Page 75 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

“I’m quick on my feet, even when my feet aren’t under me,” he joked.

“Right.” My mind wandered as I thought of our situation, and within moments, I was panicking. There I was, in a prehistoric version of Earth with my new demon husband. This for a woman who decided a decade prior that marriage wasn’t the goal in life. My heart pounded in my chest, and when I looked at the man beside me, I could see Metice immediately sensed when my mood shifted.

“What is it?” He examined me and pulled my hands over my head like I was a wrinkled shirt he pulled from the closet. “Are you okay?”

“You sure you didn’t know we would be married?” I looked at him, hands still over my head like a ragdoll. “I mean, you’re so quick-witted. Was there no part of you that thought to keep that from me?”

“Rayna, I know I’ve hidden things from you in the past, but not this.” He dropped my hands and took a careful step back from me. “I told you everything I knew. She told me she could reinforce our bond, yes. Not that it would be anything like the marriage of souls. I didn’t know a thing like that was possible with someone who wasn’t also a demon. I promise I wouldn’t have done that without telling you, and that was honestly much more intense. That light, those threads, that doesn’t happen for us.”

“Right.” My stomach felt like I’d swallowed a sack of rocks. I never wanted to be married, never believed in it, but this was different, right? This wasn’t the barbaric practices of Earth rooted in a woman basically being sold to another family. This was something far more important than that, and a hell of a lot more intense. This man was a part of me now. I could feel him inside me, his energy, his upset, dancing through my chest.

“We don’t have to act like we’re married, if that’s what you’re worried about.” There was something new in his words. Was it the tremble of insecurity? “When we can be sure you will be safe, I’ll leave—or we can go back to just getting to know each other. Nothing about us has to change if you don’t want it to.”

“I guess this is a discussion we can have later.” I looked up into those dark eyes. “We have more important things to worry about, and it won’t matter if I poof myself into a firepit and die.”

“You can be really dark sometimes, you know that?” He reached over and tugged the bonnet that miraculously still hung on my head.

“Says the demon.” I winked.

“You need to rest. I’ll go get supplies. You stay here.” He wagged his finger in my face. “No popping off to places where I won’t be able to find you.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do until you get back?”

“Enjoy the fresh air and demon free lands.” Metice smiled, then he vanished.

With nothing else to do, I sat in the grass and watched the picturesque view. If I had my art supplies with me, I would have started sketching the scene. The animals all looked like abstract forms of the ones on Earth. Their ears and eyes were slightly misplaced, and they all had either too many or too few limbs.

Some glanced at the weird being sitting in the middle of the field, but luckily, none felt too curious. It must have been something Metice did, or at least he’d been there enough to know it was safe.

I sighed, wishing I had my phone. It wasn’t like I could make a call, but I’d be able to track the time and maybe play a game or two. I had two more hotels to complete and a garden to take care of. My virtual families were probably so worried about me.

A sweet breeze moved in, carrying what smelled like lavender and geranium. The combination always relaxed me. The soft grass felt like a pillow. I leaned back on the ground, allowing the natural cushion to cup my body. It wasn’t long before watching strange cloud formations turned into watching my eyelids.

“Rayna.” A warm hand touched my shoulder and gently shook me. “Rayna, wake up.”

“Metice?” I opened my eyes to a night sky painted the prettiest shades of purple and indigo. “Oh, wow.”

“That happy to see me?” He smiled down at me and held his hand out to help me up.

“No, the sky.” I laughed and grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet. “But it’s nice to see you too. What happened to you?”

“I came back and you were sleep, so I figured I’d let you rest while I got things set up.” He stepped aside to let me see what he’d been working on.

Behind him was a full campsite, complete with a luxury tent and campfire. Where towering plants and ancient trees dominated the landscape, creating a prehistoric backdrop, a modern tent setup stood nestled in the clearing, surrounded by dense vegetation. The tent’s sleek, streamlined shape contrasted with the rugged beauty of the surrounding scenery, creating a visual juxtaposition that made me ache for my art supplies.

“You did all this?” My hand itched for my paintbrush. I’d have to commit the image to memory so I could recreate it later.

“Well, don’t get me wrong, you can handle yourself in most situations, but I don’t take you for the outdoors type.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t see you sleeping in a bag on the ground.”

“You’re damn right.” I laughed. “I love nature, but I really appreciate looking at it through a window.”

“You went to Earth to get all this? What about the demons? What if they caught you? Could they have followed you here?” I rattled off all the questions that raced through my mind.

“We’re safe, Rayna.” He stepped behind me and grabbed my shoulders, slowly massaging them. “I took every precaution. I chose a location far from your home and anywhere they might have searched for us. You can relax.”

“I can try.” I sighed. “I don’t know how easy that will be now that I’ve slept. My mind is already racing.”

“You’re still tired. Let’s go to bed,” he urged. “Once your head hits the pillow, you’ll sleep. We can start training tomorrow.”

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