Page 11
Story: Petty AF
I knew plenty of people who felt the same way about him as River did, but no one dared to call him out to his face for fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, my date had learned the hard way whatthe rest of us already knew. And all because he had refused to be treated like a second-class citizen at a party he had been invited to.
The hex itself wouldn’t hurt him physically, but it did have the potential for some nasty consequences if River mouthed off to the wrong person. We all had unkind thoughts from time to time, especially when provoked. We just had the good sense and common decency not to say them out loud.
River, for the foreseeable future, no longer had that safeguard.
Worse, the enchantment didn’t really seem to accomplish anything. It had been cast purely out of spite and pettiness.
Sadly, I didn’t know how to help him. I couldn’t force Joss to reverse the spell, and while decking him in the face might makemefeel better, it wouldn’t change what had happened.
Staying wouldn’t accomplish anything either. River couldn’t talk his way out of this, and as devastating as the curse had to be for him, it could have been worse. I had seen firsthand the kind of power the warlock wielded, and by his standards, this had beenlenient.
That worried me because mercy only lasted for so long.
Then River had flipped the switch from unfiltered snark to true anger, and I had sensed the change, the subtle but undeniable shift in the atmosphere.
I hadn’t paused to think or consider my options. I had simply reacted.
With my arm still locked around his waist, I’d turned him toward me and palmed the back of his neck as I’d covered his mouth with my own. It had been a means to an end, a tool to both silence and distract. In that moment, I had only wanted to prevent him from damning himself further.
I hadn’t been prepared for what came next.
Our lips met, rough and demanding, cutting off his diatribe while also opening another line of communication. One thatcouldn’t be expressed with words or even actions. The kind that went deeper and defied logic, an instinctual give and take that happened without deliberate thought.
There was no realization, no slow dawning of understanding. The moment I kissed him, I justknew.
My heart stuttered, then hammered against my ribs. Every muscle tensed, and the hair on my arms stood on end as currents raced across my skin.
I felt the slight twinge as my eyes shifted, bringing the room into sharper focus with brighter, more vibrant colors. That sweet scent with just a touch of tartness grew stronger, drowning out everything else.
The din faded, the thrum of music and conversation becoming muted. Yet I could hear the frantic beating of River’s pulse, the soft whoosh of every inhale. My entire world narrowed, focused, erasing everything else until only River remained.
Mine.
The word whispered in the back of my mind on a constant loop, growing louder and more insistent with every repetition. I welcomed it, embraced it, and with that acceptance came a kind of freedom that rendered everything else unimportant.
I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when my instincts had shifted from protective to possessive, but I could no longer feign ignorance. He belonged to me, just as I belonged to him.
At the same time, I could feel the weight of the room pressing in, the muted chaos surging at the edges of my awareness. My senses swelled and receded in waves, making it hard to focus, but I forced myself to pull away.
As I took deep, steadying breaths, trying to regain some semblance of control, I caught the flicker of longing in River’s gaze. It was fleeting, gone as quickly as it had appeared, but it gave me a measure of hope.
“I—” he started, but his voice cracked, and he looked away, his shoulders tense and rounded.
“Don’t say anything,” I warned, but I didn’t let him retreat.
Instead, I softened my grip on his waist and neck in silent reassurance. Yes, I understood, and yes, we needed to talk about what had just happened. Given our current predicament, however, this was neither the time nor the place for that discussion.
River caught his bottom lip between his teeth and dipped his head.
“We need to leave.” My gaze briefly slid to Joss. “Now.”
Again, River nodded, and he seemed to be making a huge effort to keep his focus solely on me. He turned, deliberately angling away from the warlock, and though he didn’t meet my gaze, he kept his eyes trained somewhere near my collarbones.
As I led him through the crowd and out of the ballroom, he kept his head down, his long hair falling around his face to create an additional barrier between him and everyone else. Hushed murmurs and curious glances followed us through the room, but thankfully, no one tried to stop us.
“Ugh!” River shouted when we reached the lobby, the guttural sound bursting from him like an explosion. “I hate him.” Jerking away from me, he punched and kicked at the air, releasing his pent-up frustration. “I want to mash his stupid smug face!”
For all his bravado, however, I could see the cracks in his armor, the tension in the lines of his face that made his mask of indignation imperfect. Fear bubbled just beneath the surface, hidden behind righteous anger, but he wouldn’t be able to suppress it forever.
The hex itself wouldn’t hurt him physically, but it did have the potential for some nasty consequences if River mouthed off to the wrong person. We all had unkind thoughts from time to time, especially when provoked. We just had the good sense and common decency not to say them out loud.
River, for the foreseeable future, no longer had that safeguard.
Worse, the enchantment didn’t really seem to accomplish anything. It had been cast purely out of spite and pettiness.
Sadly, I didn’t know how to help him. I couldn’t force Joss to reverse the spell, and while decking him in the face might makemefeel better, it wouldn’t change what had happened.
Staying wouldn’t accomplish anything either. River couldn’t talk his way out of this, and as devastating as the curse had to be for him, it could have been worse. I had seen firsthand the kind of power the warlock wielded, and by his standards, this had beenlenient.
That worried me because mercy only lasted for so long.
Then River had flipped the switch from unfiltered snark to true anger, and I had sensed the change, the subtle but undeniable shift in the atmosphere.
I hadn’t paused to think or consider my options. I had simply reacted.
With my arm still locked around his waist, I’d turned him toward me and palmed the back of his neck as I’d covered his mouth with my own. It had been a means to an end, a tool to both silence and distract. In that moment, I had only wanted to prevent him from damning himself further.
I hadn’t been prepared for what came next.
Our lips met, rough and demanding, cutting off his diatribe while also opening another line of communication. One thatcouldn’t be expressed with words or even actions. The kind that went deeper and defied logic, an instinctual give and take that happened without deliberate thought.
There was no realization, no slow dawning of understanding. The moment I kissed him, I justknew.
My heart stuttered, then hammered against my ribs. Every muscle tensed, and the hair on my arms stood on end as currents raced across my skin.
I felt the slight twinge as my eyes shifted, bringing the room into sharper focus with brighter, more vibrant colors. That sweet scent with just a touch of tartness grew stronger, drowning out everything else.
The din faded, the thrum of music and conversation becoming muted. Yet I could hear the frantic beating of River’s pulse, the soft whoosh of every inhale. My entire world narrowed, focused, erasing everything else until only River remained.
Mine.
The word whispered in the back of my mind on a constant loop, growing louder and more insistent with every repetition. I welcomed it, embraced it, and with that acceptance came a kind of freedom that rendered everything else unimportant.
I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when my instincts had shifted from protective to possessive, but I could no longer feign ignorance. He belonged to me, just as I belonged to him.
At the same time, I could feel the weight of the room pressing in, the muted chaos surging at the edges of my awareness. My senses swelled and receded in waves, making it hard to focus, but I forced myself to pull away.
As I took deep, steadying breaths, trying to regain some semblance of control, I caught the flicker of longing in River’s gaze. It was fleeting, gone as quickly as it had appeared, but it gave me a measure of hope.
“I—” he started, but his voice cracked, and he looked away, his shoulders tense and rounded.
“Don’t say anything,” I warned, but I didn’t let him retreat.
Instead, I softened my grip on his waist and neck in silent reassurance. Yes, I understood, and yes, we needed to talk about what had just happened. Given our current predicament, however, this was neither the time nor the place for that discussion.
River caught his bottom lip between his teeth and dipped his head.
“We need to leave.” My gaze briefly slid to Joss. “Now.”
Again, River nodded, and he seemed to be making a huge effort to keep his focus solely on me. He turned, deliberately angling away from the warlock, and though he didn’t meet my gaze, he kept his eyes trained somewhere near my collarbones.
As I led him through the crowd and out of the ballroom, he kept his head down, his long hair falling around his face to create an additional barrier between him and everyone else. Hushed murmurs and curious glances followed us through the room, but thankfully, no one tried to stop us.
“Ugh!” River shouted when we reached the lobby, the guttural sound bursting from him like an explosion. “I hate him.” Jerking away from me, he punched and kicked at the air, releasing his pent-up frustration. “I want to mash his stupid smug face!”
For all his bravado, however, I could see the cracks in his armor, the tension in the lines of his face that made his mask of indignation imperfect. Fear bubbled just beneath the surface, hidden behind righteous anger, but he wouldn’t be able to suppress it forever.