Page 56 of My Hexed Honeymoon

“I need to sit by the river and cool my blistered feet for a bit,” she says.

“We need to return home and use our weapon for the war we’re embroiled in,” Riven snaps. “Your fragile human needs are even more bothersome on the way down—just suck it up and let your pup carry you the rest of the way.”

Well now we have to soak our feet and take our sweet time.

I stretch out my fingers and take her hand. “Take your time. Whatever you need, baby.”

“Come with me?” There’s a hint of desperation creeping into her voice and the green eyes she turns on me.

“Fucking humans,” Riven says, storming toward a shady cluster of trees.

“I’m a witch, fuck you very much,” Talia calls after them, so I guess she’s done placating the vampire. I have to hide my grin behind my fist, but if I’m being honest, I don’t try very hard.

Let the bloodsucker see she chose me.

More than that, though, I’m proud. I know she doesn’t stand up for herself very much, and I think that’s the first time she referred to herself as a witch that I didn’t flinch.

“This way.” Her voice is soft, but the undercurrent is serious.

We veer off the main trail, following the water downstream. The hum of insects grows louder, the air thick with the smell of moss and pine and something faintly sweet—like crushed wildflowers underfoot.

As we near the river, I hope talking isn’t what she came here to do because it’s way too fucking noisy.

“Is this loud enough to drown out what we say?” she asks, and I’m about to reply yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking.

“If we find a place upstream”—I speak loudly, my throat waking up after a stretch of silence— “it’ll be calmer near the bend.”

She shakes her head. “I mean can Riven hear what we say if we stand here?”

Oh. This is a different kind of talk, and I’m not sure why I’m nervous. I rub my palms over my jeans like I’m an awkward kid in high school, worried his girlfriend is about to dump him before the big dance.

“They won’t be able to hear us,” I answer, my nerves prickling. “I can hardly sort out the noise from here.”

“Perfect.” Talia pulls off her pack and crouches beside the stream, staring at the ripples like they might contain the secrets of the universe.

Is she really going to drop a bomb like that and then play in the water? “I gotta say, suspense effectively built. You’re killing me here—what’s going on?”

She gestures me down next to the water, and I slide my pack off and crouch next to her on the damp grass.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she says without looking up. “I wasn’t sure… but then today it’s still here and it’s not like I have anyone else I can trust.”

“Thank you?”

Flustered, Talia runs a hand over her face. “Shit, sorry. Why is this so hard?”

My muscles go tight. “This is getting worse and worse by the second, and I don’t even know whatthisis.”

“It’s not bad, exactly,” she hedges, “but it’s important. And weird. Which is why I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure.”

“Okay,” I say carefully. “I’m all ears.”

As if afraid to commit to her plan before this very moment, she nods to herself and settles more fully in place. “I’m choosing to trust you. I need to be able to trust you.”

“You can trust me,” I promise, letting my vow ring through the words.

After glancing around one last time, she looks me dead in the eye and says, “There’s something off about the Blood Loom. The vampires aren’t telling us everything.”

My gut clenches. “You think it’s a trap?”

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