HEX

by Stacy Charasidis

  “Dean!” Nathalie screamed as she scrambled to kneel beside him. His normal pale complexion was chalky white in the darkness. Her hands fluttered above him. She didn’t know what to do. Sadie and Luke knelt beside him, looking at him with concern. Dean’s eyes fluttered and Nathalie fell on top of him, crying.

  “Is it over?” he asked in a croak before he started to cry. He wrapped his arms around Nathalie and buried his face in her neck as they held each other tightly on the grass. Dean was whispering “I’m sorry, Nathalie. I’m so sorry. Sorry sorry…” while Nathalie shushed him and kissed him all over his face and wiped away his tears and her own.

  Luke put his hand on his friend and waited for the emotions to subside. Sadie sat quietly beside him. Within a few minutes Dean and Nathalie had calmed down and sat up. Dean held Nathalie tightly and wouldn’t let her go.

  “How long?” Dean asked.

  “Two days.”

  Dean looked relieved. “It felt much longer than that. I was completely powerless. It was as if someone else was controlling what I said and did.”

  Sadie interrupted. “You’re very lucky, Dean. The spell would have only gotten stronger and stronger, and eventually driven you insane, maybe even to the point of suicide.”

  Dean looked horrified. “Are you kidding me?”

  “According to Willow’s grimoire, only a powerful witch can stop the hex, but it has to be caught in time. You can’t force someone to love you, so eventually a hex like this will go wrong. One of her victims killed himself. The rest were still enthralled…but I don’t have a record of what happened to them after she was burned.”

  Nathalie spoke, “so, we don’t know for sure if they ever escape if the hex isn’t broken. There aren’t many precedents, only what Willow has written and recorded.”

  “So now we know Beth’s a witch,” Luke said quietly. It seemed surreal.

  Nathalie basked in the warmth of Dean’s big arms around her. “What I want to know is why she’s here, in Barrington. What does she want?”

  “That is definitely something we need to find out,” Sadie said decisively, “but one thing’s for sure, she’s here to make trouble.”

  The Parker Residence

  Later, Dean walked Nathalie home. They slipped around the back to the dark porch and the concealing darkness of the woods ringing Nathalie’s house. Dean gathered her into his arms and kissed her passionately as if he’d been starved for affection for years. Nathalie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and held his warm mouth to hers fiercely. When they broke their kiss Nathalie was limp, leaning against the back of the house while Dean rained kisses on her neck and face.

  “I love you so much, Nathalie,” he whispered in her ear. “There’s no girl for me but you. Never, ever.”

  Nathalie moaned. “I love you too, Dean,” she managed to say before he took her mouth again and crushed her to him.

  Town Circle—The Apartment above Clara’s Crafts & Crystals

  Beth woke with a start. She knew her hex was broken. Where the edges of it used to pulse in her mind was now blankness, a yawning emptiness. She screeched in anger, pounding her bed with her fists.

  She tossed the bedcovers aside and scrambled out of bed. The hex hadn’t even had a chance to reach full potency. She should have had a fully-fledged lover by week’s end. She dressed quickly and raced to the candy factory. Not caring who saw her, she flashed her pass and ran inside. At Dean’s desk she could see right away that it was gone. In a fury she ran to Nathalie’s desk. She wanted to hurt the bitch and smash all her pretty things. Beth reached for Nathalie’s coffee cup but found herself distracted by the desk’s nameplate. N. PARKER…it reminded her of something she had recently handled. Beth gasped as it hit her.

  Upon returning home Beth invoked the amulet at her neck and it began to burn. She whirled around to find Danner in her room.

  He smiled. His terrifying countenance pleased for once. “Hello Beth. You must have good news if you’re calling me at this time of the night.”

  Beth was exultant. “I found the Lore Keeper! The spelling of the Parquhar name has changed over the centuries to plain old ‘Parker’ but the same blood runs through her veins.” Her face was twisted with anger and hate at the mention of Nathalie’s heritage.

  Danner mocked her a little. “Oh, such bitterness over a young man slated TO DIE.” He emphasized the last two words. “Tsk tsk.” He waved his hand carelessly. “In the end, it’s good news. He’ll keep her busy. Affairs of the heart consume you puny humans. We need Miss Parker distracted.”

  Beth’s face tightened with anger.

  Danner only laughed. “I knew your spell had been destroyed. I could feel the echoes of Kellar magic in my prison. Too bad the Kellar descendent in this time plays for the other team.” Danner sighed. “No matter.”

  “I’m going to kill her,” Beth said venomously.

  Within the blink of an eye Danner was right in front of Beth. He reached for her and she gasped as pain bloomed where his ocher hands touched her. “You’ll do no such thing,” he hissed ominously. “With all your mean games and silly hexes, I think you’re forgetting the real reason you’re here. I let you have your fun, but you’re forgetting about ME.”

  Beth was gasping with pain.

  “You’re with me, aren’t you Beth?” he asked softly, before his voice turned hard. “Find another plaything for now. I promised to send you one, and I did. He’s on his way. But right now there is no room for vengeance or romance. Only me. Just ME. Only I matter. I saved you. I own you. You belong to me. Do you understand or do I need to teach you a lesson, witch?”

  Beth’s breath came in short bursts. “No Danner,” she gasped, “no lesson necessary.”

  “Good,” he said quietly, and then he was gone.

  Saturday, August 9

  Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Saturday, August 9

  Today Dean and I sat on my back porch, swinging on the swing while the wind whistled around the house. It was dark. We had turned off all the lights at the back of the house so that the only light came from the glowing fairy lights wrapped around the porch railing. After a late dinner we had gone for a walk and were now relaxing under the stars. Dean had his fingers twined with mine and his thumb was rubbing the inside of my hand. We were looking at what stars we could see with the dark clouds scudding across the night sky. It was a full moon and very romantic.

  I could feel Taline’s pendant as it rested between my breasts, warm and heavy, a comfortable weight. I pulled it out and over my head and detangled my hand from Dean’s so I could take the figures apart. He looked at me curiously, his big chocolate eyes and ridiculously long lashes staring at me with their “I want to touch you look.” Dean and I have spent a lot of time kissing and holding each other following his enslavement by that nutbag. We were frantic for it. When we were apart we ached. We both agreed it was crazy, but since we were having fun…why not?

  I got up and slapped him on the side of the leg to make him scootch to the middle of the swing. He smiled lazily as he moved his adorable butt over and invited me to sit on him. I smiled and sat on his lap facing him and wrapped my legs around his hips.

  “That’s interesting,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around my hips to keep me firmly in place. At first I thought the swing was going to protest and eject us, but we managed to balance very well.

  “I have something for you,” I told him. I showed him the pendant. In the dim light the male and female shapes appeared to be writhing together.

  “Are they having sex?” Dean asked curiously, staring at the small figurines intently. We looked at each other and laughed.

  “It’s just the light!” I exclaimed. I broke them apart and put the female pendant around his neck.

  “Will you wear it?” I asked him. My heart was pounding, but I continued on determinedly, fiddling with the cord so I wouldn’t have to look at his face. “It’s one heart split in two, see? I want to give you my heart to keep safe, and
if you want, I’ll keep your heart safe with me.” I adjusted the cord so the female was at the exact position of his heart and put my hand over it. I looked up and Dean’s beautiful brown eyes were dark, mysterious pools. He tightened one of his hands on my hip while the other caressed its way up the soft skin of my back underneath my shirt. He didn’t say anything but pressed me close to him, bringing our mouths together.

  His mouth was warm. He kissed me slowly and languorously, sliding his tongue along my lips before slipping it into my mouth. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as I slid my tongue against his. My body became flushed as I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, running my hands through his hair. I could feel Dean was very aroused and I pushed myself against him until he moaned. The kiss deepened to the point where I didn’t know where my body ended and his began. We were making out feverishly. My hands were running all over his body and his over mine. Reason came flooding back when I remembered we were outside on the porch. I broke the kiss and leaned back, panting heavily. He looked feverish and agonized.

  “Do you want to go up to my room?” I invited softly. It was a big step, but I didn’t care. I wanted him, only him, right now. No more waiting. I was going nuts.

  “Yes,” he said, grinding his hips against me. I groaned and covered my mouth with my hand. “Yes to both things,” he said softly. “I’d be honoured to wear your heart close to mine, and, well, I’ve always trusted you with mine.”

  I looked at him; my body was tingling and demanding total, private alone time with him. I nodded and slid off his lap. Holding hands we snuck into the house and crept upstairs to my room. Luckily my parents were both dozing in front of the TV and didn’t see us come in. We slipped into my bedroom and locked the door. The next second I was in his arms and the next few hours were…heaven. We gave each other hot, wet kisses. We took off our clothing piece by piece. Dean kissed every part of my body that he uncovered, and I did the same. By the time Dean slipped off my underwear and his, my body was screaming for him. We fell back on my bed, his heavy body a wonderful weight on mine as he slid inside me. We held each other tightly and kissed mindlessly as he thrust and thrust. We muffled our moans of pleasure against each other’s mouths, and we did it again and again and again.

  Later Dean and I lay together, our limbs entwined, while he inspected the two figurines, clicking them together and then pulling them apart.

  “This is really cool, Nat. They lock together via their arms and their private parts,” he whispered.

  I giggled, looking at the figurines as Dean clicked them together.

  “It’s so intimate, the action I mean. Yet you can’t really see anything but the arms hugging when they’re together. See, the man has a small penis and the woman has a place for it. That’s how they lock together. It’s brilliant,” he said in amazement, fingering the amulet.

  Dean fell asleep but I was still too keyed up. I looked at his clothes, tangled with mine, with something like awe. Dean was actually naked in my bed. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, and how beautiful he is. I ran my hand over the side of his body and his hip. He’s so warm.

  Dean sneaked out just before dawn. “Are your parents going to notice?” I asked him sleepily as he got dressed to leave.

  “Nah, they don’t really keep track of things like that. With six of us to manage, they’re usually dead asleep by ten o’clock.” He kissed me goodbye and I fell back asleep.

  What an incredible night!

  Sunday, August 10

  The Fairgrounds

  After church Dean had to help his parents with his siblings in the morning, so Nathalie wandered over to the fairgrounds to help Taline. She was very curious about the amulet Taline had given her, especially considering the peculiar way it locked together. She thought about last night and blushed. The power of suggestion? It was strange; she just didn’t feel like herself lately. All she thought about was kissing, being in love, and now, having sex with her gorgeous boyfriend. She felt flushed and excited all the time. She couldn’t stop thinking about Dean and how crazy she was about him. The thought of seeing him, and his beautiful brown eyes, made her breathless. Nathalie shook her head. What on earth was wrong with her? Teenage hormones? She shuddered. If so, they had her in thrall.

  The fair was already teeming with people. Nathalie walked by Taline’s stall but she was busy chatting with a couple of women about herbs, and there were many customers looking at her amulets and charms, so she decided to look around the fairgrounds a bit and come back later when Taline wasn’t so busy.

  She headed to the stables to say hello to Wayman but was halted by someone whispering her name. Despite the noise and the bustle, the voice was clear. Nathalie stopped beside a small covered alleyway that lay between the last stall and the stables. Despite the sunshine, the alley was shrouded in gloom. A figure stood there, unmoving. It beckoned to her, calling her familiarly. “Nathalie…Nathalie Parker,” it whispered. Nathalie felt disoriented. It’s voice, soft and deep, compelled her closer. She started to feel scared before reassurance enveloped her. She stepped into the gloom.

  The being was huge, at least nine feet tall. It looked almost solid. It’s face was like something out of a nightmare. It had glowing yellow eyes, and when it grinned, she saw it’s mouth was filled with long, shark-like teeth. A quick glance just below eye-level confirmed it was male. He was naked, and aroused. She knew she should be screaming in terror, but she felt such a lassitude…the sounds of the fair had completely faded away.

  “Well, well,” he rumbled. “You’re a hard one to pin down.” He studied her for a few moments before he spoke. “So you’re the lost piece of the puzzle. The whistle blower. The squealer. You know, no one likes a tattletale.”

  Nathalie’s thoughts were fuzzy even though her heart had started to pound in terror. What on earth was this thing? What was he talking about?

  He continued. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Danner. I’m stuck in a terrible, terrible, terrible cage and I’ve been there for a very, VERY, VERY long time. I really want to get out.” He laughed and Nathalie wanted to cringe, but she couldn’t move. He’s insane! she thought wildly.

  “The worst? I’m so bored,” he said carelessly. “I have a friend who wants me to hurt you a little, you know, as a favour. Normally, I don’t do favours, but because I’m bored, I just might,” he said with a horrific grin.

  Hurt me? In the middle of the fair? Nathalie thought, and then realized there was no one else around. No one was looking.

  “I need you to stay out of my business,” he said calmly, stepping forward. He reached out an unusually long arm and brushed her arm from shoulder to wrist. His fingers were long with black pointed claws instead of nails. Pain bloomed and spread, following the path of his hand. Nathalie wanted to scream in agony but she was frozen and couldn’t move away from the hideous and terrifying being.

  “Nathalie?” She could hear Wayman calling her name from the stable. His voice sounded distant even though he couldn’t be more than five feet away from her.

  Danner frowned. “Darn. I wanted to break your fingers, but our time is being cut short. What a pity.” He passed his hand over her face. “Forget me little mortal…but not my wish…stay out of my business, or I’ll be back to skin you alive,” he whispered as he tossed her a coin. It hit the dirt at her feet. He chanted as he faded, “find a penny pick it up, chances are you’ll have bad luck…”

  “Nathalie?” She turned towards Wayman’s voice at the end of the alley. He was glowing. She swayed for a moment before crumpling to the ground. “Nathalie!” Wayman’s deep voice boomed as he charged in and swept her up into his powerful arms. So strong…his body was warm and hard like steel. His soft shirt rubbed against Nathalie’s cheek as he carried her to the stables and lay her down on some loose hay. Taline rushed in.

  “You found her! Thank heaven! I saw her disappear and then the horses started going berserk! You could hear them across the fairgrounds. What happened?”


  Wayman was inspecting Nathalie for injuries, running his hands over her arms and legs, checking for breaks. This is what the horses feel, Nathalie thought, and she laughed. Wayman looked at her with a small frown. He wasn’t glowing anymore. Instead, Nathalie could sense a blackness rolling through him.

  He scowled. “I saw her heading over and then I felt a presence. Someone I haven’t felt for years. Then the horses went crazy just as she disappeared. After a couple of minutes I called for her and found her in the alley. No broken bones, but her arm is burned.”

  Taline bent down and put her thumbs on Nathalie’s temples. Her eyes were still a bit glazed. “Nathalie, honey, do you remember who you were talking too?”

  Nathalie shook her head. She had a flash of yellow eyes but it faded in an instant, like a dream. “Did I pass out? How did I get here? I don’t remember,” she said groggily.

  Taline and Wayman looked at each other with concern.

  “No, you had an encounter with a…being of some sort,” Wayman said softly.

  Nathalie looked at Wayman with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  Taline shrugged, and shooting Wayman a glance, helped Nathalie to her feet. “Why don’t you head home?” she suggested mildly. “I think the heat’s getting to you.”

  Nathalie nodded. “Must be. I was heading here but I don’t remember arriving.” Now she wasn’t feeling that well.

  She said goodbye and they watched as Nathalie weaved her way through the crowd and disappeared.

  “What is it, Wayman?” Taline said curiously. “What, or who, did you sense?”

  “I felt Dannerlich’s presence today, Taline. For the first time in, oh, I don’t know how many centuries…I felt superstitious. I think Danner’s back, and he’s up to something.” Wayman knocked on wood.