Page 109 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
“That’s right, just keep running!” Jason taunts at my back, and I know I should keep going. I know I shouldn’t try to face him down when I’m tipsy and angry. “You'll never escape that you're an empty bitch, and you'll never love anyone as much as you love your precious work.”
Apollo moves too fast, turning away from me. I whip around and he’s already across the bar, open hand raised, claws extended. He’s going to kill him…
“No!” I scream, throwing my arms out and begging him to come back to me. The air condenses in the room and punches Apollo backward. His hit barely misses Jason’s chest, but my gust of wind pushes everyone to their seats. Apollo falls at my feet with anoofand the room erupts in screams. His human guise has failed.
“Holy shit,” Leonard says, staring down at Apollo.
Jason’s wailing, cradling his unmarred face and chest. “He fucking tried to kill me!”
Crazy-girl dips and I’m left to figure out what to do. Adrenaline blasts through my brain and all I can think of is to get out. Jason’s not hurt, but Apollo is exposed.
I grab under his arms and tug. “Let’s go. Now.”
Irene grabs a side and helps me pull him up. I scoop up my bag and we run out into the cold, autumn night.
“What the fuck, you guys?” Leonard yells as he follows us to the parking garage. “When were you gonna tell me that Paul was a literal demon!”
“I’m sorry,” Apollo says, his face pinched in fear and agony. “I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t—I couldn’t let him talk like that. I couldn’t let him hurt you.”
I squeeze his side. “It’s okay. Nothing happened to him. He’s just scared and so is everyone else and we’ll just say it was makeup,” I ramble. “Yeah, makeup and an act. It’s to get attention for our springs, that’s all.”
“Just a big publicity stunt,” Irene says, nodding along.
“Hello! Is anyone gonna answer me?” Leonard yells.
I stop at my RAV and turn to face him. “I’m sorry, Leonard, but we weren’t going to tell you. Irene knew, and that was all. No one else was ever supposed to find out.”
Leonard’s jaw hangs open as he looks at Apollo again. “What the fuck.”
“What do you think would happen if everyone found out he’s not human?” I ask. “At best, he’d become some kind of attraction. At worst, the government would come knocking in the night and take him.”
Leonard’s mouth snaps shut, and he looks at me, wide-eyed. “I wouldn’t have told anyone.”
“You’re still not going to tell anyone,” Irene says, pointing a severe finger at him.
Apollo sighs. “It’s too late. Everyone saw.”
“No, we can fix this,” I say, the gears in my mind spitting fire as they crank.
Leonard scoffs. “No one’s going to believe makeup. Trust me, I saw him too.”
“Holograms are a thing,” I say. “Maybe we can get the DJ to corroborate a story with us about something like that.”
“Holograms?” Irene says with a wince. “No, girl, you made the fuckin’ wind blast his ass backwards. That’s not a hologram.”
Oh, fuck. I forgot I’d used my magic.
I pinch my eyes shut and rub my forehead. “Just let me think.”
Red and blue flashes behind my eyelids and I curse.
“There they are,” Jason says.
Car doors open and close in quick succession.
I open my eyes and glare daggers at the bastard. He’s got a cut on his face, shallow and superficial. But I swore Apollo didn’t hit him. His shirt is ripped, too, and right behind him stands the one person I’d rather not ever see, especially right at this moment.
Fucking. Mark.
