Page 127 of Hexed
I move the two candles off my altar, the rope between them singed and burned from where I just finished a cord-cutting ceremony for my relationship with my uncle.
I’m tired, it’s late, and I’m really not in the mood for company. But I called Fisher over because I’m leaving tonight. I don’t know where I’m going, and I don’t have very much money, but I know I need to get out of here until I figure out my next steps.
My duffel bag is half-packed with my favorite pieces of clothing, my makeup, and a few odds and ends I can’t leave behind. Mainly, my crystals and a few basic herbs.
I don’t let myself think about my babies in the basement because, as much as I wish I could bring them with me, it’s not realistic. They need their environment to thrive, and it’s not like I can take a saltwater aquarium wherever I’m going.
I move to my rack of clothes and grab a lace shirt, then toss it harder than necessary; it hits the edge of my bag and drops to the floor.
Fisher leans down to pick it up, folds it, and places it gingerly in the bag, then sits on the corner of my bed, his leg bouncing rhythmically.
“What’s up with you?” I ask. “You’re fidgety.”
“So?”
I lift a brow. “You’re never fidgety.”
He shrugs and doesn’t meet my eye. “Sorry, my best friend is leaving. Am I supposed to be calm?”
Guilt sits heavy in my middle because I haven’t exactly told Fisher the whole story. I want to, but…there’s just something whispering in my head, telling me to keep Enzo close to my chest for now.
And I’ve never been one to ignore my intuition.
Plus, once I put the full truth out into the world, then it doesn’t really feel likemineanymore, and tonight is something I want to keep forever.
“Daddy T didn’t tell you why?” he asks.
I chew on my bottom lip and debate how much to say. “All I know is he went from being everything I depended on to the person I think I hate most in the world.”
“Well, this is fucked, Short Stack.”
“I don’t know, Fisher, it’s just…it is what it is.” I blow out a breath and sit next to him, giving up on packing for the moment.
He gives me a look. “I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Your uncleneedsyou, more than anyone else. You’re his right hand.”
“Don’t let Bas hear you say that.” Another pang to the chest.Was Bas ever really on my side?
“I don’t give a fuck about Bas.” He huffs. “So what’s gonna happen with the Lair? You’re coming back, right?”
Melancholy filters through every part of me, because I don’tknowwhat’s going to happen with the Lair. His guess is as good as mine. It’s never been in my name. I’ve been a glorified manager this entire time, deluding myself into believing something different.
The more my eyes are opened to reality, the more rage builds inside me, because why should my uncle get to have everything? He may be theKing of the Sea,but a king is nothing without his loyal subjects.
And he just threw me away like trash.
He doesn’tdeserveit.
Fisher sighs, his leg still bouncing. “Where will you go?”
My stomach churns with anxiety. “I have no clue.”
He glances at me and then looks back down at his lap, taking that Zippo and flicking it open and closed again. “You can just stay with me, you know.”
“No. I need to get away entirely. At least for now. It’s just…Uncle T has used me for a long time, Gup. And he owns this state. I’m not safe as long as I’m here.”
He nods, sadness covering his features. “You could always forgive him. Apologize or…I don’t know, something.”
“I’m tired of being someone’s burden and not someone’s choice.”
