Page 58 of Accidentally Vacationed with an Incubus

And, to my absolute delight, he was funny. The dad-joke kind of funny, which just so happened to be the pinnacle of humor as far as I was concerned.

I wanted to know more.

When we reached the end of the lane, I expected Devlin to turn toward town. Instead, he led me back toward our cabin. I was half tempted to ask why he’d spent so long in town preparing for a date nightherebut decided to trust the process.

When BooDini spotted us through the living room window, it froze for half a second before darting away. A moment later, a white blur fluttered past the edge of my vision, disappearing into the wooded area behind the house.

Devlin followed without hesitation, guiding me past the cabin and into the trees. I clutched his arm as darknessswallowed us again, but thankfully, it didn’t last long. A few heartbeats later, candlelight flickered through the branches like starlight.

And then, we stepped into the clearing.

The lake stretched before us, its inky waves lapping idly at the shore. In the middle of the sandy bank, a blanket was laid out, laden with what I presumed was food, all covered with gingham cloths. Surrounding it, at least a hundred tealights flickered—some nestled into the sand, others casting their glow from colored glass lanterns dangling from the branches above.

“This is amazing,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

You’re amazingwas what I wanted to say.

“I had some help with the candles,” Devlin admitted, winking at BooDini.

BooDini clasped its hands to its chest, gave one last satisfied look at its masterpiece, then dreamily glided off toward the house.

Devlin turned to me with a smile, guiding me toward the blanket. He waited as I picked my spot before lowering himself beside me, the candlelight dancing in his eyes.

“I wasn’t really sure what people usually eat on dates, so I got a bit of everything,” Devlin admitted, flashing a sheepish grin as he pulled back the cloth from the first bundle of food.

Jars of pickles and an assortment of random condiments stared back at me.

I pressed my lips together, determined to keep a straight face as he moved on to the second bundle, unveiling a collection of fruits and nuts—most of which required either a knife or a nutcracker, neither of which were anywhere in sight.

But it was the third bundle that sent me over the edge. A selection of cereal boxes and tins of fish.

A laugh burst from my lips before I could stop it, quickly snowballing into full-blown giggles.

“What?” Devlin asked, his brow furrowing, genuine concern creeping into his voice.

I took a steadying breath, trying—and failing—to contain my laughter. “Um... we can’t reallyeatany of this.”

“But... it’s food. People eat this food. Otherwise, why would they sell it in the shop?”

I bit my lip, nodding solemnly. “Yes... technically, itisfood.” I gestured toward the bizarre spread. “But most of it requires, you know... accompaniments. Like bread. Or utensils.”

Devlin turned an accusatory glare on the assortment before him, as if personally betrayed by the concept of meal preparation.

Remember, Jen, Devlin doesn’t normally eat human food—he feeds in a different way.Heat rushed to my cheeks, my core tightening as another, far more distracting thought followed:And he hasn’t fed the entire time he’s been here.

Flustered, I grabbed the first thing within reach—a bottle of ketchup. “Like this!” I blurted out, holding it up. “You usually have this with fries. You know, for dipping.”

I pointed at a colorful box of cereal, the kind that practically guaranteed a sugar rush powerful enough to lift you into another plane of existence. “And this... you need a bowl and milk to eat.”

“Oh.” Devlin let out a sigh, visibly deflating.

I winced, suddenly feeling like I should’ve just kept my mouth shut and attempted to eat the walnuts, shells and all. “There’s still one more pile,” I said, forcing a note of encouragement into my voice. “What’s under that one?”

Please, Hecate, don’t let it be a platter of raw meat.

With noticeably less enthusiasm, Devlin pulled the dishcloth off the final pile...

And I could have cried with joy. Because in front of me sat a glorious mound of candy bars. At least fifty of them.

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