Summoned a God by Mistake, Now He Won’t Go Back - Chapter 18

There was no pain. It sent shivers down her spine, but it felt more like pleasure than actual discomfort.

“Maybe I’m just exhausted. There’s been so much today—way more than my body can handle.”

Fay tried to brush off her instincts and sipped the tea Alnazir had left untouched, hoping it would help calm her nerves.

* * *

Living with her new electric octopus invoked was surprisingly uneventful. He still grumbled that the bed was far too small, but every night, he obediently got into the bathtub.

To her relief, he wasn’t picky about food—he just ate whatever Fay did. She’d also worried about laundry, but that turned out to be unnecessary. Since he always went to bed fully dressed, she thought the laundry would pile up, but he dried both himself and his clothes by literally burning off any dampness as soon as he stepped out of the tub.

“Just please remember that most of the furniture in this house is made of wood…”

She sometimes worried he might set the place on fire by accident, but so far, he’d only used his powers in the stone-floored bathroom, thank goodness.

“There’s one thing, though: our bedtime routine.”

No matter what, he always wanted a conversation before bed—whether it was Fay reading him a story or recounting her day, the topic didn’t matter, as long as he wasn’t left waiting.

“Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Just a second. You should try being the one who has to come up with something new to talk about every night.”

It almost felt like raising Zynie all over again. Back when she was younger, Zynie would never sleep without a bedtime story, no matter how grown-up she acts now

So was Alnazir about six or seven years old in spirit?

Fay shook her head. His demanding ways only reminded her of Zynie, but there was nothing childlike or innocent about him.

He never did anything bad, but sometimes just the look in his eyes was enough to make Fay’s body tense. There was something dangerous and sly hidden inside him—if he bothered to hide it at all.

Or maybe he didn’t even try to hide it, considering the way he’d threaten her whenever things didn’t go his way.

He must be keeping secrets. What those secrets were, Fay couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Witch. Story.”

Right now, he was just her demanding little tyrant, pestering for a bedtime story from the cramped bathtub.

Fay thought for a moment, then began with a story her mother used to tell her:

“There once was a child who never wanted to go to sleep. Every night, he’d fuss and whine, refusing to go to bed. Sounds like someone doesn’t it?”

“Who?”

“Who knows? Anyway, that’s how the story goes.”

She shot a sideways glance at Alnazir and continued. He leaned against the edge of the tub, prodding her arm and leg with his finger as she sat on the stool nearby.

“In the end, the child wanted to sleep but couldn’t. He was so tired, he finally begged his mother to let him sleep.”

“And did he get to sleep?”

“The mother… Why are you poking me?”

She tried to catch his hand to stop him, but the moment she did, a soft jolt of electricity tingled all over her body.

She needed to let go before she felt anything else strange, but whenever Fay met his eyes, she found herself unable to move, her heart pounding for some reason.

“Yes. He finally got to sleep.”

“What a dull ending. Tell me another.”

His commanding tone snapped Fay out of her daze. She let go of his hand and forced a laugh, as if nothing had happened.

“How about you tell a story for a change?”

As time went on, Fay was getting more used to him—even comfortable enough to try and tackle off the bedtime duties.

But telling a story might not be so easy for him. She smiled, and Alnazir’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“When is this ‘time’ you keep talking about coming? The Emperor. There’s been no sign of him.”

“No idea. It’s all up to his whims.”

“What kind of man is this Emperor, anyway?”

Alnazir traced the word ‘emperor’ on the back of her hand as he leaned against the tub. His golden eyes curved in a sly smile. She’d never seen him smile with his lips, but he seemed to enjoy smiling with his eyes.

See? There was something wicked in him. There was always that sly look, as if he was hiding something.

Fay squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly nervous from the strange chill and the heat crawling up her spine. If she wasn’t careful, she might just get swept away by all of this.