Page 27 of Claiming a Demon

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?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

MALAKAI

Challenging Aziel wasn’t a smart thing to do. His family was full of criminals. He was raised fighting, and he had a short temper. He had a rule about not hurting humans, I think because he thought it wasn’t a fair fight. But other demons? They were fair game. I’d seen him fight before and it wasn’t pretty.

I couldn’t just let him get away with accusing Zach of being a paranormal chaser, though. Zach had been nothing but kind and helpful since the day we met. He never did anything to make me think he was only spending time with me because of my race. And he defended me in public more than once, even risking his job to do so. Hendrix was right, Aziel was out of line.

“Aziel. Stand down. Remember why we gathered here tonight.” Callum’s calm voice cut through the white noise in my head. I wasn’t normally so confrontational. Everything was just so messed up, and I couldn’t handle someone saying anything bad about Zach. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to stay sane right now.

“Az.” Callum’s voice raised a little, the firm demand catching Aziel’s attention. Callum had always been the voice of reason in the group. He was the protector, the sentinel. If we were in a gang, he’d be the leader. We all listened to him because he only wanted what was best for us.

Aziel’s gaze finally shifted away from mine. He took in the room, his expression dark, and shook his head.

“I’m leaving.”

He shouldered past Hendrix, stalking from the room without another word. Everyone watched quietly until the door slammed shut behind him.

“Well, that went well,” Felix commented dryly.

He got dirty looks from Callum and Isla, but I couldn’t look away from the door. That wasn’t like my friend. He had a temper, yeah, but he didn’t lash out like that. Not at us. And he didn't even blink when Brandon and Tyler showed up. I had to wonder what made Zach so different. Or maybe it had something to do with me.

“You should go talk to him.”

Zach’s voice was quiet but firm. He didn’t look upset about what happened, just worried, and his hand on my arm was reassuring. When I glanced at the door again, I fought a grimace. I wouldn’t know what to say.

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