Page 73 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

“Drink now.” Floushal hit Metice, who looked ready to try to rip the threads from my throat. “You must drink now, or she will die!” she yelled, and when he turned his eyes to her, she continued her spell.

Metice popped the top of the vial. He hesitated for a moment and then poured half the liquid into my mouth. The threads sizzled when they touched the fluid then disappeared, and my throat relaxed, no longer strained by the material.

The elixir was thicker than I imagined, like swallowing raw honey. It coated my mouth and throat, but at least the taste wasn’t terrible. It tasted like old grapes, the kind left in the refrigerator for so long, they started to shrivel into soggy raisins. At least it soothed the previous pain caused by those damn threads.

“Drink it now!” Floushal reminded Metice, who looked at me.

Metice downed the rest of the drink but kept his eyes trained on my face.

“And so, it is done.” Floushal smiled and placed her hands over our joined wrists, and when she removed her hands, the golden thread was gone.

“Now what?” I looked at my wrist, then at her.

The question mark was the punctuation that invited disaster. The moment I asked, my core burned again, this time centered in my heart. I stumbled away from Metice, who placed his hand on his chest.

“What is this?” Metice choked out his own question, and then, those same threads ripped through his chest. They shot out at me like circuits looking for a connection.

The golden threads waited for a response and found it when my chest opened with the same dramatic display. The threads, what looked like hundreds of them, reached out to his, blending together. Soon, they weren’t just individual strings searching for a path of connection. Their deliberate movements created a beautiful woven tapestry made of our essences. She said I would change, and not only could I feel it, but I could see it happening. The very basis of my being shifted, and Metice became a part of me.

The tighter they wove, the closer they pulled us together. When we were chest to chest, they exploded into light that flowed inward and flooded our bodies. The warmth reached all the way down to my toes. I looked into his dark eyes and saw the sun behind them. He was everything, all encompassing, all consuming. He was life.

“Now, you two are one.” Floushal clapped, as if she’d just given us the greatest news.

“Meaning?” I looked at Metice, who shrugged. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one confused.

“Your souls are bonded forever. Um.” She paused, tapping her chin. “Oh, in human terms, you are married.”

“Married?” I’m sure if my jaw wasn’t connected to my face, it would have been rolling across the floor. “Did you say married? When did I agree to be married? You didn’t say I had to be married to live.”

“It’s just a matter of saying.” The woman lifted her boney shoulders. “You’re alive. Be happy. Look, you’re already more vibrant, strength quickly returning to you.”

“We don’t have time to freak out over this.” Metice touched my arm. “We have to go, but you can curse me out as much as you want later.”

“You knew this would happen?” I smacked his shoulder. Was that why he chose this dress? He wanted me to look pretty for our wedding.

“No,” he clarified. “But I know we can’t stay here, and knowing you, there is a lot more you want to say. Let’s get out of here, and you can lay it on me.”

“Fine.” I turned to Floushal, who had a twist of joy and disappointment on her face. “I’m sorry for my outburst. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for saving my life.”

“Oh, you’re so welcome.” She smiled. “Metice, do try to come and visit again. I miss our chats.”

“I’ll do my best.” He looked at me. “Time for you to go home. You’ve spent enough time in hell.”

Metice pulled my hand into his and, using his power, we left the old woman behind. He might have intended to take me home, but what his power started, my power finished. I felt it happen mid shift when I took control of the ride. Then, that haze ended, that foggy space between one world and the next. We definitely were not in my home.

We hung in the air again.

“Oh shit. Not again.” I braced myself.

And we fell!

19

Training... Duh!

As we dropped, I braced for impact and hoped this time, I wouldn’t break my ass entirely. While I screamed like a maniac, Metice reached for me mid-fall and pulled me into him. Maybe he would turn and land with me on top of him, like they did in the movies. Metice was smarter than that. He transported us out of there.

In a blink, we went from falling through the air to laying in a soft field of wild grass. The stuff was like a big pillow, cradling our entangled bodies.

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