Page 48 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
“This.” He gestured to the path in front of them. “It’s fucking slow.”
“No one’s stopping you from going ahead. Can’t you teleport?”
“Not over any distance.” He slid his hands into his jean pockets. “We’d have to teleport more than once, and I can’t risk appearing in front of someone. I’d need to know our location was empty ahead of time.”
When he transported somewhere, he couldn’t help the gust that came with it, and after tearing apart Jason’s house, he was trying to keep a low profile so no one would come looking for him.
“Wait.” Kat stopped, a beaming smile on her face. “Can we fly?”
Nex shook his head and walked away. “No.”
“Aw, come on.” Kat followed, grabbing his hand. “Please? I want to know what it’s like. God, it must be so cool.”
“Not happening, kitten.” Nex tore his hand from hers, picking up his pace. “And for fuck’s sake, stop saying that name.”
“I’ll stop saying it around you if you fly with me.” Kat ran to keep up with his longer legs but got in front of him and set her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Nex?”
He stared at her, intending to refuse. Except her bright green eyes held so much excitement and hope, a spark that had been missing for two weeks. A spark that made those eyes easier to get lost in. The effect she had on him made his fists clench at his sides. Something he never thought would happen was happening, whether he liked it or not.
He was weak for her.
He was weak for her, and then she did the worst thing she could possibly do and stuck out her lip in a pout. He muttered a curse and grabbed her hand, taking her down an empty alley. “Fuck,” he spat. “Fine. For fuck’s sake, stop fucking looking at me like that.”
“Yay! Thank you, Nex.”
“Whatever.” He scanned the alley, though there was nobody nearby. It’d be safe to change to his demon form, but he hesitated. He’d changed in front of her once but doing it again made him tense. Reminding her what he was when he’d grown more attached wasn’t something he wanted to do.
Kat tugged on his sleeve. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I don’t know why you need to fly. You’re going to freeze.”
At that, Kat reached into her messenger bag, pulled out a red scarf, and circled it around her neck. “Ready.”
Nex fidgeted and said nothing. Kat watched, surprised at how nervous he was, like the night he first showed her his demon side.
She took his hand, making him look at her. “I like your demon form. I like the real you. You don’t scare me.”
“No one likes my demon form, kitten.” Ignoring the softness of her hands against his was a feat he wasn’t prepared for. “It scares everyone.”
“I’m not scared.”
He allowed himself a single moment to stare. Staring would lead to him doing something else to her, and he wouldn’t while she healed from Jason. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back, away from her touch, and more into the shadows, where he changed forms. Bones cracked, skin stretched and split, and wings broke through the back of his shirt. He caught a glimpse of Kat, and she smiled.
She moved closer and traced her hand along the edge of one wing. “You look awesome.”
Having her so close wasn’t helping his decision to maintain distance. The tenderness overwhelmed him. He grabbed her wrists, placed them behind his head, and wrapped his arms around her waist. The action reminded Kat of their first kiss, and her heart stopped as she looked up into his red eyes, their lips inches apart.
“Hold on tight, kitten.” He slid his hands to the backs of her thighs and lifted her, securing her legs around him. “Because I don’t do slow.” He moved one hand to her back, holding her snug as he took to the air.
Chapter 20
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FourweekspassedsinceNex scared those two humans shitless. He thought he was in the clear. Katherine had a real audition with a director, who hadn’t slept with any students, and heard back that she got the part after singing one of the songs in the play. The bigger role meant she was at rehearsal longer, and she convinced Nex she’d be okay. He didn’t have to sit in every rehearsal.
She didn’t understand that part of the reason he followed her around was because he was afraid leaving that much destruction at Jason’s meant someone would confront him. However, a month of quiet allowed Nex to relax. That was why he honored her wishes and stopped following her, but then he had nothing to do. To be safe, he stayed away from all demons, and that limited his options to fill time.
With nothing better to do, he decided to make a dinner from one of the cooking shows he watched more than he cared to admit. He went to the store to buy ingredients and got Kat’s wine as well. Another alarm clock was on the list since he broke two more, not including the first one he smashed. He couldn’t help smashing the alarm clock—an automatic response when it woke him.
