Hexed (Never After #6)

29. Venesa

TWENTY-NINE

VENESA

The engagement party is at Uncle T’s estate, and I’m taking Athena with me.

There’s no way in hell I’m going alone, and Fisher said he’d meet me there, which is a little out of character for him, so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Athena is at least nice arm candy and can serve as a distraction.

It’s what I need. A shield. Something to get me through this night until Enzo and Aria disappear and I can go back to pretending like they don’t exist.

Good riddance, honestly.

And if that doesn’t work, then I have an unbinding spell ready to go at home, just to make sure and cut any ties to Enzo that might be left over.

I’m a big believer that time is an illusion and doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with knowing someone for a couple of weeks and letting them have such a big impact on my life. And Enzo has impacted me in ways I’m not sure I’ll recover from.

And for the first time, I empathize a little with my momma, because maybe this is how she felt with my father. An overwhelming type of attraction she didn’t have the discipline to control. Maybe that’s why she always let him back, every single time, with a smile on her just-healed face.

Maybe that’s why she always picked him above me.

Above everyone.

Above herself.

The engagement party itself is absolutely beautiful. Fit for a queen, or in this case, the princess of Atlantic Cove, and Uncle T has ensured that the who’s who is here to rain their gifts and praise down on the happy couple.

Gag me.

The theme of the party itself is the Lost City of Atlantis , which I know was more Uncle T’s idea than it was Aria’s because she’s never been too into the Kingston lore—at least not the way Uncle T is.

The party is being held in the ballroom that sits in the estate’s basement, and it’s bathed in beautiful moody blue lighting, giving it the impression of being underwater. Thick white pillars surround everything, and there’s a sense of ethereal beauty, an ancient feeling I’m sure took an ostentatious amount of money to achieve.

A waiter passes by with a tray of champagne, and Athena grabs one and hands it to me.

I shake my head and set it down on the bar behind me. “I don’t drink.”

She looks at me funny. “Oh. Sorry, I…I didn’t know that.”

And why would she have known? Athena isn’t someone I share my life with. She’s just someone who’s good at making me come.

“This is gorgeous,” a random woman says, standing at the bar next to me.

Athena locks her arm around my waist, leaning in and brushing her nose along my ear. “Almost as gorgeous as you.”

I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m really not in the mood for her brand of flirting.

Still, talking to her is better than the alternative of having to face this night alone.

Especially when I see Johnston Miller walking over with Uncle T, Enzo, and Aria in tow.

My eyes widen with shock as I look at Enzo, and he gives me a quick nod. Maybe to tell me there’s nothing to worry about, but…

Why the hell is Johnston even here?

They’re clearly heading toward me, and my heart skips a beat. There goes hoping I can get away with hiding in the corner all night.

“Who’s that?” Athena asks, her fingers tightening around my waist.

“Nobody important, darlin’. You just stand there and look pretty.” I smile back at her.

Enzo’s eyes are fiery when they land on mine, dropping to where Athena has her hand on my hip. Like I’m doing something wrong.

I have to physically hold back the scoff at his audacity, because I’m sorry, but is this not his engagement party?

“Venesa,” Johnston says when he reaches us. “How fortunate to see you again so soon.”

Something isn’t right here.

“Johnston. You look a little banged up.” I gesture to his black eye. “Hope that doesn’t hurt too bad.”

I don’t acknowledge Aria, because fuck her. And fuck Uncle T too, honestly. He hasn’t even checked in on me since everything went down on my birthday.

Aria smirks like she knows something that I don’t, and Uncle T leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

Enzo just stares at me like he wants to either fuck me or kill me.

Aria looks around and then lifts a brow as she focuses on me. “No Fisher tonight?”

My protective nature swings forward, and I bristle. “Fisher isn’t your concern, Aria. Worry about your man.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

“And who’s this?” Enzo pipes in, nodding toward Athena.

“This is my date.” I grin widely. “Athena.”

“So you finally admit it,” Aria says. “You’re a lesbian.”

“Well, I’ll tell you a secret, sweet Cousin.” I cup my hand around my mouth and incline my body toward her. “The women make me come harder, but the men are easier to train. So I like them both but for very different reasons.”

Uncle T stiffens because he’s a bigot and prefers to pretend like my bisexuality doesn’t exist. Aria chokes on her champagne.

Enzo has a practiced grin on his face as he rubs her back and presses a kiss to the side of her head. “Careful, princess.”

A hit of jealousy sears through me when his lips touch her skin.

“Well,” I snap. “As fun as this is, don’t you all have some schmoozing to do?”

I wave my arm to the few hundred people pretending to give a damn about their nuptials, but I see the spark in Aria’s eyes when I bring it up.

This is her moment. She loves the spotlight, always has. It’s the reason she’s here with Enzo right now, the reason all this is even happening.

“That’s a fantastic idea,” Uncle T says. “Aria, why don’t you go say hi to the mayor? I just saw him and his wife walk in.” He looks at me. “I need to speak with you.” Then he turns to Enzo. “Both of you.”

“Daddy, does that have to happen right now ?” Aria protests. “This is my party!”

“I’m sorry, baby girl. Unfortunately, it can’t wait.” He smiles at her and then turns to Johnston, clapping him on the back. “I’ll have Bas take you to my office, and I’ll be there shortly.”

Uncle T looks over the crowd and waves, and Bastien appears out of thin air, maneuvering his way through the room and taking Johnston away. He barely meets my eyes as he does.

Why is he acting so weird?

Aria rises on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Enzo’s mouth, and my stomach churns, envy slithering up my spine and wrapping around my chest like a constrictor until I can’t breathe.

This is ridiculous .

Sighing, I turn to Athena. “You don’t mind, sugar, do you? I’m sure you can entertain yourself until I get back.”

She grins and kisses my cheek before moving her mouth to my ear. “Don’t leave me for too long with these people. I’d rather get you home and on your back.”

My eyes flick to Enzo and see his jaw clenched tight, his eyes narrowed dangerously on her.

We follow Uncle T out of the main ballroom until we’re in a hallway off to the side. Enzo’s trying to get my attention, but I studiously ignore him because having us both back here with Uncle T is either because he can tell we’ve been less than appropriate with each other or, more likely, Johnston ratted us out about last night.

Why else would he be here?

The tinkling of champagne glasses and inaudible murmurs of people from the ballroom just beyond us filter through the air, and I cross my arms and lean against the wall, waiting for Uncle T to speak.

Finally, he clears his throat. “Either of you care to tell me what went on last night with Johnston Miller?”

“You didn’t let Bas go with me,” I state.

Uncle T looks at me incredulously. “And that’s your excuse for having E go with you instead?”

“Excuse me? I didn’t have E go with me. I don’t even know why he was there. I was handling things just fine.”

Enzo snorts from beside me.

I glare over at him. “What?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

Uncle T’s fiery gaze turns on him, and he points a finger. “It’s starting to feel like you’re fucking with my business.”

“I was saving your niece from being assaulted,” he says icily and takes a step forward, seeming to grow in height with every move he makes. “Something you should thank me for instead of trying to reprimand me like I’m some asshole you picked up off the street.”

The tension ramps up.

Uncle T hits back. “She can handle herself.”

“I was uncomfortable,” I admit. The words feel foreign on my tongue, but I don’t take them back.

Uncle T’s brows rise, and he crosses his arms like he’s waiting for elaboration.

“Every time I’ve gone for a gun drop, you’ve sent Bas with me, but this time you didn’t. And I told you how worried I was about Johnston wanting to retaliate for his brother-in-law, so sending me there without backup felt like…it felt like you didn’t give a damn.”

Uncle T huffs, but he doesn’t disagree with me.

It stings. Like salt water in an open wound.

“Why didn’t you?” I press.

“Bas had more important things to deal with.”

I bite back the sharp inhale of breath his words cause.

More important.

Uncle T steps in close. “You’re lucky I have a good relationship with the MC, or else I’d be having you fix what you interfered with. You should know how important their relationship is to our bottom line. Decades of work that you could have fucked up last night if it weren’t for me smoothing things over.”

“She didn’t interfere,” Enzo interrupts. “I did.”

Enzo moves until he’s standing directly in front of me, like he’s protecting me. Standing up against the one man I’ve never been able to find the backbone to stand up to myself—not with anything that matters anyway.

“And you’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m gonna stand here and let you berate her when all this woman does is bend over backward to do whatever you want, even when you continually treat her like shit.”

My chest pulls taut, hurt swelling in the cavity like I’ve been sucker punched.

Uncle T stiffens, standing straighter, but it doesn’t matter, because even if Enzo weren’t taller than him, his aura would tower over my uncle anyway.

Enzo eclipses everything around him.

“I think in these past few weeks, you’ve forgotten who it is you’re dealing with,” Enzo says, his voice dark, the same way it was last night.

Uncle T’s jaw locks. “I deal with your father, boy. Not you.”

Enzo chuckles. “Maybe. But I’ve always learned that sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

A flash of fear coasts across Uncle T’s eyes, and it sends my emotions into a tailspin. I’ve never seen him afraid before, and part of me still feels loyalty, like I’m betraying him by letting a man who has no business standing up for me do so, even when he doesn’t have to.

But the other part of me feels vindicated.

Enzo places a hand on Uncle T’s shoulder and squeezes. “You’re lucky I don’t walk into your office where that little shit is waiting and make him regret running to tell you about last night in the first place.”

“When your father?—”

“How about you let me worry about that? I’m going to suggest you make your way back to the guests you’ve so lovingly invited to this… celebration . Now’s not the time, and it’s not the place.”

“You’re getting into business that has nothing to do with you, son.”

Enzo chuckles, and a dark look crosses over his face. “I’m not your son, Trent. And I promise you don’t want to make me your enemy.”

Uncle T lifts his chin and looks between us before leveling me with a glare.

I’m surprised when he actually turns around and walks away, but I’m not an idiot. He will not take this insult from Enzo lightly; he’s just smart enough to realize he can’t openly attack the underboss of the Marino family without severe repercussions, ones even he can’t beat.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that it takes me a minute to realize that now it’s just Enzo and me, alone again, in a dark, empty hallway.

I turn to leave.

“No words for me, piccola sirena?”

His voice stops me in my tracks, and I close my eyes. “I can’t do this with you.”

He walks up behind me, and his body heat envelops me like a cloak, sending pinpricks of pleasure skittering along my arms and down my legs. “Do what?”

“You know what,” I reply.

He presses in even closer until I’m suffocating from the feel of him. Still, though, we aren’t touching. I turn until I’m facing the wall, trying to get some space.

Enzo follows.

“You came here with someone else,” he accuses.

“You’re engaged ,” I exclaim. “You have no right. Absolutely no right to do this.”

His hands come out and cage me in, pressing against the wall, and my fingers curl into fists.

“Don’t touch me,” I plead.

He’s silent for a moment, and then says, “I won’t.”

But he moves in closer, his front brushing against my back.

There are sounds coming from just inside the main ballroom, and my heart pitches into my throat, my anxiety going haywire. Anyone could walk out at any moment, and I’m trying so hard to keep myself from making a mistake.

If we give in…

It’s wrong. Even if I can’t stand Aria. Even if it feels like he’s the only person on earth who has ever understood me.

Even if he’s the only one who cares.

He’s not mine , and he won’t ever be.

His forehead drops against the back of my head, rolling back and forth, and I stiffen like a board to keep myself frozen in place.

“I won’t,” he repeats. “But I want to, so fucking bad that it feels like I can’t breathe.”

“Well, sometimes what we want doesn’t matter.” I try to make my voice sound stern, but I don’t think it works based on the way it wobbles as it hits the air.

His face lowers until it’s next to my ear. “Sometimes…it feels like you’re the only thing that does.”