“No.” Hex’s voice is soft, almost gentle. “The curse is to be unable to feed. You and our bond are a workaround. A loophole. When you were a child, your fear sustained me long before the curse took hold. The bond formed then. Now you’re the only one I can feed from.”
I stare at him, trying to wrap my mind around this. “So if I don’t feed you, you’ll what? Die?”
That smirk returns, sharp and self-deprecating. “There are plenty who say I deserve no less.”
“What did you do?” I ask quietly.
“Does it matter?” He’s starting to fade now, his form growing more transparent. “Be safe, little human with claws. It was a pleasure knowing you. And you are right to stay free of wars that do not concern you.”
There’s something in his voice. Something sad and defeated and weary, and so very alone. Like he’s carried the weight of the world and finally, finally is allowed to put it down.
My heart is racing. My mind is screaming at me to let him go, to protect myself, to keep the wards up.
But I can’t.
I can’t let someone die when I have the power to help them. I can’t carry that weight. I can’t be that person.
“Wait!” The word bursts out of me, desperate and loud as I jump to my feet.
Hex pauses, what’s left of him hovering in the corner. Barely there. Almost gone.
I take a shaky breath. Then I reach down and drag my foot through the salt line, breaking the circle. The protection shatters like glass, and I feel it in my chest, a sharp snap of something that must be severed magic.
My hand is shaking as I hold it out to him.
“I want to help,” I say.
Hex stares at my outstretched hand like it’s something he’s never seen before. Like he doesn’t quite believe it’s real.
“You are sure?” His voice is barely audible now. “Once I feed, the bond will strengthen. It will be harder to break. You’ll be tied to me.”
“I’m sure.” My voice is steadier than I feel. “I can’t just let you die. That’s not who I am.”
Something shifts in Hex’s expression. The cocky smirk is gone. The playful seduction is gone. What’s left is raw and honest and vulnerable in a way that makes my chest ache.
“You’re extraordinary,” he whispers.
Then he reaches up and takes my hand.
Chapter 8
First Time
Hexflowstohisfeet with uncanny grace.
Now he is standing toe to toe with me in my dingy kitchen. I can barely see him. He is pretty much all shadow. A shadow with glowing red eyes.
“Adam. May I kiss you?”
The words are the faintest whispers. A suggestion on the edge of my perception. A distant refrain of wind through forgotten places.
Hex is fading. Because of me.
“Yes!” I squeak. “Kiss me! Now!”
Shadows brush over my jaw. He cups my face. Tenderly and carefully. As if I’m made from the finest china.
My eyes flutter closed. My head tilts up. My lips pucker up.
