Page 24 of Hexual Healing
Illanya's eyes narrowed.“You gave the building separation anxiety?”
“I gave it opinions.The anxiety was already there…or it’s feeding off mine.”
She took a deep breath.I could almost see her counting to ten in her head.It was an old trick from when we were together.She'd count to ten before saying something she'd regret.Usually, she only made it to three.
She made it to seven this time.Maybe people could change.
“Here's what's going to happen,” she said, and each word had sharp, hard, pointy edges.“You're going to remove that ridiculous mate mark, gather your things, and come with me.Now.”
“No.”
“That wasn't a request.”
“Still no.”
She smiled, and I remembered why I'd fallen for her in the first place.Seeing Illanya smile was like watching a forest fire.She was beautiful, mesmerizing, and oh, so destructive.
“Let me rephrase,” she said.“You're going to come with me, or I'm going to burn down this entire town.Every building.Every tree.Every ridiculously named establishment in this ‘Assjacket’ place,” she said, using air quotes and loads of sarcasm when she said the town’s name, “could be ash by morning.”
“You wouldn't.”
“Wouldn't I?”She held up one hand, pursed her lips, and blew a thin strand of magic until a flame danced between her fingers.Not regular, old, basic-bitch orange fire.This was your standard-issue dragon fire.The kind that burned magic itself.“How many people live here, Tansy?Fifty?A hundred?How many of them can survive dragon fire?”
Baz growled and took a step forward, but I caught his arm.The contact sent the telltale sparks racing over both of us, and Illanya's eyes tracked every single one.
“Cute,” she said.“The bear thinks he can protect you.Tell me,bear, have you ever seen what dragon fire does to fur?It doesn't just burn.It consumes.Every hair follicle becomes a wick.You'd be a living candle for about thirty seconds before?—”
I cut her off.“Stop,” I said softly, with pleading in my voice.
She tilted her head.“Hit a nerve, little spark?You always were too soft.It's one of the many things I loved about you, Tansy.”
“You know we haven’t been together inyears, right?You were dating a whole-ass other guy all of five minutes ago.”
Her calm cracked slightly.“We were on a break.”
“As I said before, the last break we were on was because you set my apartment on fire!”
“And as I said before, it was an accident!”
“Which time?”
“All of them!”
We stood there glaring at each other, and for a moment, it felt like old times.Like any second, she'd throw something at my head, and I'd hex her coffee to taste like orange Fanta, which she utterly despised, and we'd end up having angry sex against a wall.
She’d kiss me like she wanted to win, shove me up against the wall like a grudge she hadn’t finished chewing, and I’d happily let her savor every bite, because I was just as mad and twice as horny.Yeah, we were toxic.
The curse apparently had the same thought, because it chose that moment to flare so hot, I gasped.
“Still hurts, doesn't it?”Illanya said, with a hint of empathy.“The curse.It's eating you alive, little spark.I can see it under your skin, burning through your magic one day at a time.”
“I'm fine.”
“You're dying.”She stepped closer, and the house tried to stop her, boards rising like a barrier.She avoided them without even looking.“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.The curse will consume you andhim, unless you come back to me.”
“Or unless I figure out a way to break it,” I snarled through clenched teeth.
She laughed, and I was taken by surprise.It wasn’t her cruel laugh, but the genuine one I remembered from better times.She was amused when she replied.