Xenia Melzer - Demons Wish

Demon Mates

DEMONS WISH

XENIA MELZER

Demons Wish

ISBN # 978-1-83943-091-6

Copyright Xenia Melzer 2021

Cover Art by Louisa Maggio Copyright January 2021

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the authors imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2021 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Book one in the Demon Mates series

Finding love is hardespecially when youre a demon and your potential mate is your sacrifice

Sammy is content with running his bookshop and leading a book club consisting solely of paranormal creatures. Despite the persistence of his friends, he has resolved himself to a life without romance, since he doesnt think anybody could find him and his tendency to spill useless knowledge whenever he gets nervous attractive.

Dresalantion is a demon prince and slightlymake that majorlyannoyed when somebody persistently tries to summon him. He finally decides to show up and put the fear of Dresalantion into his summoners but finds himself rescuing their sacrifice instead.

Sammy intrigues him from the get-go, and when Dre realizes that Sammy can get him the manga hes been hunting for monthsnot to mention that he refuses a wish he offered himthe sexy demon decides to get to know this fascinating man better. Much better.

Dedication

To Wikipedia and all the people posting their knowledge there. You made it possible for me to give Sammys nervous verbal diarrhea the credibility it needed.

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

The Hobbit : J.R.R. Tolkien

IKEA: Ikea Svenska Aktiebolag Corporation

Terry Pratchett: Sir Terence David John Pratchett OBE

Pride and Prejudice : Jane Austen

Chronicles of Corum : Michael Moorcock

Skyrim: Bethesda Softworks

The Lord of the Rings : J.R.R. Tolkien

Grindr: Grindr LLC

Dumpster: Topcoat Metal Technologies LLC

Wonder Woman: DC Comics General Partnership

Speed : Twentieth Century Fox

Hubble: NASA, ESA, STScl

Halo: Xbox Game Studios

La Dolce Vita : Cineriz, Pathe Consortium Studio

Dr. Who : British Broadcasting Corporation

Stargate : MGM, Carolco Pictures

Small Gods : Terry Pratchett

Discworld : Terry Pratchett

iPad: AVC Group LLC

Netflix: Netflix Inc.

Thermos: Thermos LLC

WhatsApp: Whatsapp Inc.

National Geographic : National Geographic Society

A Fish Called Wanda : Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United International Pictures

Star Trek : Gene L. Coon

Viagra: Pfizer Inc.

The Avengers : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Avengers: Infinity War : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Cthulu Cycle : H.P. Lovecraft

The Witcher of Salem : Wolfgang Hohlbein

The Tudors : Sony Pictures Television

Gilmore Girls : Warner Brothers Domestic Television Distribution

The Big Bang Theory : Warner Brothers Television Distribution

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer : Twentieth Century Fox, Twentieth Television

American Gods : Lionsgate Television Freemantle

Game of Thrones : Warner Brothers Television Distribution

The Shannara Chronicles : Viacom Media Networks

Wikipedia: Wikimedia Foundation Inc.

Chapter One

Is everybody set?

Sammy looked around the group of people gathered in his bookstore. It was Wednesday, which meant there would be a book club meeting after closing hours. Their little group met at least twice every month to discuss books and interesting topics related to books, and Sammy loved it. It had formed half a year after he had opened his shop, Sammys Book Corner, and the participants had become something like a family to him, which he desperately needed after his parents had died five years before. He gazed around to make sure everybody had their stash of cookiesthis time provided by Mavis and Maribell, the two witchesalong with their favorite drink.

The delicious smell of freshly baked cookies mixed with the aroma of two hazelnut toffee lattes, the sharper tang of two Chai teasheavy on the cinnamonand his own hot chocolate before the familiar background scent of books, both old and new, made him once again congratulate himself on buying the fancy coffeemaker and establishing the little lounging area across from his cash counter. The members of their book club were seated on the four old couches around two low tables, getting comfortable.

Sammy was especially proud of this setup, since he had found all the furniture at flea markets and had given them each a do-over. The whiskey-colored leather couch hadnt been much work. Just cleaning and treating the leather with a special balm had made the piece shine again. It now smelled faintly of beeswax, something that made Sammy crave a peppermint tea with honey every time he sat on it. The two chaises had required more effort. He had upholstered them and given them each a new cloth as well. Now customers could sit down on the colors of the rainbow to read their latest purchase. The last item was a lounger whose frame he had painted in pink then sprinkled with golden glitter for good measure. A turquoise throw made the piece stand out. One of the tables was covered in dots of various sizes and colors, and the other one had wall tattoos of Drogon and Smaug looking at each other on a black background.

Sammy was the first to admit that his artistic talent was closer to what a six-year old could produce than the fine artistry people with a real gift made, but he had done a good job with the furniture and his shop. Perhaps it was because he loved his little haven of books so much that it brought out the best in him. Except for the laptop in his office and the coffeemaker, nothing in the shop was new. Most everything had come from flea markets and garage sales, making for an interesting and charming mix of styles. Sammy had dedicated quite some time matching his books with the furniture. His antiques were stacked in open wardrobes that matched their ageor came close to it. The fantasy and science fiction books lived on shelves from IKEA, which he had sprayed silver. The romance books had found their home in old wooden wine crates that were clustered around the shop in small stacks of six to ten. Comics and manga were stashed in big boxes he had built from panoplies and painted in different hues of blue. The shop was Sammys idea of home, a feeling that seemed to convey itself, because most of his customers were regulars and loved hanging out in the place.