Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
“Oh yeah, but there was a lot of grumbling that went along with that invoice being paid and no tip.”
“Asshole,” Nolan muttered.
“No big deal.” Silence stretched for a beat, and Sky’s voice turned super sweet. “How’s dinner going?”
“Um…good. Yeah, I think it’s good. I’m close to being done. You don’t have to stop for a bucket of chicken.”
Sky snorted a laugh while Nolan dug out the hand mixer. “So…I learned something interesting tonight.”
“Huh?” Nolan said, half listening as he searched for the beaters to whip the potatoes.
“Did you know Zalramon can text me?”
Nolan froze. His breath lodged in his throat, and even his heart skipped a beat. Zalramon was the head demon, King of the Underworld, and one very scary motherfucker. Sky was, thankfully, on very good terms with him, but had Nolan just ruined that?
After swallowing hard, Nolan squeezed out a soft, “No.”
“Yeah, he was asking why I’d called a shit-ton of his minions up to the human realm?”
“What?” Nolan squeaked. Sky said something, but he didn’t hear it. He set down the hand mixer with a loud clatter and zipped to the dining room where more than twenty minions of different sizes, shapes, and colors were quietly talking amongst each other. At his sudden appearance, forty eyes jumped up to him, and all fell silent in anticipation of payment.
Oh. Fuck.
Now he replayed the words of his bargain. One errand equaled one sandwich. So each new errand needed a new minion.
“Nolan? Baby? It’s okay. Don’t panic.” Sky’s gentle, nearly laughing voice penetrated his panic attack.
“I fucked up,” Nolan choked out.
“It’s okay. I’m assuming you lit the black candle, but you forgot to blow it out after Frank arrived. Blowing it out closes the door so more of them can’t come through.”
Nolan’s gaze snapped to the counter where the black candle was still burning away after more than an hour.
“Are…are you near the grocery store?” Nolan inquired softly.
“Just pulled into the parking lot. How many are there?”
“Twenty, I think. Maybe more.”
“Wow, no wonder Zal texted. I’ll pick up sandwich supplies.”
“And one of those variety packs of mini chip bags, please.”
Sky snorted. “Freaking Frank. Little chip addict.”
“Pretty much.”
“Just blow out the candle and finish making dinner. I’ll be home in about twenty minutes.”
Nolan hung up, blew out the candle, and returned to working on dinner.
“Was he mad?” Grammy floated close.
“No, he was barely holding back his laughter.” Nolan glared over his shoulder at the ghost for a second. “Why didn’t you tell me I was using so many minions? I thought it was just Frank and that other ashy one.”
“I can’t tell them apart! I thought it was the same ones.”
Nolan rolled his eyes.
Sky arrived home only a few minutes after Nolan finished with dinner, carrying bags containing several loaves of sandwich bread, deli meat, cheese, and several variety snack packs. Before Nolan could offer a single word of apology, his amazing boyfriend dropped the bags and hugged him.
“I don’t deserve you,” Sky murmured against his neck.
“What?” Nolan choked out. “I just cost us a crap-ton of money to feed a bunch of underworld minions because I wanted to cook a meal.”
“All I noticed was that my perfect boyfriend went to a hell of a lot of trouble making me the perfect dinner. You tried to empty the underworld for me!”
Nolan melted into Sky, wrapping him up in the tightest hug. “Anything for you.”
After a few stolen kisses, they covered up the meal Nolan had made and created an assembly line for sandwiches. Sky made the sandwiches. Nolan wrapped them, tucked them into brown paper bags with a small bag of chips, and handed them off to each minion prior to the creature disappearing in a wisp of brimstone smoke. When he got to Frank at the back of the line, he gave the minion two bags—one for Frank and one for Zalramon as an apology for the chaos in the underworld.
They settled in for a quiet fried chicken dinner that Sky raved over.
“This is amazing! You’re definitely cooking more now that I know you’re capable of this.”
“Okay, but I’m never cooking again with you out of the house. I can’t be trusted with the minions.”
Sky smiled as he leaned across the table and stole a kiss. “I’ll hide the black candle.”