Page 23 of Claiming a Demon

The pain carved into Mal’s face was too much to bear. I wrapped my arms around his middle, doing my best to sound chipper.

“It’s going to be okay. They said he’s alright for now and the next time Mal goes to visit, I’m going to go with him to help convince his family to bring him to a healing facility.”

The demon’s head whipped to me and back to Mal. “Wait. He’s not in one already? How long has it been?”

“A few weeks,” Mal admitted. “I brought it up earlier this week, but my family shot me down.”

The other man who stood beside Mal’s friend looked confused, his gaze shifting between the three of us. “Hold on. Catch me up here. What’s going on?”

The demon stepped back, putting his arm around the man’s shoulders. “Not many things can get a demon sick. Our immune system is one of the best amongst paranormals. But the few things out there that can hurt us are–” I shot him a dirty look, and he hesitated before changing what I knew he was about to say. “They’re really hard to get over. It takes a lot of time and healers. The best place to be when you’re sick like that is at a healer’s facility. Callum’s mom runs one of the best facilities in the Other Realm. Have you told him? I bet he could ask her to find your old man a spot.”

Mal shook his head slowly, but didn’t explain. When the demon glanced at me for some kind of answer, I rubbed Mal’s side supportively.

“He was afraid to admit it out loud. Telling me was one thing. I had no idea what it meant. You guys…”

Understanding flashed across the demon’s face, and he grimaced. “Damn. I get that. We know the full picture and you weren’t ready to face it. I’m sorry, man. If there’s anything I can do–”

“You can tell the others,” Mal mumbled.

Surprised, I looked up at Mal. He still wouldn’t meet his friend’s eye, but he glanced at me and shot me a pained look. This was getting to be too much for him and he trusted his friend to pass along the message so he wouldn’t have to.

Turning to the couple, I offered them a small smile. “If you wouldn’t mind. At least give everyone a chance to come to terms with it so he doesn’t have to see the responses written all over your faces.”

The demon had been looking at Mal with sympathy, but the minute I mentioned it, he schooled his face and nodded. “I can do that. Today, before poker? Or did you want me to wait?”

“Whenever. We’re gonna head out. I’ll see you two later,” Mal rushed out.

Without more than a nod in their direction, he scooped me into his arms and launched himself into the air. I wasn’t expecting it and I may have let out a startled yelp as he took off. I clung tightly to him, my face buried against his neck, until his movements evened out and my stomach stopped wanting to get acquainted with my shoes. Slowly, I lifted my head and looked around, my jaw falling open at the view.

“Holy crap…” I murmured, mostly to myself.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just couldn’t stand there anymore.”

When I glanced at Mal, he looked genuinely remorseful, and still really upset. I cupped his face, leaning in to brush my lips against his.

“It’s okay. It just surprised me, that’s all. This is kinda crazy. You do this every day?”

He lifted a shoulder, his wings flapping lazily to keep us aloft. I could see everything up here and it was amazing just how big the city looked from above. I mostly hung around a small part of it, so it never felt that big to me.

“Maybe I should be exploring the city more.”

“You don’t often?”

I shook my head. “I’m a creature of habit. I go between work, home, my favorite restaurants, and a few gay bars close to my place if I’m looking to let loose a little. I like dancing.”

The tension in his face eased a little, and he leaned his forehead against mine. “I’d like to see you dance.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to. If you’re going to be my boyfriend, then you gotta take me out and treat me special. It’s the rules.”

I was testing the waters a little. We still hadn’t talked about our relationship outside of what was said at the spa, and I really wanted to know if he saw this as more than just a fun distraction.

“Okay. I can’t dance, though.”

My face lit up. He didn’t deny it, so I was going to take that as a yes on the relationship question. I hugged my arms tighter around his neck, nuzzling my nose against his.

“It’s not that hard. Mostly, you just stand there while I grind up on you.”

That made him laugh, and he finally moved past the heartache. I was determined to always be that kind of distraction for him. I couldn’t always fix the problem. I wasn’t a doctor or a healer or whatever. But I could do everything in my power to make him smile again.

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