Page 41 of Accidentally Vacationed with an Incubus

By the time we arrived that summer, Ms. Cadmus had already been unwell, her decline well underway. My parents had just been trying to help their ailing friend. And I had been so self-absorbed, so consumed with summoning my mate, that I hadn’t even cared.

“Jenny,” Rowan said softly, reaching out toward my hand where it rested on the table, an unmistakable gesture of comfort.

But the moment his fingers neared mine, I jerked my hand back instinctively. The tears were falling freely now, warm trails slipping down my chin, but I couldn’t bring myself to wipe them away.

Everything happened at once. One moment, Rowan was sitting across from me, his expression drawn with quiet sympathy. The next, a shadow burst through the dim light, and he was gone.

He wasn’t hard to find. Rowan was pinned against the wall, his broad frame restrained by a thick, beautifully coiled black tail wrapped tightly around his waist.

Devlin stood before him, his chest heaving, shadows curling around his form like a living thing. His sharp, gleaming obsidian talons rested against Rowan’s throat, one pressing just hard enough to draw a thin trickle of blood above his jugular.

The bar had fallen completely silent.

I only noticed because Devlin’s voice—low, deep, and dangerous—practically echoed through the room as he growled, “Did he hurt you?”

I didn’t get a chance to answer. A siren-smooth voice shattered the silence. “Jenny!”

Brooke—completely unfazed by the fact that the demon she had been chatting with seconds ago was now moments away from tearing her childhood friend apart—glided past Devlin and Rowan as if they weren’t even there.

Then, before I could react, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “Oh my Goddesses! You’re back!” she squealed. “I missed you so much!” She finally pulled back, but her hands stayed firmly on my shoulders, her sapphire eyes shining. “I tried to visit you at the start,” she said earnestly. “But they said you didn’t want to see anyone. Rowan and I never doubted your innocence.”

I stiffened.

Before I could correct her, Brooke’s attention snapped to Devlin. With an exasperated sigh, she gestured toward the orc still pinned to the wall. “Rowan is the orc you’re currently crushing, Devie,” she said breezily—then turned back to me, completely ignoring the rising tension in the room, and mouthed, “He’s hot as hell.”

Devlin looked at me, his bourbon eyes searching for confirmation that Rowan wasn’t a threat.

“He’s my friend,Devie,” I said, barely masking my irritation at Brooke’s choice of nickname for him.

With clear reluctance, Devlin finally loosened his grip around Rowan’s waist. The moment he let go, he stepped toward me and Brooke, his movements slow and controlled, as if still debating whether Rowan deserved to be let off so easily. Devlin cast one last suspicious glare at Rowan before allowing the shadows wrapped around his frame to unravel and fade.

Brooke, entirely unbothered by the tension still thick in the air, flashed a dazzling smile. “Wetotallyneed to catch up soon, Jenny.”

“Yeah, totally,” I said, nodding stiffly. The weight of dozens of stares pressed against my back, the entire bar still watching us. “But I think we ought to call it a night.”

I glanced at Devlin, and for the first time since he nearly murdered my childhood friend, I saw the tension in his shoulders ease. His face shifted into something almost... relieved.

“Awesome,” Brooke chirped as Devlin took the lead, stalking past Rowan with one last lingering glare.

The crowd parted for him, their expressions a careful balance of fear and awe, and I hurried after him toward the exit. Just before I stepped outside, I risked a final glance back. Rowan’s face was drawn tight, his brow furrowed in quiet disappointment.

Brooke, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She beamed, her signature glittering smile firmly in place as she waved enthusiastically. “I’ll call you so we can meet up! And Devie, don’t forget about my proposal!”

Chapter 12. Jen

Devlin walked beside me in silence, his jaw tight, his brows pulled into a deep scowl as he led me toward the main street. Agitation rolled off him in waves, twisting around us like a storm barely being held at bay. It wasn’t until The Poisoned Appletini finally faded from view that his body relaxed.

“Are you okay?” I asked. I had intended to sound empathetic. But Devlin was practically a stranger—a stranger who had, without warning and for no good reason, attacked Rowan, a friend who had only been trying to comfort me. So maybe my words came out with a slight edge.

“Me?” Devlin scoffed, letting out an exasperated huff. “I’m fine. Areyouokay?”

“Of course,” I said, my tone sharper than I meant it to be.

Devlin’s amber eyes flicked toward me, his gaze darkening. “You didn’t look okay.”

“Rowan is a friend,” I snapped.

His nostrils flared. “Yeah? Well, from whereIwas standing, he didn’t look all that friendly.” My hands curled into fists at my sides, but Devlin wasn’t finished. “You do know that orcs can be incredibly dangerous,” he continued, his voice a low warning. “And don’t even get me started on their jealous streak.” He took a step closer, his eyes burning into mine. “Hemade you cry, Jen.”

---