Page 11 of Oh No! There’s an Incubus in my Hot Spring (Getting Cozy with Demons #1)

eleven

Moving Madness

T here’s still no power, or a coffee maker, so I head into town in the morning to get the sweet nectar of the gods. Irene’s not working the diner—right, weekdays only—but there’s a nice guy who looks fresh out of high school who takes my coffee order and heads back to make it.

“You’re the new owner of the haunted springs, right?” he asks as he brings me two to-go cups of pumpkin spice.

“I am. Sylvia,” I say.

“Leonard,” he says, reaching for a handshake.

“You wouldn’t happen to be the Leonard who tagged the second floor, would you?”

His freckled cheeks turn pink and he rubs the back of his head. “Shit. Yeah. I am. That was, like, four years ago. Sorry about that.”

I smile. “It’s no problem, just…no more trespassing, okay? I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“No kidding,” he says. “I mean, that place is a dump. Sorry. I mean, it’s really messed up and needs some help.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I know. I live there.”

“Uh, anyway, if you need any help, me and my friends are looking for some side work.”

“I think I’ve got it all in hand right now, but if I need anything I’ll drop by,” I say, waving as I turn for the door. I take a sip of the latte and my right eye nearly closes from how hard I cringe. Leonard needs a lesson from Irene.

I swing by the local computer store, MicroCellular, and pick up a nice three-pack of routers, then call the local cable company for a setup. Mark doesn’t have a corporation of that size in his pocket thankfully, and I get an appointment scheduled for later in the afternoon.

Now to get the power back on…

But first, snacks. I head to the corner store closest to my place and pick up a few bags of chips, loose kernel popcorn—since I still don’t have a microwave—some boxes of chocolate, and bags of gummies. I’m not sure what Apollo will like, so I try to get a decent spread.

When I get home, Apollo is lounging among the trees beyond the double doors, one of my books in his hand. I seriously think he’s reading it.

“I wish you were reading something more insightful than monster porn,” I say as I approach him with my bags and terrible coffee.

“It’s very insightful,” he says, setting the book aside. “Did you bring me another something to consume?”

“I did, but it’s disgusting so I don’t want you to have it,” I say, frowning at my sad latte.

He jumps up from his natural hammock and it dissolves back into the trees. “What is our task today, my witch?”

My pulse spikes at the endearment. “Again with the ‘my witch,’” I complain.

He saunters toward me, shirtless and glowing like the god for which he’s named. I can’t help but admire him. He cups my cheek, then kisses the other.

“You enjoy it, and you can’t lie,” he whispers before pulling back.

I offer him the bad coffee. “Choke on it.”

He laughs and accepts the drink.

“Oh, it’s hot,” he says, scowling at the plastic lid.

“Sure is. Coffee. Never had it?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “It’s pleasantly powerful.”

At least it has that going for it.

I slap my hand against my leg after taking a sip. “All right, we have a few hours before the moving truck gets here, so let’s hop to. We need to put the old furniture outside, then finish the flooring in the apartment and office.”

He tilts his cup back and sucks down the contents, then growls, “Victory will be ours.”

I laugh so hard I snort. I don’t think I’ve laughed this much in my life.

I set the bags of snacks down on the counter and we get to work flooring the office with the secret hidden door to the control room. I honestly wish it was attached to my bedroom so no one else could accidentally wander into it, but Apollo assures me that’s not possible. He’s currently the only one who can open the room, and he does, at my behest.

“I want to fix the electrical,” I say.

“Are you well versed in how the electrical works in this building?” he asks.

“Not this building in particular, but with your help in designing, I’m sure we could make it work.”

He grimaces. “Do we have the materials?”

“I brought home some electrical tape that we can summon to use as covering, and raw copper wire. We can do this, right?”

“We can try, but I’m going to need some energy,” he says lowering his head to look at me through his lashes. His fang pokes into his lower lip, and my blood heats.

“Do what you must,” I say, opening my arms.

He rushes me, pushing me against the wall. He closes the door, reaching out to the magic in it until it comes coiling back into his arm. The wall seals us in and the only light is the thrumming of the purple geode to my fluttering heart.

He bites, sucks, and licks me to completion.

Twice.

When I can finally stand on my own again and get all my clothes back on, we approach the geode. Apollo makes the changes necessary to integrate the wiring we design, including two new outlets on floors two and three for the routers I’ve purchased. They’re just open wires right now, but I’m sure there’s a ViewTube video out there that will show me how to cap them for a coax outlet.

The puttering of a truck and crunching gravel alerts us to an approaching vehicle. Apollo disappears in a poof of teal mist, and in his place is a white-haired human man with light skin, freckles, and blue eyes. He pulls on the hem of his black turtleneck and I glare at him.

“You didn’t seriously emulate my enemy,” I say.

“I happen to think turtlenecks are strapping,” he says.

He’s just as beautiful as a human as he is as a demon, despite missing the wings, horns, tail, and glowing skin. I want to kiss him, but I shove his shoulder instead.

We go to the front door together and the “college hunks” I hired to move my junk look more like middle-aged couch potatoes. Whatever, I paid them already. The side of their truck has the Silver Mountain logo on it right below the moving company logo. Dude is fucking everywhere.

I direct them where to put the bed, table, and bookshelf in the apartment, then have them put the filing cabinets, desk, and work chair in the office. The men glance around at the space as they move things, seeming spooked.

When all my stuff is unloaded, and the old furniture is on the truck, I approach the lead “hunk” with two twenties. “Thanks so much for everything.”

He glances at the building, then Apollo and me before taking the money.

“Sure thing.”

Apollo slings his arm around my shoulder as they depart. I feel like I should stop him, but I also want the camaraderie that fixing this place has brought us. I want to have a confidant. I want a friend.

“What now?” he asks.

“Now, we order pizza and watch a movie,” I say, steering us toward the apartment.

The local joint delivers so I get a Hawaiian. Fuck the haters. Pineapple can be on pizza.

Apollo has never seen a movie before, so of course, I have to show him a masterpiece.

The Lion King.

His eyes are glued to the screen as we devour slice after slice.

“The musical element was a surprising delight,” he says at the end. “Do all your films have this?”

“No, not all…Wanna watch something else?” I ask, feeling the impish streak to stay up late flare in me. It’s Saturday, after all. I can sleep in tomorrow.

“Yes, please, another,” Apollo begs, his eyes glowing.

Gods, I want to kiss him.

I shake my head.

“All right. This one is completely different,” I say, loading up The Fifth Element.

I grab a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and plop down beside him on my bed, then pull the laptop half onto my leg to share the burden.

“I hope this has amusing music,” Apollo says, and I grin.

“It’s not a musical, but it does have good music,” I say.

“Aziz, light!” makes him laugh, and I do, too.

Then he gets serious, his jaw stopping mid-crunch as the alien mech walks into the temple and Billy holds out a gun. Then, when everything jumps to the far future, Apollo gasps, a Dorito fragment tumbling from his lips.

“The apps,” he says, taking in all the grandeur of 90’s-style science-fiction. Mostly tinfoil. “Is this real?”

I laugh. He’s so old and so young at the same time. A paradox. Then again, teenagers can be as jaded and cynical as any crotchety senior citizen. Apollo isn’t young at all, he’s just experiencing the modern world with fresh eyes, and it makes me feel like I can do the same.

“No, we don’t have any of that yet,” I say “But maybe we will one day.”

If magic is real, why not flying cars?

He munches more chips as we watch, humming absently to himself. Why is that so cute?

“I hate this man,” he says as Zorg appears.

“It’s a good thing he’s the bad guy,” I say, knocking his shoulder.

“Mhmm, good thing.”

I watch Apollo more than I watch the movie. I’ve seen it enough times to know every line, every scene. Watching him watch it is better. His reactions, the surprise, the wonder. It’s sort of the best feeling ever.

Finally, Bruce Willis kisses Milla Jovovich senseless, and the song plays out to the credits.

“So, the power of love saved Earth?” Apollo asks.

“Yeah, essentially,” I say with a yawn. “Oh, heck, it’s late.”

Apollo turns to me with a grin. “It’s the week’s end, is it not?”

“It is, but we’re not married to the normal laws of work. We have so much to do, and we still haven’t explored my powers!” I say, throwing a chip at him.

It bounces off his chest and he picks it off the sheets to eat it. “If you don’t rest, your body will demand it in other, less savory ways.”

“Like getting sick, and burnout,” Charlie says from the nightstand.

“Charlie is right.” Apollo nods sagely. “Taking a day off is very necessary for your health.”

I worry my lip. “I did buy this place with the intent to relax more…”

“There’s no time like the present.” He grins.

“But my powers,” I say, pouting.

His eyes light up as his gaze flicks to my lips. “We will explore your magic thoroughly tomorrow, but no other work. Agreed?”

I smile. “Agreed.”

He settles in beside me. “Right then, so what’s next?”