Page 30 of Claiming a Demon

Without warning, Mal rolled on top of me. He captured my lips roughly, smothering my surprised sound. I wanted to give him what he needed, but I recognized what he was after. He wanted a distraction. He didn’t want my comfort. It tore at my insides and my eyes burned with unshed tears. That’s all I was for him. A distraction from the craziness happening in his life. I know I offered him that before, but I thought things had changed now that we were in a relationship. I was still okay with distracting him when he needed it, but I thought he’d talk to me first. It made me wonder what would happen when things settled. Would he not need me anymore? Or was this all I’d ever be? His distraction. Nothing more.

I gave in to what he needed without a word. I kept my face averted, my body responding in spite of my heartache. Mal didn’t notice. He was too lost in whatever was going on in his head. I waited until he fell asleep afterwards to slip out of bed, putting a little space between me and him. I listened out for him as I got dressed and put on my shoes, but he was down for the count. Whatever happened with his friends took a lot out of him. And because I was hopeless, my heart ached for him. I still wanted to fix it, despite how badly it hurt to know it’d never last. He wouldn’t need me forever.

Letting the door shut quietly behind me, I let out a long breath. I still felt like I was about to cry, and I wasn’t about to do that in my apartment and possibly wake Mal and make him feel guilty. Instead, I headed down the hall and knocked on the last door on the right. It was late, but they were both night owls, so I knew they’d be awake. Selene answered a minute later, her hair tied up and her glasses on her nose, telling me she was working on spells just now. She took one look at me and frowned, taking a step back to let me inside.

“Ingrid? Zach’s here and it looks like someone kicked his puppy.”

Ingrid’s head poked out of the kitchen, her expression confused. “That’s not possible. Zach doesn’t frown.” Her gaze swept over me and her head tipped slightly. “Hey… what happened to you?”

I shook my head. I didn't want to get into it. My friends were protective, and I didn’t want them to get up in arms. Mal hadn’t done anything wrong. I didn't want them to hate him before they got to know him.

Selene shut the door behind me and nudged me into the living room. “Is this a tea or liquor conversation?”

“Neither. I’m fine.”

She and Ingrid shared a look before she turned back to me. “Witch’s brew it is, then. Come, sit. Tell me what’s wrong.”

She steered me towards the couch with a hand on my shoulder, pushing me onto the couch. Ingrid came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with three mugs of what looked like a potion. Witch’s brew was potent and probably not safe for human consumption, but when things got rough with the three of us, it was our drink of choice. It was easier to face our feelings when we were drunk off our asses.

After a few sips, the urge to cry went away, and I sank into the couch with a sigh. Selene took that as a sign that I was ready to talk and leaned her elbow on the back of the couch, supporting her chin as she raised an eyebrow at me.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Given the state of your hair, I’d say this was a boy problem. Which doesn’t make any sense because the last time we spoke, you weren’t seeing anyone. Or have you been holding out on us?” she commented dryly.

Ingrid made a tick sound behind her teeth. “Selene, stop. He’s obviously going through something. Now is not the time to get jealous.”

Selene rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying. We tell each other when we start dating.”

“I am seeing someone. But since it’s only been official for two days, I think you can forgive me for not bringing it up.”

She pursed her lips, some of the annoyance disappearing. “Alright, fine. I can agree to that. So, trouble in paradise? If it’s only been two days, that might be a bit of a red flag, you know.”

Taking another healthy swallow of the brew, I shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be nothing.”

Ingrid put her hand on my shoulder and when I turned to face her, her soft smile made that lump in my throat come back. “If it’s bothering you, it’s never nothing. Tell us what’s wrong.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

ZACHARIAH

Sighing heavily, I launched into the last few days with Mal. I had been friends with Selene and Ingrid since I moved into this building and found them being harassed by some older couple on a power trip. I tore the older couple a new one and when they threatened to call the cops, I reminded them that they’d get into trouble for the same reasons they were shouting at me. They were harassing people first. They stormed off, and I made two new friends. Selene and Ingrid introduced me to the paranormal world and never made me feel stupid for asking off the wall questions.

“Hold on. He called you a paranormal chaser?”

I bobbed my head. “Yeah. He thought because I started hanging around Mal while he was going through something hard that I was manipulating him.”

Ingrid was a lot like me, always smiling, so to see the frown on her face was a little disconcerting. “Did you tell him you’d already been to the Other Realm before? Or that you already had paranormal friends?”

“I didn’t really get a chance. Mal wasn’t happy about the accusation and they all started yelling. Then the guy stormed off, and I sent Mal to go talk to him. How come you never told me about paranormal chasers?”

Ingrid shrugged. “We didn’t think it mattered. You’re not one, and it wasn’t like you needed to watch out for them. It’s seriously messed up that someone would accuse you of being one just because you were being kind.”

“Some asshole calling you names shouldn’t put you in this kind of funk, though. What else aren’t you telling us?” Selene demanded.

I sighed. I’d been hoping they’d latch onto what Aziel said and forget the rest. I should’ve known better. Selene especially was incredibly perceptive.

---