Rodgers put his hand to her clammy forehead and grimaced. “You say your blood feels like it’s hot?”
Harper nodded. “But I’m freezing. Where’s the damn blanket?”
“As you’ve seen for yourself, she’s roasting hot to touch,” Knox said to Rodgers. “Tell me you know what kind of fever this is.”
Levi’s brow creased. “Give me a second.” At that, he fished his cell from his pocket and backed out of the room.
Knox stood there, arms folded, as Rodgers used a penlight to check her eyes and pottered around, checking her temperature and other things. Knox fisted his hands, impatient for an answer. Harper seemed to have drifted off, which only increased his worry. “Rodgers…”
The doctor sighed. “I truly have no idea what’s the matter with her.” And he was now panicking.
Knox’s demon growled and shoved its way to the surface. “How can you not know?” it demanded of Rodgers. “You are a doctor. Do something. Make her better.”
Rodgers paled. “Th-there’s nothing physically wr-wrong with her,” he stammered. “I’m a gynecologist. This sort of thing isn’t my specialty, but I know enough to be sure that this isn’t pregnancy related.”
Knox forced his demon to retreat before it scared the doctor away. “What would normally cause a fever this intense?”
Rodgers seemed relieved to be once again dealing with Knox. “Honestly? Nothing I’ve ever come across.”
“Could it be some kind of allergic reaction?” asked Meg, hovering close enough to stroke Harper’s hair. “Some demons develop allergies when they’re pregnant.”
Rodgers shook his head. “It’s too extreme to be an allergy.”
Levi dashed into the room. “Knox, you need to get her in a cold bath fast.”
Knox’s muscles went rigid. “Why? What is it?”
“She’s been hexed.”
A shocked silence hit the room, and everyone froze. The word “hex” could instill fear in just about any demon, because there was no way to counteract it. Knox knew that a hex was no small, simple, common thing. It was nothing like in books or movies. Hexes were rarely used and extremely serious, which was why Knox shook his head. “She can’t have been hexed.”
“Want to bet her life on it? Because that’s what you could be doing if you ignore this.” Levi turned to Meg. “Could you run her a bath?”
With a nod, the housekeeper hurried away.
“You spoke to Mia,” Knox guessed. She was Levi’s friend and an incantor.
“Yes,” said Levi, a manic glint in his eyes. “I’ll tell you everything she said once we get Harper in the bath, I swear. Mia said you need to do it now… unless of course you are willing to bet Harper’s life on it.”
He wasn’t. Knox wasted no time in scooping Harper up and carrying her through the house and into their bathroom upstairs. Knox held a limp Harper in his arms as, with Meg’s help, he whipped off her shirt, jeans, and socks before lowering her into the shallow bath. Her eyes snapped open and she tried literally throwing herself out of the tub, splashing cold water everywhere. It took Knox, Meg, and Tanner to hold her there.
Knox kissed her, hoping to soothe her. “No, baby, you have to stay in the bath. We need to cool your skin.”
Breathing hard and fast, she struggled to be free, tears in her eyes. “It’s hot!” she said through chattering teeth.
Guilt tightened his chest. “It’s not hot, it just feels that way to you because you feel cold.” Knox swiped her tears away with his thumbs. “Ah, baby, you’re breaking my heart here.”
“I need to get out,” she sobbed, still struggling against their hold. “It’s burning!”
“I swear to you, it’s not. If I could let you out, I would.” It was literally killing Knox to keep her there, knowing she was hurting. The plea in her teary eyes made his stomach churn. “As soon as —” He cut off as she abruptly hunched over, pressing down on her stomach as if it were cramping.
Tanner glared at Levi. “What did Mia say? Tell us what’s happening.”
“According to Mia,” began Levi, “this kind of fever is a sign that a body is fighting a hex. She’s sweating it out. Mia said she may have cramps or vomit. We need to cool her down and keep her hydrated, and she needs sleep.”
“Sleep?” Keenan echoed, incredulous. “How the hell is she supposed to sleep through that?”
Levi thrust a hand into his hair. “I’ve no idea. I’m just telling you what Mia told me.”
“What hex exactly is this supposed to be?” demanded Knox.
Levi shrugged. “All I know is that the worse it hurts for Harper to fight it, the worse the hex was meant to be.”
Knox watched her shaking, sobbing, and clutching her stomach while Meg whispered reassurances. “Could it have been a death hex?”
“Possibly.” Levi shrugged again. “There’s just no way of knowing unless she fails to fight it off.”
“She won’t fail,” Knox clipped.
Tanner’s jaw hardened. “No, she won’t.”
“Mia is sure that she’s been hexed?” Keenan asked. “Absolutely sure? Because from what I understand, cursing someone isn’t whatsoever easy and it can’t be done by just anyone.”
“You’re right,” Levi confirmed. “It’s not a petty case of burning someone’s photo with a black candle and whispering some bitchy chant. Only incantors and practitioners can cast hexes. To successfully hex someone, they need to do four things: one, go without food and water for three days. Two, feed a few drops of their blood to their victim. Three, take something that belongs to their victim and burn it into ashes. And four, sprinkle those ashes around their altar before performing the hex, which can take hours and very easily rebound back on the incantor or practitioner. That’s why demons rarely take the risk of trying to perform one.”
Tanner rubbed his nape. “I can’t imagine Harper drinking someone’s blood.”
“It could have been put in her drink at work,” said Levi.
Keenan clicked his fingers. “One of Harper’s jackets went missing from the studio last week. She thought Khlo? had taken it. Maybe an incantor or practitioner got their hands on it, or maybe someone nabbed it for them.”
Which would mean the motherfucker or one of their minions might have been in her studio. Knox ground his teeth at the thought, and his demon let out another roar. “Could a hex harm the baby too?”
“I asked Mia that,” said Levi. “She said no. The hex is directed at Harper – it will only harm her. But, obviously, if it is a death hex and it manages to kill her, the baby won’t survive.”
Knox looked at Rodgers, who was pale and looked completely out of his element. “She’s in pain and has a fever. Will that harm the baby?”
Rodgers hesitated to answer. “It’s more serious in human pregnancies. If you keep Harper hydrated and get her fever down soon, the baby should be fine.” He didn’t say there were no guarantees, but Knox could hear it in his voice. And it spooked the shit out of him.
“She’ll be okay, Knox,” said Keenan. “She’s a fighter.”