Claiming a Demon (Dallying with Demons Book 3)

Chapter 1

“Look at that freak over there.”

“What the hell is he doing here?”

“Freaks like him belong in a zoo, not on our turf.”

I ignored the rumblings of the humans behind me, my attention still on the items in front of me. Little glass trinkets with engraved poems, decorative frames, wood carvings made to look like couples. Nothing that I thought they’d like. The engagement party was tonight, and I still hadn’t picked out a gift yet. I was going to be late if I didn”t pick something soon.

“Hey, freak!”

Picking up a glassware set marketed to couples, I frowned at it. I wasn’t sure they needed more glassware. Isla refused to add her place to the poker rotation because she said we were too big to fit. She wasn’t being rude. My friends and I were all large compared to humans. Most demons were. Even Callum’s mate, one of the larger humans I’d interacted with, was small compared to us. It was something that made him really happy, according to Callum. Apparently humans weren’t kind to their own if they stood out like Brandon did.

“Freak! I’m talking to you!”

In most situations like this, ignoring the humans seemed to be enough to get them to leave me alone. Since the integration, where thousands of paranormals came from the Other Realm looking to ease the strain on our own community, humans have struggled to accept us. They weren’t all bad. After Callum met his mate, we spent a lot more time around humans. Mostly the friends Brandon introduced us to, but Felix met his mate not long after and he was also human. They were kind and proved there was more to humans than we’d originally thought.

I pursed my lips with a frown. Brandon was more indecisive than I was when it came to gifts, but maybe Tyler could help me.

I banished the thought as quickly as it came. Tyler was a nice guy, but he was a troublemaker, just like Felix. I couldn’t trust him to give me an honest answer because he and Felix liked to prank people. He could point me in the wrong direction just for the fun of it. He wasn’t malicious about it, but I was glad he and Felix seemed mostly to focus on pranking each other. It would drive me up the wall to be the focus of that kind of attention.

Something soft hit me from behind, bouncing off my shoulder and away again. I turned, looking around for what hit me, and finally took note of the group of humans sneering at me. They weren’t anything I was worried about, I could defend myself just fine, but I preferred to avoid confrontation. The human authorities still favored their own kind, and I didn”t want to have to explain myself to them.

“Get out of here, freak! Go back to where you came from!”

Blinking slowly, I watched the little group. They were huddled together, their bravery wavering the longer I stared at them. When they finally broke eye contact, muttering to each other, I turned back to the shelf I’d been looking at. This store said they catered to making memories, so why was it so hard for me to find something to buy?

“Don’t you dare!” someone shrieked.

A flash of color burst around the end of the aisle. When I glanced over my shoulder, a tiny pixie of a human was attempting to block the group’s view of me, his hands thrown out protectively. I frowned, turning fully, and noticed one of the humans from before was holding something a lot heavier than a stuffed animal this time. It looked like a large candle, the human almost needing two hands to heft it. It definitely would’ve hurt if they’d thrown it at me, but it’d hurt the human protecting me more. I almost wanted to pull him out of the way, if the indignation in his voice didn’t leave me frozen where I stood.

“What is wrong with you? Were you actually going to attack him in the middle of a store just because you’re racist assholes? What did he ever do to you?”

The one holding the candle scowled at the little human. “He doesn’t belong here.”

“Neither do you! People like you should be in the trash where they belong! Now get out!” He stomped his foot to emphasize himself and pointed toward the door. “This is my friend’s shop and I won’t have you damaging her products because your parents never taught you to mind your own business! Out! Before I call the cops!”

The group of humans seemed to consider him, and one even stepped forward like he was going to say more, but another caught him by the shoulder and pulled him back before the one wielding the weapon let it drop to the floor with a scoff.

“Not worth it. Come on, guys. Let’s take our business somewhere that doesn’t cater to freaks like him.”

He shot me one last dirty look before turning on his heel and walking away. The little human let out a breath when the door swung shut behind them, swinging around to face me.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” he asked in a worried tone.

I nodded once, studying him. He really did remind me of a pixie. He fluttered about, picking up the soft toy the humans had thrown at me while muttering under his breath. His honey blonde hair was styled in tousled curls that stopped above his ears. His skin was pale, and it looked like he was wearing makeup I’d seen some human females wear before, lines of dark blue surrounding his eyes. It matched the outfit he was wearing, a button up that was loosely tucked into his wide striped capris. He was a lot more fashionable than I was, and he had a delicate face, too. There wasn’t a chance anyone thought this human was terrifying at first glance. His big blue eyes and rounded face made him look innocent and sweet. He placed the toy back where it belonged before hurrying to grab the candle. Turning it in his hands, he let out a frustrated sigh.

“Those jerks. They broke it.”

“It’s okay. It happens,” another human replied, her quiet voice breaking my focus. I was staring, but luckily, neither of them seemed to notice. The pixie handed the candle to the woman, and they both looked it over with a frown.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let them stay. I saw them come in and I was going to say something to you, but I thought I was being judgmental. I should’ve trusted my gut. Sorry, Abby.”

She shook her head, flashing him a kind smile. “It’s okay. It happens.”

“I’ll pay for it,” I offered. It was my fault the item was damaged anyway. If I wasn’t here, they wouldn’t have picked it up in the first place.

The pixie spun around with a frown. “No way! It wasn’t your fault! They were harassing you. You shouldn’t have to pay for that.”

The store owner bobbed her head in agreement. “He’s right. Damaged items happen sometimes. It’s not your fault.” She took the item from the pixie and flashed me a nervous smile. “I’m just going to take this to the back. Let me know if you need any help.”

I dipped my chin to acknowledge her and let her walk away. It wasn’t uncommon for humans to be nervous around demons. The whole religious context about us seemed to sway them into thinking we were evil. It wasn’t the truth, we had no correlation with their version of hell, but no amount of explaining swayed most of them. Hell, for us, was a town. Admittedly, it was a rough town, but not a place where humans were sent for eternal punishment. My cousin lived there, and he was a chiropractor.

The little pixie watched the woman go and pursed his lips, his brows drawn together tightly. “Sorry. It’s not you. She’s nervous around everyone. I always come to check on her when her parents make her run the storefront. She’s more comfortable in the back doing the paperwork, you know?”

This human didn’t have the same reaction as the other one. He offered me a big smile and gestured to the shelf I was looking at earlier.

“Did you pick something yet? I noticed you browsing when I came in.”

I shook my head. I still didn’t know what to get, and according to the clock on the wall, I was officially late.

“Did you want some help?”

I masked the surprise on my face, studying the little human. The top of his head didn’t even reach my shoulders and his tight clothes showed off his slim figure. Given the difference between the two of us, I thought he would be afraid of me like his friend was. But he wasn’t giving off even a hint of apprehension, his expression curious. I hesitated, still uncertain around humans after avoiding them for so long. He tipped his head.

“If you’d rather look by yourself, I don’t mind. I just thought I’d offer since you looked a little frustrated. I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m an excellent gift giver. All my friends say so.”

Since I’d wanted a human’s opinion, I didn’t see the harm in asking for his. I wasn’t obligated to buy what he suggested, and it wasn’t like he was a threat to me.

When I nodded, his face lit up brightly, and he beamed at me. “Awesome. So, who are we shopping for?”

“My friend and her girlfriend just got engaged.”

“Yay! Congrats to them! I love weddings. Were you looking for something sentimental or something practical? Or maybe both?” He picked up the glassware set I’d been looking at earlier with a frown. “These are nice, but they are a little impersonal.”

“I don’t know. What would you want?” He was human, like Isla and Maya were. Maybe he’d have a clue what humans wanted at parties like this.

He snorted, shaking his head. “You can’t go off what I want. I’m not like most people. But if you’re asking what humans want, then it depends on how long you’ve known them. If they’re really good friends, I’d probably go for something a little more personal, but if you just met, then something like this is fine.”

I was curious about what made him different from most people, aside from his size. He was one of the smallest males I’d met since coming to the human realm. And one of the most energetic as well. He almost danced around the shop, peppering me with questions about my friends while he considered the items. He was interesting, this little human, and I forgot entirely about the fact that I was late as I followed him around the store.