Page 126 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
“Are you okay?” She gazed up with a small frown.
“I’m fine.” Nex tore his eyes away from Lucian’s face. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I want to say once again that no one is forcing you.” Kat squeezed his hand. “I don’t want you to go if you’re going to be miserable and uncomfortable.”
“I’ll be fine.” He kissed her forehead. “Stop worrying.”
They walked outside, not bothering with jackets in the spring sunshine. While Nex never had a preference for seasons on Earth as a demon, he now preferred spring over winter. Spring meant Katherine’s legs were bare under her dresses, and sometimes she wore shorts and a tank top, showing off her skin.
Yes, spring was his favorite so far.
They strolled down the street, fingers laced together and Kat resting her head on his arm.
“Are you ready to fly for the first time?” Kat giggled. She found the fact he was going to be on a plane later that day incredibly amusing, considering he was accustomed to flying, just not inside anything.
Nex rolled his eyes. “I don’t know that ready is the right word as much asresigned.”
“You’re the one who bought the tickets.”
He did buy the tickets. With money from his job. Hishumanjob.
After he settled into being human, he hated not being able to buy anything he wanted, not being able to buy Katherine things like he could before. As much as he loathed the idea, he knew he had to get used to it. The last thing he expected was for Allen to set him up as a sous-chef in a restaurant Allen’s friend owned. He didn’t hate it as much as he was afraid he would. Katherine suggested he think about going to culinary school since cooking seemed to be the human thing he enjoyed most.
Nex was undecided, still learning human ways, and worried he’d grow bored after what he was used to. The only thing he knew for certain he’d never get bored of was the woman beside him.
“I don’t understand why, if the flight is at six, we have to be there two hours prior.” Nex gave Kat a side-glance. “Seems like an awful lot of unnecessary human interaction.”
“It’s the way airports work.” Kat shrugged. “Nobody likes going to the airport. They do because it gets them to fun places faster. Places like Las Vegas.” A huge smile spread over her face, and she held his hand tighter.
The smile was worth going on a stupid human plane.
“I suppose you have it all planned out for when we arrive,” Nex said.
Kat nodded. “We’re going to order in. The hotel we’re staying at has a buffet in the casino you can order food from.”
“Order in?” Nex’s brows knit together. “I thought you had so many different shows and places you wanted to see, restaurants you wanted to eat at.”
“We’ll be able to see the lights from our window.”
Nex paused and spun her into him. “Are you doing this because you know I’m on edge being around all these humans? Because I’ll be fine. I’m taking you foryou. I survived hell for over two hundred years. I can survive an evening of crowds.”
“And I am going with the man I love, and I don’t want him to be uncomfortable.” Kat draped her arms over his shoulders. “Besides, the room you booked has a hot tub. No matter what we do while we’re there, I’m ending every single day in that hot tub, and we’ll be getting there late anyway, so,” a touch of pink reached her cheeks, “we might as well relax inside. Alone.”
“Now you’ve caught my attention.” A smile pulled on the corner of his mouth. “Fine, but tomorrow we work through that ridiculously long list you have.”
“Deal.” Kat pressed a quick kiss to his lips, turned, and tried to walk ahead, but there was a tug on her hand that told her Nex wasn’t moving. She glanced back and gave him an encouraging smile. “It’s okay. You can leave at any point. Or, you don’t have to come in.”
Nex swallowed as he stared at the church. “I’m coming.”
Crossing onto ground he’d never been able to set foot on felt strange. He tentatively stepped forward, where time and time again he’d been blocked from entering. For a moment, he was paranoid he’d hit that same invisible wall, but his foot landed on the ground. Onto the church’s official property. No barrier.
Kat waited until he edged across the boundary. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and smiled up at him. “I’m right here.”
Instead of walking up to the church, they wandered around to the cemetery. It was the first time Nex was able to go with her, and her parents’ wedding anniversary was during the time they’d be in Vegas.
They paused in front of the tombstone, and Kat crouched, placing the flowers on the ground. When she stood, Nex wrapped his arms around her from behind. He’d never had to do anything like this, so he was uncertain how to behave. Silence and holding her was the best option he could think of.
Kat placed a kiss on her fingertips, then pressed her fingertips to the epitaph. “Happy anniversary,” she murmured, running her fingers along the edge. She turned in Nex’s arms to return the hug.
