Chapter 16
ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN
IT’S LIKE DéJà VU!” EVA CALLED OUT AS SHE STEPPED around the corner at the end of the block. “Remember the first time we did this?”
Belial and his brothers—along with Iris and Sunshine—were waiting below the flickering neon sign for Bootleg, the club that hosted the Thursday-night jam Eva and Asmodeus frequented.
“I seem to recall that I was smoking,” Ash said as Eva joined their group. He stooped to give her a kiss.
“Yeah, and then I told you how long it takes cigarette butts to decompose, and you looked at me like I’d grown a second head.” Eva chuckled. “Thank god you quit.”
“And then I asked if you were a closet lesbian because I didn’t know you could see through Ash’s curse,” Meph said.
“Oh my god, I was so mad at you for that!” Eva chuckled. “I thought you were the biggest dick.”
“So, not much has changed, then,” Raum said.
Iris looked between them and laughed. “I have no idea what’s going on.”
“We’re just rehashing the first time I ever took the guys to this club,” Eva said with a grin. “It was right after Ash and I first met, before I knew he was a demon.”
The situation tonight was similar, but in Bel’s mind, things couldn’t have been more different.
And their so-called family had expanded so much since then.
Sunshine was holding Raum’s hand, smiling at everyone though she probably didn’t have a clue what they were talking about either.
And Meph’s arm was slung over Iris’s shoulder, and the witch actually looked happy about it.
Eva transferred her gaze to Bel and smiled. “Should we go upstairs?”
His dysfunctional family had been trying to get him to go out with them for weeks, and he’d steadfastly refused.
The last time he was in this club, he’d grabbed a human by the throat and nearly crushed his windpipe just for bumping into him.
He wasn’t looking to repeat that experience, especially because this time, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop.
Crushing a throat seemed like the perfect outlet for his pent-up frustration.
So why had he come out tonight?
He wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe he sensed he was close to a kind of precipice, and he’d come here hoping to recapture the hope and elation he’d felt after his last visit. It was that very night that he’d made his six-months-of-celibacy pact, after all.
Maybe, if he just kept trying, just kept pretending, things would fix themselves. Yeah, he’d never heard of that working for anybody ever, but fuck it, there was a first time for everything.
“Let’s go,” he told Eva.
They pulled open the heavy door and climbed the stairs to the dumpy old jazz club, pushing into the tightly packed throng of bodies.
Being seven feet tall in human form, Bel towered over everyone.
People took one look at him and got out of his way.
Funny, because he wasn’t even angry at the moment.
Just mildly irritated, which was pretty much his constant state of being.
He was used to humans being afraid of him.
He was an ancient supernatural being, and most mortals sensed that in some part of their subconscious.
The only people who weren’t afraid of him were those who viewed him as a potential sexual partner.
And half the time, he was pretty sure they were still afraid of him too.
It was just mixed with desire—a tantalizing combination for any thrill seeker.
The band was on stage, already setting up for the first round of jamming. “Skye has the night off and wanted to meet up,” Eva called over her shoulder, half shouting to be heard over the house music pumping through the PA system. “I told her to save our usual table.” She shot Bel a wary look.
“It’s so loud in here!” Sunshine exclaimed, pressing her palms over her ears.
“Meph and I will get drinks!” Iris called out. She looked at Bel. “What do you want?”
“Something strong,” he replied.
She saluted him with a grin and then grabbed Meph and dragged him toward the bar.
Bel and Raum flanked an overstimulated Sunshine as they followed Ash and Eva through the crowd. Poor Sunshine kept her palms over her ears, and her ever-present smile began to look slightly strained.
Raum shot protective glares in multiple directions. Their natural demonic allure meant Bel and his brothers were used to attracting attention, but Sunshine’s otherworldly angelic aura drew just as many gazes. Eyes followed her all the way across the club.
“Sunshine, do you want some earplugs?” Eva asked when they reached the table. “I keep an extra pair of those foamy construction ones in my bag in case of emergencies.”
“Yes, please!” Sunshine shouted, and Eva dug through her purse.
Bel took a seat on the narrow wooden bench against the wall, wincing when the entire thing creaked ominously under his weight. If it gave out under him, he was going to burn this place to the ground.
Raum sat beside him. “You good?”
“No,” Bel growled. “Why did I agree to this again?”
“You used to like going out.”
“Hm.”
“Eva’s friend Skye is here.”
“Hm.”
“Apparently, she asked Eva about you more than once. Ash told me.”
“Is that so.”
“I don’t think Eva wants you to hook up with her though.”
He didn’t blame her. Eva’s best friend was fully human, oblivious to the supernatural world, and not gifted with the Sight. Eva knew well how unstable Bel was and what happened when he lost his temper.
Raum shot him a look. “So, are you gonna go for it?”
Bel’s jaw shifted. He didn’t respond. He wasn’t talking about this with Raum. Or anyone.
Raum shrugged and turned to observe Eva explaining how to use the spongy earplugs to Sunshine.
When Sunshine continued to look confused, Raum stood and went over to assist. Bel watched with mild amusement as two different people demonstrated squishing the orange foam and shoving it into the ear canal while Sunshine looked mildly concerned.
A small human woman dropped into the chair across the table from him. She had tanned skin and shiny black hair, and Bel knew instantly who she was.
“Remember me?” she called over the loud music, a grin stretching her face. “We met one night like a year ago and—”
“I definitely remember you.” He flashed a brief smile.
How could he forget? Skye was the one who’d inspired his self-inflicted celibacy in the first place.
The night they’d met, she had told him she’d decided to forgo any sexual contact for six months.
Bel, sick of breaking promises to himself and giving into Naiamah’s manipulative sex bargains, had decided to join her.
He’d left their conversation feeling like he was finally taking control of his life.
Now, he felt more out of control than ever.
In his peripherals, he saw Eva watching him with a frown. Asmodeus took her hand and led her toward the stage. She whispered something in his ear, and Ash shook his head and continued walking. Eva allowed herself to be led, but not without shooting another concerned glance over her shoulder.
“So?” Skye asked. “How did your pact go? Did you succeed?”
Naiamah laughed in my face, and it turned me into a horny ball of rage instead of just a regular ball of rage. Now I’ve become a recluse because I’m afraid I’ll kill a bunch of humans if anyone so much as breathes wrong around me.
“I succeeded.” I’m still succeeding, even now, whether I want to or not.
“Congratulations!” She laughed. “I succeeded too.”
“And? How did it go for you?” Hopefully at least one of them got something productive out of those six months of self-inflicted torture.
“It was amazing! It changed my life. I feel like a new woman.” She grinned, and he could see in her eyes that she meant it.
He tried to grin back but failed miserably. He was genuinely glad to see her thriving, but he was also a grouchy old bastard who’d forgotten how to make his smile muscles work. “I can tell,” he said. “You look good.” It was true. She did look good.
“Thank you.” She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “You know, I was hoping I’d run into you at some point.” She had to shout to be heard over the music. “I’ve seen Ash’s other brothers a bunch of times since that first night we met, but not you.”
“I don’t go out much.” Not anymore, anyway.
“Well, I’m glad you came out tonight.”
“Me too,” he replied, but he wasn’t sure yet if he meant it.
He kept waiting for the urge to flirt to hit. Skye was attractive, youthful and lively, but with an edge that made it clear she wasn’t innocent or naive. She was exactly the type of woman he would’ve gone for in the past.
The thing was … he was on edge around humans now. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t trust himself, and he knew his control was shit.
He glanced up and found Sunshine watching him. There might as well have been a spotlight on his head. Gather ’round, folks! Belial is talking to a girl!
Unlike Eva, however, Sunshine gave him an encouraging smile and a wink. At least someone believed in him.
Maybe she was right. Maybe he needed to get over himself and stop taking everything so seriously.
Maybe he did have more control than he thought.
He remembered well the hope for the future he’d felt after meeting Skye and making their pact.
He hadn’t felt anything like that before or since, and he wanted that feeling back.
“Are you still cooking?” Skye shouted across the table. “You told me when we met that you like to cook.”
Bel took a breath. He could do this. It was just a simple conversation with a pretty human. And she was asking him about food. He could talk for hours about food.
“Yeah, I—” Unfortunately, he was interrupted by the house music cutting off and a guy on stage announcing that they were going to start the jam. A moment later, the band fired up, somehow managing to be even louder.