The Problem With Hexes

by Lexi Ostrow

  “You’re learning from me.”

  “What?” She snapped, taking a small step back but not breaking his hold on her.

  “I’d want to be down there helping. Only, I don’t, because right now I want to be up here helping you. Whether you want to hear this or not, you’ve helped me realize not just how lonely I was, but how backward I had things. Saving a city shouldn’t come after saving myself.”

  Her cheeks heated at the words. For all the moments they’d stolen together in the past week, they’d never discussed their feelings, merely given in and accepted them.

  “This where you would quip a ‘you’re welcome,’ my way.”

  That time she did smile. “I don’t know if you approve of the change in you.”

  “I do. I wouldn’t say that a few months ago, but now, I do. I’m also more than curious about what being together without being tied to each other’s side will bring. Like, we did this in reverse. You’ll be moving out just as we’re starting.”

  The man before her used to be the last man she ever dreamed she’d be with. Overly handsome, ridiculously intelligent, and young enough to feel wrong, except that her very human dead husband was barely older.

  Yet, here she was, her body slowly heating with the need for his hands on her bare skin. Not just because he was fantastic in bed, but because she was falling in love with him. Falling in love with the stubborn determinedness that made Jonathon, Jonathon. Giving in to the quirky way he used magic for everything because he liked order and ease to move onto the harder things. Learning to crave the way he can take any situation and find the darkness in it because it meant he’d find the light to save her and everyone else.

  “It’ll just make sleepovers all the more fun.” She grinned, some fear leaving as his words rolled over her, and the desire for his touch replaced it.

  His lips captured hers – greedy and powerful – as Jonathon’s fingers turned in to grasp her ass. He groaned when Deidre moved to stand against him again. She let her hips do what they demanded, as desire flooded away fear.

  “I think you’ve found a much better way to spend our time than me staring out the damn window.” She whispered, already giving in to the need rushing through her.

  He growled, scooped her up, and moved them back to the bed with more efficiency than she ever dreamed he possessed. “You’re wearing too many clothes, he whispered, tugging the bulky sweater over her head.

  His mouth went to her breast and stars formed in her vision. Deidre didn’t understand how it did it, but Jonathon seemed to know her body better than any other man.

  “Remember what I told you?”

  She gasped as his fingers trailed over her bare stomach, hooked around her boy shorts, and tugged them off.

  “I’m making good on my promise.” Short hair tickled her stomach before he blew over her center.

  “Goddess,” Deidre gasped, her eyes falling closed at the promise of what was to come. “Jonathon!” His name tore past her lips at the first flick of his tongue against her folds. A gasp followed as her hips arched off the plush hotel bed.

  “I wonder what would happen,” he breathed against her wet center. “If I spelled something.” His tongue speared inside her then, flicked up to her swollen clit and swooped back down with an arch to the bottom.”

  Deidre couldn’t breath for the wave of pleasure that burst over her. Sucking in a lungful of air, she squeezed her eyes shut as his tongue circled around inside her. Pleasure drew every nerve ending together, making it impossible to do anything.

  She strained to pant, to say his name as he licked up and over to entire core and then drilled his tongue inside.

  He was spelling her fucking name and she was going to come undone.

  “Jon –” She broke off as he made the lowercase “d”.

  Her hips began to move, bucking against his tongue as it swooped to create the next letter in her name. White filled her vision as she strained for release. Jonathon chuckled, the laugh brushing him against her again. Release danced so close to the edge her body pulsed and tried to buck despite Jonathon holding her steady. It rang in her ears, screaming for her to drive her body down onto his wicked tongue until she exploded.

  Deidre screamed right through the final letter in her name. Her body pulsed and twitched as the most intense orgasm from foreplay in her long life rolled over her. She trembled and blew out a breath, finally opening her eyes.

  Jonathon didn’t stop the tantalizing assault on her senses until Deidre’s pleasured thrashing died down. Then he stopped, and she nearly came again just from the lack of stimulation. He dropped a kiss over her belly button.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Incredibly,” she breathed out with a small laugh. “Though now I believe it’s your turn.”

  He climbed up the bed beside her, spooning her against him. “No, this was about you. We’ll have plenty of time for you to spoil me later.”

  “Spoil you?” She giggled, surprised at how young he made her feel.

  “Exactly,” Jonathon squeezed her just a bit. “For now, let’s just lay here and you can tell me what an amazing job I did.”

  Later. She sighed and realized how tired she was for the middle of the night. Later because we’re almost free to do whatever it is wish together.

  Banging jarred Deidre awake. She launched upright, not bothering to hold the blanket against her. Jonathon bolted up beside her, jumping out of bed buck naked and grabbing his gun from the nightstand.

  Her head spun, trying to remember why she wasn’t in Jonathon’s spare room.

  Right. Hotel. Hex.

  “Dee! Jonathon! Last warning, we’re coming in.” Patrick’s familiar voice hollered through the bedroom door of the suite.

  “One moment!” Panic squeaked the words out. Though she enjoyed the view of Jonathon’s toned backside, no one else needed to see it – or the front view for that matter. The pleasantness of sleep washed away with worry.

  “Figured you weren’t decent,” laughter followed the words.

  Deidre resisted the urge to shoot fire under the door as she hung over the bed to grab her tank top.

  “Good figuring.” Jonathon snorted, tugging his pants on without looking for his boxers.

  Deidre grabbed underwear from the top drawer and slid them up her legs, using one hand to balance on the dresser, before grabbing sweats.

  Jonathon glanced back at her before taking the two steps to the door and twisting the handle.

  “You got him.”

  “No,” Ivy’s voice indicated her presence before Deidre made it out to join them in the living area.

  “Then what?”

  “The storm is done,” Deidre caught sight of the sun shining out the window. They’d spent so many hours buried under the covers, forgetting the hell outside she hadn’t noticed the sun.

  “Exactly. It’s done, and neither of you cast anything. The levee’s almost overflowed, but the city itself only took on about three feet of water. It sucks, but it can be cleaned up relatively quickly.” Elijah spoke from the kitchen, turning with a mug of coffee in his hand.

  “But you didn’t find Remy, which means you think the hex isn’t over.” Jonathon didn’t mince the words.

  The room flipped sideways for a moment as the words sunk in. It wasn’t done.

  Jonathon’s hand steadied her, and for the first time, Deidre realized how pathetic she’d become since Vexx. She didn’t use to blow over with mere lousy news. Swallowing, she went ramrod straight, determined to stop giving in to fear.

  “You got it. A guy like that – spell like that – he would have been nearby. My pack hunted for hours, through the rain and winds, with no luck. If the hex ended, we should have found him.”

  “And that means?” She hadn’t meant to bark the question.

  “It means you’re stuck trapped. He wants this to look natural, which means it’s likely timed before the end of hurricane season. That’s still nearly a month away. We just assumed he’
d somehow know when a storm came to piggy back. How in the hell could he have though? No, he’s just aiming for this time of year.” Patrick looked at the carpet when he spoke.

  Trapped. She’d been inside for barely over a day, and they might do a month? The room almost spun again, but Deidre closed her eyes and focused on rooting herself to the earth to calm her nerves.

  “Can we test this?” Jonathon moved away from her, standing near the door. “Dee?”

  She nodded. He couldn’t possibly mean endangering someone, so that meant Jonathon would walk away until they got sick… or didn’t.

  “Go ahead.” Deidre leaned against a wall and took a deep breath.

  Jonathon opened the door and revealed no less than thirty people lining the hall, both protecting the pair of them and protecting the city from the pair of them.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Deidre silently counted the steps as Jonathon moved down the plush carpet.

  Until she couldn’t as a wave of dizziness sent her knees buckling.

  “Fuck,” she groaned, swallowing back a wave of nausea.

  “Someone grab that warlock!” Patrick growled.

  Minutes might have passed before Jonathon got within a safe distance. Deidre couldn’t be sure until the last of the vomit passed her lips, and the dizziness faded as Jonathon came back in the room.

  “It’s not done,” he wiped at his mouth with his sleeve.

  “It’s not done,” she did her best not to fall apart.

  “As we thought.” Patrick sighed. “Djinn magic isn’t doing us any favors. I don’t know how the fuck Remy got this much money, but this hex is bad.”

  “About that,” Jonathon ran a hand over his head. “when we can talk safely, we have intel.”

  “God damned silencing spell.” Elijah cursed.

  Ivy took Deidre’s hand. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Honestly, before Gerard died, I wouldn’t have been this fragile. It’s time I remembered who I am.”

  Ivy gave a small smile. “Good, then brace yourself.”

  “I don’t like that.” Deidre sat on the sofa.

  “The hotel doesn’t have to lend us this room. So we’re paying for it. Only, the Council can’t keep paying for it for three weeks.” Patrick spoke.

  “So,” Ivy jumped in, cutting Patrick off. “Would either of you volunteer to let a few of us clear out all magical items from your house, cast a few dampening spells, and escort you home?”

  The chuckle started small, bubbled up in her gut, and rushed out in a matter of seconds. Deidre couldn’t see as her eyes squinted. She heard someone say something, but the sound grew muddled in her amusement. Squeaks and grunts slipped out as Deidre fought to chill, or even just to shut up. Tears blurred her vision as Deidre gasped for air, damn near braying like a donkey to suck in oxygen.

  Seconds passed into minutes before she calmed herself down. Deidre’s cheeks stayed wet with tears as she sucked in lungful after lungful of air until she could open her eyes.

  “Sorry.”

  “That’s a fairly common reaction to stress and trauma,” Ivy smirked. “I could have helped, but it was kind of adorable.”

  “Ha, ha, laugh at my expense.”

  She grinned. “I will.” Ivy cleared her throat. “But seriously, it would help the Council if we could watch you in your own homes. Well, home. The less moving the better.”

  “I’d love to go home. My house?” She hoped Jonathon couldn’t hear the begging in her tone. After a summer away, she longed for her bed and the comfort of being at home.

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, then,” Elijah took a sip. “Ivy’s got a key. We’ll be back to get you when it’s clear.”

  “When it’s clear,” an exasperated sigh parted Deidre’s lips. “I hope that time comes soon.”

  Twenty

  Three weeks. Jonathon snarled as he rolled the dice. They slammed into the tabletop, and both bounced aggressively against the floor.

  “Whoa there,” Sam bent to grab them. “You good?”

  “Sure, I’m good.” Jonathon moved the stupid metal top hat five spaces. “It’s been three weeks since we found out we didn’t stop the coming New Orleans apocalypse, and I’m sitting here playing Monopoly like we’re on a fucking date night.”

  Lita cleared her throat. “We are on a date night.”

  Six months ago, Jonathon wouldn’t feel guilty for snapping at anyone in a room except Lannow. Now he had friends. Ties. Bonds. And you’re a dick.

  “I’m sorry, Deidre.” Lifting her hand, Jonathon placed a kiss on the back of it before twisting his finger to bring the tiny figure back to the table. Only, it didn’t because he couldn’t cast right now. Grumbling, he scooped it up and dropped it on Park Place.

  “It’s fine. Stress isn’t pretty.”

  Lita cleared her throat and narrowed her usually friendly eyes. “Excuse me.”

  Jonathon chuckled. “Sorry, Lita. I’m on edge.” What he didn’t add was that Lita being back didn’t help his nerves. She should have stayed away, safe, without the need to send her hauling off with a transport potion if the hex did come again.

  “Monopoly isn’t the best for people already ready to jump,” Elijah smirked and rolled the dice gently on the table.

  “Not when your wife mops the floor with the rest of Ivy.” Jonathon agreed.

  “It’s not my fault I’m a naturally gifted roller and a brilliant businessman.” Ivy beamed.

  Lita snorted. “Says the only person in this room who hasn’t worked a real job a day in her life.”

  “I resent that,” Ivy glared at Elijah. “No defense?”

  “Not a shot in hell. I’m smarter than to piss you off, but I won’t sugar coat a damn thing.”

  Laughter broke out. The tension eating away at Jonathon minute after minute didn’t vanish, it just did so a little slower.

  “Really, though, we do get it.” Sam took the dice from Elijah. “What you guys are going through – there’s nothing quite like it. I get being sidelined. Some of you tried to do it to me last fall.”

  “Goddess, last fall, because it’s a year already.” Lita shivered.

  Deidre tensed beside Jonathon.

  They quickly approached the date of her late husband’s murder. Two days from now. He didn’t know what to do. Did someone get a person flowers? Did they make a nice dinner reservation? Maybe he needed to ignore it all together. With the hex still in play, he couldn’t very well stop her from what she needed to do. Note to self. Talk soon.

  “I just can’t understand where he went. And his uncle’s congregation vanished. Six hundred and twelve people – mostly weregators – gone without a trace.” Elijah’s growl was noticeable. “I should be able to find them, damn it.”

  “Your nose is only as good as the scents the gators put off.” Lita put her hand over her stomach and winced slightly. “Like my belly is only as strong as these damn kicks.”

  “The entire state has been turned upside down. Mississippi has alerts. Biloxi and Gulfport even let us check every single square foot. Whatever they did, they’re not in human form doing it.” Jonathon blew out a breath through his nose.

  He knew Remy would be close enough to watch the storm, maybe even swim around in it. That’s what serial killers did. Mass murders were a bit different, but many went in suicidal. Remy wasn’t. He had a loving wife and kid, a few siblings, and an entire were nation behind him. Plus, if depression took hold of such a man, he wouldn’t make his actions a secret.

  Remy would want to watch simply to ensure it worked, and the people he deemed dangerous died.

  Thankfully, Jonathon didn’t need to articulate any of that. The NOPD’s profilers all agreed and didn’t need his knowledge.

  So, where the fuck is Remy?

  “He’s going to want to watch New Orleans drown. Maybe we can chat with the Council and get you guys some leeway and freedom for a little each day.” Ivy chewed her lower lip, her green eyes sparked with worry.


  “No, we can’t risk that,” Patrick called through the open window.

  “Good god, man!” Sam hissed. “Are you supposed to be lurking?”

  “I’m not lurking. I’m standing at my damn post listening to you lot. Don’t think I can’t smell the red beans and rice.”

  Deidre chuckled. “I swear I made enough for everyone.”

  “You did, but I finished mine, and now I have to keep smelling the leftovers,” Patrick grumbled.

  “He’s getting a bit whiney, isn’t he?” Jonathon rose and walked to the window. “Shame if someone emptied some water out the window.”

  “Don’t you dare, Jonathon. Or my offer is gone.”

  Not like I was going to take it. “Touché. I’ll go back to playing and making you wish you were in here instead of doing the honorable thing out there.” Jonathon sat back down on the folding chair and ran his hands over his knees. “Okay Ivy, if I’m stuck waiting, and without magic thanks to this adorable anklet, it’s time to put you in your place.”

  The timeline ticked down. Remy knew the hex had mere days before the final cycle.

  “And you’re stuck up here.”

  “What’s that, nephew?” His uncle lifted a busy brown and damn near hiccuped from behind his small keg of moonshine.

  “I didn’t expect the cops to figure shit out.”

  “Well, that’s what you get when you’ve got disloyal congregation members because you move forward with a terrible idea.”

  Remy’s eyebrows knit together. “Three weeks ago, you thought it was brilliant.”

  “Oh, don’t get yourself in a bother. It’s brilliant and expensive and not something you tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry about. You should’ve used your funds with the discretion of the board, not every gator.”

  In hindsight, Remy couldn’t disagree with his Uncle Louis. An outlier sold them out. He’d gotten the call while getting ready to head back down from Baton Rouge to wait out the rest of the time. Instead, he’d been stuck in Shreveport with his uncle’s congregation under a cloaking spell.