Page 118 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
And question.
And… damn it. That ache in the center of his chest flared back to life. It had appeared a few days ago and came and went with norhyme, reason, or explanation, and each time it returned, it stole more and more of his ability to take a deep breath.
He fought through it, tossing the last feed bag onto the growing stack in the outer barn’s storeroom, already having mentally moved on to the next task.
He locked up and turned toward the main building. An engine rumbled in the distance, and headlights, a good fifty yards away, bounced down the gravel lane at a fast clip. Instincts put him on alert for an emergency case, but when the car pulled to a stop, he recognized Julius’s shiny Audi and headed straight into the clinic.
“I know you saw me, Damian,” Julius hollered. His car door slammed shut, and his footsteps followed.
“Whatever brought you here can take you right back out. I’m busy.” He opened his med fridge and inventoried the antibiotics.
“Busy in the middle of the night?”
“I’m busy day and night. Even if I’m sitting and twiddling my damn thumbs, I’m busy. Especially when it comes to anything you say or do. Don’t let the barn door hit your ass on the way out.”
Julius sighed and did the opposite, walking around the small treatment room, his hands touching everything left out on the counters. “Oh, there will be ass-hitting, but it’ll be me kicking yours once you take your head out of it. Wouldn’t want to give you a concussion to go along with your stupidity ailment.”
Damian slammed the fridge shut and whirled on his brother. “Don’t you have someone else to annoy?”
The bastard smirked. “At the present moment? No. Don’t you feel lucky?”
“Go find one because I have shit to do and—”
“More mistakes to make? Because honestly, I don’t know if you could possibly make one bigger than you did earlier tonight.”
Damian pushed past his brother, ignoring another soul-sucking flare of pain. “I’m not talking about Rose, least of all with you.”
“Considering the pretty witch and her Supernatural ScoobySquad would love nothing more than to clip your demon tail and shave off a few scales, I’m your only option.”
“You’re not an option. You’re a thorn in my side. Don’t you have Council duties to fulfill, or are you still working the old Julius Kontos way of employment: look busy but let those around you do all the work.”
“That was a long time ago, Damian.” Julius followed him as he made unnecessary checks on all the animals. “In case you don’t remember, we both acted like dumb shits back then.”
“You were extra dumb and loads shittier,” Damian muttered.
“You’re right. I was… and I’m sorry about that.”
Damian paused, turning around. “Did I stumble through an upside-down world or something? Julius Kontos doesn’t do apologies. Isn’t that what you’ve always said?”
Jules shot him a sardonic look. “Turning over a new horn isn’t easy, but I’m trying. As I’m sure you know, it’s easier falling back on old habits than it is to make new ones.”
“You mean like when you baited me into taking your Hunt assignments growing up? Or when you bribed me into dragging Rose into it?”
“Like I said… old habits. But you can’t fault me for my own when you’re obviously still letting yours dictate your life.”
Damian reached the stairs to the loft and stopped, making it clear his brother wasn’t invited upstairs. “I’m not taking life advice from someone who’s made it his own personal goal to dupe everyone around him into thinking he’s something he’s not. You strut around in your expensive suits and drive your fancy cars, but I know for a fact you prefer vintage heavy metal T-shirts and that rusty-ass pickup you used to throw all your money into.”
“Ruby?” A nostalgic glint twinkled in his eyes. “I still have her. She’s in the garage with the rest of my collection.”
“And when was the last time you took Ruby out for a night drive?”
“Ruby wouldn’t pass a basic inspection and would get me arrestedfor single-handedly evaporating the ozone layer the second her engine turned over. And yeah, you’re not entirely wrong. There’s always a certain amount of theatrics within Supernatural society. But we’re not talking about me here, Dam. We’re talking about you and what the hell was going through your head when you sent Rose Maxwell packing. Do you have your eye on the Miserable Man of the Year award?”
Hearing her name fall from his brother’s lips was like a scythe to the damn chest all over again. His fingers clenched on the banister, the wood cracking.
Julius continued, “We both know that was a huge fucking mistake.”
“I don’t know anything of the kind,” Damian lied. “As for that award, I’m not a man, remember? At least not all man… which is what someone like Rose expects. Hell, it’s what she deserves.”
