Page 24 of Demon with Benefits (Hell Bent #3)

LOOSE CANNON

T HE FOLLOWING MORNING , M EPH CREPT THROUGH THE front door of his house, much as he’d done the first time he’d slept at Iris’s and every morning since. He’d spent nearly every night there for the last two weeks, and he knew his brothers were getting suspicious.

The last thing he wanted was to have to explain himself, but there was no way he was giving up those marathon all-nighters. His little witch was dynamite in the bedroom, and he was totally addicted to her.

So sneak-show it was.

He was careful to lock the front door without making a sound, and he didn’t even take off his jacket to avoid unwanted rustling. He crept across the kitchen, exhaling in relief when he found it empty and the house quiet.

He made it all of five steps across the tile before Belial stepped around the corner and blocked his path. The grumpy bastard had his tree-trunk arms crossed and his baby-blue eyes narrowed to slits.

“Where have you been?”

Meph played it casual. “Who says I’ve been anywhere?”

“You’re wearing a coat.”

Oh, yeah. He quickly abandoned that avenue of lying. “I was just out for a walk.”

“At six in the morning?”

“Maybe I like walking at that time. Maybe I’m a morning person.”

Bel shook his head. “You have that look about you. You’ve had it a lot lately, actually.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

Raum trudged into the kitchen wearing only a pair of baggy sweatpants, and Meph groaned inwardly. Looked like he was facing the inquisition this morning. He’d be fine as long as Ash didn’t show up.

“He’s right,” Raum said, casting Meph a sidelong glance as he fired up the espresso machine. “You’ve been sneaking around, acting weird.”

This time, Meph went with self-righteous indignation. He huffed in a haughty manner that would make Iris proud. “What is with you two? Can’t a guy go for an innocent walk in peace? Why you gotta go all Sherlock Holmes on me?”

“Where were you?” Bel asked, not buying it.

“Out.”

“Out where?”

“I know you weren’t partying,” Raum said.

Meph shot Raum a glare. They had an unspoken bro-code agreement that Raum wouldn’t mention Meph’s no-touchy problems to anyone. Except, apparently, they didn’t, because the asshole was about to blurt it out in front of Belial.

“Why?” Bel said, glancing between them.

“Because he’s been having issues,” Raum said.

“Fuck you,” Meph said. “I’ll remember this next time you have shit you want to keep secret.”

“What are you talking about?” Bel’s eyes suddenly widened, and he pinned Meph with a very serious look. “Are you having trouble... you know?”

“Trouble with what?”

“Getting it up.”

Raum barked a laugh and covered it with a cough.

Meph’s mouth dropped open. “Fuck no! I’ll still be able to get it up when I’m fucking dead and in my grave. Lot more than I can say for you, old man. How’s the celibate monk routine going? Did it shrivel up and fall off yet?”

Belial’s clenched jaw could cut steel, but he said nothing.

In truth, Meph didn’t know if Bel was still abstaining.

He did know, however, that Bel’s six-month vow of celibacy had ended, and he hadn’t seen any evidence that his brother was partaking again.

Something Meph would have ribbed him about to no end if he hadn’t been hiding a few things himself.

“Well, what else am I supposed to think when Raum says you have ‘issues’?” Bel finally asked.

“Thanks a fucking lot,” Meph snapped at Raum. “I’ll have you know I don’t have those ‘issues’ at all anymore. I’m cured.”

“Really? Have you tried going out since—” Raum broke off and his eyes widened, and Meph immediately regretted mentioning anything because he knew Raum was going to put it together in three, two—

“You’re fucking Iris.”

Silence.

“ That’s where you’ve been the last two weeks. That’s why you’ve been acting shady. ’Cause you’ve been at Iris’s place, and you didn’t want us to find out.”

“No, he hasn’t,” Bel said in a too-calm voice. “Because there’s no way he’s that stupid. Right, Meph?”

There was another pause. Meph waited for the explosion, since at this point, he’d accepted it was inevitable. But Raum was in for a serious ass kicking later.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Belial snapped. “Why would you do that?”

“Why would I do anything?” Meph threw his hands up. “’Cause I wanted to? ’Cause she’s hot? What’s the big deal?”

“She’s Lily’s sister. And she’s got an entire coven backing her. The last thing we need is a bunch of angry witches coming after us when you inevitably do something stupid and piss her off.”

“First of all, fuck you. Second of all, they’re not even powerful. They can’t do shit.”

“You don’t know that for sure. If they joined forces, they could be a pain in our ass, and you know it.”

“I didn’t see you giving Mist shit for hanging out with Lily.”

“Mist knew what he was doing.”

“And I don’t?”

“No!” Bel’s voice boomed around like thunderclaps. Drama queen. “You never know what the fuck you’re doing. You go through life like a tornado, fucking shit up left and right and leaving the rest of us to clean up after you. You’re a loose cannon, and it’s goddamn exhausting!”

“Bel, shut up,” Raum muttered.

“No, it’s fine,” Meph said. “I get it. In this fucked-up family, at least we can be honest with each other, right? I’m glad you told me what a burden I am. Now I’ll know to stay out of your way in the future.”

Bel closed his eyes. “Meph—”

But Meph had heard enough. He pushed past Bel and Raum and headed down the hall to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

“Nice one, dickface,” he heard Raum say.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Meph turned on the shower to drown out their voices and pushed away thoughts of anything except his new sculpture. He focused on what he was going to work on today, getting a clear goal in mind for his vision of the piece.

He may or may not have replayed a memory of eating Iris’s pussy on the rug last night too. That really took him to his happy place.

As he stood under the hot spray, it occurred to him that he hadn’t been to the gym once all week.

Normally, he went once or even twice a day, and if he didn’t, he swore he could feel his demon form crawling under his skin, trying to claw its way out.

It felt like if he stopped fighting for even a minute, it would burst out of him, leaving the old Meph behind in a shredded pile.

But lately, that part of him had been mysteriously quiet. Calm. At first he’d thought maybe the art was helping transmute it.

Now he wondered if it was just biding its time. Waiting for something.

Waiting to be free.

Half an hour later, Meph stepped out of the hellgate into Dan’s office. Or at least, what used to be Dan’s office. It was kind of Meph’s office now, since his hellgate took up half the floor and he always left shit everywhere.

There were several hoodies draped over the chair. More clothes were piled on the desk, because he would take them off when he was painting and then forget to change back later. A collection of sneakers was lined up against the wall for the same reason.

Meph loved clothes. When he wasn’t making art or at the gym, he was buying clothes. He had so many pairs of shoes, the floor of his closet and the bottom two shelves had been filled, and he’d forgotten how many pairs he’d left behind here.

He kicked off the ones currently on his feet and exchanged them for a pair of beat-up Vans at the end of the row—his art shoes. Then he swapped his white hoodie for a black one that had already suffered paint and clay damage and headed across the office.

Throwing open the door, he took a step into the studio, squinting into the light streaming through the tall windows, and—

Stopped in his tracks.

Fucking Dan was standing there staring at him.

The blond-haired, silver-eyed angel was standing in Meph’s workspace beside his sculpture in progress, which was currently wrapped in plastic to keep it from drying out. It was obvious Dan had been studying it, and now he was giving Meph an unreadable look.

The last time Meph had crossed paths with Eva’s daddio, the Grigori had tossed a consecrated dagger into Meph’s chest while he was trying to negotiate peace. Not only was that embarrassing as fuck for a demon, it pissed him off.

Worse, a part of him was still a tiny bit afraid of Dan.

He’d nearly died from that stupid dagger, and Raum had melted his hands off trying to pull it out.

Only Jacqui crawling to his side through hellfire had saved him, since consecrated weapons had no effect on humans.

On demons, it was like being burned alive from the inside out.

And now here Meph was—no Bel, Raum, or Jacqui to back him up—face to face with the Grigori once more.

He thought about running back into the office to the hellgate, but he immediately dismissed the idea. He’d honestly rather die than sacrifice his pride to that degree.

So he struck what he hoped was a casual pose and said, “Took you long enough.”

Dan blinked.

“Figured you’d show up here to threaten me ages ago.”

“Jacqui called me. What did you tell her?”

“About the vampire thing?”

Dan nodded.

“That was two weeks ago.”

“I needed time to cool off so I wouldn’t kill you.”

Meph rolled his eyes. “I only told her what you should have. That it’s an option.”

Dan’s jaw shifted as he ground his teeth.

Before he could stop himself, Meph blurted, “I don’t get why you kept that from her. I thought you told her you were done with the secrets? She has a right to be pissed. Her daughter’s immortal and so is her husband—ex—whatever you are. She deserves to know that she at least has the option—”

“She doesn’t!” Dan snapped.

“Why the fuck not?”

Damn it, Meph was getting sick of everyone shouting at him this morning. He’d had a great time with Iris last night and had been in a stellar mood from it, but today, everyone seemed determined to shit on his sunshine until its light fizzled out.

“It’s a cursed existence and the last thing I want for her.”