Page 88 of Accidentally Vacationed with an Incubus

“Pretty big clue right there,” she agreed, lips twitching.

“And from the moment I stepped into your house, I could no longer return to the Shadow Realm. Classic sign that an incubus demon is about to meet their fated mate.”

“Yeah... there’s that,” she said, her voice laced with amusement.

“Oh, and BooDini’s not a real ghost, is it?”

Jen chuckled. “Frankly, I’m astonished you believed a floating sheet with cutout eyes was an actual ghost.”

“Easy mistake,” I muttered, shaking my head. “And then there was the house itself. A magic Briar Coven house, existing outside the coven’s lands? Just conveniently appearing wherever you went? Somehow, it never occurred to me.” I sucked in a breath as another realization struck me. “BriarCoven.BrambleCabin.”

Jen snorted, nudging my side. “Really, Devlin, all the clues were there. All that was missing was a giant neon sign flashingFated Mate Inside!”

I cupped her face, my thumb tracing the curve of her smile. “And then there was you,” I murmured, my voice dipping into something deeper, something raw. “From the moment I readyour story, I fell in love with Mina’s character. She was exactly the kind of woman I wanted to find in real life. And, as Fate would have it, the real-life Mina just happened to stumble into my life.”

“I stumbled into the bathroom you were jerking off in,” Jen corrected flatly.

I shrugged. “You can’t blame a guy for pleasuring himself to the fantasy of his ideal woman.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she deadpanned.

Her breath hitched as I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. “I couldn’t help but fall in love with you, Jen. It’s obvious now, but I spent the entire time kidding myself—telling myself I was only trying to help you with your book. That every scene we reenacted was just part of the deal, not an excuse to spend more time with you. And when you insisted on holding up your end of the bargain, making me talk to those other women, it was you I was thinking of the entire time. Oh, and I nearly killed an orc for making you cry. That should’ve been a pretty big clue too.”

Jen’s lips parted in surprise before she let out a huff of laughter. “Yeah, challenging an orc—a creature infamous for their ability to pop heads off like bottle caps—because they made a girl you were getting fuzzy feelings for cry? Definitely a sign that your emotions were alittlemore serious than you thought.”

“Yup. Might have been a tad overprotective. And then there was our date,” I added.

Jen groaned. “I still can’t believe you picked a limp spaghetti dick over fingers.”

I smirked, trailing my fingertips in slow circles over her knee. “Do I need to remind you of the benefits of having fully functional fingers, my little witch?”

Her breath stuttered, her eyes darkening with something I felt coil in my own gut.

“When you wanted me to feed from you,mate—” Gods, I loved the way “mate” sounded, saying it out loud. “—you made me the happiest demon alive.” Jen’s cheeks flushed, but she held my gaze. “And when you told me you were a virgin, it felt like that first Samhain all over again. You know I wanted to save myself for you too, right?”

I traced my fingers up her thigh, savoring the way she trembled beneath my touch. “I wanted our first time to be with each other. And while I had to feed to survive, you’re the only woman I’ve ever truly wanted. Not because I had to. But because Iwanted to. Last night felt like the first time for me too.”

Jen let out a soft moan, only to release a frustrated huff when I pulled my fingers away, amusement curling my lips.

“And then there was the mating bite,” I added, watching her reaction.

Jen blinked. “Mating bite?” she echoed. “Witches don’t give mating bites...”

I tilted my head, smirking. “But incubus demons do. When you bit me”—I shivered at the memory—“it was all I could do not to sink my teeth into your flesh and claim you in that moment.”

To my surprise, Jen giggled, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. “I was just trying to keep my mouth busy so I wouldn’t blurt out that I was in love with you.”

I let out a deep, rumbling laugh. “And instead, you justmagically claimed me.”

Her giggles were infectious, and soon, we were both laughing. I pulled her closer, savoring the warmth of her against me, enjoying each ripple of joy radiating from her.

As our laughter faded, Jen exhaled, her fingers trailing lightly over my chest. “There were so many signs, Devlin,” she whispered.

“So many,” I agreed.

I slid from the couch, kneeling before her, my hands resting gently on her knees. The wind stirred around us, causing the flames in the fire pit to dance higher, casting a dappled light over her face. My voice dropped to something rich, something smoldering. “Now,” I murmured, my lips brushing against the soft skin of her thigh as I leaned in, “I believe I owe my little witch a mating bite.”

Chapter 25. Jen

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