Page 18 of Oh No! There’s an Incubus in my Hot Spring (Getting Cozy with Demons #1)

eighteen

Evaluating the Competition

I wake with Apollo’s arm wrapped around my ribs, his hand pressed flat against the space under my breasts. I still don’t know if he sleeps, or if he just closes his eyes and lies down with me as long as I sleep. I hope he sleeps. I hope he’s not awake for hours on end, yearning for companionship, having none.

Except maybe Charlie. Does a rubber duck sleep?

“I do,” he says. “I guess that’s something you gave me. I dream, too.”

What do you dream of? I ask in my mind.

“Lots of things. Like maybe one day I could move on my own. Fly. Make noise.”

My gut twists. I gave sentience to a rubber duck that has no autonomy. I’m a fucking monster.

“No, no, no! Don’t think that, Syl! I’m so glad I’m alive, believe me! Being alive is so much better than not being alive, even when it sucks.”

My eyes burn and it’s only seven in the morning.

“Please don’t cry. I’m sorry I made you sad.”

I’m going to figure out a way to make you a real duck, Charlie. Just like I’m going to free Apollo. I promise.

“Aww, that’s sweet. But you know if I’m a real duck I can’t be hanging around here with you. Not the proper zoning requirements to have livestock, waterfowls included.”

What?

“Didn’t you read that in the listing? It’s an R-C1, my dude. No A. No agriculture.”

You’re not agriculture, I think with snark.

Charlie blows a raspberry. “Not right now, I’m not. But as soon as I’m a real duck, I’m not a pet anymore. I’m food. And I have an expiration date, and a body that will get hurt. No, being a plastic ducky has its downsides, but it certainly has its upsides too.”

Maybe I can figure out how to…do something for you. So you have more autonomy.

“That’d be great,” he says with a sigh that sounds like defeat. It hurts my heart. I made him real, and it’s my responsibility to make his reality better. I must do better for him. There will be some kind of magic Apollo can teach me to make it better.

Apollo shifts behind me, his morning wood pressing hard against my backside. “M-witch,” he murmurs, and I know he’s sleeping.

“Mmm,” he grumbles again. “Ate.”

I huff a laugh. Yeah, he ate for sure. After fucking me with his tail, we completely disregarded the dessert sitting on the table beside the door and he took me to the bedroom to feast on me. I got him to let me up for five minutes to brush my teeth and tame my hair, which was already getting wild from the humidity of this place, and then he was back to eating me as if he were starving.

I’m not even mad about it. I’ve been getting more done somehow. It’s as if his distractions complement my need to be busy. Busy doesn’t always mean productive. I’ve taken more breaks with him than I would’ve on a normal day with Jason, and still, I’ve accomplished more than I think I ever have before. This renovation might not take us months after all.

But that does bring attention to the fact that I need to get going. Irene told me that Mark isn’t at Silver Mountain on Sunday. I want plenty of time to canvass the place and write down everything I see. I want to evaluate my competition, see where he’s failing, what he’s not serving to the people, and then bring that to my business. It’ll be easier to get my own clientele when I’m not fighting for his.

I pat Apollo’s arm and wiggle my butt. “I need to get up.”

He groans, pulling me tighter against him. “But I was having a wonderful dream.”

“So, you do sleep?” I ask.

He kisses my neck and mumbles in confirmation.

“But…I thought you were the mountain?”

He takes a deep breath. “I am. But I can pour my focus into this vessel, like possessing it. I lose awareness of what I am. I am this body when I’m close to you.”

I think about the necklace hidden in my purse that I’ve been working on for him, but now’s not quite the right time. I don’t want him to come with me to Silver Mountain. I don’t know if he can. I bet Mark’s great-grandmother put protections in place against the other creatures like him, and who knows what else is out there?

Soon, though. I want to show him soon. And see if it’ll actually work.

“Well, you can keep dreaming. I need to get up,” I say, extricating myself from his hold.

He pulls the white sheet against his chest and pouts at me. I laugh at the sheer audacity of an incubus pouting.

He smiles. “You’re going to the other hot spring today?”

I nod. “How could you tell?”

“You’re nervous. Nothing makes you nervous but Mark, and your mother.”

I give him a quick smile and head for the bathroom. “Well, fortunately, Mark isn’t there on Sundays.”

I shower and pack my swimsuit in my backpack, along with a towel, notepad, and pen, then head to the door. Apollo stops me before I leave, grabbing my wrist.

He looks at me with desperate eyes and a pinched brow. “Don’t fall under his spell.”

The only spell I’m under is yours.

I cup his cheek. “Fall for Turdleneck? Yeah, right.”

He holds my hand to his face and closes his eyes.

“I’m not going to let him turn me against you,” I say. “You’re my incubus.”

He smirks. “And you’re my witch.”

“And we have a deal. My thriving business for your freedom.” The words remind us of the boundaries of our relationship and Apollo releases my hand.

“Yes, of course.”

I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“I’ll be waiting for you,” he says with a soft smile.

“Me too!” Charlie chimes in from the counter.

Apollo chuckles. “Maybe I’ll take him for a dip.”

“Yay!”

I grin, happy the boys are keeping each other company.

“Be safe,” Apollo says, his eyes serious again.

I feel the urge to lean back in the door and kiss him, promise him that everything is fine and I can take care of myself because I’m a freakin’ witch.

But I don’t.

I nod and head out to the RAV.

The drive to Silver Mountain is quiet. I don’t play music, or roll down the windows, or sing. There’s a bit of rush hour traffic on my way over since the main street is just two lanes with tons of stoplights, but I make it to the resort a few minutes after opening at eight. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of space to myself to assess the resort.

The parking lot is a flat plot of land, and not nearly big enough for how many occupants I know his place can handle. The front of the building is nice, though. It’s rustic and cabin-like, just like mine was before it got ten times better.

I pull out my notepad and remark on the size of his logo on the giant rock out front. I definitely want something to say “YOU ARE HERE” when people arrive. I don’t want it to be a mystery. Maybe some signage on the road in? There is just one way in and out. I bet I could contact the city for something like that.

I head into the lobby and find a very bleary-eyed attendant behind the counter.

“Just one?” she asks with a yawn.

I look behind me. “And my invisible friend.”

She snorts and rings me up. “Day pass is thirty-five, two hours for twenty-five.”

“Just two hours, thanks,” I say, confident I can cover the whole place in that time.

She taps on her computer and I produce my business credit card. Once I’ve signed, she snaps a wristband on me and tells me where the women’s locker room is.

I take another good look at their pricing structure and write a few things down on my notepad. The walls are white plaster with wallpaper. Clean and easy to sanitize. The floor is all tile, everywhere. There are signs that caution about slipping and the like. Signs on the bathroom state you need to be dry before you leave.

I walk the hall to the men’s changing room and take note of the water fountain in between. There’s no bottle filler, and that’s something that’s so easy to accommodate. Scribble, scribble.

I get changed into my suit and take my notepad with me out to the pools. The stairs up are light and modern, mostly cement and rock. Still, it’s pretty and fits with the aesthetic. It is up to date to say the least, and has a handrail.

Up top is a stunning view of the mountains surrounding the valley, with seven different pools scattered between walkways and shrubbery. There are already a few people here, local regulars I assume, who have taken their favorite pools. I note the pools’ size, temperature, and mineral composition because it’s something presented on the placard.

I’m not sure if my spring delineates mineral composition between pools…they’re all connected. Maybe that’s something Apollo can help me with.

Scribble, scribble.

If the water coming into this place comes from the same aquifer, which I assume it probably does, there’s no way there’s a different mineral composition in these pools.

Unless he adds it afterwards, which is absolutely fucking useless.

I set my notepad and pen down as I approach a 103-degree pool with zinc and selenium. There’s an older man in it, but all the other pools have at least two people, so I resign myself to having company of one.

“Nice morning,” he says.

I nod.

We’re quiet for a while and I brush my hands over my arms and legs, feeling the water. It’s not as smooth as I’d expect from a spring. Even my dirty-ass pool left my skin softer than this. I take a deep inhale and scent chemicals under the sulfur.

He’s treating it…

“You here for the week?” the older man asks again.

“I’m a new resident,” I say, hoping that’ll placate him.

“Oh, so you’re the new girl in town,” he chuckles.

“I am.”

“Coming here to get all the secrets?” he asks with a wink.

“Something like that,” I say with a smirk.

He grunts and looks off toward the mountains. We sit in quiet for a few minutes and just as I’m deciding to get out, he pipes up again.

“You won’t beat us, you know.”

What…?

He looks at me, his light eyes severe, and then suddenly, I see Mark in them.

“You’re the new owner of the other place. You won’t beat us.”

I suck in a deep breath. “We’ll see.”

I step out and grab my towel and notepad, then head over to the next pool. It’s hotter and the mineral content is lithium and magnesium. It’s supposed to center my chakra and relax my spirit. Maybe I need to get more detailed water-testing kits in so I can put little placards on my pools?

My feet burn as I step into the water and I hiss through the pain. The couple in the corner ignore me as I settle in and look to the mountains. It’s nice here. The breeze, the view. But the other pools are right there. No dividers between them, natural or otherwise. The noise isn’t terrible since it’s all outdoors, but still. There are no private reservations available except for the indoor pools—which I have yet to visit.

I could offer reservations for the top-level balcony, with two pools and a bathroom all to itself. People wouldn’t need to be bothered by anyone else. I wonder what I would charge for something like that. Two-hour reservations at a time with thirty minutes between to clean up?

I sink deeper.

I wonder if Apollo could expand the place. I want more. I’m a greedy witch and I do want to beat Mark at this game, but in my own way. I want affordable, personal experiences. I want seasonal themes. I want a coffee bar. I want free towels, snack vending machines, reading nooks, business centers, massage rooms, and a multi-level parking garage.

I want more.

He’s just surviving off what was given to him. But I could be greater.

I will be greater.

It’s been a good twenty minutes, so I decide to get out and complete my notes. When I get back to my chair, my notepad is gone. My flipflops, towel, and the key to my locker are still there, but the notebook and pen are missing.

“Couch fucker,” I murmur.

I pick up my stuff and head for the locker room. I take a quick shower, making a mental note of the state of things and how there’s no shampoo in the stall for me to use. I dry off, change, and head toward the front desk.

“Hey, sorry to bother,” I say to the dead-eyed girl. “I had a notebook with me, but when I came back from a pool, it was gone.”

She looks at me, slack-jawed with no fucks to give, and points at the wall behind her.

Silver Mountain is not responsible for lost or stolen items on the premise.

Great.

“Well, fuck me, I guess,” I say with a smile for her.

She doesn’t react. Her soul has truly been sucked from her body.

I turn for the exit and am intercepted by a turd in a turtleneck. I rear back and he smiles a perfectly white smile.

“Hello, Sylvia,” Mark says.

“Hello.” I try to get around him, but he steps in my path.

“Thought you’d come for a dip in a proper hot spring?” he asks.

The crazy girl wants to come out to play. “Just finding your deficiencies is all.”

This makes him bristle. “Oh? And what have you found?”

“I’m sure you already know. You had someone take my notebook.”

He smirks. “You better keep a closer eye on your things.”

“At my place, people won’t have to. We’ll take responsibility when something goes missing, and we won’t be the culprits of that theft, either.”

His jovial expression falls away and he steps closer as his voice drops. “You’re already stealing though, aren’t you?”

What the fuck does he mean?

“Your demon , he steals from everyone around him. You should be careful, Ms. Arazolla. He will trick you.”

“If you see my notebook, Mr. Torrin , let me know,” I say, mimicking his likely purposeful mispronunciation of my name. “I have a particularly spicy Reylo fan fiction in the first thirty pages and really want that back.”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Do you take nothing seriously?”

“I’m done with serious. Later, Turdator.” I shoulder my way around him and throw a peace sign as I blast through the lobby doors. I get in the RAV and try to repeat everything I remember to my phone memo app on the way home. I even throw in a few details from Mark. Having more information isn’t bad, right?

What did he mean that Apollo will trick me? Of course I already know everything. He can’t fall in love with me. There’s only one mate for him out there and he needs to be free to find them. But could there be something more I’m not seeing?

No.

Apollo wouldn’t lie to me.

Right?