Page 4 of Hex

I lean against the counter and get lost in my thoughts. My vision is clouded at the edges by blackness, and I’m falling into the sweet escape of sleep when I hear loud footsteps bounding through the kitchen.

“Damn, mon ami.” Seer laughs, pulling me out of my stupor. “If this is what parenthood is like, I might start using condoms.”

He walks to the coffee pot and pours himself a mug, wincing when he tastes the extra-dark roast. He’ll thank me later when he’s able to stay awake.

“That’s more information than I’ve ever needed,” I tell Seer, annoyed. I already feel the effects of a migraine working its way through my body. “Merde. I have to get more sleep!”

“Well, you can start by postponing church for later in the morning.”

I glare at him. We both know it wouldn’t matter. The news of Anderson’s death would never come at a good time. The men needed to know because his death could blow back on all of us. Today, we’ll have to assess the damage, but knowing Anderson, he set a plan into place that will keep us scratching our heads for months.

I hated the man with every fiber of my being but once I met Abigail, I realized how evil he actually was. His death should be a relief, but I know him better than that. He would have backup plans and cronies in place. He’s too evil to simply die and leave us be.

“Fat load of good you’ve been, asshole,” I grumble at him. “Couldn’t you see that Anderson would die? Couldn’t you have warned me?”

I look at Seer, who eyes me warily. He takes a deep breath and shuffles his feet, holding back. Then he shakes his head and talks, unburdening himself from whatever he’s been hiding.

“You know my visions come when they will but they have been… testy for the last year. I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want you to get worried, but they’re not like they used to be. The future is even less clear than it was before.”

The news washes over me like a bucket of ice-cold water. Things had been bad since his fight with his brother, Edward, but things had been good, too. He had Tory, who seemed to keep him grounded and made him incredibly happy.

He’s always been a little cagey about his visions, only sharing what he felt was necessary. But he’s helped us avoid scrutiny many times. If his visions aren’t working properly, we’re down a weapon.

“Worry not, mon frere.” He laughs. “You have more than enough to concern you. I’m just saying, if I’d had any idea about Anderson, I would have told you in a heartbeat. He’s been the last thing on my mind.”

He smirks, and I know he’s thinking of his wife upstairs. I wish I was as lucky as to never think about Anderson again, but his life was inextricably linked to mine. Abigail came such a long way since we rescued her from Anderson’s grasp, but that doesn’t stop the occasional nightmare.

Now that Anderson was dead, we’re theoretically safe, but something in my gut knows safety will never be an option. If it’s not Anderson, it will be some other asshole trying to take away everything I’ve worked so hard for.

It’s not just the club that has me worried. There’s so much more at stake now. The little girl who’s blissfully sleeping upstairs with no idea what kind of world she’s been born into is my highest priority. The moment she was born, I was filled with anxiety that I’d fuck her up the way my parents had fucked me up.

At the very least, I would never abandon her and make her fend for herself. But I couldn’t control the darkness that surrounded me at all times. It was closing in on me, and I couldn’t let it touch her. I would die if something happened to my daughter.

Anderson’s death is the opposite of good news. It’s a reminder that nothing is in my control, and anything can spring up to threaten my family. Abigail has been through enough. Hell, we both have, but we promised that we’d give Daisy a life unlike ours. We promised to keep her safe and make her feel loved. We can’t do that if something happens to us.

I will go to Hell myself to ensure Anderson is there. If that’s what has to be done, I’m willing to do it for my family.

Pocus is in a terrible mood, so I leave him in the kitchen to stew in his misery. When he gets like this, nothing can make it better. He is complicated and broody, and I can’t help him. I simply have to focus on my own happiness.

Despite the darkness of the last few months, Tory has been my shining light. She’s helped me to see the world in a way I never thought possible, and I swear to God her pussy is magical. Every time I tell her that, she laughs, but I’ve never been so satisfied.

When I get to my room, I find my love tossing and turning in her sleep, tangling herself in our sheets. I immediately go to her, gently placing my hands on her shoulders to wake her up. Her red hair is soaked with sweat, making her hair even curlier. She’s beautiful always, but in her sleep, she’s radiant. I only wish she wasn’t so afraid of whatever she faces in her dreams.

I place a gentle kiss on her forehead, hoping to wake her, but she thrashes violently against me and pushes me away with such force that I stumble backward and have to catch myself. My admiration of her beauty turns to fear. I grab her shoulders more forcefully, shaking her and calling her name.

Her eyes snap open and she sits up, immediately clutching my shirt and pulling me toward her. She breathes heavily from fear and cries softly against me. She’s disoriented and confused, so I rub her back and whisper it was just a dream, but she shakes her head.

“You don’t understand,” she cries. “You didn’t see it.”

She clings to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her body trembles against mine. Something has her seriously spooked.

“Didn’t see what?” I ask her gently. “Ma cherie, what’s going on?”

She shakes her head and sobs for several minutes, shaking herself off from whatever monster chased her in her dreams. When she finally calms down, she takes several deep breaths and gently releases me.

“There’s something dark in the spirit world,” she whispers frantically, unable to control the shaking in her voice. “I saw it casting a shadow on everything good, everything we love. It’s destroying the spirit world. Even the ghosts are afraid.”

I hold her closer and rock her back and forth, absentmindedly playing with her hair. My fingers get caught in the curls, and I gently scratch at her scalp as she leans into me.

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