Saved By Your Hot Book Boyfriend

4. The Hot Guy Demands Payment

4

The Hot Guy Demands Payment

You

Panicked, you blurt, “Whatever you want! Just save me!”

“ Whatever I want , huh?” An evil grin lights Mysterious Book Guy’s face as he takes a step forward, then another, pushing you back against the alley wall as if he’s not concerned in the slightest about the giant pinchy monster steadily advancing behind him.

“Um,” you say, glancing over his shoulder as the beast nears. “What do you say we figure out the details later and you take care of the monster now?”

He laughs, leaning in with one hand braced on the alley wall beside your head.

“Why?” he asks beside your ear. “Are you… afraid ?”

“Yes!” You lean away, panic and irritation mixing. “How could I not be!?”

Although, maybe this will work out in your favor. Mr. Mysterious Hot Book Dude is standing right between you and the beast, like a human shield. Human—or something , anyway. You’re not sure all that glowy emerging-from-a-book stuff is something you should really apply the word ‘human’ to.

And he doesn’t seem worried at all.

Maybe devouring him will distract the monster long enough that you can run away. That’ll be something, anyway.

Not that you actually want to see anyone get eaten today.

Especially not such a hot someone.

“Behind you!” You warn, covering your head as the monster rears and lets out a bellowing snarl.

Then it lands back on all too-many of its pinchy legs, eyes flashing red as it prepares for the final charge.

“Fine,” Hot Guy says way too casually, an evil glint glowing in his eyes. “ Deal .”

You gulp.

Realization finally sets in: You just offered a perfect stranger whatever he wants. You cringe, already filled with regret, but it’s too late now.

He turns around, cracking his knuckles as he faces the beast.

“Alright, you damn skaddler. Come at me!”

Skaddler?

It does make a loud skitter-scattering noise as it runs, and somehow the name seems oddly fitting.

The beast snarls, rearing up again as it lunges for Mysterious Hot Book Guy with all its claws a-pinching.

You can’t look, certain you’re about to witness him get chopped to bits.

But red light flashes across the alleyway, and when you glance back, the monster is already gone. It’s as if it evaporated into thin air.

How could that be!?

“Piece o’ cake,” Hot Guy says with a smug grin, turning back to you. “Okay, human.” His palm smacks the brick wall beside your head as he leans in. “It’s time we talk payment .”

You swallow hard.

Crap.

Crap, crap, crap.

Now that the monster is gone, you’re starting to realize just what kind of trouble you’ve got yourself into.

You promised a complete stranger—one who seems to have magic powers— anything he wants.

“Okay,” you say, trying to keep your voice from shaking. “Tell me what you want.”

“Oh, nothing much.” His evil smirk glints as he leans in close to your ear and growls, “Just… your soul .”

“ My soul? ” You squeak, clasping your hands over your mouth. “But I think I need that!”

He just grins.

“Well, then. Guess you should have thought of that before you made the deal, huh?” He lowers his voice to a low rumble, and his eyes glint as he says, “Unless, of course, you’re planning to back out of our agreement, that is.”

“No!” You insist on reflex. You’re not a liar or a cheater, after all. You made your bed, and now you intend to sleep in it.

“Don’t worry,” Mysterious Hot Book Guy laughs, setting one hand on top of your head. His fingers are warm and strangely comforting against your hair, and you have to remind yourself you probably shouldn’t be feeling comforted by a guy who is about to steal your soul.

Though—is it really stealing if you made a deal for it?

“Don’t be so tense,” he growls in your ear. “That’ll only make it more difficult. Now relax. This will only tickle a little.”

What the!?

“ Tickle?! ” You protest, but he only chuckles. Like this is all fun and games to him.

And maybe it is.

You brace for—well, you’re not actually sure what you’re expecting.

You glance back up the dark alley, toward the street. Is it too late to turn and run? Maybe you’d be better off a liar and a cheater, after all.

But you’re honest to a fault. And now it may be your demise.

“Okay,” you whisper, squeezing your eyes shut. “I’m ready.”

You hold your breath, preparing for the worst.

But the worst never comes.

Mysterious Hot Book Guy pulls away, and you tentatively open your eyes. To your surprise and confusion, he breaks into laughter.

“Relax, relax!” He doubles over with hands on his knees. When he stands up again, he wipes his eyes and says, “I’m just messing with you. What would I want with a pathetic little human soul, anyway?”

Ouch . Well, he didn’t have to be such a jerk about it.

You cross your arms. “Hey. That’s not very nice.”

You never thought you’d be offended that someone didn’t want to steal your soul, but there’s a new day for everything, you suppose.

“No, little human ,” he growls, and you swear you feel a strange, heavy presence swirling around him. Is this what magic feels like? “What I want is something much greater.”

You gulp, asking the question you’re not sure you want to know the answer to. “Then, if it’s not my soul you’re after…what do you want?”

His eyes glint, bright yellow and chillingly sinister against the dark alley.

“What I want is simple.” He steps closer, eyes still flashing as he says, “I want you to set me free.”

You blink, staring up at him as he leans over you.

“ Oh ,” is all you can manage.

Because after demanding your soul, asking to be set free seems a whole lot less scary than you were expecting.

“Sure,” you say with a sigh of relief. “No problem.”

After all, you don’t want to keep anyone—magical or otherwise—a prisoner against their will.

Mysterious Hot Book Guy stares down at you with a strangely incredulous expression. Like he was expecting you to resist.

“What? Just like that?” He folds his arms, narrowing his eyes. “This feels like a trick. You’re not going to argue about how you can’t set me free because I’m a dangerous beast who will wreak havoc on the mortal world and plunge life as we know it into chaos?”

“Well, will you?”

He smirks. “You’ve changed.”

A strange twinge of jealousy twists in your stomach as you realize: He thinks you’re someone else .

But it doesn’t matter.

You’re about to set him free.

You won’t see him ever again, anyway. And there’s no point feeling jealous over a person you know nothing about.

“Hey, setting you free sounds a whole lot better than giving up my soul.” Before he can change his mind and demand your soul, you hold out your hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

He stares down at your hand with an odd mix of incredulousness and amusement.

“Alright,” he growls in your ear as he leans in and clasps your right hand in his. “ Deal .”

His grip is strong and warm, and you can’t help but notice that he smells nice. It’s the same warm almost-vanilla scent of vintage paper—like an old book. Maybe that’s because he came out of one.

Speaking of.

You bend down and lift the little book from the pavement where it lies face-open. The pages are all black again, no more glowing script. How odd.

The cool breeze picks up, fluttering down the dark alley and making you shiver once again. There’s almost no light here, aside from the glowing cuff at your left wrist and the golden strand connecting you to Mysterious Hot Book Guy.

You frown down at the thin thread, stretching it tight like a rubber band as you ask, “How exactly am I supposed to set you free?”

Hot Guy narrows his eyes at your hands, like he’s contemplating stopping you.

But all he says is, “Well, it’s your magic. So you tell me.”

Your magic?

He definitely thinks you’re someone else, but that doesn’t matter. It’s late. You’re exhausted. All you want to do is get back home where you can take a nice, hot shower before sleeping-off all this weirdness. Then you’ll wake up and it’ll be no more than a bad dream.

“Alright,” you say, pulling the glowing thread taut between your hands, “Here goes nothing!”

To your shock, it snaps. It actually snaps.

A sharp shock jolts your wrist, and you stumble backward until you land, breathing hard, against the alley wall.

The two halves of the broken thread glow in your hands.

Well, that was easy . You rub your stinging wrist.

Too easy.

“Cool, well, looks like you’re free now,” you say to Mysterious Hot Book Guy as you drop his half of the thread. “Thanks for saving me!”

With a wave, you turn back toward the street at the other end of the alley, thrilled that it worked. Home sweet hot shower, here you come!

Although, maybe you do feel the tiniest bit sad that you won’t even get to learn Mysterious Hot Guy’s name.

But at least you’ll be able to put all this weirdness behind you.

Except, you barely make it ten feet before something yanks your arm so hard, it nearly pulls you off your feet.

It’s the golden thread.

Hot Guy clears his throat, staring you down from where he still stands at the end of the alley. He holds up his left arm, the cuff on his wrist shining brightly in the dark.

“ Forget something? ” He asks, gesturing at the thread connecting you.