Page 33 of Claiming a Demon

My stomach tried to turn itself inside out, and I fought the urge to throw up. When I shot a panicked look at Zach, his normally smiling face turned serious.

“Let’s go. Unless it’s faster for you to go by yourself?”

I shook my head. I could technically realm hop if I was really desperate, but it’d take a lot of energy to do it, and I didn’t want to show up completely wiped out. Besides, I needed Zach with me. If this went wrong, I didn’t want to face it alone.

“Okay. Just let me grab my phone and then we’ll go. Don’t worry just yet. Not until we know what’s going on.”

His nerves over meeting my family vanished, and determination took its place. He kept that energy as we teleported to the transportation tunnel and used it on the tunnel attendant to get us to the front of the line. Once the people closest to the front heard the words ‘shadow plague’, they didn’t protest us cutting in. The cross over took no time at all, and once we were on the other side, I tucked Zach against my side and teleported again. My sister didn't tell me what facility they were bringing my dad to, so I figured I’d stop at home first to see if she had waited for me.

The lights were on in the house, which made me think I was right in my assumption, but I hesitated to go inside. I was afraid of what she might say. I stared at the door, trying to come to terms with all the different outcomes.

“It’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, I’m here with you.”

Glancing down at the man in my arms, I fought back a whimper. “What if he’s–”

He cut me off before I could finish the sentence I was too afraid to say out loud anyway. “Don’t think like that. Everything is going to be okay. He’s getting help, and now you don’t have to convince anyone. Just keep taking deep breaths.”

Swallowing hard, I let him lead me into taking a few breaths. He was always good at helping me get myself back under control. I nodded when I no longer felt like I was going to panic and he took my hand, squeezing it gently.

“Ready?”

No. Not really. But I couldn’t stand out here all day. I dipped my chin, lacing our fingers together, and led him inside.

Living in a house full of people, you get used to the noise. It’s why I moved in with Hendrix. I hated the idea of coming home to a quiet house, and when he was working on his music, he was always making noise or the radio was playing. I liked the lack of quiet. I liked that about Zach, too. He was always talking, even if the conversation wasn’t that important. And he had the tv on a lot for background noise, or the little radio in the kitchen. Just because I was quiet didn’t mean I enjoyed the quiet. So when we got inside and the house was full of noise, a sense of nostalgia washed over me. Followed quickly by confusion.

Sierra was the first to pass by the door. She wasn’t paying any attention, her head buried in her phone, but she whipped around when I called her name. She smiled brightly, calling over her shoulder.

“Guys! Malakai’s home!”

My brow furrowed. “Is everyone here?”

She bobbed her head, wandering closer. “Yep. Mama said there was nothing to worry about, but you know Blythe. She is a worry wart. She called everyone home before getting the full story.”

That wasn’t true. Blythe was cautious, but she wouldn’t call everyone home without reason. It was Sierra who didn’t take anything seriously. She hugged me with one arm, her eyes dragging down to her phone again. She was so busy looking down, she didn’t notice I’d brought anyone with me.

“Come on. We’re mostly hanging in the living room.”

I still didn’t know what was going on, and an uneasy feeling swirled in my gut. I followed her into the living room, where another group of my sisters was hanging out. I would’ve thought most of them would’ve gone to the facility when our dad was moved. It was unexpected that they were still here now.

“Baby boy is back,” Camille called, lazily waving from the couch. Her eyes narrowed on Zach. “And he’s brought a friend. Who’s the human?”

Zach didn’t falter an inch, wiggling his fingers with a smile. “Hi, I’m Zach. I–”

“Oh my god, he’s so cute,” Myra interjected, bouncing over to us. Most demons were tall, even the females, so Zach was a head shorter than everyone in the room, which Myra was quick to point out. She sidled up next to him, comparing her height with a grin. “You’re so little! Where did he find you? Never Never Land?”

Zach rolled his eyes, but he didn’t seem bothered by the teasing. He rolled with it, propping a hand on his hip. “I’m way cuter than Tinkerbell.”

She tapped the end of his nose, winking at him. “Of course you are. Oh, you need to meet Lucette. She’s the tallest. I wanna see the size difference.”

She tried to drag Zach away, but I tightened my grip on his hand, pulling him back to me. “Wait. She’s here? Who went with Pops to the facility? Just Mom?”

Myra spun around, shooting me a confused look. “Who said anything about a facility?”

It took me a second to figure out what she was talking about. Once I realized, horror slammed into my gut. I shot an incredulous look around the room, locking eyes with each one of my sisters.

“Hold on. Are you saying he’s still here?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

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