The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1)(68)

“Want me to carry you?” he asked, and she looked up at his house.

“No offense, but getting bridal-carried into this house might make me feel like the swooning heroine in a horror movie.”

“Understood,” Rhys said with a little smile, but he still put his arm around her as they made their way up the porch steps.

“Who knew getting momentarily possessed was so draining?” she asked, and as Rhys unlocked the door, he looked over at her again, eyes searching her face.

“You’re sure you’re all right?”

She was, technically. Okay in body at least, just tired.

It was her heart that ached.

Tomorrow night, both this town and the Penhallow die.

Piper’s voice was so clear in her mind, the way her eyes had burned as she’d glared at Rhys.

Rhys, who was . . . whistling as they walked into the house.

Vivi followed him, watching as he tossed his keys onto the table, then went into the kitchen, emerging with a couple of bottles of water.

“At least now that Piper has said her piece, she can stop haunting the library,” Rhys said, and that was one good thing that had come out of this night. Once she’d delivered her pronouncement, she’d vanished, the Eurydice Candle crumbling into dust, and Vivi had the sense she was gone for good this time, no binding spells necessary. But it still made her sad, the thought of that bright, talented witch feeling her power slowly drain away as she attempted magic that was entirely too much for her. It felt like such a waste.

Rhys handed Vivi a bottle of water, flipping his own in his hand a couple of times before opening it. “Still, mission accomplished and all that.” He moved toward her, but Vivi stepped back from him, suddenly not quite as exhausted.

“Rhys, did you miss the part where if we don’t fix this tomorrow night, you’re going to die?”

He stood there in the living room, nonchalant, sipping his water. “So she says.”

Vivi gaped at him. “No, not so she says. Seriously. You’ll die unless we can raise Aelwyd’s spirit and somehow convince her to forgive you for the sins of your family. Which, let me remind you, is a very tall order.”

“Never know until we try, so don’t really see much point worrying about it,” he said, and then set his bottle on the table, walking over to take her hands.

“Now, should I die, I was thinking some kind of Viking funeral. Launch me in a fiery boat, you know? Do they have lakes around here?”

Jerking her hands out of his, Vivi stared into those blue eyes, that handsome face, and once again, she could see Gwyn’s card for him clear as day. The Fool, cheerfully walking off mountains.

“Can you not make jokes about this?” she snapped, and Rhys rocked back on his heels, a trio of creases appearing on his forehead.

“Sorry,” he said. “I forgot what a night you’ve had. Not a good time for quips, you’re right.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Crossing her arms, Vivi faced him there by the front door, her head pounding, her mouth dry.

“Act like I don’t think it’s funny just because I’m tired. I don’t think it’s funny because there’s nothing amusing to me about you possibly dying, especially since it’s my fault.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and she felt tears sting her eyes.

Please don’t let me cry in front of him, please don’t let me cry in front of him . . .

But it was too late, and he made a pained sound as he reached for her again.

Backing away, Vivi lifted her hands. “No. I’m . . . okay, I’m not fine, but I just . . .”

She looked at him and said the words in her heart, the words that were scaring her so much. “What if we can’t fix it, Rhys?”

“But what if we can?”

He reached for her again, and this time, Vivi let him, let him pull her against him, his arms wrapped tight around her as she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, and feeling her heart sink somewhere south of her navel.

This was Rhys. This was who he was. And she loved that about him, the kind of cheerful optimism that it would all go his way because, honestly, it always kind of had.

He would always be like this.

And he would always break her heart. He wouldn’t mean to, he definitely wouldn’t want to, but he would.

And who knew what would happen then? Vivi hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, but it had, all because she’d loved him too much, felt too many big feelings for him. And maybe a woman who didn’t have witchcraft running through her veins could risk that kind of thing, but Vivi couldn’t.

Not again.

Swallowing hard, she pulled away. “I’m going to go back to Elaine’s tonight,” she said, and he frowned.

“Vivienne—”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, making herself smile even as she wiped her tears away with the flat of her hand. “And you’re right, we’ll fix this, and it’ll be fine, and you can go back to Wales without me calling you a fuckerneck again.”

He still wasn’t smiling, but he nodded and let her go. “I can drive you back,” he said, hands in his pockets, eyes serious.

“I’ll walk,” she said. “It’s not far.”