Page 41 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
“You know where I’ll be when you realize you need help, and I’ll even be the bigger brother and reassure you that I won’t turn you away.”
Damian threw a glare over his shoulder. “I don’t need your type of help, Jules.”
And he didn’t.
Once upon a time, he’d done exactly what his brother had wanted. Hell, he’d striven to be a damn demon carbon copy and all it got him was hit, hammered, and hexed.
Literally.
9
Puppy Power
Eagerly clicking that much-desired item into your online shopping cart only to find it already sold out was almost as horrific as setting up the sanctuary’s puppy cam. Rose had been at it for an hour, used three different kinds of tape and a bungee cord, and the damn thing still kept tipping over the second she released her hold.
The next attempt would be with the Gorilla Glue in her back jeans pocket, and if all else failed, she’d magically seal the damn thing to the wood beam and hope for the best.
Eager whines from below had her glancing into Bella’s birthing stall. The once-sad rescue rolled playfully in the puffy blanket mounds, licking at the squirming bundles of fur in encouragement to keep searching for the milk they sensed nearby.
When Rose arrived at the sanctuary before sunrise to help Miguel feed the pups, her offhanded comment about Bella helping puppy-sit the new additions had led to Miguel’s light bulb moment and the two of them making introductions between the six little critters and the sad pooch. Hearing the puppies’ little noises, Bella’s head had instantly popped up from where it had rested on her front legs.
And the rest—they say—was history.
Bella instantly took to the puppies, bathing them and bringing them to her bed one by one until they all assumed a feeding position.Rose cried, and not a stray, single tear. She’d sobbed profusely until she became a snot-producing mess. Miguel, the sweet man he was, didn’t say a word as he’d handed her a cloth tissue and supportively patted her back.
Two hours later and not only did the puppies have full tummies, but so did Bella, who’d eagerly gobbled up every drop of food and water in her bowls as if knowing she’d need the extra calories and energy to take care of her new charges.
Today was a day of possibilities… and maybe later, of naps.
But lack of sleep and tech issues aside, she was first determined to get the puppy cam running before Doc Grump-A-Lot made an appearance. That way she could prove to him not only that her idea would work but that it had the potential to go above and beyond their expectations.
Thinking about the sexy conundrum that was Damian—her theme for last night’s insomnia—Rose teetered on her ladder before once again finding her balance.
She’d tried everything to evict him from her head. Edie’s calming tea. Physical exercise. She’d even tried orgasming her way to freedom with the help of Mr. Wiggles… but nothing worked. At first, she’d chalked it up to the emotional high of seeing her sister Bond with her soul mate. And when she settled from that, she linked it to the way Damian had not only stood up to Valentin, but challenged him—that was where Mr. Wiggles had come into play because that had been hot.
H.O.T.
But then she narrowed the cause of her restlessness to the scene between Damian and Julius Kontos.
Hisbrother.
Once the cat hopped out of the cauldron, she’d found herself comparing them. Their eyes, both framed with thick lashes, had the same symmetrical shape with Damian’s coloration leaning more to stormy gray while Julius’s tilted heavily into a forest green. Butother than both men being tall and broad-shouldered, that’s where the similarities ended.
Known as a voracious flirt and consummate socializer, Julius charmed every room he walked into while Damian was too busy walkingoutof the room in hopes of avoiding all social interactions. The demon Council representative was hardly ever seen without a smile on his face, and on the few rare occasions Damian’s lips twitched with the threat of one, he usually pulled it back.
It was night and day.
Sunshine and Grump.
And while Rose had always gravitated to the sun’s bright rays in the past, she couldn’t help being drawn to the broody moon-glow of a certain surly vet.
All. Night. Long.
Olive’s “go for it” advice had merit, but for as long as Rose lived, she’d never heard of “getting someone out of your system” working. There was a reason why it was used as plots in so many romance novels. The trope was a treasure trove for conflict, and she wasn’t so self-assured to think she’d be the one person to make it to the other side unscathed.
Look where it got Vi.
Witch Bonded. Married.AndMated. Albeit with her soul mate, so kismet was on her side, but luck didn’t like Rose that much. Especially lately. Plus, her life was so up in the air it nearly collided with a jetliner on the daily. Choosing what to eat for lunch was difficult enough. She couldn’t fathom nailing down what she wanted in a relationship.
