Page 45 of Hex
“I know.” Sage sighs, remembering her loss.
“What if we went to the family’s home, when we find out who Saffron was, so you can talk to them about her. When faced with grief, it’s always comforting to talk about our loved ones.”
“I’d like that.”
I squeeze her hand, pulling her closer as we reach the pub.
“I’m thirsty. I didn’t realize it would be so warm here.” Pierce takes the lead, one foot on the first step to the pub, when the rustling in the bushes gets louder a nanosecond before a harpy grabs Sage by the hair and puts a knife to her throat.
“Move, demon, and her blood will spill.”
Pierce throws himself from his position, aiming to tackle the tall, razor-thin harpy, but he ends up falling on the knife of the second harpy, who was out of sight mere seconds ago. There’s no time to get distracted by the blood pouring from my brother’s gut and quickly staining his shirt as he clenches his teeth with a curse.
“Motherfucker!”
I’m not worried about him. Unless the knife was dipped in itherium, he’ll heal right up, but it still pisses me off. Everyone knows we heal quicker than most and it’s pretty fucking clear that two demons against two harpies is hardly a fight.
But we need to be smart about this. Answers could come freely if we play our cards right.
With a quick glance, I check on Pierce, noticing the blood has stopped seeping out of his wound, which means he’ll be ready to lend a hand in a couple of minutes, then I cock my head tothe side and assess the creature threatening my chosen one. Tall and sinewy, the years of survival showing on her gaunt face, she looks like she’s been rolling in dirt her entire life. That’s how encrusted the grime is on her skin.
“Tell me, harpy. Did you wake up this morning wishing to die?” My voice is low, calm to anyone who doesn’t know me, but beneath my hushed, soothing, tone lies my unmistakable desire to rip off her head. And that’s without my vines.
“Uh, no?” She looks at her friend, who just shrugs, then turns back to me. “That’s a stupid question.” With a mouth full of jagged teeth and eyes that dig deep into our childhood fears, she's most definitely a threat.
At least, that’s what she thinks.
This whole time, Sage just stares at me. She’s not afraid, she’s not angry, she’s…devoid of all feelings and I’m guessing she’s retreated into herself to gather the tools she needs to fight off the danger.
As soon as Pierce’s gut is healed, he wraps an arm around the second harpy’s neck and squeezes hard enough to cut off her air supply but not enough to kill. We want answers, not another trip to the dungeon.
“I hear you’ve been looking for me. How may I be of service?” Fucking djinn and their need to speak like weirdos. In a bloom of green smoke appears a figure that in any other context seems friendly and trustworthy.
No matter their gender, the threat against Sage remains. I set my vines free in two different directions and, within seconds, the harpy with a knife to Sage’s throat and the green djinn are both hanging from two of my vines, one bad decision away from being choked to death.
“This is much better for a conversation, right, brother?” I grin, but it’s not joy I’m expressing, it’s the promise of blood thatmotivates me. Pierce was right, Slash is going to be pissed off that he missed out.
“I am bound to the wind, demon. Kill me and the wind shall remember.” I roll my eyes at the djinn’s attempt to scare me with their pseudo magical powers.
“Hmm, will the wind remember that you tried to harm the bonded soul mate of a Horseman? Better yet…” I pull the djinn closer so their green face is close enough I could literally bite their head off. “Will the wind remember that the bonded chosen you have threatened is also daughter to Hekate?” At my whispered words, the djinn recoils, but not in disgust, in unfiltered fear.
“I know of no such thing.” Of course they don’t. Has anyone ever heard of thinking before acting?
I’m about to respond when the soil beneath me starts to tremble and the light around Sage grows brighter. I grin and Pierce chuckles, but the rest of them, they whimper.
“Well, let me introduce you then.” As I make my way back to Sage, I keep the assholes as far away from her as I can. In my peripheral, I notice all the windows of the pub are filled with nosy, curious faces eager to see some action.
“Satapti, are you all right?” Sage blinks, once, twice, until her vision seems more focused and her powers more in control.
“That was really weird. I could see and hear what was going on, but at the same time, I was far away.”
Must be a goddess thing. Fuck, I wonder how deep her powers run.
“Sounds fun.” The harpy grins and her razor sharp teeth, yellowed with the centuries, are on full display. This isn’t her show so I squeeze the vine around her neck just enough to send my message.Shut the fuck up.
Sage looks around, then steps up to the djinn who’s now at eye level to her because I’ve forced them to kneel. Even with myprecautions, it takes everything in me not to pull her back and away from potential danger.
“I remember you.”
