Page 55 of What The Hex (The Family Spells)
Also, apparently, he’d just used me to block himself off from Abigail.
“Graceley!” she cried out in disgust, as if I were twelve instead of thirty-two. Almost thirty-three, actually. My birthday was in January; it’d be here in no time. I turned around, pressing my back against Monster. Not because I wanted to (lie), but because I was truly worried what my mother might do to him if I didn’t stand directly in front of him.
My husbands either, for that matter.
Argent and Spectre were right behind me and Caine, too, old holey jeans fixed firmly in place. I looked around for the kids but didn’t see them. Instead, I found myself face-to-face with my father, Calla, her husband, and my mother who was currently seated in a wheelchair.
It was hard to tell since she had a blanket on her legs, but it seemed like she might be … I swallowed hard. Regardless, we’d saved her life and that was what mattered.
“Magic mark, remember? Or do you truly wish to burn yourself to ash after your daughter gave up so much to save you?” Monster taunted, revealing a second magic mark on his wrist that lined up with the one he’d gotten from me. “No harm, Abigail Spells.”
Mother frowned and lifted her chin, her red hair vibrant and shiny, her disposition surly and prideful, as it’d always been. She looked as good as she ever had, proof that not only had we removed the curse, but we’d healed her, too.
At least, most of her.
I did not ask why her blanket seemed to fall more flatly against the base of the wheelchair than it would have otherwise. If Abigail wanted to talk about it, we would. Otherwise, it was her business as to whether she wanted to bring it up or not.
“Why is he still here?” Abigail demanded, turning to look at my father, Giles. He was frowning heavily, but all he did was look at me with pleading eyes. What could he possibly say? He’d seen me at my worst, rolled and drugged with Monster’s pheromones; they all had.
Fuck.
“Can you just … step into the other room for now?” I whispered over my shoulder. Monster smirked at me yet again but inclined his head and left before making a scene. The move surprised me. Argent, too. He watched the other man leave with a deep scowl on his face. Spectre was keeping his cool, as always, but Caine had been looking at Monster in such a way that I wondered if he wasn’t seeing something that I either couldn’t … or wouldn’t. “Where are my kids?” I asked cheerfully, turning back to the four people standing in my living room.
Monster must’ve let them in; I could feel his magic crawling all over the outside of my house, my property. He had caged us in here to heal, and I couldn’t figure out why. For himself? For us? For some mysterious otherworldly purpose? That was more like him; he worked on his own time and in his own way.
It would not surprise me to find out he was using me and my family for a secondary purpose.
“They’re out back with Bastet, Hayan, and that awful little black cat that belongs to the Coven Wyrmwood boy.” Abigail released a heavy sigh, as if she had something important to say but knew that the kids came first. “Go on. We’ll wait.”
With a nod, I turned and took off through the kitchen and out the open back door to the deck. I nearly collapsed in relief at seeing Bastet curled up on the lawn with all four kids around her. My mother’s familiar watched from the deck’s railing while Hex’s familiar, Connard, licked his, um, furry little balls on one of the Adirondack chairs.
Coincidentally, it was the same kind as the one Spectre and I broke while having sex on it.
Con stood up and arched his back, silhouetted like a Halloween decoration before opening his mouth in a pink yawn.
“Is the idiot not awake yet?” he huffed, and I shook my head, fighting back the tears of relief and joy at seeing the kids. They hadn’t noticed the four of us yet, standing here clustered together near the back door. “I’ll take care of that for you.”
The little black cat leapt gracefully off the chair before disappearing into the house and, though I was already sweating profusely and dreaming about my next nap, I made my way shakily over to the few small steps that led down from the deck to the lawn.
Zavier was the first to notice us, turning our way, his lavender eyes widening in surprise and excitement at the sight of us.
“Mom!” he cried out, shoving up to his feet and sprinting toward us. When he threw his arms around my legs to hug me, I nearly fell, but managed to sit down on the grass beside him instead. He crawled immediately into my lap as my husbands took up in a circle, snatching Fey and the twins into their arms.
