Page 94 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
Harper shook her head. “Grumble? Yes. Mutter? Yep. Scowl disapprovingly? You betcha. But laugh? Nope.” She turned to Rose. “Did you spell him? You did, didn’t you? Come on, you can tell me. I won’t turn you in to the authorities.”
Rose lifted her hands in mock surrender. “No spellcasting here. His laugh is Magic-free… at least from this witch.”
“I call bullshit. It’s either a spell or divine intervention.”
Gage glowered at the succubus. “Will you ever stop busting my chops?”
“Sure. When someone comes along who can do it better. I put an ad in theSupernatural Gazette,so… fingers crossed.”
Rose’s watch beeped, signaling the end of her shift. “Wow. Time flies when you’re dodging dragon fire. Gage, do you need me to stay or…”
“Nah. Go. Harp and I can deal with the stragglers. It’s winding down.”
No need to tell her twice.
It had been days since she’d laid eyes on Damian where therewasn’t a furry critter either crawling over them or wedging themselves between them. And despite the fact she loved seeing Bella’s and the puppies’ daily progress, she really needed some one-on-one time with their somewhat cantankerous caretaker.
Her fingers itched to make the long-awaited booty call the second she stepped outside.
Harper stuck her head into the break room just as she’d slid into her coat. “Oh, good. You haven’t left yet.”
Rose groaned. Damn it. She should’ve moved faster…freakin’ heel blisters. “Gage changed his mind about me leaving?”
“What? Oh, honey, no. A sexy-as-hell demon is up front asking for you. Whatever he asks of you, do it. He’s dripping lust pheromones as if he high-dived into an Olympic swimming pool filled with the stuff. If you don’t make an appearance soon, I’m gonna have myself a midshift snack.” Harper winked and disappeared back to the main room.
A wave of excitement washed over her as she thought about Damian. Guess she wasn’t the only one who’d thought about making that FB call. He’d just decided to do his in person.
She hightailed it out to the front bar, a grin already on her face, but he wasn’t the demon waiting for her.
Julius Kontos leaned against the edge of the counter, a woman at each side in heavy flirt mode. Unlike other times she’d seen him, he didn’t seem invested. He stood politely and listened to what they said, occasionally giving them a nod or a smile, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
On anyone else, it might have been cause for alarm.
On Julius, who almost always seemed to find amusement in everything, it was cause for panic.
His gaze met hers, and after saying something to his admirers, he met her by the front door.
“Hey, Julius. Is everything okay?” Rose asked, concerned.
“Have you any idea where my wayward brother may be?”
Not what she’d expected him to ask. “My guess would be at the sanctuary like he is on most nights. Is everything okay?”
“Not in the least… and he’s not answering. Not at the sanctuary, and not his cell. And before you ask, I also had a third party ring him, knowing the high likelihood of him not answering my call.”
Rose tugged her cell from her pocket and dialed. It rang twice before his voice mail picked up. She hung up and tried the sanctuary, getting the same result, and then she tried both a second time.
“I’m sorry,” Rose apologized. “If I hear from him, I’ll let him know you need to speak with him. Is there something I can do?”
“No. No, this requires a…” He looked at her, desperation straining the corners of his eyes. “What the hell. I’m desperate.”
“Way to make a witch feel special, Julius.”
“I don’t have the luxury to guard feelings, Rose. There’s not enough time to go through the proper channels to find someone adept to handle the situation.”
“I’m still waiting to hear what situation you’re talking about.”
“Remember the Gryndor brothers you and Damian very efficiently brought in? It turns out their Mate is demanding their release… or else.”
