My Funny Demon Valentine (Hell Bent #1)

Chapter 7

7

C h ivalry Is n ’t Dead

A smodeus hung up the phone and saw Eva standing in the hall wrapped in a sheet, staring at him with a crease between her brows. “Was that your brother? Do you need to go home?”

“No. He just likes to nag me.”

“His name is Belial?”

“Yep.”

“Isn’t that another demon name?”

“It is.” He wasn’t giving her more than that.

They probably should have chosen fake names, but demons playing by the rules always used them on Earth, and everything about their escape from Hell had been about breaking those rules. Even if it was kinda, sorta stupid.

“What is with your family? What are your other brothers’ names?”

Again, he should probably lie, but he didn’t feel like it. “Meph and Raum.”

“What’s Meph short for?”

“Mephistopheles.”

“Oh my god.”

“That’s why he goes by Meph.”

“Don’t you mind being named after demons? Why don’t you change your names?”

“We’re not named aft —” He stopped himself from going any further with that and shrugged. “It’s who we are. We don’t mind it.”

Though it was annoying how they’d developed a rep over the ages. Every paranormal TV show these days had a demon called Asmodeus. They even had their own Wikipedia pages.

Eva was looking at him like she wasn’t satisfied with his answers, and he suddenly wondered if she knew more than she was letting on. She was smart as a whip, and who knew what had slipped out of his mouth before he’d endured Bel’s counseling session on what not to say in front of her.

Then he looked at her again and stopped thinking about all that. She was naked except for a bedsheet, the white fabric contrasting appealingly with her dark skin. Her wild curls were piled in a messy bun on top of her head, and her full lips were just begging to be kissed. He hadn’t had nearly enough of her to satisfy him yet.

“Come here,” he growled.

She hesitated. She still looked suspicious of him, which was weird considering he’d screwed her brains out last night and she hadn’t seemed to mind then. From what he knew about humans, they didn’t often have sex with people they didn’t trust.

Ash stood. He knew Eva was attracted to him—a bloody miracle—and he wasn’t above using it against her to get what he wanted. Sure enough, he watched her gaze travel down his body.

He’d thrown on his pants when Bel called but left them unzipped, and he was shirtless and commando. His hair was a tangled mess, but he didn’t think Eva cared. Modern females seemed to be more open-minded about long-haired males, not that it had ever mattered to him. Thanks to his curse, his hair was the least of his concerns when it came to finding bed mates. But even if he could get laid on the regular, he wouldn’t have cut it for anyone.

He waited for Eva to obey his directive, not appreciating that she hadn’t listened to him. Last night she sure had. Whether he was telling her to turn around, bend over, spread her legs, whatever, she’d done what he said, no questions asked. Now, she was shifting on her feet looking like she wanted to flee, and he didn’t like it.

“Evangeline,” he warned, and she actually flinched a little bit. What the hell? Had he accidentally said too much on the phone?

He walked toward her, and her eyes slid up and down his body again. When he reached her, he stopped close enough that he was invading her personal space, but not so close that they touched. He looked down, and she looked up so their gazes met.

“Do you want some coffee?” she blurted. “I’m a bit of a coffee snob, and I can’t function without my latte in the morning.”

So she wanted to play the evasive game, did she? He’d let her. For now. “Sure, I’ll have coffee.” It would just taste like water.

“Great.” Her smile looked forced, and she stepped back. “There’s a cafe downstairs. I’ll go grab some and get pastries for breakfast.”

He studied her, trying to see if she was up to something. “You want me to come?”

“No, that’s fine. It’s right downstairs. Stay here and play my piano.”

He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and tossed it at her. “Buy whatever.”

“Oh, that’s okay, you don’t have to—”

“Eva.”

“What?”

“Chivalry may be dead, but I’m not that big a bastard. Let me buy your breakfast.”

Her chuckle seemed to sneak out of her against her will. “Fine. You have a point.”

She disappeared into the bedroom to get dressed, to his consternation. He’d wanted more sex, not damn pastries. But Eva was human and needed to eat. Sex could come after. He wasn’t leaving without it.

She came out in a bulky sweater and leggings and slipped on her high-tops, carefully avoiding his gaze. “I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.”

He leaned against the piano, trying to figure out why she was so jumpy. “Do you want me to leave?”

She finally looked at him. “What? No.”

He didn’t believe her. “I’m not one to linger, Eva. Say the word and I’m gone.”

For the first time, her gaze softened. “I want you to stay, I swear. I don’t do this very often, and I guess I’m being awkward.”

He felt the need to reassure her, though he wasn’t sure why. “I don’t do this often either.”

“Really?”

“Really.” And when he did, he left so fast, the female hadn’t even caught her breath before he’d finished dressing and evacuated the premises. Demon females were likely to claw his face off if he stayed, and human women were likely to start crying when they realized how desperate they had to be to have sex with someone they found as sexy as potting soil. And what little pride Ash managed to retain throughout those miserable encounters dictated he get out of there fast to avoid subjecting himself to that.

“Can I be honest?” Eva asked.

“Sure. I want you to be.”

“I just... find that hard to believe. I mean, look at you. You’re not exactly average looking.” Her gaze darted away again, but this time from shyness instead of suspicion. He preferred that.

And he damn well enjoyed the compliment. Fuck if he didn’t deserve it after all this time. He knew he wasn’t actually ugly or boring, but it still felt good to get a little validation now and then. He smiled.

“Let’s just say, I’m not a people person. I tend to keep to myself.” It was all true. Since he’d been cursed, all his wily lust demon ways had been replaced by an increasing broodiness that annoyed him but was his only refuge from feeling shitty and embarrassed in public settings.

Eva finally smiled at him. “Well, I’m glad you went out with me last night. You’re an incredible musician, and you shouldn’t hide it. I’m taking you back to Bootleg next week, and you’re going to jam with all my friends, and they’re going to love you.”

He winced. “I don’t know about that.”

“I have a week to talk you into it. Now don’t go anywhere because I’m just running downstairs to get our food, and I really do want you to stay. Promise you’ll be here when I get back?”

“I’ll be here.”

She slipped out the door and was gone. He sat down at the piano again and was about to play when movement from the kitchen caught his eye. Looking over, he saw a little gray cat watching him. He’d forgotten Eva said she had a pet.

For the most part, cats hated demons. The little bastards had good instincts and knew they were in the presence of something wicked. The creature arched its back, its fur standing on end. It hissed at him, baring tiny fangs.

Asmodeus allowed his own fangs to grow nice and long and his hands to morph into claws. He flexed them and hissed right back. The cat jumped about a foot in the air and then took a few crab-like side steps, making that god-awful wailing sound only a cat could make as it slunk away to Eva’s bedroom.

Ash smiled, pleased with his victory.

Then he turned back to the piano and, for the first time in decades, played for no other reason than because he wanted to. Even last night hadn’t counted because he never would have done it if Eva hadn’t coerced him into it, not that he regretted it.

But right now was his choice. No one was there to listen. He played because there was a piano in front of him, and because playing made him feel that euphoric emotion that was the furthest thing from demonic but felt too good to care.

Eva really was going to the cafe to get them some breakfast, and she really hadn’t wanted Ash to leave, but she also had a hidden agenda:

Phone Mom. Part two.

The second she was in the elevator, she dialed, waiting for her mom to pick up.

She did, yawning. “Eva, honey, it’s too early.”

“It’s eleven thirty.”

“Eight thirty in my time zone. You know how early that is?”

“It’s not that early.”

“It’s early.” A deep male voice rumbled in the background. “Your dad says he’s sleeping and to leave him alone.” Jacqui moved the phone from her mouth. “It’s your daughter, Dan. Be nice.” The rumbling sounded again. She put the phone back. “He says hi and that he loves you, but he’s still sleeping.”

“I need to talk to you. I don’t have long.”

“Hold on, I’ll get up.” She murmured some words of endearment to Dan, and then there was rustling as she threw on a robe, followed by the sound of a door closing. “Okay, I’m up. Putting on coffee so I can stay that way. What’s going on?”

“Well, you remember mystery man?”

“Did he call?” She instantly sounded alert.

“Yep.”

“And? Tell me everything!”

Eva told her about what happened at Bootleg.

“He’s a musician? Oh honey, he sounds perfect!”

“Yeah, I was pretty blown away. Like... really blown away.”

There was a pause. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“Um...”

Jacqui burst out laughing. “You were supposed to be finding out whether you hallucinated a supernatural fight scene!”

“I know, Mom, but I— He— Damn it, you have no idea how hot he is.”

“I really want to. Send me a pic? What’s his Instagram? I’ll check him out.”

“He doesn’t have Instagram.”

“Who doesn’t have Instagram?”

“ He doesn’t! That’s what I’m trying to tell you. He—”

“Was he good in bed?”

“This is so weird to talk about with you.”

Jacqui scoffed. “Whatever. Tell me.”

“Yes, he was amazing. The best I’ve ever had.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, but I’m trying to tell you, he didn’t exactly pass my investigation.”

“What, is he underequipped? That’s not necessarily a deal breaker. Before your father, I had a lover who was smaller than average, but let me tell you, he knew how to wield the thing like—”

“Ew, Mom! And no, he was not underequipped. Definitely not. The opposite.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I asked him a lot of questions about his life, and his answers were really evasive. And I went through his wallet, and he had no ID. I also checked his phone, and his only contacts are his three brothers. And get this, they all have demon names too! There’s Belial, Raum, and Meph, which is short for Mephis-something.”

“That’s odd. But if he is actually... supernatural , why would he tell you names that would make you suspicious?”

“I don’t know, but he didn’t seem to care that I found it weird.”

The sound of the coffeepot gurgling came over the line as Eva’s elevator dinged, and she climbed out, heading down the hall toward the street.

“Do you feel safe with him?”

She stepped into the morning sunshine. The spring air had a bit of a bite to it, but she was too happy to see the sun after months of winter to care about being cold. “If I was in danger, I would’ve had some kind of feeling, right?”

“Not necessarily. Some people are very good at hiding their darkness.”

“Hmm.” She walked toward the cafe, which was only about five steps from the door to her apartment. “It’s just, I’m really into him, and he’s an incredible musician, and it seems stupid to throw that away because I had a hallucination.”

“Maybe I should consult your dad. He’s the one that knows about the occult stuff.”

When he wasn’t making modern art with her mom, Dan was obsessed with occult studies and witchcraft. What could she say? Her parents were eccentric. She’d long since accepted it.

Eva leaned against the glass beside the cafe entrance and crossed her feet at the ankles. “Yeah, maybe it’s not a bad idea. You could ask him about their names.”

“If someone’s heard of it, your dad will know about it.”

“Dad’s so weird.” Eva laughed fondly. “Both of you are. How did I end up with such weird parents?”

“Good karma, obviously. Now, get back to your mysterious lover. But first, I have one last suggestion for you.”

“Hit me.”

“If you really like this guy and see it becoming more serious, you should consider telling him what you saw.”

“What? No way. If I really did hallucinate it, he’ll think I’m a nutjob!”

“As someone who has been married for twenty-seven years, let me give you some advice. If you want a real relationship, it has to be built on trust. If the foundation is weak, the structure will fall. If he cares about you, he’ll accept it if you hallucinate things occasionally. And if you really did see something, maybe he’ll tell you what you saw. Maybe there’s a logical explanation. Maybe he’s into role-play.”

“Mom.”

“I’m just saying, if you like the guy, consider talking to him. You don’t want to start a relationship on such a distrustful footing. You went through his wallet and phone, for heaven’s sake.”

“I had to!”

“I know that, but you can see how that doesn’t exactly scream ‘healthy boundaries.’”

“Yeah, I can. All right, I’ll think about it.”

Eva said goodbye a minute later and headed into the cafe. She opened Ash’s wallet and fingered the wad of cash. She might have found it strange that he had nothing in there, but the fact that he’d handed her the thing and told her to spend his money said he wasn’t concerned about her knowing.

How could someone be suspicious if they didn’t try to hide it? Wasn’t that the very nature of being suspicious? God, her head hurt.

“Can I help you?” The guy behind the counter smiled expectantly.

She rubbed her head and tried to focus on the pastry display.