Page 18 of The Nephilim's Touch
“Never,” Top Hat Guy says and I swear his eyes flash.
“Maybe coming here was a bad idea.” Gabe grabs my hand and the flare of anger falls away and sinks into the floor.
“No. I’m fine.” I suck in a breath and squash out the flamesagain. “I’m fine.” Shit, maybe I do have a problem. I turn to face Gabe and lean against the counter with my arms sprawled over it like I owned the place.
“No harm done,” Top Hat Guy says. “And I think your solution may be Gabe. Perhaps he can teach you how to be less selfish and calm your temper. The Consort, or Empress card, represents nurturing, abundance, fertility, feminity, beauty, connection to the divine. And have you met Gabe?” There’s a hint of a smile. “He’s fairly balanced between feminity and masculinity in a way few people are. He embraces himself, for the most part.”
“Gabe is practically the card himself.” I look the man over and take in every inch while he stands there looking adorable. What even are those shoes with the little bow at the ankle? But they look perfect on Gabe. I’m sure Gabe looks perfect in anything.
“Exactly.” Top Hat Guy goes back to shuffling the cards. “He has a few things to learn, but perhaps you can teach each other lessons.”
“Oh, I have a few lessons for sweet Gabe.” I trail my tail across his jaw. “If he’ll let me.”
“You’re such a tease,” Gabe answers as the prettiest blush blooms over his cheeks.
“Not a tease if I promise to follow through, angel.”
Top Hat Guy leans in to whisper so damn softly I have to strain to hear him, “don’t play with him. Past lovers never treated him well.”
“Got it,” I whisper back. Gabe is one person I hope to never piss off, but we’ll see what happens. “Would you look at that? The sun’s going down. Thanks for the reading. I’ll take it into consideration before I fuck something else up.”
The guy just chuckles as I take Gabe’s hand and head out of The Magic Shop. I suck in deep breaths as fresh air hits my face. Incense is evil. It curls into my lungs and makes it hard to think. I’m still holding Gabe’s hand. My tail itches to wrap around him and pull him closer, but I refrain. He’s got a goofy grin on his face and I can’t help but watch him. His eyes flit across the horizon and I tip my head to look at the sky like he is.
“Oh, wow,” I let out. The sky isn’t usually so beautiful in the demon realm, though my realm has its own charm. The fleeting clouds are painted fiery orange, and pink, and purple. When I’m in the human realm, I stay inside. Inside Flutter and Fangs, to be exact. I hardly venture out, but if the sky is this beautiful at night, what’s it like during the day?
“Pretty isn’t it?” Gabe squeezes my hand. We just stand here, admiring the clouds and the colors, and I don’t itch to move.
8
GABE
I don’t knowhow long we stare into the horizon watching the clouds change colors and the sun go down, but I’m glad for the peace of it all. I never got that before when I lived with humans. Never could just… stop. Humans are always go go go, even making their hobbies a show of how much they can do. It was exhausting. But here, in Hex, I can breathe. I can enjoy my plants and not feel like I have to have the best ones to enter into a contest or anything. I don’t have to sell them anymore to keep up with life costs. There’s no hustling. I can just be Gabe.
Van’s hand is hot in mine, but doesn’t make me sweat. His tail gets restless before he does and makes me laugh when it slithers up my calf.
I cough into my free hand. “Your tail seems to have a mind of its own right now.”
“Oh. No. That’s me.” Van gives me a cheeky grin and tightens his tail before releasing me.
“It’s okay.” I squeeze his hand and he seems to relax even more.
The barest hint of music floats towards us, and I take the lead to the community garden. It’s one of my favorite places in all of Hex.
We cross the street and walk down the sidewalk past all the old houses owned by the Speller coven, with one slot noticeably empty.
“Have you ever heard a wood nymph’s song?” I ask.
The sidewalk makes way to a dirt path.
“Never even met a wood nymph,” Van says.
“You’re in for a real treat, then. Oh, and you know how The Magic Shop is bigger once you go inside? The garden is like that, too. Actually, a lot of places in Hex are like that.”
“Good to know. Flutter and Fangs just seems like a normal building.”
I shrug. “F and F is a normal building. As in, it’s not bigger on the inside, but there is magic.”
Van swallows. “Do you think Pike’s mad at me?”
