Page 30 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

Metice lived far away from the general population. Traveling from his home was like passing through the countryside. Occasionally, I would see a beast in the distance, too blurry to make out, but I pretended we were just riding past grass grazing cattle. Nothing special about it.

As we neared the more populated areas, the horses slowed, and I could see in more detail. So much for pretending like this was normal. That’s when the fear returned. Above us, creatures with massive, webbed wings flew in targeting circles.

In the distance I saw monsters of all sorts. Some were large, threatening and running on all fours, while others stood bipedal with human-like silhouettes. They were still too blurred by movement for me to make out anything specific. Afraid their eyesight would be better than mine, I lowered the curtain just enough so I could look out with one eye. If they recognized me as human, what would they do to me? I didn't want them to know I was in the ride with Metice, but there were a few when we passed whose eyes turned towards us, and I felt like they were looking right at me.

Just before we stopped, Metice woke up, like an internal alarm pulled him from his sleep. He stretched his arms and side eyed me.

“You didn’t rest.” He rolled his neck. “I can tell by your energy. You’re exhausted.”

“How could I?” I pointed to the window. “I’m in a new world, and you expect me to sleep on the first outing?”

“We’re here now, so you won’t have a chance for a while. Let’s go.” Metice exited his side and came around to mine to open the door. “Don’t complain to me if you have trouble standing later.”

“What are you doing?” I looked past him to the busy market I could see in the distance behind him. How did he expect me to go in there? There were all sorts of demons walking the streets. “I can’t go in there!”

“I told you I have to make a stop, and you have to come with me. I can't leave you here,” he insisted. “It’s not safe for you here.”

“Aren’t you afraid someone will see me? Remember, demon enemies trying to attack the human to get back at you?” I pointed over his shoulder. “What if they’re in there?”

“Yeah, I thought of that.” He stepped away and reappeared with a cloak in his hand. It was a heavy and ugly yellow, with brown stains all over the rough fabric.

“You expect me to wear that?” I gagged. “Are you serious?”

“Well, if you want to survive.” He looked over his shoulder. “Or I could just leave you here, and we can take our chances that no one will find you alone, unprotected.”

“That thing smells terrible.” Like hell horse shit, honestly.

“And so do most of the demons in there. We have to hide the fact that you’re human.”

“I can’t believe this.” I held my hand out. “Fine. Give it here.”

Cloaked in the cover of stink, I stepped out of the carriage, and from the moment my foot hit the ground, I felt more vulnerable than I ever had. We were still far from the entrance, but there were a few demons passing us, some flying above our head, all headed to the same place.

“Breathe. It’s going to be okay.” He closed the door behind me. “We’ll be in and out of here in no time.”

“I like that you’re so confident.” My heart raced, the distant sounds from the market already overwhelming. “But the last thing I want to do while wearing this thing is breathe.”

“Let’s go.” Metice led the way.

“You know, I thought it would be a lot hotter here.” A cool breeze brushed across my exposed cheeks, and I pulled the hood down further to hide my face.

“Because you believe the cartoonist depictions of our world.” He stopped and pointed to the distant grass covered hills. “Hell is a masterpiece of beauty. The air is without pollution, the trees are all fruitful. Anyone can live off the land without concern of poison or punishment. You humans don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

“I don’t know about all that, but yeah, every description I’ve heard of hell was a tapestry of literal fire, brimstone, and monsters that will leave you with nightmares. I've seen some of the monsters in passing. They didn't look that bad.”

“That's because you weren't up close.” His deep chuckle worried me. “Trust me, some of the beings here, one look in the eye, and you’ll never sleep again. There are places like you’ve described. Every world has its scary bits, but most of the Bane is beautiful and welcoming.”

“You don't look so bad,” I admitted. Neither did the demonic woman who visited him, but I wasn’t going to say that aloud.

“I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Think of the ones who visited you on Earth.” He looked back at me. “You just make sure to keep it in your pants. This isn’t the place for horn holding.”

“You ain't that fine,” I snipped. “And I thought it was a damn dream. I told you that. I'm not about to jump on you in the middle of hell.”

“Oh. I get it. That’s why you’ve been staying away from me.” He slowed until we were side by side then lowered his head to whisper in my ear. “I suppose that type of activity is meant just for Earth. Maybe in your bedroom? Or maybe you prefer the dining room table. I’m pretty sure we busted it up, though.”

“You know, every time I start to think that you might be halfway decent, you open your mouth and prove me wrong.” I shoved him away from me.

“I'm just doing the best I can to make sure you don't fall in love with me.” He straightened. “You know, I read some of those books of yours. Call it curiosity, but I wanted to know what the draw was. There’s also been an uptick in women who are doing these spells and rituals lately. I mean, we've always had the issue, but it's gotten a lot worse, and now I see why.”

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