Page 46 of Summertime Hexy
I wouldn’t curse her like that. Immortality isn’t romance. It’s erosion.
But if Idon’t—what then?
I get fifty years, maybe less. Watching her age. Fade. Burn bright and then flicker out, leaving me behind again.
And I’d do it.
I’dchoosethat pain.
That’s the worst part.
Because I’ve never been a coward when it came to blood.
But love?
Love terrifies me.
Because it’s not about killing.
It’s aboutkeeping.
And I don’t know if I was built for that.
Not anymore.
But when I think of her…
When I see her in my dreams, in my shadows, I start to wonder.
Maybe I was never meant to have a future.
But maybesheis the one thing I’d let myself ruin eternity for.
CHAPTER 17
HAZEL
The moon hangs low, silvering the forest in soft light. Ley lines run nearby, their energy crackling beneath our feet like restless serpents. Derek and I are supposed to be tracking their surges, but the tension between us is thicker than the magic in the air.
We’re standing near a pool of still water, its surface glimmering like onyx. The camp is miles away now—distant, a world apart. Here, it’s just us and the ancient trees and the stars and this hunger I can’t ignore anymore.
“You should take notes,” Derek says, eyes fixed on the compass in his hand. He’s trying to do his job. Be professional. But his shoulders are tense, jaw set, and every time I shift, his gaze flicks my way, sharp and predatory.
So I push.
“Notes?” I step closer. “Like what?‘The ley lines are surging’?”
He doesn’t look up. “Precise measurements. Patterns. Any anomalies.”
“I’ve got an anomaly for you.”
He freezes.
I step behind him, close enough to feel the heat of his body. Then I whisper against his neck, soft as a promise: “You.”
He turns, slow, the compass forgotten in his hand. His eyes are dark, endless, and when they find mine I forget to breathe. Because this is it—the moment we’ve been dancing around since we met.
I reach for him, but he grabs my wrist, stopping me.
