Page 56 of A Summoned Husband

“There is something more at work here. I can feel it in the way you cloud my mind and steal my thoughts. If I’m right… that key in your chest will find its use.”

The box!

Panic ate away at me. What the fuck was I supposed to do with the box and what did it mean that I kind of already sort of maybe opened it?

Calm your shit, Eden. You don’t even believe in any of that.

“You can undo it though, right? That was why you wanted to know who wrote the book. Well, now you know. Go on. Undo it. Wave your hand and your fire rope or whatever and just…” My face pinched. “Do whatever it is you were going to do.”

Asmodeus stared at me.

“What?” I yelled.

“Is talking to you always this taxing?”

My brows dropped. “I’ll have you know I’m wonderful under normal circumstances. People love me.” At least people who didn’t get on my bad side did. Most of the time. Usually. Okay… some people liked me sometimes. When I decided to be around people.

Adulting was annoying sometimes and people only made it worse. Was it my fault I could get a little bit snippy when someone got on my last nerve? Didn’t just get on it, but danced on it?

No. That was definitely on them.

“What was your plan?” I asked as I smoothed my hair back from my face and tried to collect myself. I would be damned if I sat in the room with a demon and I was the most insufferable person in here.

He folded his leg, resting his ankle on his knee before he spread his arms out over the back of the sofa. “I went through several different plans. I don’t think you humans realize how frustrating it is for demons to be summoned here. This place is terrible.”

I laughed. The sound was manic. Maybe the witch suddenly hunting me had taken my sanity with her when she left my head — or was kicked out by Asmodeus. I still didn’t understand half of what was happening.

“Are you joking? Don’t you live in hell?”

“Do you even know what hell is?”

Again with that chastising tone. “It’s where sinners go to burn.” Wow, Eden. Just going to lay the Sunday School Special on him. Okay. That was one way to do it.

“Mortal sinners? Why the hell would we want those?”

“To… torture.”

His nose wrinkled. “Why?”

Annoyance wrapped a hand around my throat and squeezed until I rolled my eyes and threw my weight back in the chair. As far as husbands went, I didn’t like mine and it was slowly beginning to be less and less about the fact he was a demon and more about him being a smart ass who talked in circles instead of giving me a straight answer. And he was dumb. Stupid ass making it seem like I was dumb when he didn’t know anything either.

Rude.

I was not impressed.

“I don’t know anything, man. I’m just telling you what it says in the lord book.” An annoyed huff left me as I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling petulant. “What were the plans you went through and what did you settle on?” I needed to get something concrete to stand on so I felt like there was a horizon I could see. Enough of this dancing around being confused.

“My first plan was to kill you, but I quickly realized that wasn’t possible.”

Panic made my eyes widen as I sat up and looked around for something to use as a weapon should I need it.

“Calm yourself, I said I can’t kill you.”

“Can’t… or won’t?”

“Can’t. Your pain is my pain. I fear to discover what your death will mean for me.”

Knowing that failed to bring me any sense of relief. He couldn’t kill me, but if that somehow changed would his plans? Was I only alive because he couldn’t kill me? Or was it because we were married? Or was it because of this stupid thing I kept feeling vibrate in my chest?