Page 11 of Hexual Healing
“What are you doing?”
He speared some eggs and held the fork out to me.Not to my mouth like I was a child.Just…held it.Offering.
“Take it from me,” he said.“The curse can't punish you for accepting what's freely given by someone else.”
“That's not how curses work.”
“Dragon curses work on possession and intent.You're nottakingcomfort.I'm giving it.”I eyed him suspiciously, “It’s a technicality.Just try.”
I stared at him, at the fork, and then back again, noticing the patient way he held it steady.As if he had all the time in the world.
“This is ridiculous.”
“This is breakfast.”
Gary laughed.“Oh, I like him.He's got that particular brand of stubborn that might actually survive you for more than ten minutes.”
I grumpily opened my mouth and took a bite.
There were no magical consequences, and my cheeks were on fire, so I took the fork in hand, too embarrassed to keep having him feed me like a defenseless baby.I was more than willing to accept the consequences of the curse rather than face that particular humiliation.
Our fingers brushed for half a second, and I got my wish.The curse went feral.Every light bulb in the kitchen exploded.The windows cracked.The table burst into flames.
What the hell’s up with all these fires?Sheesh.
Baz didn't even flinch.He grabbed a dish towel, smothered the flames with two efficient swipes, and drew a rune in the air that made the broken glass reverse itself, flowing back into the bulbs like water running uphill.
How is he always this prepared?
“Eat your eggs,” he said calmly.“They're getting cold.”
I ate the eggs.They were perfect.I hated them for that.
“So,” Baz said once I'd managed three bites without setting anything else on fire.“Tell me about this ex-girlfriend of yours.”
“Why?”
“Because knowing your enemy is the first rule of survival.And she became my enemy the moment you bled magic all over my land.”
The casual way he saidmy enemymade something weird happen in my chest.The curse noticed and immediately punished me by making my hair flash through several unfortunate colors before settling on an aggressive magenta mohawk.
“She's my ex, Illanya,” I said, focusing on the plate.“We were together for ten years.”
“Ten years.”He sounded genuinely surprised.“That's a long time to be with a dragon.”
“Half-dragon.Her mother was human.Powerful witch, actually.The dragon side only comes out when she's…” I paused, searching for the right word.
“Possessive?”Gary supplied helpfully.“Territorial?Completely psychotic?”
“Emotional,” I finished.“The dragon side comes out when she's emotional.”
Baz's expression didn't change, but something in his posture shifted.“And you left her?”
“She left me.Multiple times.But the final breakup was more of a sneak-out-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-go-into-witchy-WITSEC.It was…complicated.”
“It always is with dragons.”
The certainty in his voice made me look up.“You've definitely dealt with dragons before.”