Page 32 of Oh No! There’s an Incubus in my Hot Spring (Getting Cozy with Demons #1)

thirty-two

Happily Ever Hot Springs

S now covers the skylight and batters the windows as I snuggle with Apollo on the couch. Something rich and meaty is bubbling in a pot on the new gas stove, and a fire crackles in the fireplace.

This is perfect bliss.

“What has you so serene?” Apollo asks, stroking through my hair.

“You.” I hum and nestle into his chest.

He sighs deeply and kisses my hair. “You’re my serenity, too.”

We lay together, naked and satisfied, until a timer goes off near the stove. Apollo extricates himself from my languid grasp and saunters over to the kitchen, summoning clothes as he goes.

He opens the lid to the bubbling pot and the air is instantly filled with the herby, meaty aroma. I groan needily and wrap the blanket around my shoulders as I follow my nose.

“I think it’s time for a taste test,” I say.

He dips a spoon into the dark broth and lifts it to his lips to blow on it. His tongue darts out and collects a drop from the bottom of the spoon, and then he tilts the whole thing into his mouth with a satisfied hum.

“Yes, it’s almost ready,” he says, moving to replace the lid.

I bounce on my toes beside him and open my mouth, making silly noises until he’s grinning foolishly. He dips the spoon into the broth again, cools it, and then brings it to my lips. I’m salivating already at the scent of beef, onions, garlic, and rosemary. He tilts the spoon and the contents drip into my mouth.

Hot, rich, salty, tangy, beefy, decadent yum!

I close my eyes and groan as I savor the taste.

“I love that I can make you make that noise without even touching you,” he says, thumbing across my bottom lip before kissing me.

Suddenly, he pulls back and puts himself between me and the door. “Someone’s here.”

“In this weather? Sheesh.” I pull the blanket around me tighter and move toward the couch to grab my clothes.

Apollo scowls. “It’s Mark.”

“What?” I pull on my yoga pants and sweatshirt in a rush.

There’s a loud thump beside the door and I watch his outline through the frosted window as he trudges through knee-high snow back to his SUV. He grabs something from the back and comes toward the house again.

I open the door, using my magic to keep the cold air and snow from getting inside. Mark looks up at me with shock, though all I can see is his eyes through his full-face mask.

“I was just dropping some stuff off,” he says, pointing to a case of water and a bag of what looks like groceries. “Your road won’t be plowed, and the pipes might freeze.”

“Why do you care?” I ask with way more snark than necessary.

“Fuck if I know.” He shakes his head in frustration and grabs the bag of groceries. “Never mind.”

“Wait,” I call, gritting my teeth at myself for what I’m about to do. “Please, come in.”

I step aside and Apollo reaches out to take the bag from Mark. He hands it over and grabs the case of water, then stomps his feet before coming in. I close the door behind him and take the water.

“Thank you. It’s really thoughtful,” I say. “We’re good, fortunately, but it never hurts to have more just in case.”

Mark nods. “Yeah, it smells like you’re doing good.”

I set the water down on the table and Mark stands awkwardly at the door. This is genetically Apollo’s great-grandson, which is easy to see now that I know what I’m looking for. A similar jaw, sharper teeth, tall, unusually attractive, and icy blue eyes.

I cross my arms. “Why are you really here?”

His brow furrows under the face mask. He looks down at his boots for a minute, and then takes off the mask. He runs a hand through his hair to smooth it out and then takes a big, deep breath.

“I revisited our family records and some of the information seems to corroborate Apollo’s story about my great-grandmother.” He shifts from foot to foot. “She thought she’d killed you. She was heartbroken, but kept going strong for my grandmother. And it was my grandmother who came back here after the rumors of a spirit when her mother passed on. She thought maybe her mother’s spirit came to live where her heart stopped loving. But she felt you here,” he says, looking at Apollo.

“She thought you were hiding from her, and her heart was already bitter from a life of thinking she was abandoned. So that’s what my mother was told, and our family made it our mission to make sure that you could never be free of this place,” he finishes, and his eyes return to his snow boots.

“How did you learn this?” Apollo asks.

Mark pulls a weathered, leatherbound journal from his coat pocket. “Elizabeth kept a diary. So did my grandma Mary.”

“Mary,” Apollo whispers. “Is she still alive?”

Mark shakes his head. “She passed six years ago.”

Apollo frowns, dropping his head. “So, my offspring don’t inherit my longevity.”

“I think…” Mark trails off and I urge him on with a nod. “In Mary’s when she went to the springs, she soaked in the waters, just once. The pictures of her taken after that day show her looking twenty years younger.”

I know there’s so much more they want to say to each other, but neither one is willing to keep the conversation going.

“Why don’t you take off your boots and join us for dinner?” I ask.

He scoffs. “You’re going to invite me to your table after what I did?”

“And what is it you did?” I ask.

“I weaponized your ex-boyfriend to separate you and ruin your business.”

“Well, you failed on both counts,” I say with a satisfied smile. “We’re still in business, and in love.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Touché.”

He glances at Apollo, who gives him a gentle nod. Mark strips off his boots and coat, setting them next to the fireplace, and approaches the dining room table warily.

“Is your mother still alive?” I ask, walking into the kitchen for a bottle of wine.

“She is. Gabrielle Torres. She retired to Hawaii with my father,” he says.

“Hawaii,” Apollo says with a touch of whimsy as he checks on the sourdough for our dinner. “I visited the main island once in the mid-nineteenth century. It was a tumultuous time for the country with the United States attempting to acquire it as a territory, but it was still quite beautiful. A very interesting culture.”

“Uhh.” Mark and I exchange a glance.

I guess history lessons will be in order.

Apollo nods his approval at the rising loaf in the oven and I pour us each a good serving of wine. He nuzzles my hair as he takes two of the glasses, and I can’t help but smile. We join Mark at the table and all take a seat.

His expression is softer now, his eyes less severe as he accepts the wine. “Thanks. Not poisoned, is it?”

I chuckle and pass him my wineglass instead.

“What if you’ve already taken the antidote?” he asks.

“What do I look like, Vizzini, a great fool?”

Mark laughs and accepts his wineglass. He takes a drink and hums in appreciation. “Pretty good for poison.”

“Just wait for dinner,” I say.

We sit in quiet for a moment and it occurs to me that I’m going to have to facilitate this reunion.

Fine. I’ll do it.

“You married?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve been too focused on growing the business.”

“Yeah, me too.” I take a deep breath and grab Apollo’s hand. “It’s a lot easier with a partner.”

“Are you recommending I get married for the free labor?” Mark asks with a smarmy grin.

I roll my eyes. “You’re such an asshole.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that.” He takes another sip of wine.

“Why are you such an asshole?” Apollo asks and I choke on my drink.

Mark smiles. “My therapist says I have childhood trauma or something like that.”

I swallow and clear my throat. “Therapy is good.”

“I’m really fucking jealous of you,” he says, looking at me.

Apollo’s posture hasn’t changed so Mark mustn’t be giving off any aggressive vibes.

“Because I’m spending time with Apollo?” I ask.

He shakes his head like I’m an idiot. “You strolled into this town and charmed fucking everyone in a matter of days. You made friends so quickly, like it was easy . Not only that, but you did actually work hard, not just use his magic.”

I shrug. “Well, you didn’t really give me an option but to use magic, so…”

“I know. I put down every obstacle in your path that I could without physically harming you or damaging the property, and you just steamrolled right through them.”

“You’re making it sound a lot easier than it was,” I say.

“Why didn’t you out me on Halloween?” he asks suddenly.

I look at Apollo and back to Mark. “Your personal business is not ours to tell.”

“You could’ve damaged my reputation,” he says, like it’s obvious that I should’ve done that.

I try to give him a kind smile, but it feels motherly. “Why would I waste my time on something that doesn’t bring me any happiness, or value?”

His brow wrinkles in confusion. “You could’ve gotten my clientele.”

“I don’t need them.”

“But you could’ve embarrassed me,” he argues.

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Retribution for what I put you through.”

“Mark, take note, my dude. For one, you put me through much less than Jason did, and yes, I know you sicced him on me, but he chose to be the colossal fuckbag that he was and do it . While I am still a little bitter about you blocking the contractors, it forced me to depend on Apollo. If I hadn’t, who knows what would’ve happened between us.”

Apollo squeezes my hand and smiles softly. “I would’ve won you over eventually.”

I huff. “I see where Mark gets that cocky confidence.”

We all laugh and the air in the room changes. It’s like something clicks into place that was out of alignment. I look at Apollo, his eyes singing with warmth and joy. He’s only ever wanted a family because his siblings were not like him. They shunned him. He’s been alone for so long and he just wanted to be loved. Seen.

I see you, I say with my eyes.

“He can’t hear you, buddy,” Charlie quacks.

No, but he can feel me.

“Ah, truth…Hey, can I come to the table? I’m feeling left out.”

I chuckle and get up, grab Charlie from the kitchen counter, and set him down between me and Apollo.

“That’s not strange at all,” Mark says sarcastically.

“The rubber duck is sentient. He was feeling left out,” Apollo says.

Mark’s eyes narrow on Charlie. And then they go wide and he sits back with a dopey grin. “Huh. Magic.”

“What happened to Jason, anyway?” I ask.

“I stopped paying him after the almost bar fight.” Mark finishes his wine. “Haven’t heard from him since. Thank god, too. Fucking kid was whiny as fuck.”

I snort and pour him a refill. “You know he’s in his thirties, right?”

“I said what I meant.” Mark takes another drink.

The oven timer beeps and Apollo jumps up. “When is your next therapy session?”

Mark gives him a sarcastic glare. “Why, you wanna go with me and hold my hand?”

“I was thinking I could provide some perspective on things of the past. If you really want to hold my hand, I suppose we could,” Apollo says, and I have to cover my laugh at the absolutely dumbfounded look on Mark’s face.

The bread comes out of the oven and my mouth waters instantly. I jump up, eager to get dinner in my body. I get out the butter, silverware, and three bowls and plates. Apollo holds the four hundred-degree bread with his bare hand like a well-calloused blacksmith and cuts into it. Steam rises from the center of the fluffy loaf, and I slurp up my drool.

“Sylvia’s mother is going to be living with us in the summers,” Apollo says as he brings the tray of sliced bread to the table.

“Oh,” Mark says, looking at me to judge my expression.

“If you’d like to come by in the evenings, we’ll be having dinner and playing games.” Apollo announces it so casually I can tell Mark doesn’t even realize he’s been invited to be part of the family.

He shakes his head like he’s trying to clear a fog. “Uh, what night?”

“Every night,” I say. “It’s sort of a cultural thing for my mom. Family has dinner together every night.”

Mark blinks a few times and I can see it finally registering. “You want me to come to family dinner night?”

Apollo cocks his head. “You’re my family.”

Mark scoffs. “How many other of your great-grandchildren will be attending dinner?”

Well, I didn’t want to ask, but I certainly want to know.

Apollo ladles each of us a serving of stew. “I have no others. Elizabeth was the only woman I’d lain with before Sylvia.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Half a millennium on Earth and your body count is two?”

Mark crosses his arms. “Yeah, Gramps, sounds suspicious.”

Apollo sighs softly. “That honor is reserved for my mate. In my ignorance, I thought that I could make Elizabeth my mate by having sex with her. After the first interaction I knew it wasn’t possible, but the love I felt from her when we joined, it almost made me feel whole. I selfishly coveted it, even though I couldn’t return it. I’m truly sorry for breaking her spirit, and her heart.”

“Well, she got you back, didn’t she?” Mark sucks his teeth. “It’s all in the past now. Not shit we can do about it.”

“You can come to family dinners,” I suggest, passing him a bowl of stew.

He stares down at the soup and a tiny smile lights his face. “Yeah. Maybe.”