7. Van

7

VAN

It’s late afternoon and I’ve waited long enough. “I’ve been good. Now what’s my adventure?”

Gabe grins and takes my hand. “A walk to the community garden and?—”

“There’s a community garden?” Of course there is and of course he knows about it.

“Yeah, and it’s full of so many strange vegetables from other realms. I love it there. And every night there’s a wood nymph that comes out to sing. They’re really nice and have a lot of stories.”

“A wood nymph?” Why am I not surprised? Every type of creature seems to find its way into Hex. Though I guess that was the original plan of the town, a safe haven for supernatural types in need.

“Yes,” Gabe laughs. “A wood nymph. Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I drag myself down to the garden and listen to their songs until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.”

“Alright, let’s do it.” It’ll be better than staring at each other all night, though that’s no hardship.

“We have to wait until the sun goes down.” Gabe looks to the kitchen window where the sun blazes brightly.

Something flitters to the floor out of nowhere, and I bend to pick it up. It’s the size of a playing card. “Why do you have a tarot card?” It’s two-sided. One sided labeled The Empress, the other The Consort.

“That’s what that is? I thought it was a bookmark. It came in a book I got at The Magic Shop.”

“We have a magic shop?”

Gabe chuckles, and it’s magical. Sun comes in from the window just right, giving him a halo again. “Pike and Lark asked the same thing. I can take you there. That’s fun, but I was just there right before we met.”

I snort as I set the card on the table. “That’s one way of putting it, I guess.” Yet again, my punishment affects someone else.

He gives me another adorable grin and I really, really wish I could take pictures with my mind. I wonder how long it’ll take before he gets annoyed with me, like everyone else.

“Actually, yes. Let’s go to The Magic Shop while we wait for the sun to go down.” Gabe bounces to his feet.

“Sounds good to me.” I hate having nothing to do.

“Oh, wait! You need shoes.” Gabe chews on his bottom lip as he stares at my feet, so I wiggle my toes.

“Nope. I’m good. Don’t like shoes anyway, so I don’t wear ‘em.”

“If you’re sure?”

“Absolutely sure.” I throw my arm around his shoulders and pull him in. “Lead the way, my cute little Hex guide.”

He snorts at that, and I let him go. “I don’t know that you can call me a guide. Isn’t your crossroads in Hex? You’d know more than me.”

We get out the door and he locks up.

“Sure, my crossroads is here, but I lived in the demon realm most of my life and just popped in when I got summoned. Then Pike got summoned and fell in love with Larky Poo and I kinda started hanging around them in Hex. I stuck to Flutter and Fangs because that’s where Wicky started hanging out, too. So the few things I know about this place is what you’ve just told me. We have a magic shop and a community garden. There’s Flutter and Fangs, and my crossroads is at—” My mouth seals shut and the stupid magic smooths out my face, making it look like I don’t even have a mouth. Damn it, I forget I can’t tell people where it is. They have to find it on their own or someone else tells them. I can’t even walk Gabe right up to it because the magic will kick me out of bounds every time. I have to be summoned.

Gabe sucks in a breath and stumbles back. I catch him with my tail before he can fall. Hesitantly, he cups my cheeks as we wait for the magic to drain away. “Are you okay?” he asks.

Why does no one ever ask demons that? I blink back at him, not able to form words. I can’t even think of words to say right now and nod. My mouth feels sticky when the magic fades and we’re just looking at each other.

“That has to be scary when it happens.”

I shake my head. “It’s better than if I wanted to tell you how to free me from my crossroads, which I don’t.”

“What happens then?”

“The magic will seal away my mouth and nose so I can’t breathe at all.”

“I’m glad my magic can’t do anything like that to me.” Gabe shivers as he hugs himself.

“Speaking of magic…” I poke him a few times with my tail, drawing out a laugh. “What are you?” I lean down to sniff him and there’s a magic seal somewhere blocking his true scent.

“Isn’t it a little rude to ask?” His hands drop to his waist as he grins at me, so I know he’s not mad.

“I’m a demon. I’m rude. And an asshole. Don’t get attached.”

“Too bad. I think I already am.” Gabe slams a hand over his mouth and groans. “Me and my big mouth.”

“I like your pretty mouth.”

Gabe’s blush flushes his cheeks as he turns on his heel and starts walking.

“Hey, whatever you are, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I’m not embarrassed. But you’ve already said you’re not into humans, so I shouldn’t?—”

“Angel, you’re not human. I can tell that much. But I’m not liking whatever shenanigans you have going on that keeps your true self hidden away.” Not at all. I wave my hand through his aura and it doesn’t tell me the complete story either.

“I’m half human. Dad’s side. I’m not ashamed of it or him. He was an amazing dad. And?—”

“Gabe. What are you?”

“You don’t like that Ethan guy and he’s human.”

“I have beef with humans because they toy with people’s hearts. I will admit that Ethan’s a good kid. Or adult. Whatever.” I roll my eyes. “Also, think about it. I’ll probably think no one is good enough for Wick. And right now, yes, I am irritated at Ethan for running away.” Though I know full well, he was head over heels puppy love in love with my brother when he disappeared. There’s definitely magic involved, but a demon and a witch, even a born witch, don’t belong together. Witches just don’t live long and we demons are practically eternal once we’re born. I scratch at the device in my chest and frown. I sign and my shoulders drop. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna tell me.”

“It’s… not that. Most people avoid me. They get this feeling or something that I’m different. It was so hard making friends before. Hex is… paradise. Everyone’s accepted me and?—”

“I accept you as you are. I just don’t like unsolved mysteries and you’re a mystery.” My eyes brush over him, taking in every sweet feature. That strange halo effect is back, but I can just be imagining it. Then there’s a dark shadow looming over him, but I can’t make out the shape. It’s like a pair of huge black feathered wings, and it dawns on me. “You’re a nephilim.”

“Yeah.” Gabe’s gaze drops to the ground, and he scuffs at the road with the tip of his shoe.

“Gabe.” He doesn’t look at me, and I use my tail to tip his chin up, but he still refuses. “Outside of Hex, no one understood what the heck they were feeling around you. I’m not sure when you sealed everything away, but Hex is the best place to let yourself free. No one will give you grief here. No one .” And if they do, I’ll gladly take any punishment Poe might want to dole out when I break the rules to teach someone a lesson.

“I know.” He grins at me as he finally makes eye contact again. “I just… I don’t know how to be a nephilim. I can use my magic, but I taught myself from the internet.”

My mouth drops open. “No. No, no no no no no no no no . You never ever ever ever ever learn magic from the internet. Humans have no idea what true magic is. So you’re probably?—”

Gabe lifts his hands where his fingertips glow and spark white light. “I used magic to get you inside my apartment, so humans must know something .”

“Of course they’ll get something right every time. But—” I shiver at the idea of using human knowledge for magic. “No. I’m teaching you magic. Magic and sex. Oh, maybe sex magic!”

Gabe’s grin grows bigger. “I still haven’t agreed to the sex part, but I’ll take the magic lessons for sure.”

“Angel, I’ll woo you into those sex lessons.” I blow him a kiss, but if he really doesn’t want sexy lessons, I’ll drop it. “Now, where is that magic shop?”

Gabe picks up speed the closer we get to The Magic Shop. That’s literally what it’s called. The Magic Shop.

“The Owner is so nice, I really like him,” Gabe says and a sprig of jealousy tries to bloom from my heart. It takes everything in me not to bare my teeth and growl even though the two of us met mere days ago.

The red script is a little hard on the eyes, but whatever. The strip mall seems like a weird place to me. I feel like a shop like this should be in one of the old houses that line the main road into Hex, but what do I know?

“Back so soon?” A tall guy with a black silk top hat says as soon as Gabe bursts through the door. The intense scent of incense knocks me in the face and I stumble back a few paces before getting my bearings.

“Yep, and brought a friend this time.” Gabe practically sparkles with excitement. His entire body glows just like Lark’s wings. I don’t think I’ve met a nephilim before, so I don’t know if they normally glow when they’re happy or if Gabe is just special. Of course we all joke that Wick’s part angel because he has feathered wings, but who knows who his father is?

“The missing demon,” Top Hat Guy says.

“That’s me. Evil killer just trying to keep people safe.” My hands fist and my tail curls like one, too. The more I think about the Drake situation, the more angry I get. I shouldn’t have to be punished for protecting those I’ve claimed as mine. Hex is a haven, and Drake spoiled it with his ill intentions. My tail flicks and catches flame.

“Van?” Gabe’s voice snaps me out of my haze of irritation and I quash out the flames with my mind.

“Didn’t call you evil, nor a killer.”

“Right. Sorry. Thoughts got away with me.” I bow with a theatric flourish. “I’m Vanderburgh.”

Gabe snorts as his long fingers graze over the countertop right in front of Top Hat Guy. “Wait, like the neighboring county?”

“Like the neighboring county. Hence why I go by Van. Vanderburgh is such a mouthful.”

Gabe’s lips twitches as if he’s holding back a laugh. Or a joke.

Top Hat Guy tips his head in acknowledgement. “Well, Van, what can I do for you?”

I spin and take in the shop. It’s quaint, and just seeing the library ladders makes me itch to play on them, but for Gabe, I’ll refrain. “I believe we’re just looking until the sun goes down?”

Gabe shrugs. “Unless you got in new plants over the last few hours?” He’s so damn hopeful.

Top Hat Guy shakes his head. “How about a tarot reading while you wait?”

“Oh, I haven’t had my cards read in a while.” I sidle up to the counter where Top Hat Guy reaches over and grabs something from my t-shirt pocket.

“I wondered where that’d gone off to.” Top Hat shows us that strange Consort/Empress card before shuffling it into a deck that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. “The cards get up to no good sometimes.”

“That’s the card that was in my book!” Gabe says.

“Curious,” is all Top Hat Guy says. The three of us go silent as he shuffles. “Anything in particular you’d like guidance on?”

Gabe taps his lips with his pointer finger as he thinks. “I don’t know.”

I hop up on the counter with my tail flicking around behind me like a cat. “What about how to learn my lesson so I can lose this ASAP?” I lift my shirt to reveal the countdown device ticking away. Okay, it doesn’t actually tick, thank fuck. But it’s annoying just knowing it’s there.

“What’s your lesson?” Top Hat Guy asks as he continues his shuffling.

I wave my hand around. “Something about not being selfish and losing my temper. I think it’s bullshit. I was protecting my family when I killed Drake, but no one ever listens to me. They just say how selfish I am?—”

“That you ran away,” Top Hat Guy says. When I glare at him, he holds his hands up. “That’s what the rumors say.”

“So you do know what’s going on,” I grind out.

“A bit.” He goes back to shuffling and I have no idea where Gabe’s gone off to.

I growl and try to keep my tail from igniting again. “Then don’t act like you don’t. Why wouldn’t I have run? I broke the stupid rule that says I can’t kill someone outside of a deal. Poe has a hard-on for his stupid rules and doesn’t hesitate to dole out punishment.”

“What would have happened if you had just gone to Poe and explained?” Top Hat Guy keeps his eyes on the tarot cards.

“I’ll never know, I guess.” I let my shirt drop to cover the device.

“Perhaps, next time, talk to him instead of running?”

“No.” I hop off the counter and cross my arms. “That’s not how I roll.”

Top Hat Guy just nods and holds out the deck of cards. “Cut the deck however you want, then draw a card.”

Being extra, I cut the deck into seven piles, then flip the top card from the middle pile. “Son of a bitch,” I laugh out.

“The Consort,” Top Hat Guy says. “Curious.”

We both look up to find Gabe watching us with wide eyes and his hands behind his back, like he’s hiding something. “Uh…”

“What do you have there, Gabe?” Top Hat Guy asks as the nephilim walks up to the counter to present none other than his own Consort card.

“I think it likes me.”

“Or the deck’s rigged,” I growl out as my battle with flame dies and both my tail and horns catch fire.

“Never,” Top Hat Guy says and I swear his eyes flash.

“Maybe coming here was a bad idea.” Gabe grabs my hand and the flare of anger falls away and sinks into the floor.

“No. I’m fine.” I suck in a breath and squash out the flames again . “I’m fine.” Shit, maybe I do have a problem. I turn to face Gabe and lean against the counter with my arms sprawled over it like I owned the place.

“No harm done,” Top Hat Guy says. “And I think your solution may be Gabe. Perhaps he can teach you how to be less selfish and calm your temper. The Consort, or Empress card, represents nurturing, abundance, fertility, feminity, beauty, connection to the divine. And have you met Gabe?” There’s a hint of a smile. “He’s fairly balanced between feminity and masculinity in a way few people are. He embraces himself, for the most part.”

“Gabe is practically the card himself.” I look the man over and take in every inch while he stands there looking adorable. What even are those shoes with the little bow at the ankle? But they look perfect on Gabe. I’m sure Gabe looks perfect in anything.

“Exactly.” Top Hat Guy goes back to shuffling the cards. “He has a few things to learn, but perhaps you can teach each other lessons.”

“Oh, I have a few lessons for sweet Gabe.” I trail my tail across his jaw. “If he’ll let me.”

“You’re such a tease,” Gabe answers as the prettiest blush blooms over his cheeks.

“Not a tease if I promise to follow through, angel.”

Top Hat Guy leans in to whisper so damn softly I have to strain to hear him, “don’t play with him. Past lovers never treated him well.”

“Got it,” I whisper back. Gabe is one person I hope to never piss off, but we’ll see what happens. “Would you look at that? The sun’s going down. Thanks for the reading. I’ll take it into consideration before I fuck something else up.”

The guy just chuckles as I take Gabe’s hand and head out of The Magic Shop. I suck in deep breaths as fresh air hits my face. Incense is evil. It curls into my lungs and makes it hard to think. I’m still holding Gabe’s hand. My tail itches to wrap around him and pull him closer, but I refrain. He’s got a goofy grin on his face and I can’t help but watch him. His eyes flit across the horizon and I tip my head to look at the sky like he is.

“Oh, wow,” I let out. The sky isn’t usually so beautiful in the demon realm, though my realm has its own charm. The fleeting clouds are painted fiery orange, and pink, and purple. When I’m in the human realm, I stay inside. Inside Flutter and Fangs, to be exact. I hardly venture out, but if the sky is this beautiful at night, what’s it like during the day?

“Pretty isn’t it?” Gabe squeezes my hand. We just stand here, admiring the clouds and the colors, and I don’t itch to move.