Page 62 of Handcuffs and Hexes

“Shit!” Seth shoved his way to the front and picked me up. “He tried to drain her magic. Her aura is weak, and her magic nullification isn’t working. The idiot!” He carefully transferred me over into Liam’s arms, turned to his father, and with a growl, punched him in the face.

Man, it felt good to watch his head snap back.

Except Seth did not stop. His magic wrapped around the older man, suspending him in the air like a punching bag, and he pummeled him again and again. There was a dark look on Seth’s face like he wasn’t really there anymore, and in his place was someone more deadly, ruthless.

Liam’s warning rang loud in my head, and I tried to reach for him, stop him before he murdered his father in front of a bunch of witnesses. The asshat deserved it, but not if it ruined Seth and Liam’s— and now, my — life. My body refused to move. Samuel was not defenseless, however, and I watched as magic that had been in the walls of the home coalesced and rushed in to protect him.

It was Liam and Chief who pulled Seth off his father.

“He’s not worth the blood on your hands, kid,” Chief said as the others dragged the asshole outside.

If Seth took offense at being called kid, he didn’t show it.

Chief turned to me. Liam had carefully placed me on a chair as he went to stop Seth’s homicidal rage, but I was now back in his arms. Every moment in contact with him made me feel a little stronger like his touch alone was healing me.

“Is she going to recover?” Chief asked, worry clear in his voice. “Should we bring her to the hospital?”

“No. They can’t help,” Seth said, looking more like himself again. “But we can.” He touched me and I felt the transfer of magic, like he was replacing what had been cruelly stolen from me.

As the two talked, hashing out the details of my care for the next few days, I turned to Liam, who noticed immediately.

“We’ll get you home soon, Babygirl, and feeling like new.” He kissed my forehead.

But I wasn’t worried about that right now. “Any idea where Seth’s old baby photos might be?” I asked quietly, mostly because speaking took energy I didn’t have right now.

He grinned. “I sure do.”

Seth returned after his talk with Chief. “Looks like you’re in our care again, Hazy Daisy.”

I found it silly that Chief and Seth even bothered. I was my own person, and I planned on staying with Seth and Liam anyway. But apparently Chief had given Seth an ultimatum, lose his shit again like that, especially if it came to me, and Seth would find himself locked up for good…six feet under. Aww. All this violence threatened on my behalf was going to go to my head.

I knew Seth would never hurt me, but I appreciated the sentiment. Chief really cared.

It turns out that I was too weak for portal travel right this second, so as Seth sat with me cradled in his arms, Liam disappeared to find my prize. Every moment with him had me feeling better and better. It wasn’t until Seth was about to open a portal straight back to his home that he noticed Liam was missing.

“I sent him on a mission,” I explained, even as Liam appeared with an old-fashioned photo album tucked under his arm.

Seconds later, we were stepping through a portal into Seth’s living room, and I was lifted off my feet and carried up the stairs.

“Hey! Do you know what’s not fair?” I asked. “I never did end up getting any of that pizza.”

“I’ll order in,” Liam said from right behind us.

“Hazel doesn’t like pineapple,” Seth offered.

“Got it, double pineapple,” Liam said, nodding.

“Eww!”

Seth laughed. “Hawaiian isn’tthatbad.”

“It is, too!”

But we couldn’t avoid talking forever by arguing about the legitimacy of pineapple on pizza.

“You came to claim me publicly,” Seth accused.

“I had no choice. The bitch was trying to steal you.”

---