Page 122 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
I bounce on my toes beside him and open my mouth, making silly noises until he’s grinning foolishly. He dips the spoon into the broth again, cools it, and then brings it to my lips. I’m salivating already at the scent of beef, onions, garlic, and rosemary. He tilts the spoon and the contents drip into my mouth.
Hot, rich, salty, tangy, beefy, decadent yum!
I close my eyes and groan as I savor the taste.
“I love that I can make you make that noise without even touching you,” he says, thumbing across my bottom lip before kissing me.
Suddenly, he pulls back and puts himself between me and the door. “Someone’s here.”
“In this weather? Sheesh.” I pull the blanket around me tighter and move toward the couch to grab my clothes.
Apollo scowls. “It’s Mark.”
“What?” I pull on my yoga pants and sweatshirt in a rush.
There’s a loudthumpbeside the door and I watch his outline through the frosted window as he trudges through knee-high snow back to his SUV. He grabs something from the back and comes toward the house again.
I open the door, using my magic to keep the cold air and snow from getting inside. Mark looks up at me with shock, though all I can see is his eyes through his full-face mask.
“I was just dropping some stuff off,” he says, pointing to a case of water and a bag of what looks like groceries. “Your road won’t be plowed, and the pipes might freeze.”
“Why do you care?” I ask with way more snark than necessary.
“Fuck if I know.” He shakes his head in frustration and grabs the bag of groceries. “Never mind.”
“Wait,” I call, gritting my teeth at myself for what I’m about to do. “Please, come in.”
I step aside and Apollo reaches out to take the bag from Mark. He hands it over and grabs the case of water, then stomps his feet before coming in. I close the door behind him and take the water.
“Thank you. It’s really thoughtful,” I say. “We’re good, fortunately, but it never hurts to have more just in case.”
Mark nods. “Yeah, it smells like you’re doing good.”
I set the water down on the table and Mark stands awkwardly at the door. This is genetically Apollo’s great-grandson, which is easy to see now that I know what I’m looking for. A similar jaw, sharper teeth, tall, unusually attractive, and icy blue eyes.
I cross my arms. “Why are you really here?”
His brow furrows under the face mask. He looks down at his boots for a minute, and then takes off the mask. He runs a hand through his hair to smooth it out and then takes a big, deep breath.
“I revisited our family records and some of the information seems to corroborate Apollo’s story about my great-grandmother.” He shifts from foot to foot. “She thought she’d killed you. She was heartbroken, but kept going strong for my grandmother. And it was my grandmother who came back here after the rumors of a spirit when her mother passed on. She thought maybe her mother’s spirit came to live where her heart stopped loving. But she feltyouhere,” he says, looking at Apollo.
“She thought you were hiding from her, and her heart was already bitter from a life of thinking she was abandoned. So that’s what my mother was told, and our family made it ourmission to make sure that you could never be free of this place,” he finishes, and his eyes return to his snow boots.
“How did you learn this?” Apollo asks.
Mark pulls a weathered, leatherbound journal from his coat pocket. “Elizabeth kept a diary. So did my grandma Mary.”
“Mary,” Apollo whispers. “Is she still alive?”
Mark shakes his head. “She passed six years ago.”
Apollo frowns, dropping his head. “So, my offspring don’t inherit my longevity.”
“I think…” Mark trails off and I urge him on with a nod. “In Mary’s when she went to the springs, she soaked in the waters, just once. The pictures of her taken after that day show her looking twenty years younger.”
I know there’s so much more they want to say to each other, but neither one is willing to keep the conversation going.
“Why don’t you take off your boots and join us for dinner?” I ask.
