Claiming a Demon (Dallying with Demons Book 3)

Chapter 17

One of themsnorted and muttered, “I like him.” I wanted to feel good about that, but all I could focus on was the panic in Mal’s eyes, that mask I was beginning to hate up in full force. All the work I’d done to get him relaxed and distracted disappeared and his hand clenched mine so tightly it was almost painful. I didn’t mention it, squeezing back to remind him I was there.

“Only three? Not one each?” the demon I recognized from the alley drawled, a lazy grin on his face. I saw the question for what it was. He was trying to take the edge off the tension in the room by drawing the focus onto him. And it worked for the most part. One of the few women in the room shot him a dirty look, snarking at him about not interrogating Mal.

A demon about the same size as Mal, with long dark hair and a serious expression, ignored the group and stepped up to Mal, putting his hand on Mal’s shoulder.

“I’ve already called my mother. When he’s ready, she’ll take care of him.”

That was it. No questions asked. I liked this guy already. Especially when his gaze shifted to me and he smiled softly.

“Felix told us about you. My name is Callum. I’m a friend of Mal’s. Let me introduce you to everyone.”

He went around the room, introducing me to Mal’s friend group. I had always been good with matching names to faces, but it was a sizable group, so I made sure to listen carefully so I didn”t mix anyone up. It didn’t bother me that Mal wasn’t doing this himself. He was still on edge and he hovered by my side, his hand never leaving mine.

“This is a pretty big party for a poker game,” I commented once Callum had finished.

Felix scoffed. “It’s not normally. Some people skip more often than they show up.”

The entire group groaned, and Callum rolled his eyes. “How many times are you going to bring that up? We still hang out once a week at least. Just not playing poker.”

Felix crossed his arms stubbornly, while his boyfriend patted his head with an amused grin. There was a dynamic I was missing, but I didn’t bother to ask. If it was important, someone would say something.

Instead of a poker table, the group sat at a large dining room table. They argued and chatted with each other and it gave Mal enough security to tug on my hand and jerk his chin over his shoulder.

“Come on. I’ll show you around.”

There were two bedrooms, one in a loft above the living room, and one underneath it. The living room was massive, with one wall being almost all windows giving an amazing view of the city. There were several instruments against the wall out of the way, guitar, bass, and a keyboard, scatters of paper and music sheets shoved haphazardly into one corner. The kitchen was smaller, galley style, but stuffed to the brim with fancy appliances. To make more space, they had turned the hall closet into a pantry. That way, they could use all the cabinets for the insane amount of pans, baking sheets, and mixing bowls they had. I had to assume that was all Mal, given his job. The bathroom wasn’t as nice as mine, but still big enough for a demon to function normally.

After showing me the main space, Mal guided me into his room, the one tucked under the loft, shutting the door quietly behind him. Unlike the living room, which had knick knacks and papers on almost every surface, Mal’s room was orderly and clean. There wasn’t much to it, aside from his bed and a walk-in closet. The only crowded part of it was the nightstand, which had half a dozen pictures displayed on it.

“Is this your family?”

He hummed, sitting on the edge of the bed while I picked up each photo to take a closer look. They were all different age ranges and groups of people. Some of him with his sisters when he was younger, his sisters alone or with only a couple of them clustered together. A big one in the back had the whole family, his dad and mom standing in the back with proud smiles. It was the one right in front that brought a smile to my face. I picked it up, studying every detail.

“I know that face. This is you and your dad, right?”

He nodded, snagging me around the waist and pulling me into his lap. He looked over my shoulder at the picture, his voice mellow and a little sad.

“That was right around the time we started cooking together. Mom was never any good in the kitchen. It was always Dad making the meals. He always let me help when I was younger, but he trusted me more to do things on my own at that age. He bought me my own apron, and no matter what was going on, he’d come looking for me around dinner time so we could cook it together.”

The picture was of Mal at about six years old, covered in flour and laughing as his dad hugged him close with one arm, the other outstretched to take the photo. They were both dirty and smiling and it made my heart ache to think of Mal losing this. He obviously was really close to his dad, and I didn’t want him to lose that connection.

“Mal… I wasn’t lying before. If you want me to, I’ll go with you to convince your family to move him. I know you don’t like to argue with people, but you deserve to be heard. I’ll be your voice if you need me to be.”

Taking the picture from my hands, he set it gently back on the nightstand. I thought maybe he was going to move on without responding, which would’ve stung a little. But he wasn’t actually dismissing my offer. He wrapped himself around me, burying his face against my shoulder, hugging me so tightly I had no hope of escaping. Then he added another layer, his wings stretching out and wrapping around us, muting the light in the room so it was just me and him in the dark.

“Please.”

That’s all he said, and all he needed to say. He wanted me there, so I’d be there. I’d take some time off work, I had plenty of vacation days saved up since I almost never took time off, and we’d go confront his family. I wanted them to like me because I wanted this thing with Mal to last, but I’d let that go if I needed to. I’d do anything to make him happy. Even ruin our future so he could keep the parts of him that made him who he was.

* * *

After taking a few minutes to ourselves, Mal led us back to the living room to join his friends. They had already started a game, only half the group actually playing, and chatted amongst themselves. Mal pulled me into his lap before I could sit beside him, hugging me against his chest. It almost felt like he was using me as a shield, and I felt myself light up in response.

“So, newbie. You learned our names. Who are you?” Felix drawled.

“Zach. But you already knew that.”

He grinned. Felix was a troublemaker, no doubt about it. And so was his boyfriend, if his lazy grin was anything to go by.

“Ignore them. They mostly just pick on each other,” Callum interjected. His boyfriend was almost as big as the demons, a flush exploding in his cheeks when Callum whispered in his ear. Seeing a big guy like that all shy was adorable.

“I don’t mind it. I might be little, but I can hold my own.”

“So, where did you two meet again?” Isla queried, her finger wagging between the two of us.

“He helped me pick out your engagement present,” Mal answered. He was still avoiding eye contact, his focus dragging to Hendrix, who showed him his cards with a hint of a smirk. Mal said Hendrix was hard to read during poker, so that grin was probably for Mal’s benefit.

“Oh! That was an awesome present. We still haven’t picked a date yet. It’s hard to line up our schedules.”

“You should request Zach. He’s a massage therapist. Isn’t that right, Mal?”

Mal’s arms tightened around me. Felix’s comment bordered between teasing and tormenting, and I shifted my focus to him. I didn”t mind him being playful, but now was not the time to pick on Mal. Before I could reprimand him, though, Tyler stepped in.

“Someone sounds jealous. What’s the matter, baby? Feeling a little tense?”

I had to admit, Tyler knew how to tame his boyfriend well. His flirty tease stole all of Felix’s attention and from then on, Felix left Mal alone, too busy flirting to pay any attention.

Aziel, who had some seriously dangerous biker vibes going on, rolled his eyes at the couple before turning to Mal. He was the first to ask a question about Mal’s dad, and he wasn’t gentle about it either.

“Felix said your old man isn’t in a facility yet. How long has he been sick? You know it’s dangerous to wait.”

Being in Mal’s lap meant I could feel the minor changes in his body. I wasn’t sure his friends noticed, but I felt Mal stiffen, unhappiness coming off him in waves.

“A few weeks,” I answered for him. “We’re leaving in a day or so to try and fix that, though.”

Aziel narrowed his eyes at me. “You seem to know a lot for someone he hasn’t known that long.”

I flashed him a smile that held more animosity than probably necessary. “I didn’t realize there was a timeframe for being there for someone.”

We stared each other down, both of us unblinking, until Isla leaned toward Brandon and muttered under her breath.

“Woah. He can pull off scary with a smile on his face.”

I couldn’t see the reactions in the room because I wasn’t going to look away from Aziel. He was trying to intimidate me, and it wasn’t going to work. I might be small and bubbly, but I didn’t scare easy. Being closer to the ground meant it was easier for me to kick a guy in the nuts.

“Az, chill, man. You weren’t this weird when the other two showed up,” Hendrix snapped. His calm mask disappeared, and he turned to glare at Aziel. “What’s your problem?”

Aziel made an irritated noise, sitting back in his seat. “I don’t have a fucking problem. Just seems like this guy is all in pretty damn quick. What’s in it for him other than a visit to the Other Realm? Sounds like a paranormal chaser to me.”

I’d never heard that term before, but apparently it wasn’t a kind one. Mal was on his feet in an instant, tucking me behind him, a deep growl in his throat. Protests went up around the table, all of them calling Aziel out. I was a little shocked at the change in dynamic, and when I leaned to see around Mal, Aziel was standing too, his teeth bared menacingly.

Hendrix stood between them, his hands out to block them. “Guys, stop. Az, man, you’re out of line. Just because he volunteered to help Mal with nothing in return doesn’t make him a paranormal chaser.”

Confused, I looked towards the other humans in the room. “What’s that mean?”

Brandon grimaced. “There are humans out there who hook up with paranormals for the thrill. They aren’t looking for relationships, they only want to be able to say they fooled around with someone not human. Some of them even pretend to want a relationship so they can do things like visit the Other Realm or use the paranormal for magic and stuff.”

My mouth fell open. I had no idea people did that kind of thing. It was shallow and cruel, and now I understood better why Mal was so offended on my behalf. I mean, I was offended too. I didn”t do anything to come off that way. Did I?