Page 10 of Demon’s Desire (Lovers of the Damned #3)

ONYX

Onyx found a new seat at the foot of the stage. A different woman was performing, and more people had crowded into the club. The energy coursing through the room was high, music thumping, but Onyx wasn’t feeling it like he had been earlier.

A server appeared at his side almost instantly. “Can I get you a drink, darling?”

“No, thank you.” Onyx handed her a tip anyway. He didn’t bother checking if he’d grabbed a twenty or something larger.

The money disappeared into her top. “You must be the guy Star was talking about. How about a lap dance instead?”

“That’s an excellent idea. Why don’t you grab a few of your friends and take me to a private room?”

She beamed. “You got it, darling.”

Onyx stood and followed the woman across the club. She grabbed Star, who’d changed out of her blue outfit into something cherry red, and beckoned another woman to follow them.

“I’m Angel, but the way,” she said over her shoulder. “You’ve met Star, and this is Jade.”

“Lovely to meet you all. I’m Onyx.” He followed them into a private room and sat on the cushioned bench seat, the bouncer catching his eye from beyond the partially open curtain.

Onyx extracted a wad of cash from his pocket and set it on a small side table. “How do you ladies like working here?”

“Oh, it’s not bad.” Star seated herself beside Onyx and ran her hands through his hair as she had earlier.

Jade glanced from the money to Onyx, fine black hair falling into her face. “Do you actually want a dance?”

“Not really.” He dragged the table into the middle of the room and kicked his feet up. “So working for Rowan is all right?”

The women exchanged a glance. Jade sat beside Star and Angel perched on his other side, kicking her stiletto-clad feet up next to his, saying, “Working here is way better than anywhere else I’ve been.”

Onyx had no desire to like Rowan, but was glad all the same. “Why’s that?”

“The security here is next level.” Star tugged on his hair, and Onyx closed his eyes briefly. It was like the woman had read his need to be touched the second he’d walked into the club. Fuck, he liked a head massage.

“Yeah, I’ve never worked in a club where half the bouncers weren’t as bad as the patrons,” Jade added. “Here, they aren’t afraid to kick problems to the curb.”

“And I consistently make more here than I have elsewhere.” Angel took Onyx’s cash and began counting it. “I got this job thinking I could move to bartending in the casino if I needed something more consistent, but why take the pay cut?”

“Not that they aren’t paid well upstairs,” Jade said quickly.

So Rowan wasn’t scum. Onyx would have to work at hating him, not that it’d be a problem. He was a vampire and, therefore, annoying by default.

“How do you know Rowan?” Star asked.

“Friend of a friend. We’ve only met a few times.”

Angel slid her feet off the table and divided the money into three piles. “What do you do, Onyx? That’s such a cool name, by the way.”

“Thanks.” He grinned. “I run a gallery.”

Angel laughed. “Fuck, it must pay well.”

“It does. My artists make a killing.”

Onyx didn’t take much of a commission, less than other comparable galleries.

It was easy to pass up the money when he’d had two hundred years since his escape from Hell to amass wealth, and magic to help him do it.

He only bothered taking a commission to pay Scott and keep his business from drawing the wrong kind of attention in their circles.

Jade leaned forward. “Which gallery do you run?”

“Jade studied art in school,” Star added.

Jade glared at her.

Onyx sat a little straighter. “I run Gallery Four. What medium did you study?”

Jade’s eyes went wide at the gallery name. “Um, acrylics and a little bit of digital art.”

Star paused her tugging on Onyx’s hair. “Jade has such a cool style, and she does commissions.”

“Really?”

Jade’s cheeks turned pink. “Yeah, it’s nothing much. I sell stuff online, like avatars and illustrations of people’s OC’s. I don’t do many. I’ve only been doing commission for a few months.”

Angel held her hand out in front of Onyx. “Give me your phone and I’ll show you.”

“No.” Jade batted Angel’s hand away. “Don’t. They aren’t that good.”

“Yes, they are,” Angel said firmly. “Especially your original work.”

“I’d love to see.” Onyx genuinely would.

His favorite thing about his job was meeting artists, and he didn’t hold onto pretentious ideas about some people being more worth his time than others.

There were so many talented people out there, and Onyx preferred showcasing the ones who didn’t already benefit from connections in the industry.

“Okay, if you want to see, I’ll show you.

Give me your phone.” Jade took Onyx’s phone and brought up a website.

“I get commissions through social media and have an account showcasing my digital style that’s linked under my contact page, but this shows more of my other work. ” She passed the phone back.

Onyx scrolled through the gallery showing a mix of line drawings and acrylic paintings, all of the human form, mostly women.

There was so much emotion in each piece, especially the ones with two or more people.

It was like getting a glimpse of various lovers at different stages of their relationships.

“These are stunning.”

“Thank you,” Jade breathed.

Onyx extracted his wallet and fished out a business card. “Why don’t you send me a message, and we can meet at the gallery. I’d love to see some of these in person if that’s all right with you?”

Jade took the card. “Fuck, really? I mean, sorry, thank you. I’d love that.”

Onyx grinned, feeling a lot better than he had upstairs. Humans were his happy place. This right here was what mattered in life. Magical beings’ priorities were too often lofty and stomach-churningly self-important.

After chatting idly for a while longer, they had to vacate the private room.

“Thanks for a great time,” Onyx said as they reentered the main club.

“Come back and we can do it again sometime.” Star blew him a kiss and sauntered over to a group of men standing near the bar.

“Yeah, see you around.” Angel looped her arm through Jade’s and pulled her away.

“Making friends?”

Onyx spun to find Nico smirking at him. Onyx’s tense muscles loosened, and the hollow feeling that had been following him around seemed to fade. “I always make friends. Everyone loves me.”

The witch raised his brows. “Is that what you were doing upstairs, getting everyone to love you?”

Onyx didn’t need the magic world’s affection. “I don’t spend a lot of time with vampires. They don’t count. I was talking about people who matter. They all like me.”

“I see.” Nico’s expression turned shrewd, like he really did see. “And what about witches?”

Onyx’s pulse sped up. “Depends. I won’t hold being a witch against Harper.”

Nico laughed, and Onyx’s fire sparked inside him, the sound annoyingly beautiful. “Just Harper? I see how it is.”

Onyx scowled, hiding the smile threatening to break free. “Aren’t you busy with Rowan?”

“No.” Nico shoved his hands in his pockets. “I figured I’d see if you wanted to go play World’s End?”

Onyx’s heart leapt. What was wrong with him? He hadn’t expected Nico to come find him and hated being so glad to see him. All his reactions to Nico were baffling. He’d gotten under Onyx’s skin in a way that shouldn’t have been possible.

“I never said I wanted to play your little game.”

“Oh, I know. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to. Come on, I’m sure Ollie would love it if you played with him sometime.”

How had Nico found the one argument Onyx couldn’t say no to?

Was Onyx that transparent in his desire to win over Ollie and Harper?

Could Nico tell he wanted to be dragged kicking and screaming into being included?

No, probably not. Nico was set on being kind and helpful.

To everyone. It wasn’t about Onyx specifically.

Hell, Nico was the worst.

“Fine, but don’t try to invite me to play with that vampire, Leo.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Onyx followed him out of the club.

It wasn’t as if more time with Nico was the worst thing to happen to him. The man was a treat to look at, and Onyx was curious about where he lived. Besides, the longer they hung out, the longer Onyx could pester him. Nico responded so well to everything Onyx threw at him.

Someone needs to teach you some manners.

Onyx’s fire burned at the sheer audacity, his insides tightening with anticipation. Did Nico mean it? Did he care enough to make Onyx be good?

Probably not, but it was fun to mess with the witch either way. It was almost like Onyx was developing an addiction to him. That or some sort of magnetic pull had to be what drove him to follow Nico outside and into a rideshare.

The ride through the city was almost relaxing, and by the time the car pulled over in front of a small apartment building, Onyx’s agitation was a distant memory.

They climbed out of the car, and Nico unlocked the gate barring the building’s entry from the street. “No comments about my place?”

“Huh?” Onyx followed him into the small space separating the front door from the street, and the gate shut behind him.

Nico looked down at him. They were too close, trapped in the narrow enclosure. “You had a lot to say about the look of Rowan’s club.”

“No I didn’t. I made one comment.” Onyx’s skin prickled. He’d never insult the place where Nico lived. He took a shot at Rowan because he was an immortal and had chosen to spend his money on an architectural eyesore when he could, by all accounts, have afforded to set up somewhere nicer.

“Fine. Don’t expect much and you won’t be disappointed.” Nico turned and unlocked the door.

Onyx seethed. Did Nico think he was shallow? He didn’t go around the city judging people who had to actually work for a living. Of course they wouldn’t have the same luxuries he had.