Page 63 of A Summoned Husband

His brows dropped as his hands cupped the sides of my arms. His hold was too light. Gentle, even. It contradicted everything I thought I knew about demons. Asmodeus dipped his head, eyes trying to search mine as I looked everywhere but at him. “What?”

“There was…” I gestured behind me to where I’d last seen the moth fly. “A moth.”

His brows dropped further. “A moth?”

My nod was slow as I debated, not for the first time since our girls’ night went off the damn rails, if I was losing my mind. “It was like the one I saw at my house before that thing arrived. A moth.” Like the millions of fluttered wings held together by shadows and glowing orange eyes.

His lips pursed together and I watched his face close down, locking all his emotions up so I couldn’t read him. “We need to stay together. You can’t just be going wherever you please.”

“The hell I can’t,” I argued. All things considered, he was right. I had just been terrorized and my skin was still pebbled from it, but I wasn’t about to have him come in my life and dictate what I could and couldn’t do.

“Eden, wife—”

“Stop calling me that,” I hissed, annoyed. I planted a hand on his chest and shoved him away.

He moved, letting me grab onto my cart and push it away before he fell into step beside me. “This witch seems to be trying to weaken you through your mind. She is trying to break you and that is all the more reason we should stay together.”

Annoyance made me grit my teeth. “Seems to be? You don’t know? Why the hell would she be trying to break me anyway? None of this makes sense.”

“Wife.”

I cut him a look over my shoulder.

Asmodeus sighed, relenting. “Eden. We don’t know her plan yet but we can’t just ignore that you seem to be a target.”

“Thanks to you!” I was in an arguing mood. Like fighting could somehow chase all the fear still pulsing through me away.

“No. Thanks to the screaming one… Olivia.”

“Hey!” He wasn’t about to talk about Olivia.

“Am I wrong? You can be as stubborn as you want but I would like to remind you that I hate this place and the last thing I would do is bind myself here.” He crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at me with a pointed look that made me feel bad for blaming him.

Fuck.

Sure, I didn’t want to be married to him, but this was more our fault than his. Well… it was an even split. It was our fault we were married but his fault I was being hunted by a witch. We both brought our own dish of chaos and served it on each other’s plate.

Fine.

I huffed out a frustrated breath knowing I had to be a grown-up about all this and admit it wasn’t entirely Asmodeus’ fault.

“What is all this?” He leaned over me, the heat of him on my back making my eyes go wide as my stomach fluttered. He picked up a carton of ice cream reading the ingredients. “This is hardly sustenance. This can’t be why you would risk a lone trip from your abode.”

I rolled my eyes. “Abode? Really? Is that how y’all talk in the pits of hell?” I snatched back my ice cream.

“Despite your meagre education, I do not reside in hell. I live in a realm much like this one, albeit darker and infinitely more fun.” He reached into the cart.

Slapping his hand away, I watched as he flinched, cradling his hand to his chest. His eyes were wide as he smirked. “You’re an aggressive little thing. Are you sure you’re not from the dark realm, little beast?”

My mouth gaped.

“Do you deny it?” His smile broadened. “The lot of you. Wild things. Brandishing useless weapons and so quick to violence. Has no one shown you the way pleasure can be just as powerful as violence?” His brows lifted ever so slightly, the small gesture tightening my throat. “Want me to show you how to wield it?”

His heat boxed me in once again and I felt his breath in my hair as he inhaled me. His hands closed on the handle of the cart on each side of my own and the goosebumps that once covered my flesh were devoured by blistering heat. My lips parted and I practically panted, my eyes rolling into my head as something potent and blissful poured into my veins.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, my words shaky.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He chuckled low. “Showing you just how powerful I can be without even the whisper of violence.”