Page 16 of Never Nix Up (The Arun Nixes #2)

16

Finn

V i is the first customer of the day, and she brings with her a large bottle of the disgusting tasting potion that she made me try yesterday.

“I’m not touching that stuff,” I protest, but she pours a smidgeon into a cup of tea, and its distinctly better than I remember.

“That bottle’s for you,” she says. “I’d recommend having some in your tea each morning. It’s not cumulative, so it’ll only last for a day. Once you’re close to running out, let me know and I’ll brew you some more.”

“But I don’t really care who’s a nix and who isn’t.” And I really don’t. I guess that it’s useful enough to know, in case Hazel gets ill or something, and it does help explain some of the stuff with how her day job works, but in my day to day life? Useless.

A gaggle of schoolkids come in, all calling out orders and Vi waits patiently whilst I serve them. And then a bit more patiently whilst the commuters have their rush. And then for the yummy mummies to leave after that. It’s busier than usual, and I can’t help but notice flashes of scales in amongst all the different groups of people.

When the door finally closes and we have the place to ourselves, she says, “See?”

“Not really,” I confess, and start prepping the next batch of focaccia.

“Wyrten Bridge is a mix of humans and fae, and for the most part, that’s fine. Most of the fae don’t have any interest in mixing with humans, and that’s probably for the best. But you’re not just any human. You’re dating the acolyte of the Goddess.”

“Sleeping with,” I mutter. Vi raises an eyebrow. “Only because we haven’t had the dating conversation yet, and I suppose for this it amounts to the same thing.”

“Pretty much.” She leans over the counter, a feat indeed, considering her diminutive height. “but some of them hate us. And Hazel’s family? They’re some of the ones who hate us. I’m not saying you have to know who’s who, I’m just saying that if a whole group of them enter at once, it won’t hurt to have a heads up.”

She leaves the bottle on the counter, just as Kit walks into the bakery. I grab their bag of bread, and go to hand it over to them when they stop me. “The bread can wait a minute.” She nods at Vi, and waits. Vi takes the hint, waves at me, and heads out.

“Kit, what can I do for you?”

She peers at the label on the bottle, and then nods. “So you know too?”

I smile awkwardly. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“And you’re seeing Hazel.”

“How did you?—”

“You kissed her by the river, Finn. This is a village full of fucking river demons. Even if it doesn’t seem like anyone’s walking about, there’s usually at least someone in the river itself.”

Ah. I don’t think either of us had thought of that. I don’t think either of us had wanted to, considering how horny we’d both been.

“Okay,” I admit. “I’m seeing Hazel.”

“Hazel’s sweet enough,” says Kit. “I don’t always like the company she keeps?—”

“You mean the Goddess?”

“For fuck’s sake.” She runs her hand through short hair and shoves her hands in her pockets. “Your Riverside lot just don’t know how to keep their mouths shut. Yes, I don’t like the fact that she works with… Her . Gods are capricious and untrustworthy, and cause more trouble than they’re worth. We’d have all been better off if they’d stayed behind the Veil.”

There’s not much I can say to that, especially as I don’t entirely know whether I agree or disagree. The relationship between Trisantona and Hazel seems far more complicated than I can entirely understand.

“But it’s not Her who’s your biggest problem. It’s Hazel’s parents. They’re not good people, and they’re especially not good people to you. I know you’ve got the Goddess’ protection?—”

“You do?”

“Yeah, it’s shining on your forehead like a huge Godstouched mortal here sign tattooed across your face, but that won’t necessarily stop them from coming for you.” She sees the look on my face and stops. “Look, I’m not saying that they will, but you’ve got to be aware of the dangers. Don’t go near the river without a nix, and even then, I’d be careful.”

“Hazel mentioned about the drownings. She keeps dreaming of them.”

Kit goes white. “I didn’t know that.”

I prod the focaccia one last time, and then put the loaf on a tray to go into the oven. “Me neither. I think it’s something to do with working for Her .” Now Kit had me avoiding her name. “When She dreams, Hazel does too, and it’s mainly the deaths in the river.”

“Has she recognised anyone?” I look up sharply, because Kit sounds scared. Really scared. A weird thing to hear in a usually confident butch’s voice.

“Why?”

“Marla’s brother…” Her voice trails off. “We don’t know what happened to him, but I suspect… It’s why I want nothing to do with magic, with any of them. Who drowns a kid on the off chance that it’ll bring back the Gods?”

I don’t say anything. There’s anger there, sure, but there’s pain too. So much pain. The same pain I saw echoed in Hazel’s eyes when she awoke sobbing.

“I just… Johnny was a good kid.”

Johnny was the name that Hazel mentioned. I’m not sure what to do, whether I should say something or not, and it turns out that it doesn’t really matter because I don’t need to. Kit sees her answer on my face, and faints.