Page 5 of Accidentally Summoned an Incubus

“She doesn’t workhere anymore, so she’ll go where she damn well pleases.” Billy’s voice was as sweet as a spring lamb—if that lamb had been skinned and fashioned into a coat by an icy-haired wolf.

Brett let out a gruff, challenging laugh. “Neither of you are leaving until I say so.”

In the blink of an eye, Billy’s Doc Martens had connected with Brett’s crotch, resulting in a sickeningcrunchthat made me think she’d kicked him hard enough for his nuts to hit his spine. Brett crumpled to the floor, and Billy grabbed the collar of his jacket. “You should be more polite to ladies. Oh, and in case you haven’t guessed yet, I quit too.” With her inhuman strength, she slid his whimpering form across the room, and he landed in a heap. I had to stifle a giggle as a plant pot with a long-dead plant clattered off the cabinet and smashed on top of his head like something from a sketch show.

“Later, loser!” Billy called over her shoulder as the pair of us flipped him the bird.

The moment we stepped out the front door of the building, it was like a weight I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying lifted from my chest.

Chapter 3. Lex

Billy gave me a bone-crushing hug as “Last call for flight EZSEAT to Seattle” boomed over the PA.

Our coven had stood their ground through it all: creating a home in an unknown country, the threat of another witch hunt, persecution from suspicious mortal men... But the momenttouristsstarted flocking to Massachusetts to ogle the site of one of the most infamous witch hunts, the coven packed up and left. For the last century, they lived in a settlement deep in the heart of the vast Seattle forests. Which was where I’d be touching down in just over two hours.

Billy’s flight back home was an hour after mine, but no matter how many times I stared at her ticket, the words just looked like indistinguishable squiggles to me. Even when I glanced at the board, there was a single flight three down from mine that just looked pixelated.

“I’m going to miss you, witch,” she said into my shoulder.

“I’ll miss you too, wolf,” I whispered back.

Even though we had only shared an office for a month, Billy had become my best friend. Like, if there was a word for asoulmate best friend, she’d be it. I wasn’t quite sure how we’d become so close so fast, but it was like we were two parts of a platonic jigsaw that just fit together perfectly.

“Text me your address,” she said, finally letting go of me. “If my dad—” Buzzing filled my ears as Billy continued to talk. “—I’ll be coming to stay with you.”

“You do know I wasn’t able to understand a word of what you just said.”

Billy smiled. “I know.”

An irate voice called, “Could passenger Cole on flight EZSEAT to Seattle please make your way to gate thirteen. Your flight is about to depart.”

I bent over and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

“I’ll text you when I land!” I called back to Billy as I half jogged to my gate.

Just as I got to the gate and the angry-looking flight attendant studied my ticket, I remembered I had forgotten to tell my parents I was coming home.

As I walked down the echoing hall, I pulled out my phone and called home.

“Hello, sweetie,” my father’s gruff voice called down the phone. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Who’s that?” my mother’s voice called from the background. Something clattered, and I prayed to Hecate that Mom wasn’t on one of her DIY binges.

“Darling,” Dad called back to her, “there’s only two women I call ‘sweetie’ and one of them is you.”

“Lex? Is that Lex?” Mom called back.

As much as I loved their banter, I’d just stepped on to the plane. Everyone was seated, and some were staring at me. “Listen, Dad, I don’t have a lot of time as I’ve just got onto the plane.” I glanced down the aisle. Twenty-nine, twenty-eight, ah, row twenty-seven and—ohGoddess—there was an incredibly attractive man sitting in the middle seat.

Shit.

“Plane? Why are you on a plane?”

“I... uh... well, I’m coming home, Dad. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.” I shoved my bag into the overhead locker as the blisteringly hot man unbuckled his belt. I would have happily climbed over him to get to my seat.

“Oh, Lex!” my mom gushed from the other side of the phone. “Are you going to do the Samhain summoning? Ah! But I have nothing prepared! It’s tonight! I’ll need to—”

“No, Mom. I’m not doing the stupid summoning!”

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