Page 55 of Demon with Benefits (Hell Bent #3)

BUTTERFLIES

A FRESH START MEANT GETTING A CLEAN START, SO I RIS headed over to the bedroom window and opened it as wide as it would go, letting in a blast of the frigid air.

Passing Meph, who was still lurking in the hallway like a ghost, she then went to the kitchen and asked Belial for a broom. He showed her where the cleaning supplies were and then went back to taking shots of hard liquor and bickering with Raum.

Back in Meph’s room, Iris swept up as much of the ashes as she could. The chalk line of the hellgate was mostly swept up too, unfortunately, and she would need to redraw it for Meph to visit Jacqui, but she’d get that done later.

At Meph’s window, she pulled open the screen and dumped the ashes into the sky.

Most of them blew away on the wind, but a portion fell to the ground below, and she winced.

Luckily, as she leaned out and looked down, it seemed the sidewalk was empty, and she hadn’t dumped demon remains on anyone’s head.

The freezing cold air was starting to make her shiver, but she could already smell the freshness seeping into Meph’s bedroom, so she left the window open after resecuring the screen.

Next, she gathered up all of Meph’s clothes from the floor that had been in the vicinity of the demon cremation and went to find the laundry room.

Meph haunted her while she started a load, so she was extra careful, even separating lights and darks—something her mother had taught her, but she’d never actually bothered to do. But Meph was a clothes snob, and with him hovering like that, she felt the need to do it properly.

When the load was started, the second pile on top of the machine waiting for its turn, she turned to her shadowy grim reaper and dusted her hands off.

“There. Let’s go hang with your brothers now.

I think day drinking sounds like the perfect way to recover from all the shit we just went through, don’t you? ”

Meph, of course, didn’t reply.

Iris headed down the hall and perched on a barstool beside Raum, listening to the two brothers argue over what to do about Murmur. Meph slunk in behind her and lurked by the fridge.

Without breaking conversation, Belial poured a glass and slid it across the counter to her. She sipped it, feeling the burn ground her with every swallow. Her emotions were all over the place. Part shock, part relief, and more than a little post-traumatic stress.

“Just because he won’t tattle to Lucifer doesn’t mean he won’t sell the information for the right price,” Bel was saying.

“So we offer him the right price before anyone else does,” Raum replied.

“Or we find him and get rid of him.”

“It’s too risky. Anything goes wrong and we’re fucked.”

“Wait,” Iris interjected, finally putting two and two together. “You think Murmur knows where you are?” Her eyes widened. “Of course he does.”

Valefor had explained how Murmur had given him the vial with the spell he had used to find them in the first place. If Valefor had figured out where they were, then Murmur likely knew too.

Raum nodded. “While Murmur might not be loyal to Lucifer, he’ll know how valuable the information he has is, and he’ll want to make use of it.

“And you want to bargain with him?” Iris asked, incredulous. “How would you even get in touch with him to do that?”

“As much as he likes to deny it, Bel has contacts in Hell who can set up a meeting.”

A vein in Belial’s temple bulged as he ground his teeth, but he said nothing.

“And we already know Murmur is open to bargaining from when you and Lily got stuck in Hell,” Raum said.

Iris remembered how Murmur had shown up to rescue them—butchering a dozen gargoyles in the process—and declared that Belial had made a deal with him to get them and Mist out of Paimon’s lair unscathed. From what she remembered, Belial now owed Murmur a “favor.”

Iris shuddered at the thought of what someone like Murmur would want for a favor, and as much as she was still wary around Bel, she didn’t like the idea of him being any further indebted to that traitorous demon.

“Maybe we should go with Bel’s idea and just kill him,” she suggested.

Belial glanced sidelong at her, eyes flaring with momentary surprise, and, for the first time, he regarded her with something other than irritation or indifference.

It was stupid, but she felt a flush of pleasure.

She wanted Meph’s brothers to like her, even if she’d made it her mission to be unlikeable in the beginning.

“It’s too risky,” Raum said again. “One mistake, and he’d sell us out just from spite.”

“The fucker betrayed us, and you want me to offer him more fucking favors?” Bel growled.

“I want you to take the smartest course of action to protect our freedom.”

Bel’s eyes narrowed to angry slits, and he and Raum had a staring contest for several seconds. Iris had to give it to Raum for not backing down under the heat of that glare.

Finally, Belial sighed and gave in. “Since when are you the reasonable one? You used to be off stirring up shit with Meph any chance you got.”

Raum made a face. “Ash fucked off with Eva, and Meph is currently salivating at the thought of eating us. Someone has to keep you in line.”

Belial tossed back the rest of his drink. “Fine. I’ll set up the meeting. But I don’t want to hear another goddamn word about my ‘contacts in Hell,’ got it?”

“I don’t know why you’re so sensitive about that.”

“Call me sensitive again and see where it gets you.”

“Sens—”

Meph’s sudden hiss cut him off, and they all looked at him. If Iris wasn’t mistaken, it almost seemed like he was trying to keep the peace between his brothers.

“Time to shift,” Raum told him.

Meph hissed again.

Belial held up a palm and said, “Shift. Or you know what comes next.”

Meph hissed at him too.

Bel took a step forward, and his arm burst into flames. “ Shift. ”

To her amazement, Meph shrank away, bringing his claws up to his face as if to protect himself.

“Wait,” Iris said, and before she knew it, she was out of her chair, standing in front of him. Fuck, Belial looked scary. No wonder Meph was backing off.

“Just... leave him be. If he doesn’t want to shift, he shouldn’t have to. As long as he’s not eating anyone, right? Maybe his demon just wants to hang out with us for a bit. What’s the harm in that?”

The other demons stared at her for so long, she figured they weren’t going to listen. But then Belial shrugged and extinguished the flames on his arm.

“Fine.” He jabbed a finger in Meph’s direction. “But don’t even think about fucking with me.”

Iris felt a touch against her shoulder and looked behind her. Meph was holding her like he was hiding behind her, peeking around to stare warily at Belial.

“You’re scaring him.” Stifling a laugh, she quickly turned her face away to hide her smile. The most terrifying monster she’d ever seen was afraid of Belial’s mostly empty threats.

“He used to try to eat us,” Raum said, answering her question from before, “so we had to lay down the law.”

“Before he got the binding tattoo, he would go on feeding frenzies,” Bel said, propping a hip against the counter. “One night he decimated half a legion of my soldiers in the middle of a territorial dispute, and I nearly lost the battle because of it. I had to draw the line.”

“Bel fried him until he shifted back.”

Iris winced. “That’s awful.”

“He’s a little shit,” Bel said with a shrug. “He needed to be kept in line.”

She opened her mouth to defend Meph but stopped. Bel had glanced at Meph as he spoke, and she hadn’t missed the hidden affection in his voice. She closed her mouth again, and her lips curved.

Sure, torturing one’s brother with hellfire sounded terrible, but they were demons, after all.

Lily had once warned her not to ascribe too many human characteristics to them, and Iris figured this was one of those instances.

At the end of the day, it was obvious Belial loved him, and all his brothers, even if he would never admit it and would probably claim to be incapable of it.

“Speaking of little shits,” Raum said.

Iris frowned for a second before she heard it—tiny yips coming from a closed door down the hall.

Raum stood. “He’s in my room. I’ll get him.”

“Remember what I said about the dog hair,” Bel warned.

Raum disappeared, and a moment later, she heard the scratching of claws on the floor as Faust scrambled into a run. He came racing into the kitchen, slipping and sliding on the hardwood, his tail wagging hard enough to shake his entire body.

Iris dropped to her knees to scoop him up and cuddle him as he attempted to lick every inch of her face. She usually drew the line at face licks, but she was too happy to see him to care right now.

Faust wiggled in her arms, so she let him go, and he raced to Meph—

Only to stop and freeze in place. He slowly cowered, tail dropping, head lowering.

“Be nice, Meph,” Iris warned. “You can’t eat him.”

Meph glanced between her and the dog. And then again, several times, like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

And then he shifted.

Just like that, he phased through the half-shifted form he’d been in when they made love in the cave, and then he finally reverted to human form. He bent and scooped Faust up the same way Iris had.

He was still shirtless, and seeing that adorable puppy cuddled against his tattooed skin made her feel all gooey inside.

Meph stood and looked at his brothers, the puppy still in his arms. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

There was an awkward moment as the demons stared at one another. There was something unsaid hanging in the air, but Iris didn’t have a clue what it was. She was obviously missing some context, but she knew better than to ask right now.

Then Meph said, “Sorry for—I was—I shoulda—”

“Shut up,” Bel snapped, and then he mumbled, “You’re not a burden.” He clenched his jaw and stared at the wall.

“S’fine.” Meph was staring at the opposite wall. “Thanks for... Yeah.”

Iris covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. She’d never seen a group of more emotionally constipated people in her life. Had she thought she was bad? She had nothing on this.

Raum coughed.

“Anyway,” Meph said loudly. And then he finally looked at Iris.

They stared at each other. She felt her eyes sting and her throat constrict, but mostly, she just wanted to throw herself into his arms.

“Welcome back,” she whispered.

He smiled. “Are you going to tell me you miss my demon again?”

Her cheeks were burning. “No, but he can come and play whenever he wants.”

“What about what I want?”

“You’ll just have to take turns.”

“Gross,” Raum said.

Her face practically burst into flames, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

“How did you shift?” Raum asked. “You always used to need... persuasion.”

“I dunno. I guess I convinced my demon not to scare the puppy.” Meph patted Faust’s head. “I can kinda communicate with him now, try to get him not to eat people and stuff.”

“That’s new.”

“Yeah, I—” Meph looked at her. “Iris helped me.”

Silence fell again. There was so much she suddenly wanted to say to him. And do to him.

Belial rolled his eyes. “Just get a room already.”

“Leave the hound or you’ll traumatize him for life,” Raum added.

“Too late for that,” Meph said with a smirk.

Iris scoffed and made to tell them to drop it, but next thing she knew, Meph was shoving Faust into an unhappy Belial’s arms and then scooping her up like a proper damsel in distress.

She squawked in protest as Meph said “Later, fuckers!” and carried her off down the hall.

He kicked the door to his room open and then froze.

“Oh, shit, it smells nasty in here.”

Iris started to giggle. Her giggles turned into straight-up laughter, and then she threw her arms around his neck and covered his face with kisses. Her old self would have cringed at her behavior, but she didn’t give a rat’s arse.

“Look at you, all adorable,” Meph said, nipping at her nose.

“I’m happy.” She reached up and fingered the lock of hair falling onto his forehead. “I’m glad you came back.”

“I guess my demon’s not as dumb as he looks. He was not pleased when you disappeared through the hellgate. It didn’t take him long to figure out he needed to get his shit together.”

“He’s not dumb at all. He’s just hungry. We all know how hard it is to think straight when you’re hungry.”

Meph’s smile dropped. “Fuck, though, I almost didn’t go. I would have stayed in Hell.” He shuddered.

“No, you wouldn’t have. I knew you would come. And if you didn’t, I was going to get backup and go grab you.”

“Bel can’t go back. He wouldn’t have agreed—”

“Yes, he would have. Belial would start the underworld war to end all underworld wars for you, and you know it. So would all your brothers. So would I.”

Meph scoffed to brush her off, but she could tell her words affected him. “Whatever you say, baby doll.”

“’Cause I’m the boss, right, sugar muffin?”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “I’ll show you who’s boss.” Then he glanced up. “But not in this nasty-ass, freezing-cold bedroom.” His nose wrinkled. “It’s like being in a meat locker. Why are we still standing here?”

“You’re the one holding me. Take me wherever you want to go.”

He grinned. “I want to take you to your place and fuck you until you can’t walk.”

Damn. “Well, since you asked so nicely...”

A man on a mission now, he carried her back into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. Unfortunately, the washing machine dinged at that moment.

“Oh, short intermission,” she said, wiggling until he reluctantly set her on her feet. “We have to finish the laundry first. And we both need to shower. We’re covered in blood, and we smell like Hell. It’s disgusting.”

He groaned dramatically and dropped his head back.

“I’m doing your laundry. You should be thanking me.”

“I’ll thank you with multiple orgasms as soon as we get to your place.”

“Which we’ll do as soon as we finish the laundry and have a shower.”

He threw up his hands. “Fine. We’ll do the stupid laundry.”

Hiding her smile, she spun on a heel and stalked away. “Honestly, I’ve never met a more ungrateful—” She shrieked as he picked her up again and backed her into the laundry room, pressing her up against the wall.

“I’ll show you ungrateful,” he rumbled as he ground his hard-on against her.

She groaned, eyes closing as she wrapped her legs around him. “I’m too dirty for this. I want to shower—”

“Yeah, you’re a dirty girl, aren’t you, baby?”

“Meph, damn it—”

“Fine, we’ll shower. But I’m going to fuck you up against the tile until you scream loud enough that my brothers hear you.”

“No, you are not—”

But he was already carrying her to the bathroom.

“Meph, the laundry—”

“Fuck the laundry.”

The bathroom door slammed shut with a stray kick.