Page 70 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

His dark eyes jumped around, trying to focus. The embers from the dying fire crackled as he looked at me. Then, the smile lifted the corner of his lips. “You’re awake.”

“I am.” I nodded and touched his face again. “And so are you.”

“Rayna? You’re okay.” He spoke like he was trying to jolt out of a dream.

“Yes. Are you?” I searched his eyes. Something was different, I just couldn’t figure out what it was. “Are you okay?”

Metice sat up and placed his hand on my face. He held it there and then pulled me to him, kissing me gently before wrapping me in his hold. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Metice, what happened?” I asked, inhaling his scent. It was warm, like a campfire, and made my heart feel whole again.

“What do you remember?” he asked, still holding me, and pressed my head to his chest. “Tell me what you remember, and I’ll fill in the rest.”

“I was with Keri.” I shook my head as jumbled thoughts struggled to settle in my mind. “Then something attacked us. Olian locked me away. Oh my God, I was dying. No, I died. Am I dead?”

“You did not die, but you were close.” He ran his hand across my satin-covered head. “I almost lost you, but you’re here.”

“I…” My throat suddenly felt like I’d swallowed sand, and I coughed to clear the feeling.

“Here.” Metice produced a bottle of water from the bin next to the bed. “Drink”

I sipped and eyed the large plastic bin with the moving label still stuck to the side. “Is that from my house?”

“Yes, I had to go there to get things for you,” he confirmed. “It was the safest option. Luckily, no one else was there when I went.”

“Thank you.” I drank more of the water, slowly, because even the first few sips had my stomach shaking.

Scanning the area, I realized just how much Metice had done for me. My clothes were clean despite the chaos, and the bedding on the cot was also mine. The bin held items from my home, including shampoo. I touched my head and found my hair safely tucked under a bonnet.

“You washed my hair?” I slipped my fingers beneath the band of the bonnet and felt the fresh twists in my hair.

“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s just,” he paused nervously, “I remember you talking a lot about how hard it was to get your hair to grow after the medication you were on. I’m not sure why, but it felt important to make sure when you woke, you didn’t have matted hair.”

“Thank you.” How could a demon be so gentle? How could he think of things like that?

“I’m the one who should thank you.” Metice’s response shook me.

“For what?” He looked like a new puzzle to me, and that feeling continued. There was a shift happening in our relationship. I didn’t know how to define it yet, but it felt too important to ignore.

“For surviving.” He pulled me close to him and kissed my forehead. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t.”

“You came there for me.” I looked up at him. “You saved me.”

“Yes.” Metice nodded.

“Those demons? What did you do?” I asked and had a moment of regret when I did.

“Do you really want to know the details?” It was like he could sense my hesitation. “I will tell you if you do.”

I thought about it. Did I really want to know what he’d gone through to save me? What he’d done to get me out of there? I remembered the feeling of gravel and sprays of something wet on my skin. My imagination filled in details of blood and gore that I didn’t want him to confirm.

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to know.”

“You’re safe now. You’re here with me; that’s all that matters.” Metice stood and lifted me from the floor to put me back on the cot. “You need to rest, Rayna. Don’t overdo it. Your body is still healing.”

“What about you?” I asked as he pulled the cover over me.

“I’m fine,” he assured me. “I’m a demon. I’m tougher than you, remember?”

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