Page 119 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
“She deserves to be pissed off to the point of melting plastic with her pretty little magical hands? Because that’s what I witnessed when I took her over to her sister’s place.”
Another jab to the chest, this one momentarily stealing his ability to take a breath.
“She’s pissed? Good. Then sooner or later, she’ll realize it was for the best.” Damian headed up the stairs.
“The best for who?” Julius shouted up.
“For both of us!”
“Liar,” Julius called as Damian reached his apartment door. “You won’t Hunt because it’s easier to blame your demon for fucking things up than it is to admit that it’s not the demon that’s the problem.”
“Itisthe problem. If it weren’t for that bastard’s love of the job, Callie never would’ve—”
“What? Hexed you? Newsflash, brother, you were a sixteen-year-old shithead whether you embraced your demon side or you didn’t. But the key ingredient there issixteen-year-old. You were a damnkid, Damian. Kids screw up. They learn. Except—it seems—for you, because you’re standing here making a nearly identical mistake as a thirty-four-year-old.”
“I’m not making the same mistake. In fact, breaking things off with Rose is—”
“What most people call a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom,” Julius retaliated. “You’re blaming your inner hellion for why you can’t have a future with her, when in reality it’s your human self that’s sabotaging it all. Hex be damned.”
Damian growled, hating that his brother’s words began penetrating their way into his head.
“You deserve to be fucking happy, D. You and Rose both. If you didn’t think it was possible, then you wouldn’t be using it as an excuse to duck your head in the sand. You wouldn’t be fighting so hard to protect that dusty-ass heart and soul.”
“If I wasn’t fighting against something, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself,” Damian admitted.
Julius went silent, the first time for as long as Damian knew him. Hell, he didn’t know his brother was capable, so he used it to his advantage.
“You didn’t have to fight for a damn thing in your life, Jules,” he admitted without the least bit of animosity. “You didn’t have to constantly prove yourself to Ezeil when we were out in the field. Anything you did was always enough. I—on the other hand—to be worthy of even a second of his time, had to train harder. Be quicker. I needed tobethe Scourge of the Underworld and literally fight my way through the ranks, and it still wasn’t good enough for the old man. I had to fight my way through every damn inch of life.”
“And I’m sorry about that, Damian. I am,” Julius said truthfully. “But you’re not fighting now. As a matter of fact, you’re doing the exact opposite. You’re giving up the best thing that could happen to anyone. Ever.”
Not saying another word, his brother turned and walked out the way he’d come, leaving Damian standing by his apartment door… and realizing his words made more sense than not.
Hurting Rose was the last thing Damian wanted to do, but he couldn’t see another way. If she was angry at him, she’d keep her distance, and while it sucked right now, time would ease them back to their regularly scheduled lives.
Him being an antisocial grump…
Her being a happy social butterfly…
And both of them without the other…
26
Red Bull Cures All
Rose paced the length of her grandmother’s cottage, a stack of magical quiz cards in her hands. As soon as a question flew from her mouth, she began the invisible timer, and when it ran out, she flicked her wrist, an obnoxious buzz filling the room.
“Hey!” Vi shot her a glare from the couch. “I was about to answer that one!”
“So what’s the answer?” She shot her sister a daring look and waited. “What’s the final ingredient in an Energy Rejuvenation Potion? Thyme? Witch hazel? Or—”
“Red Bull!” Vi grinned wide.
“Lavender, Violet.Lavender.”
“I like my answer better. Goddess knows I could go for a Red Bull right about now. How long have we been at this?”
“Barely two hours.”
