Page 82 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
I leave the car, necklace clutched in my hand. The magic hums, tingling my fingers, and I hope that’s a good sign. If I understood the charging incantation I got off ViewTube correctly, the crystal should be full to the brim with my own magic. “SwiftyWitchy” could be absolutely full of shit, but I’ll have to subscribe to her channel if this works.
I unlock the door to the apartment and my breath catches when I see him asleep on the couch, a book open on his chest. One arm is propped behind his head, bicep bulging. He’s shirtless, of course, and his tattoos glimmer brightly. He’s so beautiful it makes my heart ache to think of losing him one day.
I shake my head, closing the door and locking it behind me.
He rouses, a sleepy smile on his face. “Welcome home, lovely.” But then his smile falls, and he jerks upright, fully alert. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing iswrong,” I say, clutching the necklace in my closed fist.
“But you’re nervous.” He crosses the room to me, hands coming to my arms. “Do you want to tell me?”
I nod, holding my hand out in front of me. He looks down at the necklace in my hand.
“I don’t know if it’ll work, but Charlie and I made this for you, so you can leave.”
His finger drags along the purple crystal pulsing with my heartbeat. He taps the glass bottle containing spring water, then the other with a bit of rock, all bound by copper wire to the leather cord. Finally, he reaches the lock of my hair. He caresses the curly black strands with a smile.
“You want me to leave?” he asks, looking up at me.
“I want to take you to sushi. It’s no good when you bring it home,” I say by way of excuse.
He lowers his head and I realize he wants me to put it on him. I make the cord as long as it’ll go and fit it over his horns. I pull up his hair and tighten the cord so the crystal sits over his heart. It’s thrumming faster than before, and brilliantly bright. Electricity zings up my arms as I smooth the bit of my hair across his pec.
Apollo closes his eyes and inhales deeply through his nose. “I can feel your magic.”
“I think I can feel it too,” I say, breathless as my body is gently shocked again and again from the contact with him.
His eyes are a vibrant teal when he opens them, sparkling with mischief. “It’s going to work.”
“How do you know?” I ask, apprehension tightening my gut.
“I’m encased in a bubble of your magic. Such a clever witch,” he murmurs, rubbing his thumb across my cheek as he grabs the back of my neck.
My breath hitches as I look up at him. Adoration pours off him in waves and rocks me to the core. I feel myself leaning forward into his air, until our lips are just inches apart. The crystal is flashing a rapid beat on his chest, matching the pace of my pulse.
He leans in and turns my chin, planting his lips on my cheek. My heart does a backflip, simultaneously soaring and aching. His lips linger at the corner of mine when his lasting kiss ends. I turn my chin and his talons drag along my jaw. Goosebumps skitter across my neck as our mouths hover just an inch apart. I’m breathing him in with heavy pants that don’t abate my racing pulse.
Tight need coils in my gut and I curl my fingers into his chest, willing him to cross the distance and break my rule.
Please, please. Just love me.
But he can’t love me.
The sharp truth slices through my haze and I lean back, sliding my hands away from him.
His molten eyes soften, looking mournful. “Thank you for this gift of freedom.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, trying to come back to myself from whatever fantasyland I’d gone to.
He transforms himself with a flourish of his water magic, donning the appearance of “Paul.” The necklace remains the same, the soft glow of the crystal brilliant against his dark shirt.
“What’s sushi?” he asks.
I grin. “It’s raw fish and rice. It’s really good.”
“Raw fish…”
“And then cucumber and avocado. You dip it in this salty liquid called soy sauce, and you can put spicy paste on top called wasabi. I love to add extra wasabi and burn my nostrils,” I say, heading toward my bedroom. I’m not sure if this is a nice place, but I’d like to look nice for him, and my errands outfit is pretty low-key lazy.
