his ribs.

He felt the edge of the precipice before him, like that night on the observation deck when Sebastian had closed the distance between them, squashing any thoughts Kieran had that he wasn’t attracted to him.

Now, though, it felt deeper. Whatever it was Sebastian wanted to say, it was heavy on his tongue.

“It’s just that…you’re different from anyone else I’ve ever met,” Sebastian finally said.

Dusting his hands off nervously on his apron and keeping his gaze turned from Kieran’s, he added, “My whole life I’ve felt like I had to play a role.

The perfect son, the perfect brother, the perfect assassin—I never got to just be Sebastian.

In fact, I’m not sure I ever really knew who Sebastian was until recently.

But with you, here, I finally feel like I can be someone.

Not a tool for others to use, but a person.

I never have to follow a script with you, Kieran. It’s made me quite…fond of you.”

“You know,” Kieran said softly, “I’ve grown quite fond of you too.”

Sebastian straightened in his seat, finally meeting Kieran’s eyes. From the arch of his eyebrows, it was clear Sebastian hadn’t been expecting him to say that. Sebastian opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly struggling to find the words.

Which was exactly the moment when Kieran realized he had to be the one to push them over the edge.

“I want to be with you, Sebastian,” he said, reaching across the table to thread his fingers through the other boy’s. “If you’ll have me.”

Sebastian made a faint choking sound, looking somewhat dumbstruck. He studied Kieran’s face as if hunting for something that would prove the statement had been a joke. When he didn’t find anything, he stared for a beat longer, nonplussed.

Then he burst out, “Kieran, I don’t deserve you.”

Now it was Kieran’s turn to stare. “You don’t mean that.”

“Of course I do! I mean—look at you. You’re an incredible person who cares so deeply about others you’d risk your own magic to fix your mistakes. I’m a killer with a violent curse to match—”

Kieran shook his head. “I don’t care what you think you deserve, or what you think you’re worthy of. I care about what you want, Sebastian. So tell me.”

For a beat, Sebastian choked on his words again.

It occurred to Kieran that this kind of vulnerability couldn’t be easy for him—he didn’t have any sort of plan to execute, as he typically did.

Just as Kieran was about to ask again, Sebastian met his eyes, expression wild, as if he were about to leap off into the abyss.

“You,” Sebastian finally said. Something about the word itself seemed to surprise him, making his face turn even deeper pink. The air grew more and more charged with every word. He gently added, “I want you, Kieran. Not just as a friend. I want all of it. I want all of you. ”

Kieran’s heart nearly exploded.

The next moment, they rose from their chairs in tandem.

Kieran grabbed Sebastian by the belt loop and pulled him against him, pressing a firm kiss to Sebastian’s lips and scraping his fingernails through his hair.

Each move of his lips only drew Kieran closer, every point of contact crackling with electricity.

Sebastian’s lips parted, and Kieran felt his tongue swipe his own.

Immediately, it sent a shock of heat through him.

He kissed back harder, wanting nothing more than to feel every inch of Sebastian against him.

All the while, Sebastian’s words repeated over and over in Kieran’s mind: I want all of you.

Maybe it was time Kieran stopped lying to himself.

“I need you to know,” he said, pulling away just enough to nudge his nose against Sebastian’s, “that I was lying to myself, pretending I wanted something casual. I don’t think I can be casual with you. Hell, seeing Hélène nearly sent me over the edge the second I realized they’re your ex.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing between Hélène and me anymore.” Sebastian studied Kieran for a moment, kissed him again, and nodded. “What about Ash? You sure you’re done with him?”

Ash. Not long ago, hearing his name would have thrown off Kieran’s entire center of gravity.

Now, though, it felt more like the accidental prick of a needle while trying to thread it, or the dull pain of a mostly healed bruise.

Somewhere along the way, the deep ache that had accompanied his memory had dulled.

Kieran exhaled, and it felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders. “Ash moved on a long time ago. I think it’s time I did too.”

He pulled Sebastian back into their kiss.

And for the first time in a long time, all Kieran felt was joy.