The effect is immediate and spectacular.
Hex’s expression shifts from seductive to offended in an instant. He backs away from me as if I’ve physically shoved him. His shoulders stiffen. His eyes narrow to dangerous slits. The temperature drops even further and frost forms on the window behind him.
“I am a prince of the Shadow Realm,” he says icily. Each word is clipped. Precise. Dripping with outrage. “I have legions at my command. I have power you cannot comprehend. I am not a duckling!”
A snort-laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it. It’s ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous. This impossibly attractive shadow creature is standing in my living room, looking genuinely insulted because I compared him to a baby duck.
His indignation is so pure. So offended. It makes him seem less like an otherworldly being and more like a person. A very dramatic, very huffy person.
Hex glares at me. The red glow of his eyes intensifies. “This is not amusing.”
“It’s a little amusing,” I wheeze. I’m trying to hold back another laugh and failing miserably. My shoulders are shaking.
His glare intensifies. If looks could kill, I’d be a smoking pile of ash on the floor. “I shall return tomorrow when you have stopped being ridiculous.”
And just like that, he is gone. The shadows dissipate like smoke in the wind. The chill in the air fades. The fairy lights flicker back to full brightness. I’m alone in my living room with the terrible action film still playing on the television.
I stare at the empty spot where Hex was standing. My heart is still racing. My breath is still coming in short gasps.
Well. That’s one way to get rid of an apparition. Mock them.
Maybe I should let the YouTube ghost hunters know? It’s probably very valuable information.
I let out a long breath and collapse back onto the sofa. My legs feel weak. Shaky. Like I’ve just run a marathon. My heart is still racing. My hands are still shaking. But the fear has been replaced by something else.
Concern.
That whole encounter felt too real. Hex felt too real. The way he moved. The way he spoke. The offended look on his face when I called him a duckling. The cold that lingered for a heartbeat after he left. The way the lights flickered.
The fact I feel very, very extremely awake and not at all like I’m dreaming.
You can’t hallucinate something that detailed. Can you? You can’t hallucinate temperature changes and electrical interference.
I press my hands against my face and groan. This is insane. All of it.
But Felix said shadow beings are real. He said bonds are real. And Hex just said the same thing.
Which means I’m not going crazy.
Which means I really am bonded to a shadow prince who needs to feed on my desire.
Which is probably worse than going crazy.
I grab my phone and pull up Felix’s contact. My thumb hovers over the call button. But it’s almost three a.m. He is probably asleep. Or doing weird witch things. Either way, calling him now seems rude.
I’ll talk to him tomorrow. At work. I’ll tell him everything, and he can help me figure out what to do.
Assuming there is anything I can do.
I glance at the spot where Hex disappeared. He said he would return tomorrow. Which means I have less than twenty-four hours to come up with a plan.
A plan for what, exactly? I have no idea.
I sigh and turn off the television. The sudden silence is deafening. The flat feels too empty. Too quiet. The absence of him is almost as noticeable as his presence was.
I drag myself to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I don’t want to see the dark circles under my eyes or the panicked expression on my face. Or worse, the flush that is probably still staining my cheeks.
Back in the bedroom, I stare at my bed with deep suspicion. The ring is still sitting on the nightstand. Mocking me. Just like I mocked the creature that gave it to me.
