Page 75 of Nanny and the Beast

“Okay, can we talk about literally anything else?” I groan.

“Of course,” he says. “So why couldn’t you perform in bed tonight?”

I stand. “I’m going home.”

“I jest,” Alaric says, biting the inside of his cheek. “Sit your ass back down. There’s still so much left for us to talk about. Aren’t you going to ask me about my trip to Africa?”

“How was your trip to Africa?” I ask.

“Glorious,” he says. “I thought I’d seen it all, but witnessing elephants in the wild was one of the most surreal experiences of my life.”

He regales me with everything he did during his trip but leaves out the important details.

“Did you find anything about the elephant attacks?” I ask him.

The smile fades from his lips.

“No,” he says. “I reinforced all the security measures and employed some local men to watch over the habitat. But otherwise, it’s a waiting game.”

He looks so distraught right now. I want to comfort him, but I don’t know how.

“Your mom would be so proud of the man you’ve become,” I tell him.

Alaric’s eyes widen. We usually don’t talk about her even though she was such a huge part of our childhoods.

“I feel like giving you a hug right now,” he says.

“Please don’t.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

He’s joking, but it still stings.

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t understand it myself.

It feels so natural to touch Emma, but I can’t even stomach the thought of touching anyone else.

I wanted to test it out tonight. I wanted to see if my hex was broken. To make things easier, I even asked for someone who looked like her. But in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Hey,” Alaric says, searching my face. “You’re all in your head again. It’s all going to be fine, okay? You got me.”

“I know,” I say.

I look at my friend. I know I’m fortunate to have someone like him in my life. He struggles with his own demons, but he’s always there for me when I need him.

“I never asked why you returned early from your trip,” I say.

“I just missed you too much,” he replies.

I raise my eyebrows at him.

“Fine,” he says. “I learned some information. And I wanted to tell you in person.”

He doesn’t mention what it’s about, but I think I already know. If he cut his trip short to tell me something, it can only be about one thing.

“Not here,” I say, glancing around the bar. There are too many people here.

The world blurs at the edges as I stand. I might have had a little too much to drink tonight. Alaric and I walk toward one of the exits.

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