Page 19 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
The attachment is, of course, a picture of his hard cock, as if I ever wanted to see it again after watching it plunge into Alexis.
“How do you do that?” Apollo asks over my shoulder and I jump.
“Damn it, what did I say?” I demand, swiping away the message.
“No speaking if I’m not in your line of sight,” he says, putting his hand on my thigh near my phone. “What is that?”
“It’s a cellphone, like a pocket-sized computer. I can get messages and calls on it, and there are apps for all kinds of things,” I say.
“Apps…” he murmurs.
I open the text from my mom.
Mom:Are you there yet? It’s late.
Sweetheart, I really want to go to bed. Did you fall asleep and forget?
Are you okay???
I’m going to call the police if you don’t answer me in 20 minutes.
The police said there were no accidents in the area, so obviously you’re ignoring me.
Fine. I’m going to sleep.
Call me when you get these.
I’ll keep my phone on.
I hope it’s wonderful.
Why did you have to do this? I don’t understand you sometimes. I wish you would—
I groan and stop reading the last tirade, tapping out a quick response instead:I made it. Everything’s fine. Sorry I didn’t text sooner.
I close the messages and sigh. It’s four in the morning and there’s absolutely no way I’m going back to sleep, especially with how much I need to clean and prep before the moving truck arrives tomorrow.
The fireplace illuminates the dust-coated floors and grimy, spray-painted walls. One of the windows is boarded up with fresh plywood, applied just before my purchase, I’m sure. The sink, toilet, and shower standing in the corner near the kitchenette loom, and their shadows on the walls cast doubt on my ability.
I’ve bitten off more than I can swallow, and I’m going to choke.
“Slyvia, this is not insurmountable, even more so with magic on your side,” Apollo says, his hand still resting on my thigh.
Charlie sits on the counter next to the half-consumed bottle of wine. “What do you think, bud?”
Better change into your hobo clothes and tie up your hair. It’s time to get to work.
“You’re right.” I nod. “I’m not going to let a rough start throw this whole thing in the dumps. I’m not going to give up before I’ve even tried. And I’m most definitely not going to be using magic to do this. This ismyproject. My baby to foster and grow. I won’t cheat.”
“Magic isn’t cheating,” Apollo says.
“No one else has magic, so if I use it, that’s cheating,” I retort, dusting off my pants as I gain my feet.
He stands, crossing his arms. “How do you know that no one else has magic?”
I blink. “I…don’t. I’m just assuming that the vast majority of people don’t have an incubus trapped in their business so willing to lend a hand for their freedom.”
He smiles. “You’re very uninformed about this world.”
