Page 2 of How to Fall in Love with a Demon

Demon.

He was a demon.

Ahungrydemon, if I remembered correctly. Demons and vampires were like two sides of the same coin—vampires fed on blood, and demons fed on lust.

So why was he in my coffee shop?

The man looked over his shoulder, like he expected to find someone behind him.

That was odd.

“How can I help you?” I asked the demon, my voice polite but not friendly. Being too friendly in a coffee shop only led to guys leaving behind business cards and phone numbers I didn’t ask for.

The man leaned over the counter a little, toward me, not Sophie.

She took a few steps back, and I didn’t blame her. She was tiny.

While I wasn’t exactly intimidating, coming in at 5’6”, I was built strong, not skinny. My best friends and I had taken a few self-defense classes just to be safe, too. Not that they would be useful against a demon man who was legitimately a foot taller than me.

The man’s hands landed on the counter, and my gaze dipped to them. The bastard had an artist’s fingers—long and elegant, though just as strong as the rest of him.

“There’s a dragon shifter outside this coffee shop,” the man said, his voice low and smooth.

Goosebumps erupted on my arms, and I was glad I’d worn an oversized sweater that hid them from him. It was fall in our city, Scale Ridge, nestled in the foothills of a massive mountain range, which meant the cold was getting real.

Dragon shifters were supposed to be fairly safe. They defended a prison deep in the mountains that held those who broke the supernatural government’s laws. Truthfully, a dragon shifter sounded much safer than a red-eyed demon to me.

“Okay…” I studied the man.

I couldn’t glare at him or kick him out without reason; supernaturals were known for being powerful in many ways. The guy didn’t look famous, like some of them were, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t powerful.

Treating a supernatural poorly, with or without reason, could lead to my shop getting shut down.

Hell, it could lead to gettingmurdered.

Usually, I stayed out of the bars, nightclubs, and gyms that were known to be run by supernaturals. So usually, I didn’t have to worry about them.

“He expects me to walk out with my mate,” the demon said.

Hismate?

Mating was the supernatural version of marriage. I would definitely have known if anyone I worked with was mated to a demon. I wouldn’t have asked outright, but people talked about that shit.

“I don’t think he or she is here. I can get you coffee, or homemade candy. That’s all we have for sale.” I tapped the logo on the display case. It saidCoffee & Toffee, the name of my shop.

The man caught my hand, and I went still. A pulse ofsomethingrolled through my veins, relaxing my body somehow. My fear was gone, and I was no longer worried about the fact that there was a glowing-eyed demon in my shop.

“Let go of her, or I’ll call the police,” Sophie warned from behind me.

The demon released my arm. “Be my mate,” he said.

Was he kidding?

He had to be kidding.

His magic had relaxed me so much, I couldn’t suppress my sarcasm.

“Yes, I’m going to agree to be your mate two minutes after we’ve met,” I drawled.

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