Page 23 of Accidentally Vacationed with an Incubus

“Has my childhood home been rented out to strangers?” I asked, my tone deadly calm.

BooDini’s cutout sheet eyes widened, and after a moment of tense silence, it slowly nodded.

I ran my hand over my face, fighting the urge to scream. “You just open your doors and let perfect strangers stay in our family home?”

A sharp pang of guilt twisted in my chest.This wasn’t a family home anymore.

BooDini immediately pressed its sheeted arms against its chest, shaking its head violently, as if appalled by the very suggestion that it would be so reckless.

I jabbed a finger in Devlin’s direction. “Well then, how do you explainhim?” I demanded, though my initial fire had dulled.

“To be fair to the ghost, it did try its best to scare me away. And—” Devlin rummaged in his pocket before pulling out a folded piece of paper. He set it on the coffee table and nudged ittoward me with two fingers. “—it looks likeBooDiniusually does a pretty good job of it.”

BooDini clasped its hands together and held them against its chest, its head tilted in awe as if Devlin was its knight in shining armor.

Lips pursed, I snatched the paper off the coffee table and unfolded it with a sharp flick. My eyes scanned the words at the top:The World’s Most Haunted House. Beneath the title was a black-and-white photo of my house, looking ominously weathered under an overcast sky, a gloomy looking BooDini floating in the foreground.

“Welcome to Bramble Cabin, the most haunted house in the world,” I read aloud. “A nameless entity resides in the cabin, a tortured soul, hell-bent on its solitary existence, determined to plague anyone who dares cross its threshold.” I glared at BooDini, who puffed its chest out with pride. “Tortured soul?Really?”

BooDini shrugged its shoulders nonchalantly.

“I bet this is Caitlyn’s doing,” I said through gritted teeth, and BooDini nodded its head in response.

I let out a long breath, pressing my fingers to my temples. I supposed it made sense—when the house refused to return to the coven, my cousin Caitlyn had clearly seen an opportunity. And, in true Caitlyn fashion, she’d exploited it, turning my childhood home into a novelty vacation stay.

At least the house had put up a fight.

But what to do with the incubus who was currently vacationing in my house?

I turned to Devlin, only to find him grinning as he eagerly watched the exchange between me and BooDini. There was something oddly endearing about the way the corner of his lip curled. Heat pooled low in my stomach as my traitorous mindconjured the image of Devlin in the bath, his fist moving in slow, deliberate strokes.

Suddenly, his nostrils flared.

Incubus demon, remember?I chided myself.He can sense all your emotions and feeds from your desires.

I pushed the image of him into the dark abyss of my mind.

“So,” I said, crossing my arms. “You’re supposed to be here for the next two weeks? Any chance you could... you know...” I gestured vaguely toward the door. “Not be?”

Chapter 7. Devlin

The witch wanted me gone.

Under normal circumstances, if a woman told me she didn’t want me around, I would respect her wishes without hesitation. However, this was far from normal circumstances. And aside from the fact that I had literally nowhere else to go, I—well, technically Jasper’s packmate— had paid for this cabin. A full two-week stay, fair and square. She was the one encroaching onmyspace. Which meant she wasn’t exactly in a position to tellmeto leave.

My mind whirred, scrambling for a compromise that would let both of us stay in the house.

She claimed to be a witch, though I still couldn’t sense a single trace of magic on her. Maybe I could convince her that having another magical creature around would be useful? Though, judging by the way she was glaring at me, I doubted thestrong male protectorangle would be one that she would appreciate.

I’d scented her desire earlier. A brief flicker of longing, hot and sharp, before she’d snuffed it out as quickly as it had appeared. She was attracted to me—or at least, whatever version of me my incubus magic created for her. Maybe I could use that to my advantage?

No, Devlin. You’re here to make a connection with someone, not to pimp yourself out for a roof over your head.

I dragged my gaze over her, taking her in.

She wore fluffy checkered pajama bottoms, an oversized Nirvana T-shirt, and a tattered black hoodie that looked like it had seen better days. Arms crossed, full lips pressed tight, her entire posture screamedI’m waiting for you to leave, demon.But her eyes? Housed beneath dark lashes, her hazel irises weresoft and inviting, as if waiting for me to say just the right thing that would give her an excuse to let me stay.

And the right thing was usually the truth.

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