Page 59 of Demon with Benefits (Hell Bent #3)
D AN SLIPPED INTO M AGALIE’S ART GALLERY, FEELING A bit like an intruder despite having been here many times. He and Jacqui had held shows of their own in this very space, but though the walls were familiar, the gallery had been remodeled for the current showing.
Dan’s first impression of the art was shock and horror coupled with the urge to avert his gaze. Even for someone who’d killed more than he cared to remember, the sculptures were disturbing.
But when he overcame his instinctive revulsion and forced himself to take it all in, he found a hidden depth to the pieces that conveyed a lot more than just pain and violence. There was longing, striving, despair, and even, sprinkled in the most unexpected places... hope.
Most striking of the collection, however, was a piece that seemed so incongruous, it almost appeared to have been made by another artist. Entitled Woman in Color , it rested atop a pedestal in the center of the room, the bright spotlight above making it brighter than anything else.
The sculpture was of a naked female crouching with her hands wrapped around her knees and her head down, hair falling over her face.
From her back, glorious butterfly wings rose, delicate as if she had just pulled herself from the chrysalis, yet powerful in their fragile beauty.
Though her skin remained colorless, the wings were a rainbow of hues.
And her hair was blue.
The inspiration behind the piece was obvious—especially once Dan noticed the blue-haired woman dabbing tears from her eyes as she saw it for the first time.
It was... sweet, Dan admitted. An evocative statement.
Though he spent some time touring the show and observing the pieces, Meph’s art wasn’t the only reason he’d made an appearance tonight. In fact, he had three others.
“Dad!” The sound of his daughter’s voice instantly lightened the burden on his soul, and he turned and scooped her into a tight hug.
He wanted to squeeze her tight and never let go, but he didn’t think Eva would appreciate over-the-top displays of fatherly affection, so he released her a moment later.
She smiled, her eyes so bright it almost made him choke up. He wanted nothing more from life than to see her happy. “I’m so glad you came.”
He smoothed a hand over her lively curls. “Me too.”
“Isn’t Meph’s art amazing?” Eva leaned against him as they studied the piece before them. A man tearing open his chest cavity to rip out his own organs. “It’s freaky as hell, but I love it.”
Dan chuckled. “He’s developed his style to a remarkable degree for a relatively new artist.”
“Wow.” Eva smiled up at him. “That means a lot coming from you, Mr. Critic.”
“I am not Mr. Critic.”
“Are too. Did you say hi to Mom yet?”
Dan glanced over her shoulder to where Jacqui stood in conversation with Magalie. He’d known where Jacqui was the second he entered the room, but he hadn’t approached her yet.
“Go talk to her,” Eva said, accurately interpreting his silence. “She doesn’t bite. Yet. ”
Dan made a pained expression, and Eva responded with a cackle. “Too soon?”
“Way too soon.”
“It’d be so cool, though. We’d officially be the weirdest family ever. A fallen angel and a vampire, with their Nephilim daughter and her Prince of Hell boyfriend.”
Dan winced. “Don’t even say that out loud. You never know who might be listening.”
Eva just patted his arm. He was glad to see she wasn’t afraid.
He’d brought a forbidden child into this world who would be hunted for her very existence, but the last thing he wanted was for her to live her life in fear.
She may have been an accident, but his only regret was the danger he brought into her life by being her father.
“I’m serious,” she said. “Go talk to Mom.”
“I will. After I talk to Lily and Mist. I’ve got some news for them.”
Asmodeus appeared at that moment, placing a possessive hand on Eva’s shoulder. His and Dan’s gazes met. There was still a lot of tension between them, but Asmodeus nodded, and Dan nodded back. Eva looked between them and laughed.
Shaking his head, Dan excused himself and found Lily and Mist. The couple was studying another sculpture on the other side of the room.
“It’s impressive,” Lily whispered, “but I don’t think it’s for me. It’s just so... graphic.”
“It is very anatomically accurate,” Mist replied. They were looking at a man whose face had been eaten off. “That is precisely what the inside of a skull looks like.”
Lily covered her eyes. “I did not need to know that.”
“Hi, Lily,” Dan said, stepping up behind them.
She turned around, seeming grateful for the distraction. “Hi! How are you?”
“Great, actually.” Dan cut right to the chase. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I got used to waiting for you to call, and I guess I’ve been distracted.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I meant to call, but I forgot.”
She forgot ? Lily had been calling him every other day for months, to the point where he’d considered changing his phone number.
“Any news?” she asked.
“I met with Sunshine, and I’m sorry, but we’ve hit the end of the road with her. She couldn’t find any new information, and I can’t ask her to keep looking. It’s forbidden for her to associate with Grigori, and it doesn’t feel right asking her to. I’m sorry.”
To his surprise, Lily smiled. “That’s okay. Thank you for all you’ve done, and if you see your friend again, please pass on my gratitude as well.”
Yeah, that wouldn’t be happening, since Dan hadn’t told Sunshine why he needed the information. There was no way an angel would understand why he would’ve allied himself with a group of rogue demons. Dan couldn’t understand it himself most days.
“What’s your next lead?” he asked because he hadn’t expected Lily to take the news so well. Mist’s reaction—complete neutrality—was expected.
“Oh, I don’t really have one, honestly,” she replied. “I’m mostly out of ideas.”
Dan glanced between her and Mist, frowning.
“It’s okay,” Lily said, reading his confusion. “I guess I’m coming to terms with it. I won’t stop looking, but my sister told me I should trust Mist when he says he’s okay, so for now, I’m learning to just be grateful for our freedom.” She smiled up at the demon in question.
“I’m happy for you,” Dan said, and he was.
The Grigori was happy for the demon who’d escaped Hell to live as a fugitive with his human witch lover by his side.
Dan rubbed his eyes. His life would never be normal, that was for sure.
“Thank you,” Lily said. “And thanks again for all your help. We appreciate it.”
Dan bid the couple farewell and went in search of his wife. His third and final—and most important—reason for dropping by tonight. Besides the art, of course.
Having just excused herself from her own conversation, Jacqui looked up as he approached. Instead of embracing her like he wanted, he stopped a couple feet away, and they looked at each other in silence for a moment.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.”
“How do you like the show?”
“It’s impressive,” he replied. “The centerpiece is particularly engaging.”
“Almost conflicting with the rest of the collection.”
“Yet somehow, it blends seamlessly.”
Jacqui smiled. “My thoughts exactly.”
“You look beautiful.” Her dress fell to the floor, the ruby red fabric clinging to her curves in all the right places. Her hair was braided into an elaborate updo, and her gold jewelry complimented her skin tone.
“You look like you didn’t dress up at all,” she replied, “but somehow, you’re as handsome as ever.”
Was he... blushing? That was embarrassing.
“It was nice talking to you yesterday.” He’d called as he promised he would, and she’d answered. They’d ended up talking for hours, and it reminded him of when they first met.
Jacqui had been so damn young and him so damn old, and he’d felt like the biggest bastard, yet he hadn’t been able to stay away from her. They’d fallen in love fast and hard and had never fallen out of it. Not even now, after almost a year of living apart.
“Come home?” Jacqui asked.
He stilled. Surely she didn’t mean...
“I’m sick of being mad at you,” she said. “I’m sick of lying awake at night because I can’t sleep without you beside me. I’m sick of working every minute so I don’t notice how empty the house is. I’m sick of pretending I don’t love you more than I ever needed time apart.”
“Jacqui...” His throat constricted.
“I want to rebuild the trust we lost. Just promise you won’t keep secrets anymore, okay?”
“I swear it on Eva’s life. No more secrets.”
She nodded solemnly. It was a vow they both felt the weight of.
“And what about...” He glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “The vampire thing?”
Her lips curved. “I have a little time to decide, right? I’m still a woman in my prime.”
“You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, and it’s taking all my willpower not to take you home right now.”
Her eyes widened. “Can you do that?”
“It’s hard with two people, but I can manage with the right motivation.”
Their eyes met and an old passion burned between them, no less powerful for its familiarity.
Then Jacqui made a face. “You mean I drank demon blood to take the hellgate for nothing?”
Dan winced. “I was trying to give you space.”
“I don’t need space,” she replied. “I need my husband.”
He finally closed the distance between them, enveloping her in his arms. He held her tighter than he’d held Eva. Deep inside, the place in his heart that was reserved for her, the festering wound that had ached for months, finally became whole again.
“I love you more than life,” he told her, holding her close.
And this time, he was never letting her go.
Raum stood in the corner of the gallery full of fucked-up art and fought the urge to steal stuff.