Page 56

Jemma

“T his is your ten-minute warning, Ferretcon!” Esther’s abrasive voice blasted over the speakers. “Doors open in ten minutes!”

My finger hovered over the refresh button on the email browser on my phone. I smoothed the unwrinkled fabric of my leather corset with a sweaty palm, very deliberately setting it down and scrubbing my hands against my mini skirt to try and wipe the nerves away.

Later. I would check again later.

“You all set, Jem?”

I looked up into the calm face of Jules. Even with a giant Falcor writhing wildly in her arms, she seemed unflappable.

I plastered a grin on my face. “Yeah! Abso-positively ready to rock and roll!” I blathered, adding an extremely corny double thumbs up, just to really ram home that I was the opposite of ‘all set’. “Is my makeup smudged?”

Jules smiled sympathetically but let me deflect. “You’re perfect! And of course you are, when I’m the one who did your face for you!”

We’d opted for a toned-down version of my infamous devil costume from the promo photos, with the elaborate eyes, cheeks and lips, but no red body paint or face. I’d told them that it was itchy to wear the paint on my arms and chest, but really, I was hoping that SJ would make it in time to see me today, and I knew how much he loved my pink, human-coloured skin.

And while having him get all grumpy and domineering washing it off me had been fun, I thought I’d much rather see the look of longing in his eyes when he saw me in this skimpy outfit—a leather corset and teeny little matching skirt—but still looking like me.

Jules leaned over to Luci, who was set up in a raised pen to one side of my booth. Luci eyed Falcor, sniffed, accepted Jules’ pats, and scuttled back into her hammock with a huff.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, grabbing a ferret treat and popping it into the hammock. “She’s sulking because her boyfriends haven’t been home for a fortnight.”

“SJ away on business again?” Jules asked, quirking an eyebrow. “It’s so cute that he takes his ferrets on road trips with him!” She peered into the hammock, where two beady red eyes glared back at her. “I guess it’s not cute for you, though, Luci.”

I nodded, thankful that Jules had made an assumption about SJ’s ‘business’. Sometimes it was so hard to remember that not everyone knew my boyfriend of almost a year was really the brother to the Queen of Hell and the official Soul Judge of both eternal realms. And that his ‘road trips’ were interdimensional.

“He going to be back in time to attend today?” Jules asked, hefting Falcor up and draping him over her shoulders.

I shrugged. “Depends. He’s negotiating a sensitive deal at work at the moment.” Yeah … overseeing the final stages of a soul audit of Heaven and managing the transfer of the souls who should never have made the grade down to Hell … it was dicey. Especially when SJ was hoping that turning up with a bunch of Heaven-fattened souls would convince Hellen to let him do a similar audit on Hell … and take the good ones back to Heaven.

I worried for him every time he had to deal with his sister. He promised she was much less volatile now that she had what she’d coveted. But I didn’t fully trust her. Those winds …

BUZZZZZZ !

“That’s quite a vibrate you’ve got on that phone!” Jules remarked with a chuckle as my phone juddered its way to the edge of the table. I lunged forward to snag it before it vibrated off the edge. The screen was bright purple, and my heart soared.

“Yeah, I should probably change the setting,” I managed, giving her another overly bright smile as she headed off to continue her last-minute checks on the other exhibitors.

SJ: I promise I’ll make it by lunchtime. Just finishing up with Pete now. I’m delaying the transfer until next week. Your big day is more important xx

A grin burst onto my face. “They’ll be back for lunch, Luci!” I squeaked. Luci stuck her nose out of her hammock, dooked once, and then curled up again.

I snorted. “Wish I could just curl up and sulk until my man gets back, too.” I reached down, picking non-existent lint off the Little Mer-ferret costume and rearranging it in front of the basket of extras I’d made for the event.

I wasn’t sure how I’d managed to crochet as many costumes as I had over the last few months. In between going back to uni, facing Professor Proctor (who was so overly nice it verged on saccharine and made me wonder what exactly SJ had done to get that letter out of him in the first place), coming up with a whole new concept for my art exhibition, and creating the bloody art, while also applying for postgrad courses that would qualify me as an art therapist … and barely wanting to leave the bedroom when SJ was home.

I sighed, my skin heating. Not just the bedroom. The lounge. The kitchen bench. Against my bookshelf, with all my monster romance heroines looking on with pride. The shower. The washing machine … that was a very fun one.

There wasn’t a surface in the apartment we hadn’t christened. Except Ezra’s bedroom. Well, Ezra’s old bedroom. He’d moved in with Humphrey about a month ago.

For the last two weeks, I’d been home alone. And horny. SJ had needed to be in Heaven for the audit, and while the apartment was a short portal away, he’d said it was too hard to leave me every day, and he just wanted to get the ‘bloody tedious task’ over and done with.

He’d been gone two weeks, and I was horny. Holy Hell, I needed him. I needed to work all this extra anxiety out on his sexy body. Preferably in his devil form.

I was full of nervous energy, because today, in addition to being the opening day of Ferretcon—an event that has somehow gotten so much interest they’d had to run it over an entire weekend—it was the day that first round offers for postgrad courses were being emailed out.

I gave in, and as Esther bellowed, “Two minutes until doors open!” over the loudspeaker, I unlocked my phone and tapped ‘refresh’ on my email again.

Still nothing.

I shoved the bloody thing deep into my bag and kicked it under the table, wrestling a very grouchy Luci out of her hammock and attaching her angel wings and halo.

“Don’t you bite me, or I’ll only buy those treats you loathe for a whole year!” I hissed, bringing her bemused face up to mine. “I miss them too, you know. But we just have to put on a brave face until lunchtime.”

“Doors open in ten, nine, eight …”

I adjusted the horned headband, checked my photo backdrop was straight, and turned towards the doors as they swung open, and the crowd swarmed in.

* * *

“Jemma!” a trio of voices chorused, and my heart leapt into my throat. I craned my neck over the aliens and Vikings and superheroes all lined up to see me, and there they were.

Don’t cry, Jemma! You’ll ruin your makeup!

“My girls!” I called out to them, waving frantically and swallowing back the lump in my throat. There they were, beaming back at me, their mums behind them, peering around in wide-eyed bewilderment and whispering to one another. “Are you okay waiting? I’m so sorry, it’s been hectic all morning!”

They nodded, Faith and Harper’s newly growing-in hair bobbing around their cheeks. Ellie had a fuzz covering her head and the look of someone who was immensely grateful to have escaped the hospital for the day.

I blinked back my tears and grinned at the man dressed in the most elaborate parrot costume I’d ever seen—feathers and all—who was holding up a little pirate ensemble to his beautiful cinnamon-coated ferret.

“Awww, your daddy wants to be your sidekick!” I cooed, stroking its nose and producing a treat. “Can I?”

The man nodded, and his fur baby chomped away happily as he handed over his card to pay.

The next few people produced their photo tickets, and I came out from behind the table, scooping up a very bemused Luci and posing with a princess, a witch, and Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles in front of the backdrop. Michelangelo took their picture with a Polaroid camera and chatted animatedly with me as it developed before bashfully asking if I would sign it.

How was this my life? I was signing autographs for teenage mutants who thought I was a celebrity while selling more stock in a few hours than I usually would in six months.

And then my girls made it to the front of the line.

“You look fire!” Faith beamed. Harper looked a little conflicted, but I knew that to her, devils were considered evil, so I gave her a pass.

But Ellie wrapped an arm around my waist and proclaimed, “That costume is eating and leaving no crumbs, Jemma!”

I giggled. “Thanks!” I gestured to their matching angel wings. “You all look so great, too! I’m so glad they let you out for the day, Ell.”

Her smile widened. “Even better. I’m done with chemo! They said the cancer is in remission, and I get to go home!”

There was absolutely no way I was staving off the tears at that news. “Ell, that’s the best thing I’ve heard since these two told me they were cancer-free!”

I hugged her tight to my side, giving her a squeeze. “And you know what this means? You finally get Luci cuddles!”

“Omigod, omigod!” Ellie screamed, and I passed Luci over. Ellie immediately snuggled her, and to give Luci credit, she decided to choose affection over violence and snuggled right back.

“Can we get a photo with you, Jemma?” Harper asked, still eyeing my costume uncertainly. I wanted to tell her that she actually knew a real-life devil and that he had the heart of an angel, and she thought he was the bee’s knees. But I didn’t. I just scooped her against me, too, and let their mums snap away merrily.

“So,” I began when they finally broke away, sharing pats with Luci, “does this mean I won’t get to see any of you now?”

Ellie glanced at her mum, who nodded. “Well, we were kind of wondering, if you’d like to … um … come and do art with us at my house once a week?”

“We’d like to pay you,” Harper’s mum interjected. “What you did for our girls while they were in the hospital … it was the highlight of every week.”

More tears sprang from my eyes. “Really? I mean, I’m not … qualified … so I feel weird about taking money from you.”

“Nonsense!” Faith’s mum interjected. “You did a better job helping them through the toughest time in their lives than most of the professional therapists they saw. And you did it out of the goodness in your heart.” She reached into her bag and produced a tissue. “Dab, don’t swipe, or all that makeup is going to smear.”

“Thank you!” I blubbered, patting at my streaming eyes. “Oh, I’m going to be a mess by the time SJ gets here!”

“He’s coming?” Harper gasped, running a hand through her hair. I giggled wetly.

“He’ll be here after lunch. And I would love to keep seeing the girls—I’ve been missing these two the last month, and I just can’t imagine life without them! But I won’t let you pay me.” I held up a hand when Faith’s mum opened her mouth to protest. “I don’t feel right about being paid for something that I’m not qualified to offer. But … if you want to provide the art materials, that would be amazing!”

“You drive a hard bargain, Jemma Bliss. Alright.” Faith’s mum ushered the girls back. “We’d better let Jemma work, since she’s clearly an in-demand lady today!”

I glanced behind them, eyes widening at the line that had formed. “Holy … yes, enjoy the rest of the con, and pop back later if you want to see SJ!”

“We will!” the girls chorused enthusiastically. Ellie reluctantly handed Luci back to me, and off they went.

And I went back to work. There was no time to think about SJ, or whether I’d get into my postgrad course, or … anything really, except selling my costumes, scratching the heads of new ferrety friends, and schmoozing with all these people who were deluded enough to think I was famous, all because of a few billboards around the city, and some ads on social media with my face on them.

I didn’t even have a chance to think about how hungry I was getting, or if it was close to lunch, until I caught a whiff of campfire and cloves, and I gasped, leaping to my feet. I couldn’t see … I needed to see!

Because there was only one person in the world who smelled that good.

Ignoring the heads turning in my direction, I climbed onto my chair and stood on my tiptoes, frantically peering into the crowds, until I saw him. Taller than the rest. And even amongst all the milling costumes, the crazy makeup and prosthetic … appendages, his horns stood out.

Holy Hell!