“Mmm.” He leans back in his chair, considering. “Hard to say. It depends on how thoroughly you let me feast.”
I choke on my curry. He’s doing this on purpose. He has to be.
Hex chuckles and mercifully changes the subject. “This is nice. Having dinner together. Being civilised.”
“It is,” I agree quietly.
We finish eating, and I clear the plates. When I come back to the table, Hex is still sitting there, looking completely at home in my tiny flat. Like he belongs here.
I sit back down and take a deep breath. “Can I ask you about the curse?”
His expression shutters slightly. The playfulness dims. “What do you wish to know?”
“Everything. You said you pissed someone off. What happened?”
Hex is quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is carefully neutral. “There was a war. In the Shadow Realm. My father was the king. He made choices that not everyone agreed with. There was a coup. He was overthrown.”
“I’m sorry,” I say softly.
“Don’t be. My father was not a good king.” Hex’s jaw tightens. “But those who overthrew him are worse. They bound my powers. Stripped me of most of my strength. Cursed me so I couldn’t feed normally. Then they exiled me here. To this realm. To slowly fade away.”
Horror washes over me. “They were going to let you die.”
“Yes.”
“But then you found me. The bond. The loophole.”
“Yes.” His eyes find mine. “You saved my life, Adam.”
Guilt crashes over me like a wave. “And I threw salt at you. And I was scared. And I made you wait behind wards while you were starving.”
“Adam…”
“I’m sorry.” My throat is tight. My eyes are burning. “You went through all of that. You lost everything. And you still kept smiling. You still called me adorable and protected me, and made me feel like I matter. And I just…”
“Stop.” Hex reaches across the table and takes my hand. His touch is warm and solid, and real. “There is nothing to apologise for. You were frightened. You were protecting yourself. Those are reasonable responses to a shadow creature appearing in your bedroom.”
“But…”
“No.” His grip tightens slightly. “You gave me exactly what I asked for when I needed it most. You broke your protections. You offered your hand. You let me in. That took courage, Adam. Real courage.”
I stare at our joined hands. His fingers are long and elegant, and his skin is so surprisingly warm for someone made of shadows.
“You’re too nice to me,” I mumble.
“I’m exactly as nice as you deserve.”
We sit like that for a moment, hands clasped across the table. The fairy lights cast dancing shadows on the walls. The curry pot is still warm on the stove. Everything feels surreal and domestic and impossible all at once.
I swallow hard and force myself to ask the question that’s been nagging at me. “So you’re going to feed on me until you get your full strength back. Then what?”
Hex’s expression changes. The warmth drains away, replaced by something cold and sharp and dangerous. His eyes start to glow brighter, that ember red intensifying until they’re burning likecoals. A smile spreads across his face. Not the amused grin from earlier. This is something else. Something predatory and fierce and absolutely terrifying.
When he speaks, his voice is low and rough. Almost a growl.
“I’m getting my throne back.”
Chapter 11
