Page 21 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
“Oh, no, now you’ve done it,” Apollo says in a grave tone.
“Done what?” I shriek, holding my improvised weapon high.
A chorus of grunts comes from the walls, as if the creatures are bleeding through from every angle. A puffball flies at me from the ceiling, and I whip my bag around, smacking it down to the floor. It too explodes into a cloud of dust, and the grunts get louder. Angrier.
“You should probably stop killing them,” he warns.
“They should probably stop attacking me!” I scream.
He comes to my side and grabs the trash bag. I’m reluctant to release my only weapon, but the calm, amused look in his eyes convinces me I’m safe enough to let it go, so I do. He tosses the bag toward the corner where I spotted the first one.
The top opens when it hits and a plume of white shoots into the air. Little balls of fuzz descend on the bag and tear into it with those ravenously sharp teeth. I grab Apollo’s arm and am not ashamed to say I hide behind him a little. Wow, he’s warm, and muscly. My fingers drum along his bicep, detecting the subtle shift in the texture of his skin over the glowing tattoo. It’s smoother, like crystal, but still soft and pliable like skin.
When the monsters finish their…meal, nothing is left. Not the bag, not the curtains, and not a speck of dust. The creatures are bigger now, five of them, and they bounce through the room, their bodies absorbing the dust everywhere they touch down.
I hide behind Apollo a little more.
“There’s no reason to be afraid,” he says with a soft chuckle.
“I killed two of them,” I whisper. “And I saw what they did to those curtains.”
“They don’t like meat,” he says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and tucking me against his side.
Being sheltered under his arm sends a wave of relaxation through me. I’m simultaneously alarmed and annoyed at that revelation. He shouldn’t feel safe. I’ve only just met him. Also, I don’tneeda magical incubus man with ripped biceps and washboard abs to make me feel safe. I can obviously take care of myself. I did kill two dust bunnies, after all.
“Just because they won’t eat me doesn’t mean they won’t kill me,” I say, watching their every move.
The bunnies hop along, absorbing their fallen comrades and searching for scraps of dust. When the air is clear and the flooris clean, they retreat just as quickly as they came, disappearing into the walls.
Well, that was the weirdest fucking thing that’s ever happened to me.
No, getting jump-scared by an incubus who demands my pleasure to join our souls still takes the cake.
“What was that, and don’t say dust bunnies again. I want to knowwhatthey are,” I say, stepping out from under Apollo’s arm.
“This place is magical and so it attracts magical beings. They’re dust bunnies. They eat dust.”
I purse my lips. “How do we make them leave?”
He shrugs. “When there’s nothing left to eat, they’ll move on.”
“So, get this place cleaned up is what you’re telling me?”
“Or you could let them clean for you.”
My eyes narrow on him. “That wasn’tyourmagic, was it?”
“You always think I’m trying to trick you,” he says with a mischievous smile.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I say, tapping my foot.
“No, they’re not my magic. I’m very nearly incorporeal as it is. I couldn’t spend the energy on manifesting something as complex as a dust bunny.”
The sun peeks through the slats in the plywood window covering and lights up the red carpet.
“Why don’t we break for breakfast? Do you eat food?” I ask.
“I can, but it doesn’t sustain me like it does you.”
