Page 117 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
“Youdon’t. You probably think I was sweet-talking you to get my way, and yeah, there was a bit of that happening, but youareincredible at it, Rose,” Julius admitted. “Honestly, I don’t know why we haven’t brought more witches into the program, but if you want a spot, it’s yours.”
She tried—and failed—to see any kind of motive behind his words. “Are you forgetting the Times Square debacle with a certain lovelorn she-demon?”
He waved it off. “That was my fault. Hunting isn’t something you can just fall into, and if you are serious about giving it a go, I’ll make it happen. I already have the perfect trainer in mind… and before you ask, it’s not my—”
She shot him a warning glare.
“Him,” Julius finished, refraining from saying Damian’s name.
Sitting next to her, Olive reached for one of the unopened ice creams. “Sowhycan’t you take the job with Sparks of Hope? I mean, if it’s something you really want to do.”
Everyone looked at the youngest Maxwell triplet.
“She hexed Damian. I get it. Bad, bad witch. But she didn’t hexyou. Her company has done amazing work all over the world. Imaginewhat you could accomplish if the two of you put your magical brains together.”
“I… I couldn’t do that.”
“But why?” Olive pushed.
From anyone else, Rose would’ve thought the person emotionally stunted, or cruel and uncaring. Knowing Olive was neither of those things meant her sister had an underlying motive for the line of questioning. She sat patiently, waiting for Rose to figure it out on her own.
And she did.
She couldn’t work with the woman who hexed away Damian’s happily ever after because Rose wanted tobehis happily ever after.
Despite not looking for love, love had found her in the unlikeliest of places… in a broody, grumpy, ill-tempered half-demon former-Hunter-turned-veterinarian.
Sometimes karma—the snide bitch—had a wicked sense of humor. It made certain that Operation Equine Freedom had ended with a trip to the police station, and that Representative Ramón sentenced Rose to community service hours at the sanctuary where she’d witnessed the heart beneath Damian’s tough exterior as he treated the animals in his care.
She’d never had a chance not to fall in love with him.
“I love him.” The realization stole her ability to stand, and she dropped onto the floor in a puddle of emotions. “I’minlove with him, a man who irritates me so much I don’t know whether to rip off his mouth with a tweezers or rip off all his clothes with my teeth.”
Harper nodded, as if knowing her predicament. “Personally, I’d choose nakedness, but that’s me.”
“Do you know what makes this worse? None of it matters. We could be soul mates, and it wouldn’t change a thing because of that freaking hex.”
Bax leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. “That is a bummer, but look on the bright side. He hasn’t lost hissoul, which means while it sucks for you—having already done the falling in love part—he’s in the clear. No feelings? Soul intact. Everybody wins.”
Being glad Damian’s soul remained intact didn’t make Bax’s words hurt any less. In fact, a serrated dagger to the heart would’ve hurt less than this pain. Although he chose not to use it, Damiandidstill have his heart, which meant her feelings weren’t reciprocated.
Bax, about to take his first bite of ice cream, found himself with empty hands as Olive stole his pint. “Hey! You already have one of your own!”
“You don’t deserve this.” She drilled him with a hard glare.
He immediately backed off, hands in the air. “All yours. Jeez. Just putting a positive spin on the situation.”
“Next time, don’t. Don’t spin. Don’t weave. Just… don’t.”
Dropping onto her back, Rose stared at the ceiling. She appreciated everyone’s attempts to boost her spirits, but the truth was that there was no way to spin this that didn’t suck broomsticks for someone, and that someone was her.
It was as plain as the vodka ice cream now churning like a rock in her stomach.
While she’d fallen head over heels in love with Damian Adams, she’d done the falling alone. Love really is a lonely road.
One in the morning had come and gone, and Damian had no plans on hitting the pause button on his massive to-do list anytime soon. Idle time meant time to think.
And dwell.
