Page 10 of Cooking Up a Demon
“What the Hell?” My father takes a step toward me. I don’t for one second think he means to protect me. He’s absolutely prepared to throw me at the demon so he can get away.
“Hell is right, mortal.” Kallax says in his incredibly deep, growling voice. The one I can feel vibrate through my entire body. “That’s precisely where you are going.”
My father gapes and sputters. Mr. Miller faints dead away and crashes to the ground. None of us pay attention to the prone lawyer.
“You dare insult my mate?” My eyes fly to Kallax, and my breath freezes in my chest.
Mate? Mate?!
There is no mating happening here. There is an annoying demon who won’t stop stealing my food and appearing at inconvenient times.
I scan my eyes down over his broad shoulders and torso, across the ridges of his abs, and settle on the knot of his lace fly leather pants. Okay, so maybe mating wouldn’t be the worst thing, but I have a feeling mate means a lot more to him than the gutter thoughts I’m having.
“Beatrix, what is this?” My father demands. His voice is shaky, and he’s not so steady on his feet at the moment. A small, terrible part of me revels in his fear. I even kind of understand it. While I’ve never been afraid of Kallax, he looks rather terrifying at the moment.
The red veins that blend into skin most of the time are simmering, giving him the appearance of lava under his deep charcoal skin. His black eyes are practically glowing. He’s risen to his full height, which puts the points of his horns only inches from the ceiling.
I realize I might have lost the plot when the only thought in my head about the demon facing down my father with a lawyer unconscious at my feet is that I’m going to be pissed if he scrapes the ceiling. Then again, he likes being useful, so he’d probably repair his own damage.
“You do not speak to her. You do not look at her. And after this day, you shall leave and never return.”
“I’m – you can’t just…” My father’s face turns bright red as he babbles before trailing into silent fuming. I’ve never seen him speechless before, and it’s kind of wonderful.
He turns to look at me again, demanding with his eyes to do something. I cross my arms under my breasts and shrug at him. He’s been a crappy father, and this move is so wildly over the line. I can’t imagine a world in which I will want to speak to him again.
“I can and I will. You contact her in any way, you return to this town, you cause her a moment of upset and I will drag you to Hell and tie you to the pyre myself.” Kallax crosses his large arms, mirroring my position, and glares at my father. “Now go, and don’t ever return.”
“Beatrix,” Father starts. I shake my head.
“There’s nothing left to be said.” I cross to the door and pull it open for him. “Goodbye, Father.”
My father steps over the prone lawyer and stomps across the floor and out the door without another word. I wait until he disappears from sight before I let the door close and I slump into myself.
The silence in the store is heavy, and I don’t know what to say. The demon overstepped, but I can’t be mad about someone standing up for me. Especially when I am so bad at standing up for myself. A part of me is sad it’s come to this, but the way my father tried to manipulate and control my life is wildly inappropriate. The fact he thought I would give into him says so much about me, and it’s not an image I like.
“Are you all right?” The demon’s voice is quiet. When I look up at him, the fire has gone out of his veins and he’s back to a solid charcoal grey.
“I guess?” I look to the lawyer on my floor. “I need to do something about him.”
The demon picks the unconscious man up and moves him outside to the sidewalk, where he drops him without ceremony or an iota of gentleness.
I hold the door open for him as he returns to the store. He waits until the door closes before he spins on me and grips my shoulders. His large hands practically swallow me up. “He is wrong. You are more than capable of doing anything you put your mind to.”
“How would you know?” I look up into his black eyes and wish he had all the answers. “You know nothing about me.”
The demon releases one arm and wraps a hand around the side of my neck. He uses his thumb to press my face upward until our eyes lock.
“I know enough. I know you’ve brought life back into this building almost entirely on your own. I’ve seen the changes in the house and the book store. You have a demon at your disposal and do not ask for help, but do it yourself. That kind of hard work and dedication do not get squandered. You are amazing, and you will not fail.”
Tears well in my eyes at Kallax’s praise. I’ve never been good enough for anyone in my life. I’m too plump and short to be the beauty queen daughter my mother wanted. Too average of intelligence and unmotivated to matter to my business-driven father. I’ve been cheated on, dumped, and found wanting by every partner I’ve ever had. Fired, passed over, and generally mistreated by every employer.
I can’t think of a single time in my life someone thought I was good enough, capable enough. I’ve been questioning Nonna’s choice to leave everything to me since I got the notice. A part of me has been certain I will fail and end up back in Florida with nothing. A voice I’ve been smothering daily.
Kallax is right. I’ve worked hard. My first weekend was beyond my dreams. Maybe this isn’t what I planned for my life,but I feel good here. I feel good about the work I put into the store. I feel good about the people I’ve met and think I might even have friends here one day.
Kallax leans down until he is inches from me. His grip on the back of my neck tightens, and his expression goes fierce.
“Do you understand me, Bea? You will not fail.” His voice is as firm as it was when he was sending my father away. Determined. Demanding.
