Chapter Ten

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Dre watched his reflection in the mirror, wondering if it was possible for demons to throw up. He’d never heard of it, since demons didn’t get human diseases, but right now he felt as if his dinner wanted to make a reappearance, which would be a shame, because it had been delicious.

“You’re going to be fine. Those are my friends, my family. They’re going to love you.” Dre was sure Sammy tried to sound reassuring. He would have probably appreciated his efforts more if there hadn’t been a slight tremor to his boyfriend’s voice. They both were nervous as all hell, ramping each other up. No amount of dessert or heavy petting had been able to calm them down.

Dre splashed some cold water into his face before he straightened his back. Everything in him yearned to turn into his demon form to present a menacing front to the world. But if he wanted Sammy’s friends to like him, he had to be approachable—or at least more so than an eight-foot demon with claws sharp enough to perform surgery with them, a wing span that just wasn’t made for inside and fangs so long that it became almost impossible to speak once they were fully out.

He had shown his true form to Sammy, who was at first suitably impressed then couldn’t get enough of it. After their trip to Sweden, they had spent the rest of the weekend visiting places where Dre could fly with Sammy. To him it was pure heaven that Sammy accepted his demon form so easily, but he knew Sammy’s friends wouldn’t be so relaxed. From what Sammy had told him, they all were powerful paranormals themselves, and how they managed to have regular book club meetings without killing each other and destroying the book shop in the process remained a mystery to Dre.

After his meeting with Mavis and Maribell, he had done some research on the whole group, and even though he would have probably been able to best them in a fight, he was still glad they had grudgingly accepted him. Those two were a lot more than met the eye, and Dre wouldn’t challenge their wrath if he could avoid it. The two alpha werewolves, Declan and Troy, worried him as well. For two alphas to live without a pack and have nobody interfering was unheard of. It spoke a lot of their position within the shifter world that nobody dared to bother them. Emilia, the vampire, was another enigma. Vampires and werewolves mixed about as well as demons and everybody else. Still, she seemed to have no problem meeting regularly with two very powerful shifters. Perhaps it was because she was from the oldest line of vampires, who could trace their ancestors back to Lilith herself. Having such an ancient family at her back gave her a lot of freedom. Amber and Jon, the banshee and the zombie, were the least threatening, though, thanks to Sammy’s warning, Dre wouldn’t accept any baked goods from Amber.

“You’re going to be okay, Dre.” Sammy hugged him from behind. “We’re going to be okay.”

Dre put his hands on Sammy’s wrists and enjoyed the tingles that radiated through his body from where their skin connected. “I just want them to like me.”

“They will. And if not, it’s their loss because you’re the greatest guy I ever met.”

“You’re just saying that to get another massage with a happy ending.” Dre chuckled.

“Doesn’t make it untrue though.”

Dre definitely noticed the interest Sammy’s cock took in his words, as well as the lack of denial of his statement. During their exploring of each other’s bodies Sammy had lost most of his shyness. The Guide to Successful and Satisfying Sex with a Paranormal had helped a lot. Dre would have never thought that reading it together could be a source of so much fun and sensual moments. It had been an eye-opener to him. Never before had Dre laughed so much during sex—even if they hadn’t gone all the way yet. He was fascinated how easily he and Sammy could change from seriously turned on to laughing so hard that their bellies ached. It made him even more determined to keep Sammy, true mate or not.

“No, it does not. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to indulge in happy endings at the moment. We need to go downstairs.”

Sammy pouted, but let go of Dre’s waist. “Fine, be all logical about it. I just want to point out that Milo is handling the shop pretty well.”

That the boy did. Dre had to give him that. It had taken Milo only a week to immerse himself in the workings of the shop. He made a mean café latte and knew the stock almost as well as Sammy himself. The boy seemed to blossom under the calming influence of all the books.

“You’re right. But didn’t he say something about having to work at the pizza delivery tonight?”

Sammy slapped his forehead. “I forgot. Damn. Let’s get downstairs.”

On their way out of the apartment, Dre grabbed his copy of the Chronicles of Corum, which he had read thoroughly. Since he wasn’t likely to sway Sammy’s friends with the fact that he was a demon, he wanted to win them over with his love for and knowledge about books.

After they had sent Milo off, Dre watched Sammy operating the coffee maker to create everyone’s favorite drink while pacing around nervously. When he heard a door open and close again, he almost jumped out of his skin. Sammy’s muffled laughter broke him out of his stupor.

“Easy, Dre. It’s just Jon.”

Dre looked in the direction Sammy indicated and saw a lean man of middle height standing in front of the section for historic books. His hair was dark black and hung around his face like a veil. He wore black jeans, a blue shirt and fluffy pink slippers. Dre so wanted to look twice but didn’t want to appear rude, so he kept his gaze firmly trained on Jon’s eyes, which were of a stunning emerald green peeping through the long strands of his hair.

“Hi, Jon, I’m Dre, Sammy’s boyfriend.”

Jon nodded without extending his hand. Dre already knew the zombie didn’t like skin contact, so he wasn’t insulted.

“Hi, Dre. Nice to meet you. If you don’t mind me asking, on a scale from zero to ten, how dangerous are demons?”

Dre glanced at Sammy in search for help, but the little traitor pretended to be busy with the coffee maker.

“Uhm, if you’re going strictly after the power a demon can wield, we’re a solid ten, though I do like to point out that violence against anybody in the human realm is very much frowned upon. Our main directive is blending in so we can partake in the wonders the human mind can create.”

Dre wasn’t sure if he wasn’t laying it on a bit too thick. Jon was watching him with wide eyes and even pushed back his hair to get a better look at Dre.

“You’re quoting Star Trek. I already like you. Are you team Kirk, Picard or Janeway?”

“Tough one. I’m all for an all-cast team with Picard, Spock, Seven of Nine and Chakotay, because I dig the tattoos.”

Jon seemed to think about that statement. His shoulders were huddled, as if he wanted to make himself smaller, a clear sign that he was very shy. “I’m with you, though I’d like to add Data. I think he and Spock would make a cute couple.”

Before Dre could find an answer to this mind-boggling idea, the chimes above the shop door announced more visitors. The first ones to enter were Mavis and Maribell, closely followed by two extremely handsome men who could only be the wolf shifters. There was just something about those who shared their body with an animal spirit that always made them stand out. The blond guy was about to close the door then opened it wide again, stepping slightly to the side to let two females in. The smaller one had short, green hair and wore enough jewelry to open a store, thus had to be the banshee. The second one was almost as tall as the two wolf shifters, with long, chestnut-colored hair and the perfect pearly complexion that only vampires possessed. When she greeted him, her voice had that soft cadence no human could resist. Thankfully, Dre was mostly immune to the powers of other paranormals.

“Hello, handsome, you must be Dre, Sammy’s boyfriend. Mavis and Maribell have told us everything about you.” Emilia looked him up and down, her expression unreadable.

Somehow Dre knew it was nothing good. He also tried to ignore the thinly veiled threat she had delivered. These people were only trying to look out for Sammy, a fact Dre reminded himself of constantly.

“He likes Picard and Chakotay.”

The statement came out of nowhere, and when Dre looked back at Jon, the zombie seemed to shrink in on himself.

“Picard and Chakotay? You’re kidding me, right? Kirk and Spock are the kings.” The banshee, Amber, Dre remembered, looked at him with a frown. He opened his mouth to respond, but either Declan or Troy, Dre wasn’t sure which one, beat him to it.

“Amber, please, do we have to go over this again? Nobody says it wasn’t a heroic deed by William Shatner to suck his belly in for I don’t know how many episodes, but he still holds no candle to Seven of Nine. No sucking in of body parts there.” The wolf winked at Dre before he hastily jumped backward when Amber poked him with her index finger between the ribs.

“Do you even listen to yourself? How sexist can you get?”

“Is that a trick question? You do know we’re werewolves, don’t you?” It was the other wolf who spoke. Emilia rolled her eyes.

“Please, we’ve been over this. Stop using your genetic makeup as an excuse. You’re smart enough to be better than that.”

“You’re taking all the fun out of this.” The wolf who had first spoken actually pouted. “I still stand by my words. Seven of Nine is the best.”

“What all of you seem to forget is the beauty that lies within maturity.” Maribell sounded soothing. “Which is why Chakotay and Picard are the kings.”

“Data and Spock.” Jon’s voice was firm, if a bit hushed, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be heard.

“Guys, can we please stop with the Star Trek discussion or do I have to remind you of the great Avengers incident last summer?” Sammy carried a tray full of different beverages to the two tables in front of the counter. After some mumbled sentences that Dre was glad he couldn’t hear clearly, they all sat down on the couches. He made sure to be next to Sammy, casually putting an arm around his shoulders. With two virile werewolves in close proximity, he felt the need to stake his claim. Sammy didn’t seem to mind, so everything was fine.

“Everybody, this is Dre, my boyfriend. Dre, you’ve already met Mavis and Maribell…and Jon. These are Amber, Emilia, Declan and Troy.” The introduction wasn’t really needed, since Dre had—with the exception of the werewolves—already figured out who was who, but he appreciated the formality. It made everything appear more civilized, which was important when so many different paranormals met.

Dre nodded at each person. “It’s a pleasure meeting you all. Thank you for having me.”

Declan grinned broadly. “I have a feeling you’d be here anyway. Nice meeting you. Please don’t go all demon on us.” The words sounded nonchalant, though Dre could feel the underlying tension. He decided to play with open cards.

“Okay, here’s the deal. Whatever you’ve heard about demons is probably true. Whatever experiences you’ve had with demons, I sincerely apologize for the behavior of my kind. And let me assure you that I’m not here to blow a fuse then go on a rampage. I’m genuinely interested in Sammy, which should be no surprise to you, since you all surely know what a kind, caring and wonderful person he is. As his friends, I want to impress you somewhat badly, because if things work out the way I intend them to, we’re going to see a lot of each other.” He looked around, maintained eye contact with everyone in the group. For a moment, there was silence, until Mavis clapped her hands.

“Well said, Dre. You get your chance—and not just because you provide some additional eye candy for my sweetheart and me.” Maribell leaned over to give her wife a kiss on the cheek.

“What? Are we no longer good enough for you?” Troy threw his arms in the air.

“Whatever makes you think we weren’t talking about you two?” Mavis winked at the two wolves. Declan pressed his hands to his heart as if he were mortally wounded.

“Where’s the love, Mavis?”

“Probably died a heroic death, just like Corum.” Sammy grinned. “Notice my subtle attempt at changing the topic?”

“I thought we were having fun!” Amber grabbed a blueberry muffin from the tray on the Smaug and Drogon table and sniffed it with a dreamy smile. Sammy rolled his eyes.

“You were arguing about Star Trek and making my boyfriend uncomfortable. How is that fun?”

“As if you’ve never argued about geek trivia. That Avengers incident was because of your insistence that the Scarlet Witch could have wiped the floor with Thanos.” Amber crossed her arms, causing the countless amulets to jingle.

A hard glint entered Sammy’s eyes. “I stand by that. If Mantis with her glowing feelers was able to enter Thanos’ mind, the Scarlet Witch should have had a field day with him.”

“He’s right about that one, Amber. I think all the Avengers and their powers were downplayed in that film.” Troy snatched a chocolate chip muffin off the tray and polished it off with two bites.

“I still hate that so many of them had to die. That’s just not how a superhero movie is supposed to end.” Jon looked at his lap while speaking.

“Which brings us back to our initial topic.” Mavis smiled softly. “Heroes die all the time. We’ve seen that with Corum, Hercules, Beowulf, Siegfried and many others. Perhaps it would be interesting to look up at which point exactly mankind stopped killing their heroes and gave them sequels instead.”

The others nodded. Dre thought about it for a moment. “You’re kind of right, Mavis. Though I do want to point out that the old heroes, like Hercules or Siegfried, have their sequels as well. They’re just packed into one huge tale. Or, in the case of Ulysses, two tales. We see them growing up and eventually dying in battle or by treason. I don’t think that’s too different from how humans treat modern heroes. They just have better CGI now.”

“Well said, man!” Declan chuckled. “The question is, why do we expect our heroes to be a certain way? Is this something ingrained in the human psyche? Troy and I have found an article about how the need to paint things in black and white played a huge role when heroes were invented.”

“I imagine things were definitely easier back then in terms of what your mind had to process. The world was a significantly smaller place, where often the village over the next hill seemed outlandish. I can see how people wanted their heroes to be clear-cut. Modern technology has robbed people of that narrow-mindedness, which is probably the reason why so many wish it to come back. It can be scary out there.” Sammy snuggled closer to Dre while saying this, and Dre pressed a kiss on his forehead.

“I agree, mo grah thu. My father always says life was less complicated when he was young. More violent as well, though, which is the reason he’s glad those times are over. The way humans portray their heroes reflects how they’re coping with reality. I have to admit that I wasn’t overly impressed by Infinity War, but I had a feeling it was some kind of allegory. Humanity is now at a point where heroes are no longer enough to save the people. They have to be active themselves and that frightens them.”

“You’re right, Dre, though I think it’s not just humans who have to take on a more active role. Change is never easy, and the way some people, namely my father, cling to the old just because it’s familiar is sad and infuriating at the same time.” Emilia took a sip from her coffee.

“Preserving the old is not always a bad thing, dear, provided it’s only the good parts.” Maribell smiled at Mavis. “Without all those wonderful old spells, my wife and I would just be two helpless grandmas at the mercy of society.”

Amber snorted. “As if. Nothing about you two is helpless. And I always thought witch magic doesn’t need any spells?”

“It doesn’t. They just make it easier to focus. And I always liked babbling mysteriously in a foreign language. It’s all about setting the right mood.” Mavis winked and they all started to laugh. Dre found he liked Sammy’s friends a lot. After their initial wariness, they seemed to be accepting him just fine now, a show of trust he was determined not to disappoint.

The discussion kept meandering around the general concept of the hero and the reasons for the changes for another hour until Amber announced she had to go because of another appointment. At this hour, it was probably one tied to her being a banshee, so nobody asked any questions. Since it was already past ten, the others left with her, after they had decided what book to read next. Since The Chronicles of Corum had sent them in the direction of strange creatures, they agreed to read H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu Cycle, along with The Witcher of Salem by Wolfgang Hohlbein. Dre found the idea great, because he knew H. P. Lovecraft had been friends with a demon and gotten many of his ideas for the Cthulu Cycle from her, though he would wait with divulging that piece of information until their next meeting. No need to spoil the fun.

After Jon was back in his cellar and the others out of the door, Dre lifted Sammy into his arms and carried him upstairs. It was time for bed.