Page 26 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
Where the fuck am I?
“You were crying,” says a voice that sounds familiar.
I rub my eyes and look at the blow-up mattress. An icy gaze meets me on the other side.
Apollo. The hot spring. Right…
“Who is Jason?” he asks.
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “He’s no one.”
Apollo’s eyes glow brighter. “He’ll never be allowed here.”
“Why’s that?” I scoff, fully agreeing with him as I pull myself up.
“Because he makes you feel like less than you are.”
Apollo grabs me and tucks me against his chest. It’s dark and late, or early, so I let him. I’m tired and I just want to sleep.
“He’ll never come here,” I say, nestling my face into the space between my arm and the pillow.
It’s quiet, except for the flapping of the cling film, and I wonder if Apollo has fallen back asleep. Does he sleep? A question for another time. My eyes drift shut and I breathe deeply.
Lips murmur against my hair. “You deserve so much better.”
My alarm screams from somewhere nearby and I push myself up. Brilliant, golden light illuminates the room from the plastic-covered window. Apollo ison my bed.
“Hey, get up!” I demand, and his eyes open immediately, locking on me. “Who said you’re allowed on the bed?” I ask, feeling more like a woman scolding a pet than a demon.
“You were crying,” he says.
I stiffen, remembering the interlude in the middle of the night. How could I have let him get so close to me so fast?
“I’m not going to waste good energy,” he says, rolling out of the bed on the other side.
Right. My tears feed him, too. It’s not about my comfort to him. It’s about his survival, and that’s fair. It’s how I feel, too.
I consider the bread on the counter, the crunchy peanut butter, and the strawberry jam in the cabinets. But I’ve already had two PB&Js.
I want pancakes.
“I’m going into town,” I say, getting off the mattress and deflating it. “Is there anything you need?”
“I only need you,” he says, and my skins heats.
Don’t be stupid. What did you just tell yourself?
I grab a change of clothes and banish Apollo to the hallways. I have no idea if he actually goes. He could just be incorporeal, watching me. So what if he is? He’s not touching me, not hurting me. For fuck’s sake, he’s been more gentlemanly about my boundaries than any other guy I’ve gotten sexual with.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” I say, slinging my laptop bag over my shoulder. I tuck the powerbank sack under my other arm. I’ll need to charge it up at the diner.
“I’ll count the seconds,” Apollo says, and a little knot of guilt settles in my stomach. He’s been alone for so long…
I turn to him. “Can you use your magic to look different? Like a human?”
“I can.”
“Why don’t you just come with me?”
