Page 28 of Hex You

“I’m okay. But I don’t think you are.”

“Well, I’ve been through hell recently. Literally.”

“Yeah, and you’re back, you’re safe, and you and Hunter are talking again. But, Mag, I don’t think you’rereallyback,” Emily said slowly.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t want to piss you off, but I gotta say this.” Emily’s fawn-colored cheeks flushed. “When your mom died, you, like, withdrew into yourself—and pretty much just thought about yourself.” She held her hand up to stop Mercy when she started to speak. “Let me finish, ’kay?”

“’Kay,” Mercy said softly, afraid of what Em was going to finish with.

“You almost got stuck and dead in Egyptian hell because instead of facing your problems here you took off—you ran away—and youliedto me and to Xena. Did you think about how that would make us feel?”

Mercy moved her shoulders. “I thought I’d be back before either of you knew about it.”

“Girl, and I say this with love, you only thought aboutyou.And the problem is you’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I know you’re not really shallow—and you’re not really selfish—but Mag, you were so out of control and only worried about yourself thatyou almost lost your sister and almost got yourself dead.Did you even think about what losing you would do to Hunterorto me—especially so soon after losing a mom and a dad?”

Emily reached over and took her hand. “I just want you to think about that—and also about how judgy you’ve gotten since the Kirk thing.”

“Em! TheKirk thingwas major! He was horrible. He’sstillhorrible. You saw how he glared at me—I meanustoday. He attacked H. He attacked me. He’s the worst!”

Emily nodded, still holding her hand. “Yeah, he is—and that’s something Hunter and I had been trying to tell you since you started dating him.”

Mercy opened her mouth to shout at Emily that what had happened between her and Kirk was bad enough—she bloody well didn’t need her best friend rubbing it in her face! But then she really looked at Emily. Her eyes were filled with tears and her cheeks were blazing.

Emily’s super upset. Oh, bloody hell. Emily’s right. I didn’t even think about what it would do to her or H if I didn’t come back. I didn’t think about anyone but myself.

“Shit. I’ve been a selfish bitch.”

Emily’s lips tilted up. “Selfish—yes. A bitch—only sometimes. Andhave you really made up with Hunter, or are you just living under the same roof again?”

“Well, coming back from Egyptian hell was pretty traumatic for me and there hasn’t actually been much time for me to—” Mercy stopped herself. “I’m making it all about me again.” She sighed heavily.

“Yeah, but at least you realized it this time. Mag, you’re a good person; you’ve just gotten lost lately. Come back, okay?” Emily squeezed Mercy’s hand before letting it go.

“Okay,” Mercy said. “Em, thanks. I know that wasn’t easy to say to me.”

“If we weren’t besties I’d just let you turn into a mean, crusty old cat woman.”

“She’s my familiar! That does not make me an old cat woman,” Mercy said. “Or crusty!”

“Only because you’re not old and crusty. Yet.” Emily grinned.

“Kittens!”

Mercy and Emily turned to look at the front porch. Xena, in Abigail’s bathrobe, was standing in the middle of the open doorway squinting at them.

“Kittens, are you ever going to come inside?”she shouted.

“Is she squinting?” Emily asked.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t say this where she could hear, but that cat is old. She probably needs glasses.” Smiling impishly she added, “And since you’re on a roll with telling your friends hard truths—how ’bout you break it to Xena that she needs spectacles?”

Emily snorted a laugh as they got out of the car and headed up the sidewalk. “Oh, girl,hell no. Hell,no no no!”

“Do you have everything? You didn’t forget your dried juniper stick, did you?” Xena followed Mercy, Emily, and Khenti as they went out onto the porch.

“Xena, relax.” To soften her words, Mercy hugged the cat person and didn’t flinch when Xena licked her cheek affectionately.“The whole point of going to the banyan tree is to check in with it, then to cleanse and try to strengthen it while H is making sure her spell worked on the Japanese tree. So of course I brought my juniper stick. It’s right here in my basket.” She patted the spellwork basket she carried.