“So, you’re from Louisiana then, too? Are you a real fortune teller or do you just put curses and bad juju on people?” Chloe asks, staring into the man’s eyes, seemingly as mesmerized by them as I am. The irises look like dark gray clouds, swirling in the center of his eyes. It’s creepy yet intriguing all the same.
He tips his hat with a curt nod. “Born and raised. But I live here with my brothers now. Been here a long time,” he says, smiling. “And no, I don’t put curses on everyone.” He leans in conspiratorially, glancing around and whispers, “Only the ones that deserve it.”
Chloe gasps, covering her mouth, completely buying into this guy’s bullshit. Drew and Liam chuckle behind us, clearly enjoying her naivety. They’re somewhere near the entrance, standing guard.
“But enough about me. You ladies came here to get an answer to a very specific question. So, how about we get down to it?” Hex leans back, his eyes studying the both of us intensely.
“I-it’s Althea’s turn this time to go first. She wants to know?—”
“If my brother is still alive,” I cut Chloe off. She turns to face me, her jaw dropping open in shock. I must admit, I’m shocked myself. I didn’t mean to say that. But it’s almost as if something compelled me to do it. To ask the question I’ve never dared to breathe aloud before.
Hex’s eyes narrow, the clouds within them growing larger, fiercer. My eyes are locked on his, as if I’m being held in place by an invisible tether. He gently pulls my left hand toward him, palm up, then takes whatever concoction he was making in the mortar and begins grinding it again. Smoke fills the tent, creating a dense fog. Then Hex spreads the concoction over my palm. He mumbles something, words whispered in a language I don’t understand, never breaking eye contact.
The scent of fresh-cut grass and jasmine fills the room along with the sound of chirping birds and Annanias’s laughter. My pulse begins to pick up. My eyes fill with tears.
It’s been so long since I’ve heard his laughter.
Pain slices through my chest. The kind only a twin could understand. I may not believe in magic, but I do believe in the bond between twins. I can feel my brother’s presence. I know when he’s hurting and when he’s in trouble—and for years while everyone else has mourned him, I’ve never lost that feeling of being connected. The bond was never severed, forcing me not to lose hope that one day I might find him again and make our family whole once more.
Several minutes pass, or maybe it’s more, when the smoke finally clears. Hex places his other hand over the top of mine, sealing the concoction between our palms. His eyes begin to clear, and he speaks to me.
“Death in human form is coming to meet you. Do not fear him—but embrace him. He will lead you to the truth. He holds the key to your past and the ring to your future. Trust him to protect you, even against his own instincts. Remember this. Death doesn’t know love, only pain. But you will give him both.”
My hand hitting the table snaps me out of whatever the hell that was. My eyes blink several times as the haziness lifts. Chloe is staring at me, her face full of confusion as she asks, “What the hell just happened?”
“I’m not sure.”Because I’m not.
“Are you going to answer her question? Because if not, you’re not getting paid,” Chloe snaps at Hex.
My attention bounces between Chloe and Hex.
Did she not just see all of that?
“He gave me my answer,” I tell her. “Sort of.”
Hex smirks, leaning back in his chair, his head tilted as he rubs his chin with his finger and thumb, amusement dancing in his crystalline eyes. “I’m curious to see this play out,” he says.
“How what plays out? What the hell does he mean, Thea?” she argues. “All you did was grab her hand and smear some smelly shit on it. But you never said anything.”
My head snaps to hers. “Yes, he did,” I argue. “He said a lot of things. I’m not sure I understand them all, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
Hex is smiling widely now. “Only the one who is meant to can hear the spirits speak.”
Chloe throws her arms up in dramatic fashion and shouts, “What the fuck doesthatmean?”
Hex leans over and not so quietly whispers, “It means it’s none of your damn business. It’s for Althea to figure out. Now, who’s got my money?”
Chloe stomps out, pulling Liam out with her. Drew steps out but sticks close to the door while I grab twenty-five dollars out of my purse and hand it to Hex. When our hands touch again, he says very firmly, “Trust your instincts, sweetheart. Your brother is very much alive.”
ENZO
“Tell me why we’re doing this again? You hate the fair.Ihate the fair. So, why couldn’t we just send a couple of men to go with the girls?” My cousin Mauro complains for the tenth fucking time. If he doesn’t stop bitching, I may have to cut his tongue out of his head.
“Because your sisters and mine wanted to come,” I explain, fighting like hell to hold on to my patience.
I understand his complaint. I hate the fucking fair. I’ve always hated it, but it was the first place I took Giselle after our parents died and one of the few happy memories we have as children. It has since become an annual tradition for us to come to the fair together. She loves everything about it, while I go through the motions in order to keep her happy. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t give two shits, but for Giselle I will endure almost anything to make her smile.
Our mother was murdered at the hands of our father. I then killed the son of a bitch without remorse. Unfortunately, Giselle saw most of it unfold before her eyes. She was only six at the time. I was thirteen, but my job had always been to protect mymother and sister at all costs. It’s what my grandfather instilled in all of us boys.
