Page 45 of Claiming a Demon

The dam broke instantly, and a sob ripped from my chest. I sank to my knees, my head buried in my arms on the edge of Dad’s bed. The relief was too much to bear. I thought I’d lose him. When I saw him in that bed, almost lifeless, I thought that I’d have to say goodbye. I did my best to stay positive, but I could see on other people’s faces that they thought the same thing. Only Zach kept me from giving up completely. His hand rubbed slow circles on my back, his warmth pressed against my side. I didn’t know what I’d do if he wasn’t here.

Gentle fingers carded through my hair, Dad’s tone soothing. “I’m okay, son. I didn’t think I would be. I don’t know what made Healer Delano go against my wishes, but I am grateful for it.”

My head whipped up. “Wait. What?”

Mom looked just as confused as me, her brows drawn together tightly. “What wishes? Andreas?”

Dad looked reluctant to admit anything, but my sisters slowly filled the room, all of us waiting for him to explain. He sighed, his expression remorseful.

“I didn’t want to drag it out. Once I had my first turn and saw the effects it had on all of you, I decided to stop treatment. I thought it would only postpone the inevitable. Why put my family through months of pain just to reach the same conclusion? So I asked him to treat the symptoms and let me pass.”

“Andreas!” Mom cried, her tone hurt and surprised.

Dad grimaced. “I’m sorry, my love. I could see the toll it was taking on you. I didn’t want you to suffer.”

“I would suffer every day without you! How dare you try to rob me of what time we had left!” She looked hurt and angry, and Dad seemed apologetic, but it didn’t make things better. He didn’t understand our side of it.

My sisters all called out their agreement, berating my dad for making that choice on his own. I watched silently. They were all saying the same things that I was thinking, and normally I’d keep my thoughts to myself, but… I glanced at Zach, who was still kneeling beside me. His focus was on me and when he smiled softly, I found the courage to speak.

“I would have hated you.”

My comment was quiet, but they heard me anyway, and the room fell silent. I turned slowly, locking eyes with my dad and shaking my head slowly.

“If I had found out later that you gave up without a fight, I would have hated you for it. We all would have. You would have ripped Mom’s heart to pieces. Mine too. All because you didn’t think we were strong enough to stand beside you. That’s not fair. We should have had a say.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ZACHARIAH

The shock from Mal’s words left the room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. His shoulders were tense, he was obviously uncomfortable, but his chin was up and he looked determined, too. If there was one person he felt confident speaking honestly to, it was his dad. And the room seemed to agree with him. Leona had a look of betrayal and heartache on her face. Mal’s sisters all looked angry. They agreed with him. I would too. If one of my dads got sick and gave up fighting, I’d be angry too.

Mal’s dad gave his son a tremulous smile. “You would have been justified. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I only wanted to make things easier on you.”

“I told him it was too soon,” an aged voice spoke near the doorway. The sisters all parted to make room for a demon in plain white robes. He tipped his head, lifting his eyebrows at Mal’s dad. “I also said you should discuss it with your family first. You didn’t listen to me.”

Mal’s dad scowled. “Hush now, Conrad. I meant well.”

The man, who I assumed was the original healer, turned to Leona with a grimace. “I promise, I never meant to keep it from you. He made me swear a vow. I asked him to consider a facility, but he refused.”

Leona shot her husband a dirty look. “You’re lucky your son took action. I had no clue things weren’t as they were supposed to be. Malakai is right. Had I found out you took those moments away from me, I would have hated you for it.”

“Leona, sweetheart,” he pleaded, remorse clear on his face. “Please don’t be angry with me. I was trying to spare you. You know the survival rates for this disease.”

“Less than five percent,” Mrs. Malatesta said airily as she bustled into the room. “Which is five percent more than zero. It is a miracle that you survived, but it wouldn’t have happened without Mal getting you the help you needed. Now, I understand you have a lot of groveling to do, but it will have to wait. You need your rest. I’ll ask that the family clear out to make room for my team. We still have work to do.”

They all left, albeit reluctantly. I practically had to drag Mal with me. I pulled him into the waiting room, resting my head against his temple when he sat down and dragged me into a hug. We stayed that way for a little while, just giving Mal the time he needed to come to terms with everything he’d just heard. It wasn’t until Leona came out that he straightened. His eyes looked weary, and he still had an edge of heartache. Leona’s smile was forced and that same pain shone in her eyes as she sat beside Mal.

“Mom, I’m–”

“Don’t. Don’t you apologize now. You saved his life. If you hadn’t done what you did, he would have died.” Tears spilled over her cheeks and her voice tightened. “Thank you. Thank you for saving him.”

Stepping away, I gave room for Mal to hug his mother properly. I stuck close, just in case he needed me, but he needed the time to heal. Sitting next to Myra, I tipped my head at her.

“Doing okay?”

She let out a slow breath. “Yeah. It’s shocking, hearing what he tried to do. But honestly, I get it. If I was in his position and I was watching my family suffer for something I had very little hope of surviving, I’d probably do the same thing. I mean, I would’ve told everyone first, but yeah. I wouldn’t want to drag it out either.”

“I think telling everyone would’ve made a world of difference,” I agreed. “At least then you guys would’ve had time to come to terms with it.” Glancing back at Mal and his mom, I sighed. “At least there was a good outcome. I’m glad Mal spoke up for himself. Your dad needed to hear it.”

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