Page 18 of Raising Hell

“I never—”

“Give me the book.”

“What?” He blinks a few times, confused.

“Give me the spellbook so I can find a way home. Let me be around people who actually want me there.” It’s petty, and as he flinches, there’s no satisfaction. Only guilt.

“Cas…” The waver in his voice makes my eyes soften. “I’m sorry, alright? I am. It’s… having you here… having youwantme, is messing with my head. You’re… gorgeous and sweet, and I’m just…”

“Just what?”Gorgeous? Amazing? Everything I’ve ever wanted but never knew I was missing?Unable to bear his insecurity, I give in, hugging him against me.

He fits in my arms like he was always meant to be there, and it hurts more than it should to realize that.

“Just me,” he breathes, and I heave a loud sigh as I squeeze him tighter.

“You’re perfect, Rory—absolutely perfect. Never doubt that. Never let anyone take away your light.” We stand for a minute like this, wrapped up in each other, before I find my resolve. “Let me look over the spellbook, okay? I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter 8

Rory

Logic dies a slow, stupid death when faced with gray sweatpants and a big dick.

“Rory?” Cas asks, and my stare drifts from his crotch to the ridges in his defined stomach, up to his smirk, then finally lands on his eyes. “Are you ready?”

It’s been three days, and Cas has pored over the spell book night and day, scribbling notes in a cryptic language. The writing is more like chicken scratch than actual words and letters, with heavy slashes and rough edges. But as the hours he spent researching pressed on, his confidence grew. This morning, he came to me with a giant smile and told me he’d figured it out.

He thrusts a piece of paper into my hands, still with that ridiculous grin on his face. “Here’s the incantation you’ll need.”

A frown tugs at my lips as I read. “Cas… this is almost identical to the one I used to summon you.”Da mihi carmen adme felicem cum Amonis written in neat English, and I trace it a few times before I glance back up at him.

His smile is soft as he nods. “Sometimes the simplest solution really is the right one. Searching for a different spell, or worse, crafting a completely new one, would take a lot of time and I wouldn’t be as confident in the success. A few modifications to the original seems like the most sensible approach.”

Skepticism eats at me as I scan his face, looking for deception but not finding it. “And you’re sure this will work?”

“I can’t be positive,” he admits with a one-armed shrug. “Honestly, there’s no way to have certainty with magic. There’s always room for interpretation, and it’s a fickle creature.”

That’s fair, and his admission brings me more confidence than if he told me he was certain it would work. I can’t expect him to offer me a guarantee, especially since it was my mistakes that led us into this mess. “Do we use the same summoning circle?”

“Thought it was just a rune?” he mutters, and then pretends not to notice my glare. “Yes, and all the ingredients are the same, too.”

My heart sinks. “There was one ingredient that I used the last of…”

“Eye of Howler. Lucky for you, I have a bit of a knack for spell crafting and have extensively studied the properties of different ingredients. Chimera blood is a suitable substitute, and your granny had an entire vial full. It should work the same.”

“Should,” I murmur. “There’s that word again.”

His grin is broad as he glances at me. “No need to stress. If anything goes wrong, you’ve got me here to help.”

I huff a scoff through my nose, cocking a brow in his direction. “You’d actually protect me?”

He’s silent for a beat before quietly asking, “You truly have to ask?” There’s a sharp edge to his voice, and the hurt in his eyes confirms that I’ve really put my foot in it this time. Guilt surges through my chest, but before I can respond, he continues, “Rory, our relationship…” When he trails off, the pad of his thumb drags over his smirking bottom lip. “Our demon and witch relationship won’t allow me to do anything that would cause you harm. Ourotherrelationship also prevents it.”

“Other… relationship?”

“Yes,” he says with a troublemaker grin. “The one where you jerked me off using my horns, and I returned the favor, just… y’know. With your cock.”

“Right,” I whisper with a rough swallow.

---