I drew in a slow breath, inhaling the scents around me. Now then, it's time to eat. I had been traveling all night with only a jar of candied habaneros to munch on. And while they were absolutely delicious, you can only handle that level of heat for so long without suffering from repercussions. Peppers have a way of making you regret things. So much regret.

  Without hesitation, I stepped up to the sandwich bar and took small triangles and squares of tasty-looking treats. There were six tables to work through. I considered this an appetizer. With quick efficiency, I nibbled as I went, doing my best to keep my stomach from eating itself. And hopefully, calming it down from the pepper situation earlier.

  “The croissant sandwich is a particular favorite of mine. You should give it a try,” a pleasant low-pitched voice spoke close to my ear.

  A delightful shiver slid down my spine at the sound. “Thank you,” I said as I turned to look at the man speaking.

  Handsome face. Bright green eyes. A smile that would set my heart all a flutter. “Your pictures don't do you justice,” I muttered.

  My eyes widened in panic as I put a hand over my mouth.

  There were a thousand things I imagined saying to him when we met again. That wasn’t one of them.

  He was my target. The man I was supposed to protect. And far more handsome in person than any magazine spread I'd seen of his. And I had read them all. He’d become somewhat of an obsession, honestly.

  My stomach twisted in a strange excitement.

  “Thank you for the compliment. Your pictures don’t do you justice, either.”

  My mind blanked. “What pictures?”

  He held out his hand, ignoring my question. “John Reeves. Alexander must have sent you.”

  “Veronica Alvarez.” Disappointment dampened my excitement a tad. I had somewhat hoped that he remembered me. I shook his hand. His grip was firm and comfortable, not overbearing or too soft. I liked that. “Alexander?”

  “My cousin. Alexander Baker.”

  His words hit me like a ton of bricks. “Baker is your cousin?” I jerked my hand back and was immediately mortified. “Sorry, I was just surprised–”

  His laughter stole the apology from my lips. Actually, he stole the very breath from my body. It was a sin to look that good while laughing. And I still liked his laugh, despite our past.

  I shook my head at my wayward thoughts. Baker's cousin, though? How did a jerkface like that guy manage to be related to one of the genius hexxers of our time? And why didn’t I remember meeting him in the past? Family showed up to our school events from time-to-time. Either he never showed, or I was already in my own world by the time he did.

  “Is it that strange to know we're related?” His green-eyed gaze locked onto me and I opened my mouth without thinking.

  “You obviously got the looks in the family.” Great job. Now he's going to think I'm hitting on him. Well, okay, I was. But still.

  He was far different from that gangly kid who ruined my life back in school

  I cleared my throat, ignoring the humor reflecting on his face at my comment.

  “Anyway, your cousin did send me.”

  “Excellent. I require a good teacher. We’re short-handed for the middle school group.”

  “I think you're misunderstanding something. I'm not here to work with the kids.”

  “Oh? Then why are you here?”

  “To protect you.”

  His laughter rang out again, a musical sound that would have calmed my nerves if he wasn't laughing at me.

  Irritation and embarrassment rose within me. Okay, at this point, I can see the resemblance to his cousin. “Is this something to laugh about?”

  He wiped nonexistent tears from his eyes and grinned at me. “Sorry. It's been a long time since I laughed like this. Once it starts, it's hard to stop.” He repressed his chuckles.

  “You think I can’t do my job?”

  “I'm not laughing at you. I swear,” he said as he held his hands up in surrender when I glared at him. “I am one of the most powerful hexxers in the world.”

  “And yet someone still managed to steal your spellbook and sell it on the black market.”

  His smile died almost instantly. “Yes, thanks to me trusting someone else to manage my personal security. I don't need a bodyguard. I need an assistant.”

  My thoughts jerked to a stop for a second time. This guy was still great at throwing me off. “An assistant?” I repeated, wondering if I misheard him.

  “Yes. I host a special Food Hex workshop for middle and high school age groups. A slot just opened up for the younger group.”

  I shook my head. “I'm not good with kids.”

  John smiled at me and then turned to the buffet. “Neither am I. But it's the only way to make sure quality food hexxers make their way into our world. So much talent is lost because they don't have resources to experiment with the hex arts.”

  He shoved a plate of food in my hands.

  I glanced down and realized it was a delicious variety of choices. And most of them were my favorite foods. I narrowed my gaze at his selection and then decided to eat it anyway. “Food hexxers aren’t welcome in the field. There is still a global bias against all hexxers, to be honest,” I said as I nibbled away.

  “That’s right. And I can’t change that without this program. That’s why I’m sponsoring the event now.”

  He started walking away and I fell in line at his side. “I’m the last person you want to teach kids.”

  “I think you’ll be a great teacher..” He glanced over at me with an expression I didn’t understand.

  “What do you know about me?” I glanced at him and found no sense of recognition in his gaze that locked with mine.

  “I know you’re determined to prove yourself. And that you have a lot of knowledge to share.”

  “Is that what Baker told you? I’m honestly pretty terrible at most things. Teaching is one of them.”

  “What if I offer enough money and compensation to make you amazing at it?”

  “How much are we talking about?”

  He named a figure that had me jerking to a stop in shock. He reached out and took the plate from my hands before it dropped. Hell, my knees were so weak, I wondered how I was even standing.

  It took a moment, but my brain spun up as it ran calculations.

  Less than one-tenth of what he offered would pay for my hex supplies for a year. With this kind of income, I could branch out and get more expensive ingredients. Between mercenary jobs, I supplemented my income by selling hexes on the street. With enough funding, I could move to a legitimate business location.

  A hex is only as good as the quality of ink it's drawn with. Even the paper used had to be the right quality to be effective. The days of using blood and other body fluids are way behind us. Thankfully.

  “That doesn’t include materials. My assistant has access to a personal lab with a budget for supplies.”

  Temptation, sweet, sweet temptation. All the pay, the benefits, and work for one of the most powerful and impressive hexxers of our generation.

  However, nothing good like this ever happened to me.

  “What’s the catch?” I asked as I leveled my gaze at him.

  He turned to face me, his gaze searching my expression, as though looking for something. “What if I told you that I believe in your ability?”

  I shook my head. “Not buying it. There’s no way Baker would talk me up to you. Offers like this don’t come around often. This is either a scam, a hazard is involved, or some other complication I can’t figure out.”

  “Okay, fair enough. There is a catch.” He waved his hand and a doorway appeared. “Open it.”

  I narrowed my gaze and held out my palm, using my magic to scan the doorway for traps, charms, and enchantments. It came back with nothing.

  “You don’t trust me?”

  No, you’ve betrayed me before. Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud and keep my job, but I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my heart. “Have you met Baker? Being related to him counts against you.”

  He laughed again and opened the door for me. “Lucky for us both, I’m from the less annoying side of the family.”

  Instantly, screams and laughter erupted from within the doorway. I glanced inside and saw a lab room with multiple tables. Everything was splattered with goop and all types of half-baked experiments. A strange scent of bubble gum and licorice wafted out.

  “Are you sure you’re from the less annoying side?”

  He laughed and stepped inside. I followed, prepared to bolt back out of the door the moment something went wrong.

  Several kids sat at their lab tables, working on different things while the rest stood around a goop-covered figure in the middle of the room. He looked miserable.

  “What’s that?”

  “That’s my former assistant.”

  “You abandoned them?”

  “Of course not. I have you. It’s an excellent lesson, as well, to not underestimate these kids. I chose each child personally, so they are extremely talented in the hex arts.”

  My mouth opened in shock. And then I realized this should be what I expected from his family. They wanted results and abandoned people when they’re no longer useful. It was a timely reminder.

  At the same time, I was fascinated by the trap they’d used on their teacher. It looked like the assistant was trying to escape, but the more they struggled, the greater the hold.

  “I think I’ve changed my mind. I’d rather protect you than deal with this.”

  “This is the only way you’ll be able to stay here.” He leaned close to me. “My cousin told me you owe him for paying off your landlord. He’s definitely waiting for you to pay him back. I’m sure he has eyes on your apartment. He’s extremely stingy with his finances.”

  Was he being serious? That sounded horrifying.

  “Good luck avoiding him if you go back now. Terrifying to owe the man money, to be honest. “

  His slightly menacing and highly amused voice in my ear was equally horrifying and attractive. What a dangerous man. Much more ruthless than he was as a kid.

  He waved his hand and the door moved toward us. I stood there, unsurprised to find that he had the kind of power to move portal doors around.

  “You’re going to need this,” he said, as he handed me the plate of food.

  “For what?”

  “Energy. Good luck.” He stepped back out through the portal door. His smirk was the last thing I saw before the door shut in my face.

  I turned around and looked at the group of half-grown children eyeing me like starving wolves ready to strike.

  Great. I’ve been conned three times by this family. Twice by him.

  5

  Veronica

  Did he really trap me in here with these kids? I touched the door and tried the handle. Nothing.

  How am I supposed to protect him and his books of spells if I can’t even get to him?

  “The door won't open until lunch, so you won't be able to escape,” a young feminine voice spoke from my side.

  I glanced down at her and found an innocent-looking girl staring back at me. Two bright red braids hung on each shoulder and her wide blue eyes held a hint of mischief. “Who says I want to escape?” I asked.

  “Wouldn't any adult be intimidated by that?” She gestured to the teacher stuck at the front of the room.

  From my glance, it looked like a few slime hexes, some rigid limb hexes, and a sprinkle of face exaggeration magic. Otherwise, that man's nose was incredibly unfortunate. I looked back at the girl. “Are you stuck here as well?”

  “Yes. The Academy keeps us locked down except for mealtimes, breaks, and—”

  “What about bathroom breaks and emergencies?” And could I use any of those to break myself out of here and find my target?

  “We use a bathroom pass when we need to and emergencies are automatically detected by the monitoring magic inside.”

  “The magic didn't pick up on that?” I gestured to the teacher at the front. My gaze locked onto a gangly kid heading my way. He looked pretty annoyed, and I wondered if it was because I was here, or because I was talking to this kid.

  “They're simple hexes. Only fire, extreme temperatures, blood, allergic reactions, and stuff like that will kick us out of here.”

  “What's to keep you from using the bathroom pass when you want?”

  Her smile widened and I realized this kid might be more interesting than I thought. “What's your name?”

  The boy reached us the moment she opened her mouth. “Shouldn't you be more worried about what we'll do to you here?”

  His expression was hard and without humor, but he looked similar to the girl next to me. And the way he stood slightly in front of her made me admire him a bit.

  “It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to take me down and failed. But you're welcome to try.” I grinned at them both and then strode toward the hex mess at the front of the classroom.

  One by one, the kids stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Some with glares, others with indifference. A few had a streak of cruelty that I could sense a mile away.

  “So, who is going to help me unhex the teacher?” I asked, expecting no response.

  “We've been waiting for the teacher to prove how incompetent we are. He bragged about how amazing he was. These are simple hexes. Shouldn't he be able to get out of this easily?” The girl gestured gently as we walked, as though guiding me to my place at the front. I had a sneaky suspicion she was the most dangerous one here.

  I said a soft prayer to the Goddess for that guy. Rest in peace to his arrogance. The more time I spent around this girl the more I liked her.

  “Sucking up to the new teacher, Pepper Jack?” A brawny guy sneered at us. Aggression oozed out of his pores like a skunk, infecting everyone around him. Even his little gang seemed to wither and back away when he spoke. This meant he was either tough to deal with or had a strong backer back home.

  Both kids had stiffened next to me, but neither showed fear. “Don’t call us that,” The boy beside me demanded, shaking his fist at the other guy.

  My guess is the loud guy had a strong backer. “Your name is Pepper?” I asked, looking down at the girl.

  She looked up at me and nodded. I thought the name fit her perfectly. “Are you siblings?”

  “We’re twins.”

  “Yeah, the Pepper Jack Twins.” Loud kid’s sneer had been perfected by years of bullying. I could tell.

  “It’s a shame he’s not as hilarious as he thinks he is,” I quietly spoke and Pepper chuckled.

  “Useless people need to leave, or do you want to end up like this idiot?” The brat from the front was still talking.

  “Getting made fun of is a rite of passage in some cases, but whoever named you had to take it that extra mile.”

  The expression on her face eased up a bit.

  “I was born first, so it should actually be Jack and Pepper.”

  “Look, the Pepper Jack twins betrayed us. Stay away from them from now on.”

  “It’s great that you’re twins. What’s going on here?” I asked as we all ignored the guy at the front. We reached the front of the classroom and I eyed the teacher stuck hard and fast against the podium. That small stage was covered in hex marks. They didn't respond to me, but I didn't expect one.

  “Useless people should leave.”

  Now, he’s repeating himself. I held back the urge to roll my eyes. “Who is he?” I asked Pepper as I gestured to the loud kid.

  “Kenneth Dobbs.”

  “Of the Hex Emporium Dobbs?” I asked, a sneer twisting my lips.

  “Richard Dobbs is my grandfather.” If his chin rose any higher, he'd break his neck.

  Between the idiot boy, and his useless family who gave hexes a bad name, I much prefer the quiet nature of the twins. Sure, they were arrogant, and probably pretty good at hex-making, but I liked the way they openly challenged me instead of relying on family ties to throw their weight around.

  “I'm the heir to the Emporium,” he continued.

  “Oh,” I said and handed my plate to Pepper. “Have some snacks. John Reeves picked them out himself, so I'm sure they're delicious.”

  She held it for me and I took a bandana from my jacket pocket. With a whisper, I triggered the cleansing hex sewn into the fabric. Instantly, it dampened, and an air-dry cleansing soap was released. I wiped my hands and then released the hex. The soap stopped flowing and I handed it to Jack. “Hold this. It'll dry in a second.”

  It was shoved in his hands before he could reject it and he held it gingerly between two fingers, sniffing it gently. “What is this?”

  “Cleansing cloth. It's a simple hex. I'll teach you later.”

  I stepped up onto the podium, bypassing the active hex marks and stepping on the fake ones. “You got yourself in quite a mess,” I muttered to the man eyeing me with irritation and quite a bit of panic.

  “How long has he been stuck here?”

  “Three hours.”

  I clicked my tongue in sympathy. “I bet you're starting to cramp. Maybe you need to go to the bathroom?”

  His eyes widened slightly.

  Dobbs and his crew cackled at my question, cracking jokes about how funny it would be if he peed his pants. The more that kid spoke, the less I liked him.

  “What are you pretending for? It's not like you can break our hexes. So get lost and send Mr. Reeves back in here.” Well, at least this kid had some respect for John.

  I set my bag down on the teacher's lab table and rifled through it, looking for my hex kit. “What if I can release the hexes on your teacher?”

  “Your funeral. Hit the wrong hex and you'll end up like him.”

  I found my kit and grinned. “Okay, smart guy. Not only can I release every hex you put on him, but I can do it in less than fifteen minutes.”

  “Bullshit,” the kid said with a sneer.

  The more I looked at him, the more he reminded me of his father. From the way he held this group in his pudgy little hand to the perpetual entitlement spiel, he brought back memories of a time I'd rather shove into a dark closet and forget about.

 

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