Page 23 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

“No, I got it fresh. Is there a problem?” He was rightfully annoyed. “At least I didn’t forget you require food. Having to eat every day is such a waste of time.”

“Excuse me for not having the metabolism of a snail like you. It’s just…” I paused. “You don’t have to get so much. One burger is enough. This is wasteful.”

“One of these days, when I do something nice for you, you’re going to simply say thank you. No complaints or snippy observations.” Metice sat down at the table. “And just so you know, Earth snails eat at least once a day, so you have exactly the metabolism of a snail.”

“Oh, shut up and kiss my-” Metice held his hand up to me and pointed to the table.

“Don’t get defensive just because you were wrong.” He winked. “Just sit down and eat.”

The meal started awkwardly. I ate a burger, he popped a few fries in his mouth, and we both stared out the window. It was one of those moments when I knew I had to apologize, but I damn sure didn’t want to. Metice was right. I was the one who read the damn book and played with the spell. He didn’t summon me. Still, I didn’t want to take the blame. Fuck that grown woman, healing journey shit. Date after nauseating date left me feeling a little silly; it wasn’t supposed to turn into a demon and a trip to literal hell.

“I’m sorry,” I finally broke as I poked at the second burger in front of me. I wouldn’t eat it; it was just something to focus on so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eye while tucking away my pride.

“What?” Metice had just popped another fry into his mouth and nearly choked on it when I spoke.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but-” I paused, trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to say. No, I didn’t want to be rude to him, but I didn’t want to be his friend either.

“But you have your defenses up because you’re a human who was ripped from your home and brought to hell?” He finished the thought for me and was pretty close to accurate with his assumption. “It makes sense.”

“That, and the fact that you’re a man. I haven’t had the best run with men lately, so I’m a little more rigid when it comes to interactions.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” He shook his head and crushed the empty fry bag.

“Why not?” I sipped from the drink.

“You’re rigid about men, but you want one so bad you would cast a spell?” He watched me closely, examining every shift in my expression as I considered his question.

“It’s complicated.” I pushed the drink away from me and looked him in the eye for the first time. And those butterflies came back. Dammit.

“Clearly.” He rolled his hand through the air gesturing for me to continue. “I’m a smart man. I can handle complicated.”

“Look, I wish I could shut that part of my brain off that wants companionship. It would sure as hell save me a lot of heartache. The dating pool is full of piss and poor decisions, and the few of us still brave enough to swim in it are coming out with infections.”

“That’s colorful.” He frowned. “But it explains a lot.”

“It does?”

“You aren’t the first woman to do this, cast a spell with the intent of summoning a demon lover. You may be the first one to do it without knowing it, though.” Metice cleaned up the mess on the table when he realized I wouldn’t be eating anymore food.

“How did that even work? That’s been bugging me. I mean, sure, I had some ingredients, but I’m not a witch. I don’t have any powers of my own.” It was a question that rolled around in my head since that first day. Fake spell or not, it worked, and that part didn’t make sense. I’d never used magic before, and though my mother and grandmother didn’t play around with it, neither of them was a witch either.

“I have my theories about that, but I haven’t confirmed anything.” Metice looked at me, and I saw his hand twitch like he wanted to reach out to me, but he restrained himself.

“What theories do you have?” I stood from my seat and helped him put the last of the trash away.

“When I went to Earth to study the world, I found so many disconnected bloodlines, people who were displaced and lost touch with their roots. A lot of those people were descendants of magical beings. More often than not, when things like this happen, it’s because one of those descendants tapped into the power they didn’t realize they carried in their blood.”

“You think I’m descendant of a witch?” I thought about it. “Well, slavery was a thing. My family lost all knowledge of where we’re from. I guess I never thought about the possibility of something like that, though I didn’t exactly believe any of this was real to begin with.”

Our conversation continued with a lot more ease after that. He shared little about him, and I shared a lot about me. It was like once I started, I couldn’t stop talking. It felt safe because, well, who would he tell? I told him about my childhood, my schooling, even my friends. I gave him the rundown of how I met each of them, saving Keri for last.

“I’ve known her since we were in the fifth grade. We met in the cafeteria on the first day of school and have been inseparable since.” My heart warmed when I thought of Keri. She really had been there for me through so much. Yeah, she was wrapped up in her man, but I knew she’d come back around once things settled. It was okay to be lost in the newness of it all.

“Doesn’t sound like a good friend,” Metice commented as we moved from the table to the oversized couch. His words felt like a smack in the face after I’d just been internally praising my best friend.

“What do you mean?” I plopped down across from him.

“You tell her you were visited by a demon, and her response is to tell you to seek help?” His body quickly relaxed into the couch, and he looked more comfortable than I could ever remember seeing him. “You’ve already forgiven them, especially Keri. I can tell that much, but I’d expect them to have more concern for your safety.”

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