OLEANDER
"Oleander Collins," I replied, smiling up at him as I moved closer. I expected this reaction, and I was glad he gave me exactly what I wanted.
Hex shook his head, like he couldn't believe I was the one standing in front of him.
Even I was stunned.
After taking off the wigs, loosening the braid, and removing the eye contacts, it felt like I was staring at a stranger in the mirror.
I hadn't seen that version of myself since I turned fourteen. Since the day I ran away from home. From the demon that was chasing me.
"How are you a blonde?" he asked as I gripped his shirt and leaned into him.
"Because I am blonde," I whispered, inhaling his scent.
My gaze drifted to the mistletoe hanging behind him, and I remembered what Grandma Clarice had said.
Kiss him. Seal the fate.
I doubted kissing under the mistletoe held any magic the way people claimed. I wasn't someone who believed in fairy tales. My life had never been one.
So I didn't trust it.
