Claiming a Demon (Dallying with Demons Book 3)

Chapter 15

When Mal confessedto me why he hadn’t told his friends about his dad, I honestly never expected him to say anything to them. I understood, having people who knew how things would likely end would be hard to face for anyone. But I also wanted him to have all the support he needed. Since I didn’t know anything about demon illnesses, I wasn’t sure how much help I’d be. I’d still do everything I could, but his friends would know better how to help.

“Seriously? With what?” the demon asked. We hadn’t actually gotten around to introductions and I wasn’t about to interrupt to ask.

“Shadow Plague,” Mal murmured quietly, almost like he didn’t want to admit it out loud. And I saw immediately why he wanted to keep it to himself. His friend’s face went pale, which I didn’t realize was possible given that they were both different shades of red. But his face definitely went pale, and he looked really worried. Mal avoided his gaze, frowning at the alley wall.

“Mal… I’m so sorry, man.”

The pain carved into Mal’s face was too much to bear. I wrapped my arms around his middle, doing my best to sound chipper.

“It’s going to be okay. They said he’s alright for now and the next time Mal goes to visit, I’m going to go with him to help convince his family to bring him to a healing facility.”

The demon’s head whipped to me and back to Mal. “Wait. He’s not in one already? How long has it been?”

“A few weeks,” Mal admitted. “I brought it up earlier this week, but my family shot me down.”

The other man who stood beside Mal’s friend looked confused, his gaze shifting between the three of us. “Hold on. Catch me up here. What’s going on?”

The demon stepped back, putting his arm around the man’s shoulders. “Not many things can get a demon sick. Our immune system is one of the best amongst paranormals. But the few things out there that can hurt us are–” I shot him a dirty look, and he hesitated before changing what I knew he was about to say. “They’re really hard to get over. It takes a lot of time and healers. The best place to be when you’re sick like that is at a healer’s facility. Callum’s mom runs one of the best facilities in the Other Realm. Have you told him? I bet he could ask her to find your old man a spot.”

Mal shook his head slowly, but didn’t explain. When the demon glanced at me for some kind of answer, I rubbed Mal’s side supportively.

“He was afraid to admit it out loud. Telling me was one thing. I had no idea what it meant. You guys…”

Understanding flashed across the demon’s face, and he grimaced. “Damn. I get that. We know the full picture and you weren’t ready to face it. I’m sorry, man. If there’s anything I can do–”

“You can tell the others,” Mal mumbled.

Surprised, I looked up at Mal. He still wouldn’t meet his friend’s eye, but he glanced at me and shot me a pained look. This was getting to be too much for him and he trusted his friend to pass along the message so he wouldn’t have to.

Turning to the couple, I offered them a small smile. “If you wouldn’t mind. At least give everyone a chance to come to terms with it so he doesn’t have to see the responses written all over your faces.”

The demon had been looking at Mal with sympathy, but the minute I mentioned it, he schooled his face and nodded. “I can do that. Today, before poker? Or did you want me to wait?”

“Whenever. We’re gonna head out. I’ll see you two later,” Mal rushed out.

Without more than a nod in their direction, he scooped me into his arms and launched himself into the air. I wasn’t expecting it and I may have let out a startled yelp as he took off. I clung tightly to him, my face buried against his neck, until his movements evened out and my stomach stopped wanting to get acquainted with my shoes. Slowly, I lifted my head and looked around, my jaw falling open at the view.

“Holy crap…” I murmured, mostly to myself.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just couldn’t stand there anymore.”

When I glanced at Mal, he looked genuinely remorseful, and still really upset. I cupped his face, leaning in to brush my lips against his.

“It’s okay. It just surprised me, that’s all. This is kinda crazy. You do this every day?”

He lifted a shoulder, his wings flapping lazily to keep us aloft. I could see everything up here and it was amazing just how big the city looked from above. I mostly hung around a small part of it, so it never felt that big to me.

“Maybe I should be exploring the city more.”

“You don’t often?”

I shook my head. “I’m a creature of habit. I go between work, home, my favorite restaurants, and a few gay bars close to my place if I’m looking to let loose a little. I like dancing.”

The tension in his face eased a little, and he leaned his forehead against mine. “I’d like to see you dance.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to. If you’re going to be my boyfriend, then you gotta take me out and treat me special. It’s the rules.”

I was testing the waters a little. We still hadn’t talked about our relationship outside of what was said at the spa, and I really wanted to know if he saw this as more than just a fun distraction.

“Okay. I can’t dance, though.”

My face lit up. He didn’t deny it, so I was going to take that as a yes on the relationship question. I hugged my arms tighter around his neck, nuzzling my nose against his.

“It’s not that hard. Mostly, you just stand there while I grind up on you.”

That made him laugh, and he finally moved past the heartache. I was determined to always be that kind of distraction for him. I couldn’t always fix the problem. I wasn’t a doctor or a healer or whatever. But I could do everything in my power to make him smile again.

* * *

The minute we stepped into my apartment, Mal was on me. He pressed me up against the door, his kisses needy and a little frantic. I knew after admitting what was going on to his friend that he needed a distraction, and I was happy to provide. I nipped at his lips, drawing away enough to speak.

“Did I tell you the reason I bought this apartment?”

His brows drew together slightly, like he couldn’t figure out why I was interrupting our make-out session for this. I fought back a laugh, wiggling my eyebrows.

“It’s got an absolutely enormous shower.”

A slow grin overtook his face, his stoic mask completely gone. I loved it, loved that he could be himself around me. I wanted to spend my whole life wiping that mask away and making him smile. He dipped, sweeping me off my feet, and made a beeline for the bathroom.

The bathroom truly was the entire reason I bought the apartment. There were some bigger apartments in my budget a little farther out, one in a really nice neighborhood. But none came even close to having a bathroom like this one. The shower took up the entire back of it, with multiple shower heads and even a bench seat on one side. It was like the landlord decided only to upgrade one aspect of the apartments, and the bathroom was what he chose. And it was so worth it when Mal and I stripped each other and there was plenty of room for him when we climbed inside.

He kept me cuddled against him, blocking me from the spray while it warmed. I wanted to ask if it bothered him, but he was trying to lead and keep my mouth busy, and that wasn’t going to work for me. I carded my fingers through his hair, fisting the back just enough to get control, and pulled him away.

“Sit on the bench.”

He exhaled sharply, and I felt his cock twitch against my stomach, but he did as I asked, releasing me to sit on the bench. I took a second to catch my breath, letting my eyes trail over every inch of him.

“I don’t know what I did in a past life to deserve you, but it must’ve been legendary.”

He reached for me, but I stayed just out of range, running my fingers through my hair as I stood underneath the rainfall showerhead. Yes, I was that lucky that my fancy ass bathroom had one of those. I made Mal watch, enjoying the way his muscles bunched and his fists clenched like he was physically restraining himself from joining me.

When I stepped between his parted knees, his hands ran up the backs of my legs like he couldn’t help himself. I smiled, dipping my head to kiss him. It started off sweet, light brushes to tease him before we both sank into it, our tongues tangling together. Mal groaned into my mouth, urging me closer with his hands on my ass. When I drew back, his grip flexed momentarily, like he wanted to force the issue. I shook my head slowly.

“I’ve got a different idea.”