Page 7 of Snowed In with an Incubus

At least his eyes had stopped hurting. It was a relief, letting the fire out finally. It tinged the world in pink and orange,but it wasn’t oppressive like he remembered it being in the rare times when he had let his eyes go fiery. This time it wassurprisingly nice, bathing Jaz in soft light as she gaped at him.

Before he could start apologizing, her lips stretched into a wide grin.

“You’re an incubus!”

He blinked at her, lost for words. Every time he showed his incubus features, they were met with a forced smile at best andopen disgust at worst. Even his dad told him to shove his horns back in his head when they started manifesting around puberty.

Jaz laughed. “Why didn’t you say anything? Give me that cardigan back, you don’t even need it.”

She reached like she was going to physically pull it off his arms. Then she paused, a wary look passing over her face. “Wait.Do you need it? You look—”

“I’m fine,” he said, rushed. “I just need a distraction. I’m worried about my dog.”

She looked down at his noodle mug, still half full. Her mouth opened, and he could see the question forming: You said you were hungry?

“So your Christmas sucked, huh?” he asked loudly. “Join the club.”

“You didn’t get to see your family, either?”

“No, I did.” He forced a wry smile as she laughed. “My mom’s in Texas. I got back yesterday. It wasn’t actually that bad.We just … do better in short stints. Really, really short stints. Last year, I showed up on Christmas Eve and left thirty-six hours later. Best Christmas we ever—”

He cut off as a wave of pain coursed through him. Jaz said something, but he couldn’t hear it. He breathed in hard throughhis nose: antiseptic, noodles, carpet cleaner. Jaz’s anger had calmed, the spice soothing into a sharp tang. Something elsewas rising underneath it: concern, acidic and stifling. It made his nose wrinkle. The desire was still there, but it was somuffled he could barely smell it anymore.

“So, what do you do?” he asked once he could sit up again. “Did do, I guess.”

She stared at him. Her hand was out, hovering over his knee like she was about to shake him.

“You’re not doing a great job at distracting me,” he told her. “I have phone games if you’re not up for it.”

“I’m up for it,” she said after a moment. She settled back into her pile of jackets, watching him warily. “I’m office jobsall the way down since college. Permanent personality hire. What about you?”

“Dropped out of community college,” he replied, digging his nails into his jeans as he forced his wings to stay inside ofhim. “My cousin, Reg—he got me my first apprenticeship. Now I’m here.”

“Girlfriend?”

He shook his head. “I’m an emotional wall.”

“I’m an emotional wildfire!” She held up a hand.

He looked at it, considering. Then he unlocked his hand from around his knee and gave her a light high five.

Pain cascaded up his arm, bolting through his chest and into his stomach. He curled over, a groan leaking from between hisclenched teeth. He’d remembered to take his potion every week since he was fourteen—why did this have to happen tonight? He could’ve at least suffered through this alone. Hunkered down and waited until morning. Jaz being here made things somuch worse. Like dangling a steak in front of a starving tiger. He wished he was alone. He wished she was close. He wished—

The acrid stink of concern got even closer. He flinched, looking up.

Jaz stared down at him, green eyes bright with worry. “You’re hungry. Right? And not for noodles.”

She took the mug out of his shaking hand and placed it on the carpet.

He swallowed hard. “So?”

She raised her eyebrows. Her hand came back up, sliding onto his knee.

He swayed forward. Then, just as fast, he lurched back. “You don’t have to do this. I can—we can just sleep. Wait it out untilTammy opens up tomorrow morning.”

“Or,” she added suggestively. She squeezed his knee. She was smiling now, a little nervous. The smell of excitement creptup behind the concern, crisp and refreshing, like sparkling water.

He didn’t move.