Page 33 of What the Hex
Okay, not much to go on, but the information did spur another thought. “What was weird about the werewolf?”
“Well, we took him out because he was causing a scene with that little she-wolf from housekeeping.”
“Nita?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. She was crying and saying she didn’t know him, but he claimed to be her boyfriend.”
King bobbed his head. “Did you believe him?”
“Honestly? Yeah. He was pissed about us interfering, but otherwise, he just seemed confused.”
“I heard she called out today,” Emrys interjected as he and Arlo came to join them. “Apparently, she’s still pretty upset about it.”
King understood the mask of bewilderment he wore. It didn’t make sense to him, either.
“Doesn’t really sound like her, does it?”
Emrys shook his head. “Not the Nita I know.”
“Well, Storm can’t remember shit,” Arlo announced before taking a sip of his drink. “Like, the dude doesn’t even know how to tie his shoes.”
While not incorrect, he probably could have been more tactful about it.
“Except King,” he added. “He is big obsessed with King.”
Hooking his arm around Cyrus’ elbow, Emrys rested his head on his mate’s shoulder and chuckled. “Sounds like this guy here. He punched the television last night because he thought the people on the screen were real.”
Cyrus shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “I don’t remember that.”
“He thought they were going to kidnap me,” Emrys continued with a quiet laugh. “It was funny, but I’m glad it’s over.”
King wrung his hands together, dragging his thumb over the opposite palm on each pass. “Do you know how? Did you do something?”
Beside him, Arlo snorted. “Oh, they did something. Look at his neck.”
Sure enough, a shiny set of punctures—the exact width of a set of fangs—practically glowed like a neon sign on the side of the pixie’s neck. Beneath the new wounds, King could still make out the faint pink of his original mating mark.
King feared Emrys would be embarrassed, but he just smiled and shrugged while Cyrus pulled his shoulders back and puffed out his chest. It was actually kind of refreshing to see such a confident couple. Still, he didn’t think he would ever be so comfortable talking about his sex life in public.
“There’s your answer.” Swaying to the side, Arlo bumped his shoulder against King’s. “Get Storm to claim you. That’ll fix him.”
“Maybe.”
Just because it had worked for the other pair didn’t mean it would work for Storm. Fuck, he didn’t even know what “it” was. Besides, having sex with the guy in his current state seemed wrong. Sure, Storm had become somewhat irrational in his fascination with him, but it wasn’t an accurate account of his feelings. Not really.
It was more like…
Did you slip him a love potion?
He clearly hadn’t done any such thing, but his sister’s assumption did trigger another thought. “Could it be magic? Like a curse or something?”
“I think that’s a fair guess,” Emrys agreed.
“Okay.” Arlo slurped from his straw again. “Whose ass do we have to kick?”
To that, no one had an answer. Other than the fact that two of the victims worked at the hotel, none of them had anything in common. If someone had been specifically targeting Storm, why not Damien as well? And where did Cyrus and Nita fit into the scheme?
For that matter, what the hell kind of hex was this? What did the caster hope to gain by causing Storm to forget everything except King? Was it someone who wanted him out of the way? Someone jealous of his success? Had Cyrus and Nita simply been in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and gotten hit with the blowback from the curse?