Page 19 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

“Excuse me?” I rolled my eyes at him. “Ask nicely?”

“I didn’t cause all this. You did.” He narrowed his eyes, and I swear the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. “If you want to eat, you’ll politely ask me to supply you with a meal like a good girl.”

“You’re out of your mind.” I rolled my eyes. Had I read that line in a book, I would have been swooning, but in reality, it made me want to pop him in his thick forehead.

“Maybe, but I’m not the one who will starve to death,” he doubled down. “In fact, I can go months without eating a thing, one of the perks of my particular brand of demon. I’ve never watched a human die from starvation. If I keep you here, I can use this as an observation for my notes. I wonder how long that would take. Time moves slower here than it does in your world.”

“Fine.” I gave up, because I could no longer tell if he was joking. Would he seriously watch me starve to death as if I was some sort of science experiment?

“Fine?” While my smile faded, his grew with a seductive tilt. “Are you going to be a good girl, Rayna?”

I could feel my face warming when he said my name. Okay, so maybe that dominance thing wasn’t just hot in the books. Maybe, in real life, it had a little weight to it.

“Can you pop your demon ass to Earth and bring me back a burger?” My question was rude as hell, but it had to be. I couldn’t be too sweet with my request. Regardless of the power he clearly held over me, I would never make it that easy.

“Is that the nicest you can ask that question?” He leaned back and narrowed his gaze at me. “I think you can do better than that.”

“I’m pretty sure humans start to stink when they’re starving to death. Foul breath, flatulence, and diarrhea.” I rubbed my hand along the supple surface of my seat. “I can’t imagine that would do well for your soft leathers. I mean, this is a comfortable spot to decay.”

“That is disgusting.” He frowned.

“I know, right? But hey, at least you’ll be able to satisfy your curiosity, right?” If Metice wants to play with me, he better learn quickly that I’m skilled in mind games. You don’t grow up with fifteen boy cousins and not come out of it with a few lessons in how to twist a man’s mind.

“Fine.” Metice stood from his seat. “I’ll get you some damn food.”

He rolled his shoulders, and the atmosphere tensed. I doubted I would ever get used to that feeling. And then, the demon disappeared.

“And fries!” I called out, knowing he wouldn’t likely hear me. “Damnit, I hope he doesn’t forget the fries.”

6

Bonding?

Iwaited patiently for him to come back. Luckily, this trip didn’t take nearly as long as the first, and within a few minutes, the tall, dark demon stood in front of me holding a bag of food. He led me to the dining table, a huge slab of polished lava rock, and laid out the meal.

“You got me seventeen burgers?” I gawked at the layout. “Exactly how much do you think I can eat?”

“How am I supposed to know? Judging from the meal you had the other night, it didn’t seem like you were all that discerning when it came to your food.”

“Discerning?” I laughed and gestured towards the feast. “This is enough food for a family.”

“Well, I didn’t forget your fries.” He held up the brown bag of greasy fries. “I tried one. Actually pretty good.”

“First time?” It was funny to me to think about him eating Earth food. Of course, that led me to the consideration of what he actually ate, and that thought took me back to the demoness. She mentioned he hunted humans. Did that mean that, for Metice, I could have been on his meal plan? I shuddered at the thought.

“Actually, yes.” He sat down at one of the high-backed chairs and pointed for me to join him. “Like I said, I don’t eat much, and anytime I travel to new worlds, trying the local cuisine really isn’t something I’m worried about. Though I have taken a few cooking classes. I guess it’s an oddball hobby.”

“What do you usually do when you travel?” I asked as I unwrapped the first burger.

“You curious about me now?” He watched me closely and popped another fry into his mouth.

“Your friend mentioned something when she was here before you got back. She said you didn't typically bring your hunts home.” I laughed nervously. “She thought I was one of your hunts. Is that what you do when you go to new worlds? Do you hunt for prey? Do you bring it back here to study?”

“That makes me sound far more interesting than I really am. If you must know, when I go to a new place, I'm there to study. I learn what I can about the culture. I collect books, and I bring them back here to read.” He pointed to his bedroom. “I’m sure you’ve seen my collection. That’s just the surface. There is another level of my home that I’ll show you later, full of books and artifacts.”

“Well, that doesn't really sound like the life of a man who would have so many enemies.” I took a bite of the burger and sighed as my stomach rejoiced. Apparently, I was a lot hungrier than I thought I was. “How could there possibly be so many other demons who hate you?”

“That's the unfortunate life of a reformed man in hell, one who wanted to escape another more devious lifestyle.” Metice turned his gaze to the window, as if he saw something I didn’t. I followed his line of sight and only saw the darkened sky. “Unfortunately, there are people from my past who don't want to let me leave it all behind.”

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