Page 15 of Claiming a Demon

We stopped by his friend’s restaurant for a couple of sushi burritos before heading a couple of blocks away to a small apartment complex on the corner. He chattered the entire walk there, mostly about his yoga class and the attractive instructor who led the thing. I had to work hard to keep my mask in place to hide my scowl. I didn’t enjoy the thought of him and the yoga instructor, but I kept that to myself. He was my massage therapist and my friend. Off limits if I wanted to keep what we had now. And given the way my life was going right now, I couldn’t afford to lose him.

CHAPTER TEN

MALAKAI

“I know some people are comfortable laying on the floor like that, but when I meditate, I prefer the meditation room. If I’m laying on the floor, I’m always worried I’m going to be stepped on by people leaving. The class is too crowded for that. I’m always the first to leave so I can keep that calm energy all the way to the spa, but that means I don’t get to talk to him after class,” he sighed dramatically. “At this rate, I’ll end up single for the rest of my life. Libby says I’m too particular and finding someone who matches my interests and also has the energy to deal with my personality is impossible.”

“That’s bullshit,” I growled.

Zach came to an abrupt halt, turning to face me with wide eyes. I instantly regretted saying something, but it was also true. There was nothing wrong with his personality. He had a lot of energy and liked to talk. What was wrong with that?

“Holy crap. Say that again.”

I frowned. “Why?”

A huge grin overtook his face, his eyes dancing. “Because I didn’t peg you as the cussing kind of guy. And that growl was out of this world. Come on, say it.”

For the first time all day, a smile tugged at my lips. This was why I couldn’t agree with what he had said. Who would be upset getting this kind of attention from their significant other? He made the world brighter just by being nearby. If someone couldn’t handle that, they didn’t deserve him.

When I shook my head, he pouted at me, walking backwards as we headed into the building. “You’re mean. They always use growling in my romance novels and this was the first time I’d ever heard a growl that wasn’t cringy.”

I chuckled, holding the door for him after he unlocked it. Demons growl. It’s just one way we express ourselves. I didn't realize humans did, too. Or at least, in their books they did. I’d never heard a human growl before.

Zach’s apartment was on the second floor, right off the stairs. There was a colorful mat in front of the door, and the door jingled when he opened it. There were bells on the inside handle that I didn’t see until he closed the door behind him. While he bustled about, I looked around. It was smaller than the apartment Hendrix and I shared, but well kept. The front door opened to a small entryway crowded with shoes. Past that, on the right, was the bathroom, and on the left was the bedroom. The hallway led into the main room, with the living room on the right and an open kitchen on the left. There was even a balcony with comfy looking chairs just off the kitchen. It was well decorated, with throw pillows matching the blanket draped along one side of the couch, and art with pops of that same color on the walls. Every shelf was filled with knick-knacks and pictures, and even though it was busier than I was used to, it felt quaint instead of crowded.

“Are you thirsty? I’ve got sparkling water, tea, and wine. Though, I don’t think wine would go well with the burritos. I forgot I needed to pick up soda at the store.”

Zach’s head was buried in the fridge as he spoke, and my gaze dropped to his behind automatically. If yoga gave him that kind of figure, it was no wonder he was drooling over his instructor. Jealousy settled heavily in my gut and I forgot to answer him until he straightened and turned to face me.

“Mal?”

Blinking a few times, I shoved down the emotions, giving Zach my full attention.

“Anything is fine. Did you need help?”

“No, I’m okay. Why don’t you go sit at the table?”

I moved to do as he said, sitting carefully in the little chair in the kitchen. He studied me for a second without moving. It almost seemed like he could read me like a book and I couldn’t tell if I liked that or not. I valued my ability to hide my emotions. With my many sisters, one wrong look could set them off. I learned young to hide how I was feeling or face their wrath.

After a minute, he went back to gathering drinks and plates, setting them on the table before flitting off again. I was used to it by now, since sitting still was difficult for him. His boundless energy was a thing of wonder. I wished I could be as energetic as him, especially when working busy shifts. By the time I finished with work, I was dead on my feet and couldn’t even be bothered to shower before collapsing into bed. Meanwhile, Zach finished a day of massaging people and caring for them and bounced around a room afterwards like it hadn’t affected him. Even while he sat across from me, his leg bounced and he chattered between bites like he couldn’t keep any of it in.

It was a beautiful distraction, and I put all my focus onto him to keep myself sane. I didn't have to think about my family, about my fears. I could just be here with him. At least until we finished eating, and he nudged me onto the couch.

“Okay, spill. I want to know what made you come looking for me. And don’t let me forget to give you my phone number. If it happens again, I want you to be able to text me so I can meet you there.”

I handed him my phone, hoping to distract him for just a little while longer. I didn’t want to talk about it, but given the look on his face, he wasn’t going to let it go. If it had been my friends, they wouldn’t have pushed me. Zach was more demanding than they were. Usually I liked it, but when he sat beside me and gave me an expectant look, I fought back a scowl.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe not. But you need to,” he replied easily, undeterred. “It’s obviously upsetting you, and keeping it in isn’t helping. Whatever you need from me, I’ll give you. You want background noise, I’ll turn on the tv. You want me to face away so you can get it out, I can do that. Whatever you need. But you can’t keep it in. I’m serious, Mal. I’ve never seen you so stressed out before. You almost had a panic attack earlier.”

I didn’t feel like it got that bad, but I didn’t argue with him. I didn't see the point. I went along with what other people wanted. It just made my life easier. So, even though I didn’t want to, I told Zach what was bothering me.

“My dad… He’s always been my favorite person. I have six sisters and my parents. He and I were the only boys in the house. Even the cat is a girl. So we’ve always been close. A few weeks ago, my mom called to tell me my dad was sick. Demons getting sick is rare. There are only a few things that can actually make us ill and all of them are life threatening. I… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so scared before. I went home to visit him, but he said he was okay. It wasn’t that bad.”

Zach put his hand on mine, worry etched in his face. “Has he seen a doctor?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, but with the kind of illness he has, healers find it hard to keep up. It’s aggressive and a healer could burn out or even get hurt if they tried to heal it like they would a broken bone or something. They have to do it in stages and hope they can eventually overtake it. And it was working. Until Monday morning.”

---