Chapter 214 Chapter 214
So much for their romantic candlelight dinner—the demon was always good for a surprise, not meeting her expectations at all. But that wasn’t a bad thing since she absolutely loved the way he made everything ten times as entertaining and exciting as it would have been without him.
The cucumber incident wouldn’t be the only peculiar situation they came across during their vacation. The next day, something even weirder happened—they encountered an amateur exorcist when they visited Santa Cruz.
“A demon,” the man cried, making a big show out of fetching a bottle from his backpack. He opened it and threw a load of holy water straight at Maxwell.
“Run for your life,” the exorcist yelled at Valerie, but she just gawked at him. She was flabbergasted and didn’t understand what was going on with this guy. He was human, and she could tell that he didn’t pose a threat to them.
“What are you waiting for?” he shouted, staring at her in disbelief at her supposed imprudence. “Get away from him before he drags you to hell.”
“Huh?” she said, completely confused. “What? I… uhh… I already visited hell a few times, and it’s not that bad.”
The man’s eyes nearly fell from their sockets. His jaw dropped. His expression looked ridiculous to Maxwell, who was torn between being angry and amused at his stupidity—as if an amateur like him could do anything to a century-old high-class demon. When his warnings didn’t push Valerie to move away from Maxwell, the exorcist decided to change his approach. He sprayed holy water at her, too, but Maxwell wasn’t having it. He stepped in front of her and stared him down.
“Mind your own business, human,” he grumbled. “This idiocy is getting annoying.”
“Why isn’t it working?” the man stuttered, slowly inching backward.
“I’m not some low-life demon scum,” Maxwell growled. “Of course, holy water doesn’t work.”
“What is even going on, Maxwell?” she asked and peeked over his shoulder, confusion visible in her expression.
“This idiot is an exorcist, apparently. The lousiest I have ever come across,” Maxwell snickered.
“Oh, I see. You shouldn’t bother demons,” she said, directed at the man. “If you had encountered someone else, they might not have let you off the hook so easily.”
“Who are you?” he asked, wide-eyed. His face was as white as a sheet.
“Me?” she asked. “Uh, I’m just…"
“She’s my wife, and you better not bother her anymore,” Maxwell cut in, prompting her to blush. That was finally enough to make the exorcist leave. He turned on his heels and hurried around the next street corner, disappearing. Valerie looked after him, shaking her head.
“What a weirdo,” she mumbled.
Maxwell glanced at her, noticing that she looked flustered. He grinned and took her hand to pull her along. They continued to walk down the street as if nothing had happened.
“Why are you blushing, sugar?” he drawled.
“I’m not blushing.”
“Yes, you are,” he smirked. “Is it because I called you my wife?”
She didn’t answer, and his smirk only widened. “I knew it,” he snickered.
---
The sand felt warm under Valerie’s bare feet. It was another perfect sunny day, and the couple had decided to spend it together at the beach. Their vacation would last another week, and they wanted to make the most of each day before they returned home. Valerie carried a bag filled with sunscreen, beach towels, and other necessities. She shielded her eyes with her hand and watched the other people at the beach, trying to find a spot where they could stay. It was crowded, but after a little bit of walking, she and Maxwell found the perfect place—not too far away from the water, beneath a palm tree.
She set down the bag and stretched her arms, putting on her sunglasses. “Should we go for a swim?” she asked Maxwell, who had been sneaking glances at her this whole time. They hadn’t gone unnoticed by her, and their intensity flustered her. When he didn’t answer her, she furrowed her brows.
“Maxwell?” she asked and put her hands on her hips. “Are you listening?”
“Huh? Oh… what did you say?” he replied and finally met her eyes.
“I asked if you want to go swimming, but you seemed busy,” she remarked sarcastically.
“Well, you’re kinda distracting today, sugar,” he drawled with another sly glance at her red bikini. It looked cute, had a small bow on its front, and was strapless. She had bought it only yesterday and wore it for the first time.
“Don’t tell me you’re horny again,” she said, throwing him a sharp look. “You pervert.”
“I didn’t hear you complain last night,” he teased with a smug smirk that made her cheeks flush. “If I remember correctly, you even begged me to…”
“Maxwell, stop,” she sputtered, embarrassedly.
“Nope, I won’t stop,” he grinned. “Not when I can make you blush.”
She knew that her cheeks were burning, and it wasn’t just because of his remarks or the hot sun—he looked way too attractive right now, and it took all her willpower not to start drooling. The demon didn’t wear a shirt, only his dark red swimwear, and he flaunted his muscular torso. She couldn’t stop gaping at him, had to force herself to tear her eyes away before he noticed. Cause if he did, then he wouldn’t let her hear the end of it. As usual, he sported his beloved silver chain—the one she had gifted him—and his silky white braids that dangled over his shoulder.
“So… you mentioned you wanted to go for a swim?” he asked, his eyes darting from her to the ocean and back. His eyes lit up when a thought struck him, and a devilish smirk spread over his lips. Before Valerie knew what he was planning, he had grabbed her and thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She yelped and hit his back with her fists when he ran off towards the deep blue water.
“No, don’t,” she screeched. “I didn’t mean it that way. Stop it, you evil demon.”
She didn’t care if she caused a scene with her yelling, but most people in the vicinity only smiled at the silly antics of the couple. Valerie wasn’t having it, though. If this idiot dumped her into the cold water, she would get revenge for sure. Maxwell seemed to plan on doing just that, running straight into the cool waves. Already, she was splashed with water, his malicious laughter making her squirm around in his unwavering hold.