Page 14 of Devour

Yeah, but I’m worried about you now. And a frown.

Sigh. Hard to be upset at genuine concern. Ember really was a good friend and her heart was in the right place. To her, I was being unnecessarily stubborn. Rhory was just another guy in her friend group who would be more than happy to help out if asked.

Maybe twenty minutes later, Rhory was beating down my door. And yeah, without a doubt it was him because he still was the only one determined to embarrass me every time he addressed me.

“Hubby, open up or I will start yelling,” he called, loud enough for probably the entire floor to hear.

I cracked open the door and Rhory smiled, lifting a plastic shopping bag. Okay, him going to the store might’ve been a nice thing to do, but the sentiment was short-lived. Rhory grinned at me as if someone had poisoned me and he held the antidote. Typical.

More than likely, he thought that the white lettering on his black tee proclaiming “Not today, Satan. Maybe tomorrow” was cheeky. And the shirt had been cropped because… of course, it had. The only time I saw Rhory in anything that went past the navel, it also happened to be sheer. The only thing that ever changed about Rhory was his hair. He switched his color to lavender since the last time I saw him, a few days ago. Ugh. Nothing worse than pastels. It suited him.

“Let me in,” Rhory said with a sing-song voice.

“What if I say no?” I muttered.

“I suppose I could leave it in the hall.” He shrugged.

“So, this is one of those ‘I have to invite you in’ situations, huh?”

Rhory cackled and pushed on my door, walking past me and dropping the bag onto the nightstand beside my bed. My dorm didn’t have much else. Even though I got a single this year, I had no other furniture except my desk.

“You’re funny, hubby. Sorry to disappoint. I’m just polite.”

Ugh. “Then, please, politely leave.”

“But I brought you soup. In a can. Hubby can has soup.” He gestured at the bag, appearing very proud of himself and his achievement.

“Why do you talk like a walking meme?”

“May come as a shock, but I have access to the same internet and social media as you.” And he smiled to himself, answering my next question before I even voiced it. “Oh, you meant why don’t I spout off reverse Latin or something? I could most definitely speak to you in Latin if you wanted, hubby. Never tried in reverse though and it’s been quite a many years since I last conversed, so I might need a minute.”

“Please, don’t take this personally, but I’ll probably never find your presence anything but unsettling, so… you can go. Thanks for the care package.”

A solid minute passed and… he hadn’t budged.

“Please, don’t tell me this is an ‘I accepted something from you and now owe a favor’ scenario,” I grumbled.

“Hubby, you’re obviously sick because you’re confusing your mythology.”

“For the last time, can you not call me that,” I snapped. I didn’t lose my patience often and never liked it when I did, but couldn’t tolerate much else from him thanks to the pounding sinus headache. Grinding my teeth certainly didn’t help.

Rhory smirked. Smirked. Ugh. “Until you produce something more palatable for me, I’ll live to piss you off and get by on banter. And I’ve lived a long time, hubby.”

I wrongly assumed caving once and giving Rhory his way would be enough. Nope. A year later, he still wanted what he always had. So, I supposed the only thing worse than being aware of the existence of a demon was having said demon fixate on you. Wonderful.

“Hey, not a stalker,” Rhory corrected. “Protecting my investment. And since my puny human friend is now riddled with disease, I’m here to make it better.”

Good to know how he regarded me. I sat down on my bed and sighed. “Why? Why not collect my soul and get it over with instead of tormenting me for another twelve years?”

“Uh… because that’s kind of the point. You have free will. You can’t blame your god for your problems. Don’t blame me, either.”

“But you—”

“But I,” he mocked with a hissy inflection. “Did nothing. You made a promise to me. You have literal years to fulfill said promise. And in exchange, I will be patiently waiting for you to make your decision.”

“Yeah, but you…” My argument lost steam, but not because what he said made sense. I was too sick and too tired for any of this, which was why I didn’t want him here.

“Aww, hubby.” Rhory’s expression softened and yet again, his keeping up with the conversation before I could even voice my thoughts annoyed the crap out of me. A wide grin spread across his face, and he took a seat beside me. “You don’t like feeling vulnerable. That’s so sweet.”

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