“So you broke up with the nymph?” Fenix wanted more information about what had happened and why she was now on the run from the male, because the last time he had seen her, she had been practically going steady with him.
Something which had surprised him given the fact that nymphs weren’t known for their fidelity.
“And he wants me back. Let’s leave it at that.” She slid him a look, one that asked him to do that much for her.
He tamped down his desire to question her and changed the subject instead, because he could see how much she didn’t want to talk about him.
“So who’s warming your bed these days then?” He moved to the bench, coming to stand opposite her, and leaned over, resting his elbows on the rough wooden top and watching her work. He had never asked what she put in the pills. She had told him they would work and not to ask questions because he might not like the answers. Fenix figured it was her passion, mixed with other ingredients that were most likely vile and questionable.
Her green gaze lifted to meet his and she smiled saucily. “It’s not a single who. I’ve decided to dabble in everything the town has to offer. I’ve even been mixing my flavours.”
The wicked sparkle in her eyes said that she had been enjoying it too.
He groaned at the mental image of her with multiple partners at once. It had been a very long time since he had indulged in such a thing himself, but as good as they had been, he didn’t want to go back to those days.
“Just keep away from my breed.” He pushed a purple glass pot towards her when she reached for it.
She plucked the lid off it and scooped out some of the green powder with a small spoon. Fenix pretended not to see the sliver of bone poking out of the surface.
“You don’t need to warn me.” She lightly tapped the spoon, dislodging the powder onto the pile she was building in the dish. “I like my magic. Although, I’ve been hearing rumours that demon seed doesn’t exactly do what we were told by our elders. Whispers say a witch in England has an incubus mate and still has her magic, but bears a sort of scarlet letter in the form of silver hair. I admit it’s intriguing. Can a witch take demon seed into her without losing her powers? I’d be interested to find out… but… I’m not one to take unnecessary risks, so demon breeds are strictly off the menu. I’m on a diet of shifters and vampires, with the odd fae thrown in. Just the other day, I had two lion shifter brothers, and oh boy did I make them roar.”
She flashed him a wink when he groaned and pushed his hands against the counter, straightening to stand again. She was doing it on purpose, tormenting him with the imagery, something she loved doing whenever he was hungry. Apparently, it amused her.
“Stop torturing me. I’m starving.” He rubbed his stomach through his shirt, glad to feel more muscle there now. He lowered his hand to his left and felt the arch of muscle that ran over his hip. It was more pronounced now. At least her tonic had worked.
She pulled the handle down on the press and lifted it, popped the pill from the mould and flicked it at him. “Here, take the edge off. I’d thought the tonic would be enough. You know, there was at least half a dozen sexual encounters in that dose.”
He groaned again as he caught the pill and sagged against the wall behind him. “It’s been months. I mean it when I say I’m starving. Was starving. The demons didn’t exactly give a damn about my condition. Left me to rot in that cell.”
She stilled and looked at him, concern flickering across her pretty face. “How did you get out?”
He popped the pill into his mouth, swallowed it and sighed.
“Teamed up with an elf prince and a witch.” He shook his head as he thought about Rosalind. “Not sure I made the right decision in leaving her with him. They’re fated but… he has this whole bunch of issues when it comes to witches.”
“You worry he’ll hurt her.” She stroked the handle of the pill press.
He nodded. “If anything happens to her—I’m not sure what I’ll do. It’ll be my fault. I trusted him with her, and I don’t want to find out I’ve made a mistake and got her killed.”
It would haunt him forever.
“Is she strong?” Hella lowered her gaze to the dish again and went back to work.
“As strong as you are. She has powerful light magic inside her and a spirit that isn’t easily broken.”
She popped a pill out and set it on another dish as she smiled. “Sounds like she can handle herself, but if you give me her name, I can have my spies keep an ear open for news about her.”
“I’d appreciate that. Her name is Rosalind.”
Hella paused. “Rosalind. British. Blonde. About this tall?”
She held her hand a few inches lower than the top of her own head.
He nodded.
Hella grinned. “Believe me. If this is the same Rosalind I’ve heard about, you should be worrying about the elf and not her.”
That was reassuring.