Page 63 of Rise of the Melody
My heart thumped hard as I replied.
What about him?
Can I call? It will be faster.
Sure.
“Hey,” I said when it rang. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah,” Clare said. “I mean, he swears he doesn’t feel anything different, but you can see it.”
“See what?” I asked, still nervous.
“He was hexed!”
I froze, panic surging until I remembered I’d always had on my cuff around him. “How do you know?”
“He came into the coffee shop this morning and there was this mist around his shoulders. It’s so freaky. I’ve never seen a curse on someone. It’s light, but it’s definitely there.”
I was still shaking. “H-how does someone do that? Hex someone? Not that I want to….”
She laughed. “I honestly don’t know for sure, but I don’t think it’s hard. I’ve never heard of anyone doing it, because it’s not allowed, you know? Everyone is freaking out waiting for him to figure out exactly how he’s been hexed.”
I couldn’t help but recall how mad I’d been at him. “So, like, how does he get rid of it?”
“He can’t. Not on his own. The nix or druid who cursed him has to be the one to lift it.”
“Oh.” I nibbled my bottom lip. Maybe Chrys finally messed with the wrong nix. Had he gone to meet Erin again last night after he left my house?
“I’m kinda scared,” she admitted. “What if it’s something really bad?”
My heart sank. “I’m sure it’s nothing big if he doesn’t feel anything, right?”
“I guess,” she said. “Oh, shoot. I gotta get back to work. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. Have a good day.”
We hung up and I let out a ragged sigh. At that moment I really missed the comfort and safety of having CooShee lying next to me. He always made me feel better. Why would he choose that grumpy druid? Did he cuddle with Zar? I tried to imagine Zar snuggling, and a psychotic giggle escaped my throat. I covered my mouth. No sounds were allowed to come out of my mouth. Not until the cuff was back on.
FML.
Chapter17
Be Gentle
Ididn’t tell Aunt Lorna what happened with the delivery man, though it was on the tip of my tongue when she got home. The shame and fear I felt about it turned my tongue to lead. I usually told her everything, but this…this was bad. I simply held out my wrist while she was putting groceries away and she bopped herself in the head with awhoopsand a laugh before putting the cuff back on me.
“Auntie?” I said in a small voice.
She stopped and turned with a head of cauliflower in her hand. “What’s up? Oh! Is it your friend? Patel’s stepson? I heard about the hex this morning while I was out. Are you okay? What happened while everyone was here?” She set down the veggie and leaned against the counter with me.
“I don’t think it happened while they were here,” I told her. “Clare said he feels fine and normal. He doesn’t know what the curse is.”
Aunt Lorna sighed and shook her head. “Probably a young nix feeling emotional. It’s one of the first things taught—controlling the emotions so you don’t accidentally hex someone.”
“You didn’t teach me that,” I pointed out, making her laugh.
“Well, in all fairness you only have your cuff off around me, and I feel safe with you. But let’s go over the basics. You don’t need a spell or anything extra to curse someone. All you need is the intent and emotion behind it, along with your words. Words have power when you have fae magic. Be very careful what you say, especially when your emotions are running high.”
