Page 38 of Hex
Sage turns to said killing beast, one hand buried in the sea of his fur, and gives him a scratch I’m sure he can barely feel. “Who’s a good boy? Do you like Fenny? Do you like being called a good boy, Fenny?”
I have to force myself not to laugh at this whole absurd situation. What the fuck is even happening?
“Fuck, no wonder it’s taken her two thousand years to survive her twenties.” My head whips around and I stare daggers atSlay.Fucker. “What? She has no sense of survival. Gods can kill without breaking a nail and barely any consequences.” He shrugs and he’s not wrong. Still…
Fen whimpers and with the greatest care, rubs the tip of his snout against Sage’s shoulder, making her giggle as she stumbles back. I have to put my arm around her to make sure she doesn’t fall from the brute, albeit unintentional, force of him.
“See? He likes it.” It’s Sage’s turn to be smug and I love it. Slay may think she’s clueless when it comes to danger but I just think she’s brave enough to face it head on and, this time, we’re here to have her back.
However, I need to bring this conversation back to the problem at hand. “Look, the reason we’re here is because we need to know who was controlling Fen so we can figure out who’s after my chosen. Just tell us and we’ll be out of your hair.” I nod to Fen and add, “And he’s all yours again.”
Loki leans his head back and blows out a heavy breath like I’m asking the world of him.
“Here’s the crux of the problem, Demon. My ex is the one who knows what’s going on with our kids. But she’s a bit…indisposed right now. Well, if I’m honest, her soul’s been busy in Heyl paying its dues to Odin. Fucking prick.” He winks at the sky as though Odin can see him.
“Fuck,” I whisper, because this whole night was a big old waste of time.
“That being said…you could just ask him.” Loki grins, nodding to Fen, like he’s been fucking with us this whole time.
“But he doesn’t talk.” Sage frowns, her hand still giving loving rubs to Fenn—no. To Fen. Fen, not Fenny.
“He doesn’t speak anthros, no. It’s a boring way to speak anyway. Whatever happened to mind reading and diving into other people’s heads? I swear religion made this place a total bore. I suggest we all step outside. I’m going to need some roomhere.” Just as he insults half the population of the Earth, he transforms into a beast almost identical to Fen, forcibly pushing us back out into the cold night.
“That’s really weird, right?” Sage steps back into my protective arms, and no doubt my demon warmth.
“You’ll get used to our world, Satapti. It’s all so new, still.”
“Wait ‘till you hear me fucking for days. Days, Sagey.” As soon as the nickname comes out of Slash’s mouth, I slap him behind the head then let a vine wrap around his throat. It’s not like I’m going to hurt him but the urge is too satisfying to ignore.
“Oh, come on! It’s me. She’s like a sister to me. Fucking hell, Hack. Being bonded has made you a bit of a sociopath.” I ignore him and Pierce chuckles at the whole encounter. It’s then I notice Slay is on the phone and I’m guessing it’s with Samhain.
“I mean, we could keep him, right?”
“Slash? We don’t really have a choice, Satapti. He’s a Horseman, a Liege. I know I bust his bal—”
“Not Slash. Fenny.”
I’m about to tell her that I’ll do anything she wants in this life and all the ones after, but we’re not keeping a wolf the size of the Empire State Building, when Loki melts back into his original form, walking back outside with a smirk planted on his lips.
“First, I promised to tell you that he’s really sorry and that he loves you like his mother.” Loki shrugs. “Probably more, since he barely knew her, but I digress. Fen was held captive for a couple of decades by the djinn, tortured, then forced to bow to do their bidding.” For the first time, Loki looks like the god he is. Gone is the jokester, his ire is real and it’s burning in his blue eyes.
“Poor baby,” Sage whispers, looking over her shoulder at Fen, who’s still lying in the hangar. This does not bode well for me.
“You do realize that now it’s also ameproblem, and when I get involved, shit goes awry real fucking quick.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sage
“Thank you for bringing me back here.” Standing in front of Mystic T, the witchy coffee shop Danika and I ran and lived above just a few months ago, I have mixed feelings.
I was expecting the shop to be completely trashed and unable to function without us, even though Hack told me the mess from the attack had been cleared away. So I’m glad to see the twinkling lights in the front windows and the dreamcatchers hanging from the ceiling, but I think it’s the disappointment that the shop doesn’t need me that is a little gutting.
“If I didn’t, you would’ve found a way back by yourself.” With his arms wrapped around me from behind, he gives me a gentle squeeze before kissing the top of my head. “Wanna go inside? Bluebell and Agatha know we’re coming.”
Sighing, I nod, the faux-fur from the hood of the thick jacket I’m wearing bouncing along with my head.
Hack insisted we could only come at night, when the shop was closed to customers, because of everything he set in place after the attack. It looks so pretty at night, the moonlight shiningthrough the windows onto the crystals—good, I’m glad they are remembering to charge them regularly.
