Page 16 of The Baby Hex (Mori’s Mementos #2)

Crilus

If my sire had his way, we’d have packed up and taken everyone back home with us before the medics were even finished picking glass splinters out of Preston’s ass.

Only, I stood my ground. I wasn’t running again.

Not without a plan. I wasn’t taking this glass shattering stalker around my carrier, my younger siblings, and my pack mates.

I hadn’t fled from them. I fled to a city where I was free to practice the magic I wanted and could have a sex life without everyone telling my parents what I was up to.

Eventually, I was able to convince him to go bunk with Mori.

They both needed sleep and while I wouldn’t admit it out loud, I wasn’t ready to be out of arm’s reach of Pierce.

I hated it. I hated myself for giving in to the tug of the true-mate response magic.

I didn’t need anyone. I had a whole pack behind me.

I had good friends. I did not need this alpha vampire who stared into my soul and wanted to keep me locked in a bedroom all the time.

No, I didn’t need him but oh my ancestors of trees, did I want him to do those things.

Lock me in a room where I didn’t have to worry about assholes smashing up my stuff or trying to film my friends having sex.

Reve was dead now but the image of his corpse was still burnt into my eyes.

He deserved to die for all his sex-related crimes and Odell’s murder dog, Guardie, had ensured he did.

I didn’t need a murder dog. The trauma that bore into my cells wasn’t my own.

It didn’t bore through my skin to get inside.

No, I was born with it inside me. All of my siblings had it in them for better or worse.

Some had less than me. A few maybe had more.

No, my trauma was inside my cells begging to be let loose.

Each and every time I hexed an asshole and sent out a bit of justice into the world, I healed that trauma passed around for generations a bit.

I only hoped Pierce would understand that.

If he didn’t, we had no future. I refused to lay awake at night for the rest of my life stewing over how unfair the world was when it was within my grasp to even the scales – if only by a little.

My mind reeled in circles as Pierce stared two holes into my soul. I bit my lip then finally snapped.

“What are you staring at?”

“Who am I staring at would be a better question,” he said, leaning against the wall while I stood like a fool in the middle of the hallway. “You’re thinking so hard that I want to crawl under your skin and calm you down.”

“You need blood,” I said because I needed not to think or talk about all the directions my mind was darting in.

“Why? Because I smelled Preston’s blood? Believe it or not, he doesn’t smell like food. Though, now that I think about it, I might know why. Bear blood isn’t a delicacy but it’s not inedible either.”

“Why doesn’t he smell like food?” I asked, satisfied with any distraction from what I’d been obsessing about when Pierce’s staring had interrupted me.

“That’s not really my business and I don’t gossip about omegas.”

“You only gossip about alphas then?” I cocked up an eyebrow.

“I do my best not to wade into the pool of rumors or speculation,” he said.

“But you’re going to tell me, right?”

“And why would I do that?” he asked, a grin pulling at the ends of his kissable lips. “And if you say because you’re my mate I’ll be forced to remind you that you’ve made it clear that I have that role in name only.”

“So, you won’t tell me unless I sleep with you?” I shot back at him.

“I didn’t say that. To believe that romping is the be-all end-all of being mates is immature.

Do I want to bury myself inside you and stay there until we’re both a bit brainless?

Yeah. I wouldn’t pass up the chance, but I don’t just want to fuck you.

I want you – all of you. I’ve always been the all or nothing sort of guy.

Though, to be fair to you, I wouldn’t tell you even if you let me blow your mind. ”

“I—” I started but stopped as a scorching blush spread across my face and over the tips of my pointed ears. “Did you just call me immature?”

“No, I said to think that would be immature,” Pierce said. “The question is do you think that?”

“You are infuriating!” I said and sat down on the floor.

“Is this an elven thing?” Pierce asked, crouching down next to me.

“I don’t know. Floor, couch, chair, bed. They’re all bum benches. You should tell me what’s up.”

“Hmmm.” He said and sat down on the floor next to me. “I’m sitting in a corridor with my mate – in name only. He’s been attacked once and nearly twice. My boss has put me on mating leave and I’m not sure how long that’s going to last.”

“Want me to kick his ass for you?” I asked.

“You smell so serious.”

“I am. For you, I am,” I said. “Past life and between life choices catching up with me and all that.”

I couldn’t believe he wasn’t going to tell me what was up with Preston. I had the urge to go sniff him myself and try to figure out what he thought was wrong with him.

“Are you one of those vampires who won’t feed on omegas, but you thought he was an alpha beforehand?” I asked.

“No, I knew Preston was an omega,” Pierce shook his head. “And I will feed on omegas. Not from you, though.”

“What?” Shock and envy trembled through my core.

“I won’t take blood from you any more than I’d take food off your table. No one’s sure if it’s a cultural thing or if it started out as a biological thing. For me, it’s just what it is. I want your blood in your blood vessels where it belongs. You’re not food.”

“But other people are?”

Pierce stared at the opposite wall so long that I thought I must’ve offended him.

“Is that what this is about?” he asked, and I winced.

Yep. I offended him. Me and my big, fat never shuts up mouth.

“You could be a crow or a wolf or elf, and things would still be what they are. My family is cursed.”

“Then undo it. You’re a witch or whatever the elven equivalent is. I’ve heard about what you do. If you think you’re cursed, undo it.”

“It’s not that simple,” I sighed.

“Why isn’t it, though? If it’s mind over matter, I’m patient, mate. I’m not going anywhere. If that means we just follow each other around forever and torment each other, so be it. Though, maybe that would play right into the curse. Speaking of, feel any need to destroy me?” he teased.

“Don’t be a dick,” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m serious. If you think it’s destiny by now we should be on a destructive path. I know I’m not going to eat you or let anyone harm a single hair on that beautiful head of yours. So, what about you? Daydreaming of driving a stake through my heart?”

I narrowed my eyes on him, but he was still staring at the opposite wall. For a long, irrational second I was envious of the wall. Why was he staring at it and not me?

“That’s what he wants you to feel,” my bird chimed into my thoughts.

“Is this a mind game?” I asked him.

“What? Trying to get to the bottom of what you’re thinking?”

“No, this whole staring at the wall thing.”

“Oh, that. Every time I look at you, you squirm and smell like you’re considering running off. So, if I have to make myself not look at you while we talk, I will.”

I frowned and swallowed down a sigh. He shouldn’t have to avoid looking at me.

If Dad hadn’t shown up, I would’ve kept going and going and then what?

Leave behind everything I built and escape into one of those elven communities where the magic won’t let you out for one hundred years?

I didn’t want to go that long without seeing my family and friends.

Didn’t want to go that long without working at my bar.

Morvan was back and he and Rho were running his family’s restaurants again, but I wasn’t sure Mori and Preston would keep the bar going.

“No, I don’t want to stake you,” I finally said. “I’d kill anyone who tried.”

“So, we’re on the same page with that.”

“What if I give into all of this and it gets us killed?” I asked, scooting around him so that I leaned against the spot on the wall that he was staring at.

“I’d rather die tomorrow with you by my side than live a lifetime without you.

Now that we’ve met, I can’t let you leave again.

I’ll follow where you go, Crilus. I’m not Teal.

Maybe we’ll never be the sort of power couple with enough weight to throw around and squash every societal injustice.

We can try. Elven magic. Vampyric magic.

On my carrier’s side we’re related to an ancient coven in the highlands. ”

I narrowed my eyes on him again.

“It’s not because of Teal,” I rolled my eyes. “I get one crush because I’m in heat and everyone suddenly thinks everything, I do is because of him.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I---”

“I don’t need the sort of power that rules empires.

Isn’t there enough of that going on? You know what Morvan, Teal, and them at the warehouse do, right?

I know what that sort of power is like. I know what that’s like.

I just want to make life better for those who need it.

I want to feel that power. The power to say fuck you to those who wield their power against those they think are less than them. ”

“Then tell me whose head you want? Like I said, dying with you tomorrow is better than living forever without you.”

“You don’t even know me, Pierce,” I sighed.

“But I do,” he smiled. “I was raised in a very spiritual family. I know what true-mates means. I know how rare it still is that we’ve met up in this lifetime.

I’ve done Mated for the Holidays eight times.

They’ve mostly been wonderful holidays. I’ve gone on Pheromone Cruises and used scent matching services.

I’ve searched for you high and low. Sometimes to the point where my family believed I’d lost my mind.

So, if you’re my downfall, I forgive you because if that happens, I know it’s because you had no other choice. ”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN PREGNANT?” Mori’s voice echoed around Moonglow Cabin and probably into the woods too. Somewhere out there was a bear running for the hills, thinking Mori was yelling at him instead of whoever was pregnant inside the house or on the phone or ---

Pierce was already out of the hallway. I sighed and fought off the urge to kick the wall. I needed to burn off some of this nervous, hyper-vigilant energy but in a more productive way than property damage.

“HOW ARE YOU PREGNANT? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” Mori’s voice carried through the cabin again and I raced after Pierce to find out what was going on.