“Sammy, focus, please!”
Mavis’ voice reminded Sammy that he hadn’t answered her question yet. He took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts.
“As I said, I woke when Dre scared my kidnappers off. Naturally, I was afraid at first, but when he approached me, he said he would never harm an innocent. Then he cut the rope around my wrists and carried me downstairs. We talked about Speed and Japanese manga, and he offered to grant me a wish, saying he was already here anyway.”
“He offered to grant you a wish? No strings attached?” Mavis looked stunned.
“Dre said it was because I made him laugh and didn’t judge him, despite my fear.”
“What did you wish for?” There was something in Mavis’ eyes that told him she already knew the answer and felt sorry for him. She patted his forearm with her warm hand. Sammy felt tears welling up and a sob blocking his throat. With all his willpower, he fought down the grief over the loss of his parents. Five years and he still missed them as if it had only happened yesterday.
“I didn’t wish for anything. I know the dead can’t be brought back, and there’s nothing else I need badly enough to use magic to get it. I know those things always come with a price.”
“Which is always more than you can afford, especially when it comes to wishes—and even more so when it’s a demon granting it.” Mavis sighed. “There’s nothing much we can do at the moment, except hope and pray to any deity who might listen that he’s already lost interest in you.”
Sammy didn’t know why, but the thought of Dre losing interest in him made his stomach twist.
“Is he really that dangerous?”
Mavis tapped her right index finger against her lower lip, a sign that she was considering her answer very carefully.
“I haven’t heard anything bad about Dresalantion yet. He seems to be okay for a demon. The problem is that, unlike werewolves, vampires or any of the other paranormal beings who live among humans, demons have absolutely no human traits, and they aren’t close enough to humans to understand their motives and vice versa. Whenever a human gets killed by a demon, it’s mostly not because demons are naturally aggressive. They are, but they are good at holding back. No, usually there’s some kind of misunderstanding involved that would never occur, say, with a shifter. Demons are more or less immortal and often bored out of their mind. In their eyes, humans are a source of entertainment. If Dresalantion has offered to grant you a wish without any strings attached, then I think his interest in you might be real. Still, we need to be very careful. Do you understand?”
Sammy nodded, a bit dazed. He couldn’t remember when Mavis had last spoken so seriously to him, if ever.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She patted his arm. “It’s fine, Sammy. What’s done is done. Let’s see how well your demon can adapt to our little group. And, dear, you should get some sleep. The way you look at the moment, not even those sex-crazed hunks on Grindr would want to have a piece of you, which is a shame.”
She winked, picked up her basket and was out of the door before Sammy could react to that painfully accurate non-compliment. He wondered if, and when, Dre would come today and if he had the time to put some cucumber slices on his eyes. They were supposed to make eyes look all young and vital. Or is that teabags? And which tea? Wet or dry? Surely not dry? Though it hardly mattered, because Sammy knew the moment he closed his eyes, he would instantly fall asleep. He had to find something to keep him awake. Thinking about Mavis’ words sure helped, since he felt torn. His rational mind told him to listen to Mavis and trust her. She was an experienced witch, who no doubt knew better than him about the dangers of the paranormal world. His gut argued that Dre had been nothing but nice and deserved the same chance Sammy had given the other members of his paranormal social circle. His libido wanted to know why he even contemplated backing away from the finest male he had met in…ever.
Sammy was not an aggressive suitor, never had been. Thanks to his loving parents, he had come to terms with his sexuality almost immediately after he’d realized that he wasn’t like most of the other boys, who liked girls. He had crushed on guys during high-school and college but had never gone farther than a hand job. Somehow it hadn’t felt right, and his father had reassured him to do these things in his own time. Now Sammy was a twenty-five-year-old virgin with more emotional baggage than people his age should have, attracted to a hundreds-year-old demon who probably saw him as nothing more than an amusing distraction along the way.
Sammy groaned inwardly. When it came to dampening his mood, nobody did a better job than he did.
The wind chimes he had hung up instead of the usual bell let out its musical tones, alerting Sammy to a customer. When he looked up, his breath caught in his throat. In broad daylight Dre looked even better than he had the night before. He wore faded blue jeans, heavy biker boots that looked well-worn and a sinfully tight, black long-sleeve that hugged his upper body like a second skin. Sammy itched to touch the demon and see for himself if the shamelessly displayed muscles were as hard as they seemed. Dre’s lips curved upward in a bright smile, and for a moment, Sammy saw a flash of fang, reminding him that he was dealing with a non-human, potentially dangerous person, not just an unbelievably good-looking hunk. The sharp teeth would have probably intimidated him more if he hadn’t gotten used to seeing them on a regular basis from Declan, Troy and Emilia. As terrifying as it had been the first few times, now it was part of his reality. Sammy smiled back.
“Hello, Dre. I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”
For a moment Dre appeared to be confused. “I said I would. And hello, Sammy. It’s nice to see you again, though I have to say you look a bit tired. Yesterday must have been stressful for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I just couldn’t sleep because I was so excited. And now I’m contemplating if it’s a good idea to have another cup of coffee.”
Dre seemed to mull this over. “How many have you had already?”
Sammy sighed. “Don’t ask. I stopped counting when I reached my fourth latte. That much coffee can’t be good.”
“You’re right. I’m not much of a coffee drinker myself, but I know humans have a different reaction.”
The word ‘human’ reminded Sammy of what Mavis had told him about demons. He felt torn, and it must have shown on his face, because Dre looked at him sharply.
“Sammy? Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s just—”
The obvious concern in Dre’s voice made Sammy feel guilty and he raised his hand to stop the demon from saying more.
“No, that’s not it. I’m used to the way paranormals refer to humans. It’s just… You know, one of my witch friends was here before you came and, well, she said demons are dangerous. She got very nervous when I told her you’d come today, and believe me… There’s not much that can make her nervous. But I like you, a lot, and now my brain’s having a discussion with my heart and… I’m really fucking this up, aren’t I?” Sammy shot Dre a reproachful look. The demon was clearly trying hard not to laugh and failing miserably. He made several attempts to speak and finally managed after a serious coughing fit.