Page 12 of Oh No! There’s an Incubus in my Hot Spring (Getting Cozy with Demons #1)

twelve

Doucheturd Uninvited

I turn on another one of my favorites, Alien . The calm, atmospheric opening is so soothing that I decide to rest my eyes a little bit. Somehow, “resting my eyes” turns into waking up to the credits rolling. My face is on Apollo’s chest and my hand is still in the bag of chips.

Jesus. How has it come to this?

You were just relaxing and letting go. No shame.

“That’s right, no shame,” Charlie chirps.

I roll over and look at the duck on the nightstand. “How the fuck are you in my head this early?”

“I’m always in your head when you’re within range.”

I scowl. “That’s gonna be a problem.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want you, or anyone else, to know everything that goes on inside my head.” I sit up and cringe at the amount of chips I see littered on the sheets. These are going straight into the…

Fuck, there’s no laundry here.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone your inner thoughts. Don’t kill me, please,” Charlie quacks nervously.

“Oh my god, Charlie, I’m not going to hurt you. Just please give me some privacy. Or at least pretend to.”

I need to brush my teeth.

Apollo rolls toward me in his sleep and rests his hand on my side.

I glance at Charlie. “Is he really asleep?” I whisper.

“I don’t know. He only lets me in when he wants to.”

A heavy knock— rap-tap-ta-tap-tap —hits the door, and I jolt.

Apollo sits up beside me and dons his human form in a flash. “It’s the turtleneck man,” he says, blinking at me blearily.

I hop out of bed wearing yesterday’s clothes and brush the chips from my chest. “I’m going to see what he wants. You guys stay here,” I say, even knowing Charlie can’t move without help.

I close the door to my bedroom and look out over the railing to the floor below. Damn, this house is so much better than it was before. Apollo is incredible.

The knocking comes again, and I hurry down the stairs to the main level. “Coming!” I yell so he won’t knock again.

I brush my hair back, trying to look like a put-together business owner, and then open the door. I knew it was going to be Mark, so I don’t know why I’m disgusted when I see him and his off-season turtleneck.

“What do you want?” I ask, keeping the door open just enough for me to look out.

Mark leans against the frame with a smile. “I heard a rumor that someone was up here helping you.”

I’m not sure what to do with this information. I had texted Irene to let her know I had the upgrades under control, but I hadn’t told her I had help. The only other people who could’ve known were the movers.

“And you came here because?” I draw out the word with annoyance.

“I wanted to see how much you were paying them, if I could pay more,” he says with a jackal’s grin.

I roll my eyes and move to slam the door, but he shoves his foot in the way. He throws it open and I stumble back, barefoot and caught off guard. I turn and grab the first thing I can find on the table—of course it’s a fork.

I brandish my pathetic weapon as best I can. “Get out of my house.”

Mark glances around. “Looks like you made some upgrades…overnight.”

“Get the fuck out!” I scream, standing my ground with a freaking fork.

Mark’s eyes settle on me, then he advances. I should stab him. Fuck, I don’t want to go to jail for stabbing him with a fork.

Mark stops just inches from me and takes a long inhale through his nose. A shiver rolls down my spine and I repress a gag.

“You’re his little whore. You don’t have the prowess to fix this place on your own. I could tell when I first saw you.”

My head spins. Is he talking about Apollo? How does he know?

A hand falls on my shoulder and I jump as Apollo materializes in a puff of hot mist. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Mark laughs. “The devil himself appears. It’s been a long time since you’ve had a body, hasn’t it?”

Apollo’s hand tightens on my shoulder.

“Out. Now. Or I will call the police,” I say, holding the fork up toward his neck.

“The police—oh, no,” Mark says with mock fear, then laughs. “You think they’ll take me downtown and lock me up for trespassing?”

“I could always disappear you instead,” Apollo snarls, his claws growing.

I glance at him over my shoulder and see his face contorted to that of a beast. His maw is longer like a dog’s, with sharp canines and bloodthirsty eyes.

“Mark, if you like your balls, get out,” I say.

He scoffs. “Demon’s whore.”

Apollo lurches forward and his fist lands on Mark’s cheek with a crack. Mark goes down, crumpling to the floor as he cradles his face. I gasp, shock sticking my feet to the floor. Apollo steps in front of me and Mark looks up from the ground.

“You would be wise to leave before you suffer any further accidents,” Apollo warns.

Mark gets up, eyes on Apollo the whole time. He glances at me as he rubs his jaw. “You really don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Ask him why he’s trapped here.”

My eyes shoot to Apollo, then back to Mark. My priority is still getting this cock goblin out of my home, then I’ll interrogate Apollo.

I take a deep breath and stand tall. Warmth floods my body from the tips of my toes all the way to the crown of my head and I feel powerful. “Out,” I say with a firm, commanding voice.

Mark lurches backwards, his body seemingly carried by wind. He flies through the front door and it slams with a whomp!

I gasp, looking at Apollo. “Did you do that?”

He turns to me with a smile. “I did not. That was all you, my witch.”

I don’t let myself get lost in the excitement of my magic revealing itself. “What did he mean? Why are you trapped here?”

Apollo looks away and runs a hand through his light hair, ruffling it.

“Apollo. Now.”

His icy eyes lock on mine and his shoulders droop. “A woman in his direct lineage is a witch, perhaps was, at this point—it was many decades ago. She came here often and we fed off one another.”

The thought of Apollo sharing an intimate moment with another woman makes my fist clench on the fork. “The witch who cursed you?”

He nods.

“How do you know it’s his mother, grandmother, whatever?”

“Likely his great-grandmother. He has her magic. I can sense it in his aura.”

“What happened between you two?”

He swallows. “I allowed her to fall in love with me. When she confessed, and I couldn’t…she was angry.”

I shake my head, dread pooling in my stomach. I have only known him a few days and he’s already fully charmed me. I am well on my way to being under his spell. “You can’t love, can you?”

“I can—I do—but my maker gave me only one mate in the entire universe, on all the planes. It’s a lonely existence to be an incubus, as you call me.” He looks down at his hands and returns to his demon form. “We roam the realms, looking for the one being who can still our mind, tame our magic. It’s an exile from any true life. Painful. We seek comfort where we can, begging that one of those comforts will be the one ordained for us.”

My heart races. “You need to be free so you can find them,” I say.

“I want them, yes.” He looks at me for a long time, his fang poking into his lip. “What do you want?”

I take a breath that finally seems to satiate my body’s need for air. “I just want to be happy,” I whisper.

Apollo steps closer, his hand smoothing over my cheek. “I can make you happy.”

“You need to find your one . Don’t settle for me.” I cup his hand and look up at him. “But I’ll be happy to have your company until you’re free. In exchange for your help with my business.”

He smirks. “You weren’t deterred by his comments? I thought for certain your pride would be bruised.”

“Oh, it is. But also, fuck him. He’s blocked my requests for contractors. He’s making this impossible for me, so I’ll succeed in any way I can. When the game is rigged, there are no rules, and no such thing as cheating.”

“I don’t want you fucking him.”

I chuckle. “I meant he can rot in hell. It’s just an expression.”

“I could smell his lust for you,” Apollo says, his eyes narrowed on me.

“So what?”

Apollo’s jaw hardens and his hand flexes on my face. “You will not have orgasms with him, or anyone else.”

I pull back. “Woah, excuse me, but that wasn’t in the agreement. I can have orgasms with whomever I want,” I say, though I have absolutely no one else in mind for orgasms.

Apollo appears in front of me in a puff of mist, crowding me against the table. “You will not. Your orgasms are my fuel. They’re mine .”

I point the fork at him. “Look, buddy, I said I would help you, not that I would give you all of my sexual experiences.”

“Hurt me if you want.” Apollo grabs my wrist and shoves the fork into his chest.

I screech, pulling my hand away.

“You. Will not. Have orgasms with anyone else,” he says, shoving the fork deeper into his chest. His eyes are glowing a malevolent, possessive blue.

“Oh my god, Apollo…” I shy away from him, skirting around the table as blood trickles down his chest.

“You promised yourself to me. Our souls are bound,” he says.

“But you said it was necessary to free you. I didn’t understand I couldn’t—”

“Well, you can’t,” he says, caging me against the fridge.

“Apollo, you’re scaring me,” I whisper.

He blinks and his eyes focus on me, losing their color. He yanks the fork from his chest and sets it aside as he moves to touch me. “I’m so sorry, lovely. I…I forgot myself. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Did you mean what you said. My orgasms belong to you?” I ask.

His eyes flash with a glacial gleam. “I want them all, but I understand. You…” He grits his teeth and stares down at his fists. “You can have them with whomever you want. I would much prefer it not to be that man.”

My heart softens at his frustration. He’s been so isolated, and he just wanted to protect me, especially from a creep like Mark, who definitely would not give me an orgasm if we were to have sex. He’s also trying to protect himself. He has no other fuel but me, and he doesn’t want to go back to being incorporeal. I would be just as scared.

I don’t think I’d shove a fork in my chest…

But what happens when people start showing up at the springs? Will he consort with others? The thought of Apollo fucking around with someone else sets irrational rage flooding my body and rousing the crazy girl.

No. He’s not my boyfriend.

He has only one love in all the universe. I don’t want to let myself fall for him and get my heart broken like Mark’s great-grandmother. One day I’ll have to go back to the dating pool, but I can be exclusive to him right now, even knowing it’ll never become more.

I nudge his chin to make him look at me. “I don’t plan on having orgasms with anyone else while we’re together, and I would hope you don’t, either.”

“It never once crossed my mind. We’re bonded.”

Relief I shouldn’t feel flows through me.

“Good. But I won’t be controlled.”

He nods. “I will never force you. You are your own witch.”

“And you’re your own demon, but we have an arrangement until you’re free. I plan on upholding it.”

His eyes glimmer brightly. “As do I, Sylvia.”

I put my hand over his fork wound. “Please don’t do something like that again.”

He covers my hand with his. “I’m sorry. I was angry. I hate anger. It feels like fire, like sickness. I just wanted to feel something else, even if it was pain.”

Thinking about Apollo with anyone else made me angry, too, so I’m not one to chastise. The vision of him leaping forward and punching Mark so hard he crumpled plays in my mind. He defended me, and that feels undeniably good. Good enough to reward him with another feeling even after the crazy-boy display.

I bite down on my smirk. “I could make you feel something else—”

My phone buzzes, having the most convenient timing on planet Earth. I tap the power button to silence it, then slide my other hand over his abs.

His eyes go half-lidded. “What do you have in mind?”

“I have yet to make you come,” I say, rubbing my palm over his cock. He stiffens quickly, his girth flexing against my hand.

He cups the back of my neck and pulls me closer. “You want to make me orgasm?”

My phone vibrates again, and there’s only one person who would call me twice in a row.

I sigh. “It’s my mom.”

Apollo puts his forehead against mine. “You can face her.”

I take a fortifying breath and hold the phone to my ear. “Hi, Mom, how are you?”

“Honey, I just heard about your town, your hot spring. Someone died there! Did you know?” she asks in a flurry.

“Yes, I knew,” I say.

“But it’s suspicious, isn’t it?”

“How did you hear?” I ask.

“Well, someone sent an article to my FacePost.”

“Who sent the article?”

“I don’t know. If they have my profile, they know me,” she says, highlighting her acute understanding of the internet.

“Mom, that’s not true. Someone could’ve looked up my information and found you through it and is trying to manipulate you.”

“Who would want to manipulate me ?”

It occurs to me that if I tell her they only want to get to her to get to me, it’ll hurt her ego, and she’ll be less likely to divulge the details. So I withhold the comment.

“Mom, tons of people want to manipulate others all the time for money, or online passcodes. You have to be careful about what you tell people on the phone, or over email and social media. And especially what links you click on. What’s the profile name?”

“That doesn’t matter right now! What about this dead man?” she shrieks like a banshee.

I suck in a breath. “He had a heart attack in the springs. It was too hot for him and he was too old,” I say, looking up at Apollo. His eyes are solemn, withdrawn. I thumb across his cheek and he holds my hand to his face.

“There are articles about it being haunted! I would feel much better if I could come down with some sage and crystals to do a cleansing ritual for you.”

Here she comes with her woo-woo shit.

Apollo’s eyes grow wide and he shakes his head.

I scowl. Is it not woo-woo?

“I’m fine. I haven’t encountered any spirits. Honestly, it’s nice here. Quiet and calm and there’s a lot of work to do. I laid hardwood floor yesterday with my own two hands!” I say with a smile.

“Hija, that’s wonderful, but aren’t you going to get calluses?”

“That’s what manicures are for. I’m fine, Mom, really. No need to bring your sage and crystals and have a seance.”

“Ay dios mio! Not a seance!”

I laugh and she scoffs playfully.

“I’m going to see about flights in the next few weeks. Will there be a place for me to stay? I want to see this hot spring.”

“You can take my bed. There’s a couch,” I say.

“No, you’re getting too old to sleep on the couch. I’ll get a hotel,” she says.

I grimace. “I’m not that old.”

“Thirty-six is too old for a couch! You deserve to sleep in your bed. I love you, hija, I’ll call you soon with my flight information.”

“Love you, Mom. Bye.”

She hangs up and I set my phone aside with a sigh of relief.

“That sounded as if it went better,” Apollo says.

“What’s with the fear of sage and crystals?” I ask.

“Your mother is undoubtedly a natural witch, like you. While she couldn’t banish me from the mountain with her sage, it would make existence very uncomfortable and dampen my power for many weeks until the effects subside. And her crystals, if properly charged, could permanently disable many of my spells.”

“Huh” is all I manage through my dumbfoundedness.

“Sylvia, are you all right?” He grabs the back of my neck and turns my face up to his.

“I’m just…” I pause, closing my eyes. “The world is just not what I thought it was.”

“Don’t fear, my witch. Let me be your guide. Your teacher. Your power.” Apollo says the words with conviction, and I feel them deep in my chest where the geode thrums too. Are we connected more than he told me?

I meet his gaze and he holds it with so much intensity I feel as though I might combust. Being the sole focus of his attention, so raptly kept despite being, well, just me, is unnerving and exhilarating.

“Your heart is thundering,” he murmurs. “Are you all right?”

Don’t fall for him.

Don’t.

Fall for him.

“Are you going to hurt me, Apollo?”

The tension in his shoulders melts, and he sighs.

“Never.”