Page 87 of Hex
“Oh, please. Since when do lamia have morals? For the right price, most of them would sell their left tit, consequences be damned.” I grin at Samhain, grateful that his loyalties never fucking waver. “No offense, Regina.”
“None taken, Samhain.” Her tone says the exact opposite and everyone at the table knows it.
“Can someone tell us why a fucking nephilim was involved in this whole thing? And why hasn’t he been called in for testimony?” Fuck. Lyka picked up on that. I swear werewolves have a sixth sense.
“No one has been able to find him.” Grandei sniffs out his disdain at having to answer for his kyn. They’re usually the perfect goody two shoes, except professor Haught was a fucking snake.
“Do you mean Professor Haught? Because that man…erm…kyn, I mean, stalked me for like, ages. Then he tried to have his way with me. He was there when Trina was killed and he’s the one who took Danika. I know, because I saw him.”
My heart constricts at the sound of Sage’s voice, and when she starts her little monologue, ticking off every fucking wrongdoing that bastard did, I try like hell to communicate through my bond with her.
She must stop there. If she mentions the other shit he did, she’ll have to account for the mass killing in Faloria, not to mention the charred bodies in Staten Island. From what Slash said, it was brutal.
“Fucking unacceptable. What say you, Grandei? One of yours actually kidnapped my sister?” Desdemon looks like he’s about to blow a fucking gasket and usually, he’s the calm and collected one.
“As Dei Regina said earlier, he shall be dealt with. As soon as we find him. But I fear we are deviating from the original crime, here.” Atlantis is trying to take the spotlight away from his kyn and it works. Normally, I’d say grill him, but the more questions they have about the professor, the more trouble that means for Sage.
“I have a question.” Sylvaris raises her tiny finger in the air, her rainbow wings trembling like she’s nervous to speak up. “Where was Sage taken when she was kidnapped? The location could prove to be a deciding factor.”
Behind me, Slay’s shadows stir all around him as he stands and walks over to me, voice low and gravelly. “This is taking too long.”
“At least there’s a debate. It should work in Sage’s favor.” Pierce is right. The more they try to get to the bottom of this mess, the better the chances of taking death off the table.
“It says here she was found in Faloria. Oh…guarded by a fenrir? Is that true?” Apollo’s kind eyes lift and stare straight at Sage.
It’s so rare for Loki’s kids to be anywhere but with him that even the Dei of Gods is taken aback by this.
“I had an audience with Loki, the god of chaos,” Regina speaks up. “He confirmed that his son, Fenn, under his own admittance, was under the influence of a djinn.”
“Remind me to buy Loki a bottle of our finest faerie wine.” Slash grins, rubbing his hands together like he can feel this going our way.
“Yes. He was taking orders from a djinn while I was being held hostage in a cave. The djinn died when the cave collapsed. The only reason I’m even alive is because there was another prisoner and she…” Sage’s breath hitches, her whole body starts shaking like she’s reliving the moment all over again. “She saved my life.”
“Do you know who this prisoner was?” This time it’s Hekate asking the question and, contrary to minutes ago, her empathy is clear in her tone. But there’s something else…I just can’t put my finger on it.
“I just know her name was Saffron.”
The collective gasp around the table is deafening as twelve sets of eyes look straight at the Dei of Elementals. Twelve, because Sylvaris is up and out of her chair, wings flapping and delicate hands covering her mouth.
“Oh, shit.” Slay is the first to react.
Then comes Pierce. “How did we not see this earlier?”
“No fucking way!” Slash is next and I’m standing there, lost, because I’m too hyper focused on my chosen to see the big picture.
“What the fuck? What’s going on?” I take my eyes off the screen for a millisecond to look at my brothers.
“It was years ago, Hack. Don’t you remember? It was all anyone could talk about.” Pierce is standing now, and before he can tell me more, the Dei of Elementals flies over to Sage and places her hands on her shoulders.
“Did you say, Saffron?”
Sage nods, tears falling down her cheeks like errant rivulets. “Yes. She was kind and helpful. The only reason I survived my time in those caves is because she guided me through the whole transition. And she also helped me communicate with mychosen. She held my hand.” Sage is a blubbering mess as she recounts her time with Saffron, and it’s only when Sylvaris wraps her arms around Sage’s neck in a hug that’s usually too familiar for a Dei, that it finally dawns on me.
“Oh, fuck. How did I miss this?” I barely whisper the words because things are clicking together. I wish it made me more optimistic, but all it says is that this is much deeper than any of us ever thought.
“She was my sister,” Sylvaris finally says, a whispered breath that knocks everyone on their asses.
“In lieu of this new information, I think we can all agree that Rafi’s death was warranted.” Desdemon doesn’t even try to hide his sinister smile.
