Page 25 of Hex You

“I’ve been a h-huge asshole,” she hiccupped.

“You have been.” His chest rose and fell with a sigh. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop being there.”

She pressed her cheek against him, his heart thumping a gentle, reassuring beat. “I love you, Jax Ashley.”

“I love you, Hunter Goode.”

She stepped back, blinking the last few tears from her eyes. “Friends?” She held out her hand.

“For life.” Jax clapped his palm against hers before shaking it.

She didn’t deserve him.

“So,” he began, his forehead creasing as they turned to face the withering cherry tree. “How exactly do we check that everything’s”—he gestured toward the tree—“fixed?”

Hunter picked at her thumbnail, her gaze roaming the drooping branches, leaves sliding from them like sauce from limp noodles, before returning to the best friend who’d set aside his anger to be there for her. Shediddeserve that—the chance to make everything better.She deserved him. Yes, she’d done bad things, but she wasn’t a bad person. Not too long ago, she’d been here, close to this very spot, performing a spell to save her town, save the world. She deserved a universe of Jaxes. Everybody did.

“The tree will just bebetter.”

They parted the boughs, and crispy, brown leaves rained down on them. The sour scent of wet garbage hit her, and she choked on a cough. The gate should be fixed. The cherry tree, its guardian in this realm, should be healing, but it wasn’t better. It wasn’t even close.

How had she gotten it so wrong?

Jax wrinkled his nose and brushed a curling leaf from his shoulder. “It stinks.”

Hunter stared up through the large gaps in the once thick and verdant foliage as she rounded the ancient cherry’s wide trunk. Her sandals squelched against moist earth and cold liquid seeped between her toes. She glanced down, lifting her foot. A thick string of mucous trembled in the breeze. Hopping on one leg, she shook her foot. The shoestrings of goo slapped the air but didn’t fall. She kicked out, still balancing on one foot. Another squelch, and her grounded foot flew out from under her. Her arms windmilled and smacked into Jax. She grabbed onto his shirt and crashed onto the ground, yanking him down with her.

Air fled her lungs as the full weight of her wide receiver best friend slammed down on top of her. He rolled off her, and she let out a squeak of pain before sitting up and blinking bursts of light from her vision.

“You okay?” he asked, picking shriveled leaves from her hair.

Wiggling her slimy toes, Hunter pointed, her finger an arrow aimed at the trail of ichor that lapped against the base of the tree and flooded the grass in a thick mucosal path that led to the edge of Sugar Creek.

“Well, that’s new.” Jax got to his feet and bent down, taking her hand in his.

She let him pull her up, unable to keep her eyes from the pearlescent trail. She’d closed the gate. She’d done a spell. She’d used mortal blood. She’d—

Hunter’s breath stilled within her chest.“Amphitrite.”

Jax’s thick brows lifted. “Think she did this before you poofed her out of here?” His fingers flashed out, mimicking an explosion.

“I think…” Hunter chewed her lower lip as thoughts rang between her ears.

… she used me.

I listened to power instead of myself.

I was naïve.

It was all for nothing.

“Amphitrite wanted revenge,” she said, landing on the truth without giving further voice to her shame. “She was here when I performed the spell that I thought would close the gate and heal the tree, and I used her spellbook to do it. If there was a way to not only keep the gate open but call a being from the Underworld into this realm, she would have made sure that’s the spell I had.” She tightened her hands into fists. “I was so focused on one-upping Mercy and being the first to close the gates that I didn’t stop to look at what was happening right in front of me.”

Jax shoved his hands into his pockets and squinted at the oozing trail. “Your priorities have been super fucked.”

“I’m sorry.” Hunter leaned her head against Jax’s shoulder. “I’ll fix it.”

“I know you will.”