Page 29 of Summoning Mr. Wrong
“Deus?” I whispered, not sure if he was still awake.
“Hmm?” His voice was drowsy, which was unusual for him.
“What you said to my mother, about me being special to you… was that just part of the act?”
He was quiet for so long I thought he might not answer. Finally, he shifted, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me.
“What do you think?” he asked, his expression unreadable in the darkness.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “That’s why I’m asking.”
He sighed, a surprisingly human sound. “Julian, I’ve existed for millennia. I’ve observed countless humans, interacted with thousands. None of them…” He paused, seeming to search for words. “None of them made me feel the way you do.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. “And how’s that?”
“Like I want to stay,” he said simply. “Like I’m not just passing through.”
The admission hung between us, heavy with implications neither of us seemed ready to address fully.
“But you can’t stay,” I said softly. “Eventually, you’ll complete your favor and go back to… wherever.”
“The Between,” he supplied. “And yes, eventually the contract will be fulfilled.”
“So where does that leave us?”
He was quiet again, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my chest. “I don’t know,” he admitted finally. “This isn’t in any contract I’ve ever encountered.”
We lay in silence after that, both lost in our own thoughts. Eventually, Deus pulled me closer, his supernatural warmth enveloping me like a cocoon.
“Let’s just enjoy the time we have,” he suggested, his voice low in the darkness. “However long that may be.”
It wasn’t a solution, but it was all we had. I nodded against his chest, trying to ignore the ache that had settled somewhere beneath my ribs.
Chapter 18
Brunch the next day was at a café near my parents’ hotel. Deus once again played his role perfectly, charming the waitress, making my mother laugh, and engaging my father in discussions of ancient burial practices that were probably more accurate than any academic paper ever written.
When it was time for my parents to leave, my mother hugged me tightly, then surprised Deus by hugging him as well.
“Take care of each other,” she said, giving me a meaningful look that I studiously ignored.
My father shook Deus’s hand with considerably more warmth than he had initially. “Good to meet you, Deus. Perhaps you could send me some of your research on Mesopotamian religious practices? I’m always looking for fresh perspectives for my classes.”
Deus promised to email him some materials, a commitment that would require some creative forgery given that he didn’t actually have any academic papers to share.
As we watched my parents’ car pull away, Deus’s hand found mine, fingers intertwining casually.
“That went well,” he observed. “Your parents are good people.”
“They liked you,” I said, still somewhat amazed by how smoothly everything had gone. “My dad doesn’t warm up to people easily, but he practically invited you to guest lecture.”
Deus grinned. “I could teach his entire curriculum from firsthand experience. Might raise some eyebrows though.”
We walked back to the apartment hand in hand, enjoying the spring sunshine and the simple pleasure of being together without pretense. For a brief, wonderful moment, it felt like we were just a normal couple enjoying a Sunday afternoon.
Reality reasserted itself when we reached the apartment and Deus immediately kicked off his shoes, his horns emerging as he released the glamour he’d maintained all weekend.
“Thank every realm that’s over,” he groaned, rolling his shoulders like he was working out kinks. “Being human is exhausting.”
