Hexed (Never After, #6)

by Emily McIntire

“Damn it, Venesa, this isn’t a game. When I say to make it seem like an overdose, you make it seem like an overdose.” A jab of shame hits me, right in that space inside where I ache for his approval. “I know that, I just…” My words trail off because what’s the point of wasting breath trying to explain something that shouldn’t need an explanation? I did what he asked me to do, and that should be the end of it. Clearly, he doesn’t agree, and unfortunately for me, I do still give a damn about his approval. It’s all I give a damn about, if I’m being honest with myself.

interesting that this story starts with the Ursula stand-in being the henchman for the Triton stand-in, and for her to crave his approval

“Ah, Mr. Marino,” Trent says, releasing Aria and nodding toward me. I appreciate the respect he’s giving me, and I walk forward and shake his outstretched palm. “Call me E.”

ew

I grin like a Cheshire cat, standing up and placing the cigar on the ashtray. “There you go again, spitting orders like I’m your bitch.”

I really don't like McIntire's banter. this is not how a man should talk in front of someone he just met in front of his fiance's father

“You’re looking as beautiful as ever,” he says. “That dress on you is fantastic. I just love how you don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

Vanesa's best friend has come to her aid! he's talking to Aria here. I like him already

Weak men always let their dicks do the thinking, and strong women know how to take advantage of that.

but of course!

Having him here while I do this is oddly erotic, like he’s witnessing me in a vulnerable state, and it makes the euphoria coating my veins spark like fireworks.

this I'm good with. it feels organic, that she has some business to attend to, and he's here to watch, and he likes what he sees, and she likes that he's watching and that he's down for torturing people. you can make all sorts of jokes about the content, but their personalities so far have indicated that he's, they are both very into this, and I like that

He doesn’t reply, and that just irritates me. I’m being more than fair here, all things considered. I sigh. “Is it because I’m a woman?” “It’s because you’re a cunt,” Sean forces out through gritted teeth. I roll my eyes at the tired slur, but before I can say anything else, Enzo is there, gripping Sean’s face so tightly, I can see the indentations of his teeth through his cheeks. “How many times do I have to tell you to watch your fucking mouth?”

yes, I like them as a pair

“How come you get to have all the fun?” I say. My words wash away the fury covering his face, and something soft takes its place. A piece of his hair has fallen just over his left eyebrow, and I reach out, smoothing it back into place. He licks his lips, gives a curt nod, and takes a step back. And now I’m even more turned on. Inappropriate, Venesa. Turns out Lover Boy looks pretty good when he’s a little unhinged.

seriously, usually when she does stuff like this it's cringe, or unearned. this is good stuff. I would gladly read a whole book of these two torturing people and turning each other on

I’ve always known I was depraved, but it’s not until this very moment I see how deep that depravity runs because watching Venesa cut off someone’s hand has me realizing that violence does, in fact, turn me on.

time to break up with your girlfriend

But I make sure not to touch her. I can’t keep touching her. Not right now, not when I’m feeling like this. Instead, my hands surround hers on the edge of the sink, my thumbs centimeters away from meeting her pinkies. She looks down at them and shifts on her feet. When she moves, her ass pushes into me, and I bite the inside of my cheek so hard, I taste blood. I exhale slowly, gritting my teeth so I don’t do something crazy like reach out and dig my fingers into the meat of her hips while I drop to my knees, rip off her skirt, and put my mouth on her cunt. The visual alone…Christ. Self-loathing mixes into the lust I’m feeling like a volatile cocktail; it’s an internal war where I’m both the savior and the villain. I grab a hand towel from where it’s hanging on the wall, hyperaware of how she’s tracking my every movement. I swear it feels like she’s lighting me on fire, and it’s fucking torture because I can’t give in to the feeling, I don’t want to give into it…but I can’t pull away either. Placing the cloth under the running water, I find myself wishing the tepid temperature would douse the fervor blanketing the air, but I know better than to assume it will. Instead, we just exist in this vortex of energy until it’s physically painful to keep my body from falling into hers, and I have to remind myself she’s more off-limits to me than any other woman in the world. When I take the damp fabric and move it to her right hand, wiping away the specks of blood dotting her skin in...

I like this entire thing, immensely!

Uncle T cuts in: “Actually, we’ve got a gun drop with the Atlantis MC in a couple of days, and I need you to handle it.” I sit up straighter and try to school my expression because while I don’t mind doing whatever it is he needs me to do, I cannot stand working with the local MC chapter. Especially after having recently taken the president’s brother-in-law out of commission. “So the warning worked, I take it?” I ask. Uncle T nods, brushing his hand over his beard. “Of course it did. That’s why I had you do it.” I’m nervous about it because I’m not naive enough to think the president of the MC, Johnston Miller, doesn’t at least suspect I was the one behind his brother-in-law’s recent loss of faculties, but if Uncle T thinks it will be okay, then I trust him. He’s always looked out for me.

so I take it she's being set up.....

“I mean, I want you to keep him close while he’s here. Get to know him, like I just said.” Hesitating, I reply, “You know I’ll do anything you want, but…his fiancée is here, first of all. And I want nothing to do with it or him. Honestly, after everything we’ve done, you shouldn’t want me near him either.”

yeah what the hell is going on?? why do they want to keep from Enzo that there was someone there keeping an eye on him?? and also... why do they want to keep their business away from him if they're going to be partners, but then also why would they want someone in the business to be around him??

“Boss,” Bastien cuts in, his voice cautious. “You sure you want to send Venesa into the fire like this?” “What fire?” I snap. “This is a glorified babysitting job for the freaking underboss of the Mafia.” I point at Uncle T. “My talents are being wasted, and you know it.”

listen! because this implies your uncle is keeping you out of things, number 1, and number 2 that there's a fire apparently... pay attention!

“It’s okay to be scared of things,” I remind him again. He doesn’t respond right away, his gaze moving down to where he’s still holding on to my leg, and then back up. Finally, his jaw clenches and he nods. “It’s what makes us human. What makes us real,” I continue. “Some of us don’t have that luxury.” “Because of who you are?” I press. “Because of who I’m supposed to be.” I soak in his words because that makes sense to me. Sometimes it’s not safe to show your weaknesses because if people think you’re human, then they’ll realize how fallible and fragile you are. I suspect Enzo’s world isn’t so different from mine in that regard. “Well.” I hesitate, but then place my hand over his on my thigh. “How about when it’s just us, we drop that expectation?” “That’s not real life,” he argues. “So let’s pretend we’re in a different one.”

Enzo has more humanity than Eric was ever given

Her eyes snap to mine, and she laughs, running a hand through her hair, snagging on the ends when she gets caught in a tangle. She frowns down at it and tries to pick it apart with her fingers, and when that doesn’t work, she reaches out, grabs one of the silverware roll-ups, and undoes it, taking a fork and using it to comb through the ends. Now I look at her. “I have a brush you can use.” She glances up from where she’s running the fork through her hair, her brows hopping high on her forehead. “Why? This dingle thing works just fine.” “Because it’s disgusting?”

ha!!!

“I saw Rusty last night,” I tell her. Her body stiffens, the mug poised at her bottom lip. “Does that make you uncomfortable?” I cock my head. “Bring back memories of some of your worst traits?” Aria sniffs and lifts her chin, placing the coffee cup down. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” It was her sixteenth birthday party, and she brought him to my room and barricaded the door so I couldn’t get out. Flashes of that night zoom through my mind, sending a ripping sensation down my middle, letting the hurt bleed out onto the floor. Me screaming. Him shoving a shirt in my mouth while he yanked down my sleep shorts and stuck his dirty dick inside me. Fisher showing up after and forcing his way in, finding me sobbing in a corner. Him telling Bastien. Bastien calling the family doctor and not letting me leave my bed for a week while I healed. A shiver rolls down my spine, nausea making my stomach churn, and I shake off the memories, smirking at Aria because if I don’t, I might reach out and throttle her instead.

dude, she's evil. there's no redemption for Aria

Fuck Enzo for thinking he can send her here and shove their marriage in my face.

oh, don't be dense

Her lips thin, her face draining of color. That’s a weird reaction. No matter how much he hurts her, she’s always happy to see him. “Is it Daddy?” I ask, unsure now. She glances at me, chewing on her lip, and then she gives a sharp nod and crouches back down until she’s looking me in the eye. “I want you to do something for me, okay? I want you to hide in here again, in this very spot, until I come and get you. No matter how long it takes. Can you do that?” I scrunch my brows. “But you already know where I am.” “I do, but…” She leans in close. “Your daddy doesn’t, and I just know he’s gonna want to find you. It’s your birthday, after all.”

I don't think the man that beat her mom to death was venesa's dad...

He’s drunk, I just know it. He’s always drunk. Maybe that’s why his voice sounds different.

yeah... this is someone else...

The urge to disappear completely and force Aria to find her own way back to her house is strong, but I resist, because until I can figure out a plan, I can’t afford to piss everyone off. But I was a fool. I thought I could put this thing aside, that I could marry Aria and make my pops happy and settle for whatever life everyone else has laid out for me, but if it means this? If it means being tied to a woman this cruel and not being able to speak up for someone who deserves it? I don’t know if I can do that. A deep realization settles inside me, right in my solar plexus, my anxiety whistling through my bones like leaves in the breeze. Things have to change.

so do the hard things

But I don’t want to lose sight of Harald for a second. Because I just thought of the perfect birthday gift.

oh ok, that's what we're going with... ok, continue

Harald’s brown eyes widen, and his head shakes slightly back and forth. “Yrsa, I…I’m not a good man. I can admit that. But I didn’t kill your mother. I wasn’t even there that night.”

listen!!!

“Momma said it was you when I asked who was home.” I step back, dropping the needle onto my rolling table. “She told me.” But a flash of her thinned lips and scared expression floats through my memory. He coughs and grunts, his left arm swelling and growing pink. “She was lying.” I scoff. “Convenient. If it wasn’t you, who was it?” After grabbing the knife I placed down earlier, I hold it at the side of his neck. “And don’t pretend like you don’t know. Tell me the truth and I’ll make your death fast, even though you don’t deserve it.” “If I had to guess?” He coughs again, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. “The people I owed money to.” I press the blade harder into his neck. “And who was that, Harald?” “Your uncle. Trent Kingston.”

I am Jack's total lack of surprise

“In a different life”—I cut her off, pressing even closer until her neck cranes—“I’d kiss you.” My gaze locks on hers, my thumb still skimming back and forth against her lip. “I’d drag you inside, and I’d spend all night taking away the pain he caused.” “Don’t say that,” she starts, but I press hard against her mouth to keep her from continuing, because if I don’t get this out now, I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe. And even if we can never act on it, she deserves to know. I want her to know. “I’d tell you I only had Aria ask you to be a bridesmaid because I was trying like hell to do something—anything—to keep you in the box you’re supposed to be in for me, instead of letting you fill every goddamn space in my head.” She inhales shakily, her breath hot against my fingertips, but she doesn’t reply. “In a different life”—I bend until my mouth is centimeters from hers—“I would do anything to make you mine, and I’d bring you any person who’s wronged you and make them beg for death at your feet. All you’d have to do is say the word.” “Enzo.” Her voice is deep and raspy. Like she’s seconds away from giving in and letting me have her in all the ways I dream about. “Shh.” I stop her from speaking. “I know what you’re about to say, and I know we can’t…but I just needed you to hear it, out loud, at least once.” I let go of her face and reach into my pocket, then pull out her actual gift and pass it over. Leaning down, I brush a kiss to her cheek, but her face moves at the same ...

I approve! now in this life, Enzo is going to upend the New York Mafia and take over, then he's going to help Vanesa take over the southern Mafia and get her revenge on her uncle and then they can have their happily ever after

My chest aches from the realization that my uncle might not be who I thought he was. My father’s words ring in my ears, but I brush them off, because believing the words of my dad means upending everything I thought I knew about my uncle. And what would be the reason? To collect on a debt? He’d kill his own sister to send a message?

yes!!!

“Fuck…you.” Johnston grunts and spits out a blood clot. Enzo laughs. “Nah, fuck you.”

good comeback

“In a different life…” I pause, emotion suddenly clogging my throat. “I’d love you out loud.”

aww... sweet

I shouldn’t have slept with him, though. Not without talking to him first.

why would you even say this then?! but also, if whatever you have to say gets him all up in arms, you can remind him that he didn't let you get a word in last night

It’s pathetic. Not the “having no money” part—that I’m an expert in. Money defines nothing other than it’s nice to have it. Makes life easier. But it’s pathetic because after all these years, after everything I’ve done for my family, this is all I’m left with. I was brainwashed, clearly. Too blinded by my loyalty to Uncle T to see that he wasn’t even paying me my worth, and I’m worth a hell of a lot because I’m fucking fantastic. He won’t ever find someone better than me. Still, the realization that our relationship differed from the way it was in my head makes me feel like garbage. Like everything I did means nothing. Like my life means nothing. Like I’m nothing.

full stop, you were manipulated all your life. Uncle t needs to die

I’m only a few bites into my meal when another knock rings out. “Room service!” The voice sounds different this time, but I grin, wondering what else Enzo sent me. I stand up and walk to the door again.

YOU! FREAKING! IDIOT!!! ROOM SERVICE ALREADY CAME AND LUCKILY IT WAS ACTUALLY ROOM SERVICE. THAT MEANS THIS IS NOT ROOM SERVICE!!! she literally just said on the other page that she was the best her uncle had, and now she's gonna make this monumentally stupid mistake?!?!?!?!

Sighing, I press my hand to my forehead and then swing it open. “Honestly, this is getting…” My words cut off midsentence, getting stuck in my throat when Bastien stands on the other side, a look of disbelief on his face. “You didn’t even check to see who I was,” he reprimands.

you are so freaking lucky, girl!!!

Bastien shakes his head. “Your momma left on purpose, but Percius Kingston never got rid of her trust, and it’s irrevocable. On his death, she was supposed to get everything.”

yeah, so hostile takeover that bitch!

I’ve had her, she’s here, and I’m never letting her go again. My head pulses and I groan, rubbing my temples. This is why I don’t drink much anymore. Not only because my body doesn’t recover the same way it did when I was twenty-one, but because things grow fuzzy. Memories become hazy, and part of me is worried I’m misremembering last night, forgetting things, when I want to have our first time together branded on my fucking skin and in my soul for eternity. Not to have to struggle to remember each breath and every moan.

well I hate all this!

And right now, before things get heavy again, before I focus on how I’m going to take down my uncle and take back what’s rightfully mine…I’m going to enjoy this light moment. This is everything I never thought existed, and no matter what happens when I finally work up the courage to tell Enzo the truth, I know one thing: I’ll forever be grateful for the time we’ve had here. For him showing me that not all men are absolute trash. Not all of them are horrible. I don’t know if he’ll ever realize how deeply he’s changed my life and my outlook on it. It breaks my heart knowing things won’t stay this way forever.

I hate this tension. just say the things, whichever thing she thinks is so devastating

Now Pops looks at me. “I’m talking about the fact the woman you’re fucking is the one who killed your brother.”

whoops! is that the thing? should have had that conversation, I guess

I don’t even look in the peephole. I’m going on autopilot and assuming it’s Bastien.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!?!?!?!?!

Panic flashes in his eyes now. “If you kill me, you’ll never find her.” I pause, for just a second, wondering if he’s telling me the truth. But I’m not stupid enough to fall for his tricks, and even if he is being honest…I can’t take the risk of keeping him alive. Shaking my head, I lean in close, spitting out the words. “I’ll always find her. But at least if you’re dead, I’ll be able to sleep at night while I do.” And then I pull the trigger, closing my eyes when warm blood sprays across my face.

good, I'm glad one of them is smart enough to take care of business

Panic infuses my breaths, and it’s difficult to get it under control, but I try like hell anyway. And I almost have it, but nothing, and I mean nothing, prepares me for the betrayal that slices through me when Fisher walks out from the shadows and into my line of vision.

eww, that's yucky, but not surprising

I laugh. “Sweet Cousin, that’s what I do. Getting things done? I live for it.”

it's "that's what I do! it's what I live for." get it right!

“Life’s full of hard choices,” I reply.

it's "life's full of tough choices, idn'it"

“Also,” I say, “you should know it was your bitch assistant, Jessica, who actually kidnapped me, so if you haven’t killed her yet, I’d appreciate you letting me have the honor.” His fingers tighten on the steering wheel. “Jessica?” I shrug. “Yeah. Your dad had her under his thumb, I guess.” “Noted.” His jaw clenches. And then he laughs at me. I cut him a glare. “What’s so funny?” He lifts a shoulder. “I’m just…Jessica bested you? Baby, you’ve gotta get better at paying attention to your surroundings.”

fucking agreed!!!

“Don’t waste your energy,” I coo. “That injection? It was a special mix I made just for you. A blend of arsenic and lead. You know what that causes? Vocal paralysis.”

ha!!!!! nice!!!

“I’m going to let you live, Aria. That’s my gift to you.” I blink at her. “You’re welcome.” Enzo chuckles into my neck, and I separate from him, even though Aria having to watch us together sends satisfaction racing through my bones. What can I say? Spite fuels me. I press my fingernails to her trachea. “And honestly, consider this a mercy. You may not have your voice, and I’m definitely not giving you any of the family fortune. But you still have your…looks.” I lean in close. “That pretty face of yours should get you far.”

and don't underestimate the importance of body language!