Page 65 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

“I-”

“If you do that, Metice, she must reach her full potential, or you will lose her forever.”

“That is a choice I’ll make with her.” Rayna was already pissed off at me for keeping things from her. I promised I would earn her trust back. Making that kind of decision without her wouldn’t help my case.

“That is a choice, that will be taken from you.” She reached into a drawer and pulled out a box wrapped in ribbon. “Here, this is what you need.”

“You knew I’d be back?”

“Of course I did, child.” She sighed and fixed her robe, tightening the belt around her waist. “I’d think you’d stop doubting my abilities by now.”

“Thank you for your help.” I nodded. “I will repay you.”

“Of course you will.” She ushered me to the door. “Hurry up and get back to that lovely woman of yours.”

I had to leave Likosa’s home entirely before I could perform the shift that would take me from my world to Rayna’s. It was Likosa’s rule, and I wouldn’t break it: I couldn’t open a shift in her home. It made her vulnerable. To what, I didn’t know, but I needed her on my side, and I wouldn’t do anything to risk losing the friendship.

I’d already been gone longer than I wanted to. The woman was hardheaded and not likely to have actually stayed put like I asked.

The sky darkened overhead as the day shifted into night, and I moved across planes. This was why I was so valuable to the people who wanted me. I could step in and out of worlds without the use of any technology. It was a gift I was born with. I’d known nothing of my family before me, just that I had a gift that was rare in our world. Because of that, there were plenty of demons willing to pay top price to have me skip through realms collecting things for them.

That’s what I did until I couldn’t anymore.

Her home smelled like vanilla. The scent welcomed me with each arrival, like walking into the hands of a masseuse. My tension melted away, despite knowing we were far from having all our problems solved. Unfortunately, this visit didn’t bring the same lasting relief.

The sweet smell of vanilla still welcomed me, but the moment I stepped foot into her home, I felt the absence of her. With Rayna, her heartbeat was my beacon, calling me to her, but the house was silent.

“Of course,” I muttered as I looked around the empty bedroom. “Why would she leave?”

Instead of letting my anger drive me, I tapped into the connection I shared with my soulmate. There was a time when the feeling of her annoyed me, but now, I looked forward to it. It came in handy when the woman refused to comply to a simple request.

“Come on,” I muttered as I worked to find the frequency in my mind. The invisible thread was more like a signal, a pulse that connected us. Usually, it took just a few moments to find the soft hum in my head, but this time, I couldn’t feel her.

“Dammit, Rayna. Where are you?”

Her laptop sat open on the desk near her bed. I opened the desk drawer to find the small pink notebook where she wrote her passwords—like that was the epitome of security.

After entering what I assumed was the name of a childhood pet, the welcome screen lit up. It took just a few minutes to find her friend’s information, the one who suggested she seek therapy when she told her about me.

The easier thing to do would have been to call her, but that would have been too simple, and it wouldn’t give me the opportunity to provide a little proof for Rayna’s story. Her friend needed to see me, to know I was real, for Rayna’s sake. With everything going on, she needed her friend to be in her corner. I wasn’t sure what the woman could do, but it sounded like her emotional support was important to my soulmate.

Minutes later, I stood outside her friend’s house. The door to the brick home was knocked off the hinges, and the smell of something terrible lingered in the air—blood, and not the human variety. Several police vehicles were parked outside as officers moved around the space, conducting their investigation. I kept a safe distance so as not to call any unnecessary attention to myself while I listened in.

“The homeowner is at St. John’s Hospital. She was in a nasty accident. The call about the house came an hour after they checked her in. We came here to find the boyfriend, door knocked off the hinges,” one short officer reported to another, who had a belly the size of a small cauldron.

“Is it a domestic case?” the rotund officer spoke, a cigarette between his lips.

“No. He arrived just before we did.” The short officer checked his notes. “Neighbor called it in, and his alibi checks out. He was at a game with friends. The kid looks devastated.”

“Then why isn’t he at the hospital?” the round one asked. “And hey, it’s not like we’ve never seen an abuser show regret for his actions. It could be a show.”

“The family doesn’t want him there.” The short one frowned.

“And you’re sure he has nothing to do with it?” It was like the guy wanted the man to go down for a crime he definitely didn’t commit.

“Positive.” The man nodded. “In any case, it looks like she’ll survive. They say she’s pretty banged up. The friend who was with her is still missing. A woman, it looks like.”

“Alright, find out all you can. Something about this isn’t sitting right with me,” the big guy ordered before wobbling to his own car and driving away.

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