Page 51 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
“You’re most certainly a natural witch, connected to the elements,” Apollo says. “You’re pooling the atmosphere in the room, condensing it at the tip of your finger, and then battering it against the target.”
I turn to him with a grin that hurts my cheeks. “This is so fucking cool.”
“You’re so fucking cool,” he says, with an equally bright smile.
We laugh until my stomach hurts.
“A little help?”Charlie peeps.
I bring him inside and wash him off in the sink. It reminds me that I still need to brush away my Dorito breath, and have a shower, and get some coffee.
And order some water-testing kits.
And organize the new office.
And draft up designs for the sitting room.
And look for furniture.
And get groceries.
And find a laundromat.
And register a new business name.
And get the website started.
And plan dinner for tonight.
And—
Apollo wraps his arms around me from behind. “Take a deep breath.”
I turn off the faucet and set Charlie on the counter, then close my eyes and breathe in through my nose. I hold it at the top and let it out slowly.
“Slower. Your heart is like a hummingbird’s wings,” he says, placing his hand against my chest.
I take another breath, and another, until my pulse slows back to somewhere near resting.
“There you are,” he murmurs, and I melt into his chest. “What’s troubling you?”
“Just so much to do, I got overwhelmed for a second,” I say with a final long sigh.
“One thing at a time. Start with a list.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I know.”
Teeth.
Shower.
Laundromat.
Coffee.
Groceries.
The rest I can organize later.
