Page 40 of Hex
“Apologies, Liege.” Eyes still glued to the floor, Bluebell adjusts her stance slightly, angling herself more toward me, beside Hack. “Thank you, Goddess, for allowing us this opportunity. Your shop is thriving and we cherish the knowledge that you deem us worthy to do this for you.”
“Thank you, but, babe, I hope you don’t talk like that to the regulars, because there’s no way you’re passing for me if you do. And less of the goddess. I’m just Sage.” Stepping forward, I hold out my palm for her to shake. Now that I know who they are, this whole thing is a lot easier to swallow.
She looks from my hand to the looming hulk behind me and back again before taking it.
“Sorry, I was trying to be more formal because…well…you’re a goddess.”
“Demi-goddessandwitch, and probably something else because we don’t know who my daddy is yet.” I wink, shockingher just enough to make her giggle. It’s a light tinkle and it’s cute. Not-Danika chuckles too as she takes my hand and bows her head respectfully.
Trina glows with warmth in my mind, and the feeling she’s giving is one of happiness. She trusts these girls—demons—and if Trina is on board, I most certainly am.
Clearing her throat, not-Danika steps back. “We…er…we’re sorry about your best friend. If anyone ever took Bluebell from me, I’d willingly break every rule the Dei have to find her.”
It’s jarring to hear Danika’s voice coming straight out of her mouth, but knowing it isn’t her. It takes me back for a second and my breath hitches as I give a tight-lipped smile. I’d love it to be a real one, but I’m holding off the urge to cry and squeeze her.
“Thank you.”
Hack’s warm presence right behind me is settling, like a soul-deep knowledge that everything is going to be okay.
“The apartment upstairs has been cleaned and anything broken repaired, we just ask that you avoid the bathroom because that’s where we have set the portal direct to our home.” Not-me bows her head again, smiling sheepishly when I give her a stern raised brow for her formality.
“Let’s go, Satapti.” His voice calm, Hack leads me toward the back of the shop. The two demons follow behind and I still can’t get over what they look like. Surreal as fuck is what it is.
The storage room hasn’t changed, the scents of various candles and herbs impossible to ignore as we walk through toward the stairs. There’s a part of me that feels like this life was decades ago, and I have regrets about wishing it all away. I’ll find a way to combine the two…once we have found Danika.
“Wait…I thought portals were only in certain places and only went directly to The Shade?” This is a rule I was adamant I had cemented into my brain as fact, and these demons have made me question it all, yet again.
“That’s right. But there’s always an exception to every rule. In this case, Dei Samhain allowed us to summon a direct portal so that we could keep up the ruse of living here and still keep your apartment intact. He monitors it, and misuse will result in immediate soul removal, so it is a privilege.” Not-me seems to be a lot more talkative than not-Danika.
“Alwaysan exception?” Because that sounds great, but it can’t be right…
“We’re demons. You think we’re all good at sticking to the rules, Satapti?” Opening the door at the top of the stairs into the apartment, Hack stands aside and lets me in first.
“I suppose not.” I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around any of this magical supernatural stuff. It’s exciting and scary and amazing and scary and wondrous and yep…scary again.
Nothing has changed. Well, everything has changed, but the apartment still looks exactly the same as it did before the attack. The couch isn’t covered in black oozy mess, there are no holes in the walls, our coffee table is in one piece, and the door isn’t falling off the hinges.
“We’ll leave you to it, Liege Hack.” Not-me does the thing where she bows her head respectfully, then her whole body blurs into a mist that isn’t a mist…I can’t explain it. She’s there, but she isn’t…then she is again, but it’s definitely a demon standing in her place.
The same thing happens with not-Danika and I’m trying not to stare, unsure of the rudeness protocols of seeing someone transform, but I’m a sucker for curiosity so I watch the whole thing.
Now, the two demons readying themselves to walk into my bathroom are completely different than the human versions they presented as before. Not-me—Bluebell—is quite literally blue, like the kind of deep blue you’d use when coloring in a night sky that fades into black. She’s only around four-feet high, withbright-purple spike-like horns all over her head in place of hair. Her large eyes, with no white at all, are the same purple as her horny spikes, and there are two slits in place of where her nose would be.
The calf-length skirt of mine that she’s wearing now falls to the floor, so I can’t see her legs, and her arms and body are covered by the sweater. Her hands, though, have elongated fingers with sharp claws that would pass for false nails in the real world.
Not-Danika—Agatha—is similar in looks, but her skin is a more vibrant shade of blue. It’s still what I’d consider a dark blue, but in comparison to Bluebell, she’s practically glowing. She’s also about a foot taller than her friend and her spikey horns are more of a burgundy-red—to match her eyes. That must be where the pinkish tinge comes from when she’s in Danika’s form.
Their transformation takes a few seconds, and once it’s complete, Agatha links her arm through Bluebell’s and they give me a wave as they walk into the bathroom.
“That was…something.” I turn to Hack, my eyes wide, as if my brain’s about to explode.
His wide smile calms my racing mind in an instant and I lean into him.
“Do you think I’ll ever run this shop again?” I speak into his hard chest and his solid arms hold me close.
“Maybe not in the same way you once did. You can open a whole chain of them if you want. Even in The Shade, near the marketplace. You could sell a lot more potions and witchy items than you’re allowed on Earth.” Each of his words vibrates against my ear and I could just listen to him talk all day.
“I need a job to earn money to open a whole chain, but yeah, it’s something Danika and I talked about. Like one of those future dreams that never really come true.” I huff a laugh.
