Page 41 of Claiming a Demon

“Of course I had to come. You’re my boyfriend. You’re important to me. You should’ve told me you weren’t feeling well.”

“I didn't want to distract you. Your dad…”

“Is fine. My mom sends me a message every few hours to let me know of any changes. Mrs. Malatesta is one of the best healers in the realm. She’s working with him directly. He’s in good hands. You, on the other hand. I found you passed out on the bathroom floor. I almost lost it. You can’t just hide the fact that you’re sick from me. If you need help, then I want to help you.”

A lump formed in my throat and I fought back tears. People didn’t take care of me. I took care of them. It was what I was good at. I chose my entire career based on that. I mean, once I realized how hard medical school was, that is. When things got tough for me, I pushed through because I was needed. I didn't know how to let people take care of me. And I promised myself I wouldn’t push the boyfriend thing while Mal was struggling. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to take care of me.

Mal sighed, curling his body over mine. I was wrapped in his warmth, his strength, and I lost the fight against the tears. My shoulder shook on choked sobs, my fingers digging into his shirt. Most guys probably would’ve shied away from a display like that, but Mal never wavered. He ran his claws through my hair, rocking me gently, until the tears slowed and a knock at my door drew his attention. He settled me back into the bed, tucking the blankets around me.

“I’ll be right back.”

My chin trembled watching him leave, but I didn’t say anything. I had no idea who’d be visiting right now, so I couldn’t just ignore who was at the door. I shifted carefully, snagging the box of tissues off my nightstand, and swiped furiously at my eyes. I felt a little silly crying like that. I was just blowing my nose when my bedroom door burst open and my friends crowded inside. Mal followed behind them, taking his place back at my side without a word.

“You’re awake. How do you feel?” Selene demanded.

“I’m okay,” I replied, eyeing her suspiciously. She looked pissed. Why did everyone have to be mad at me when I was too weak to do anything about it?

“Good. Then I can berate you properly. What in the world were you thinking? We live down the hall! You could’ve come to us if you were that bad off! I can’t believe you–”

Ingrid covered Selene’s mouth with her hand, muffling her tirade. “Sorry. We were all worried about you. Mal said he gave you a potion to help. Is it working?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. It knocked down the worst of it. I can actually function at least. How did you know?”

I saw Mal grimace out of the corner of my eye and when I glanced up at him, he looked sheepish. “That was my fault. When I found you collapsed like that, I started shouting your name. They heard me. Most of your neighbors probably did. They helped me get you comfortable.”

Which meant both my friends and Mal found me collapsed in the bathroom. Great. That wasn’t embarrassing at all.

“Sorry. I was afraid to move away from the toilet for a while. I didn’t faint or anything. I was just really tired, and I figured I could close my eyes for a little while until I had the strength to go to bed.”

“You wouldn’t open your eyes when we called your name, Zach,” Selene growled. “It was worse than you were making it out to be. We were going to bring you to the hospital, but one of our neighbors said they wouldn’t be able to do much for you. She said something about the flu and how it had to run its course. Which is messed up, in my opinion.”

I gestured to the glass of water, taking another sip with Mal’s help before I answered them. “She was right. Viruses have to run their course. The only thing the hospital could’ve done was give me an IV. And my insurance sucks. It would’ve cost me a fortune. I’m sorry I worried you guys. I honestly didn’t realize how bad it was until Callum brought me home. I was tired and a little achy, sure, but it hit me like a freight train after he left and I couldn’t get away from the toilet long enough to ask for help. I promise, I’m better now.”

Selene scowled. “You’ve had a potion. Of course you feel better. But it won’t fix it. So you better be prepared for us to camp out on your couch. I swear you took years off my life, lying on the floor all pale and cold like that. I thought you were dead.”

It took a while to calm Selene down. She was adamant that she and Ingrid had to stay with me, no matter how many times I said that wasn’t necessary. It was Mal who finally convinced them to give me a break. He promised he’d stay by my side and keep them updated. After walking them out, he brought me a bowl of soup, propping me up against the headboard, and hovered beside me while I ate it. I couldn’t get through much, my stomach still hurt a lot, but he seemed satisfied that I tried.

I took a short nap, and when I woke up, Mal gave me another potion. They were easier to take than the medicine I was used to, and they worked almost instantly, which was nice. No thirty minutes in agony period. I got up to use the bathroom, pausing outside my door and blinking a few times in surprise.

“Did you… clean my apartment?”

Mal shrugged, his hand firmly on my elbow to help me to the bathroom. I still felt like my legs were made of jello, and not in the fun after sex way.

“Just a little. You had to leave in a hurry when we left the other day. Since it was my fault, I figured I’d help out.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was an emergency,” I argued, letting him lead me into the bathroom. The look on his face said he didn't believe me, but I didn't have a chance to change his mind. He stepped out long enough to let me do my business before returning to my side, scooping me up to bring me back to bed. It made me happy that he didn't hide his expressions around me anymore, but it was also heartbreaking to see the guilt written all over his face.

“Mal. I mean it. It wasn’t your fault. None of this was. Humans get sick. Some sicknesses are worse than others. I’m okay now.”

He didn’t reply, tucking me under the blankets with his eyes averted. I caught his hand, bringing it up to my cheek and nuzzling against it.

“Please don’t blame yourself. You’ll make me sad if you do.”

His lips pursed, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “That’s low.”

I stuck my lip out, pulling out the biggest pout I could muster. “Please?”

With a heavy sigh, he joined me in bed, wrapping himself around me. “It’s unfair that you can manipulate me like that. I still feel bad.”

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