“I seem to recall that I was smoking,” Ash said as Eva joined their group. He stooped to give her a kiss.
“Yeah, and then I told you how long it takes cigarette butts to decompose, and you looked at me like I’d grown a second head.” Eva chuckled. “Thank god you quit.”
“And then I asked if you were a closet lesbian because I didn’t know you could see through Ash’s curse,” Meph said.
“Oh my god, I was so mad at you for that!” Eva chuckled. “I thought you were the biggest dick.”
“So, not much has changed, then,” Raum said.
Iris looked between them and laughed. “I have no idea what’s going on.”
“We’re just rehashing the first time I ever took the guys to this club,” Eva said with a grin. “It was right after Ash and I first met, before I knew he was a demon.”
The situation tonight was similar, but in Bel’s mind, things couldn’t have been more different. And their so-called family had expanded so much since then. Sunshine was holding Raum’s hand, smiling at everyone though she probably didn’t have a clue what they were talking about either. And Meph’s arm was slung over Iris’s shoulder, and the witch actually looked happy about it.
Eva transferred her gaze to Bel and smiled. “Should we go upstairs?”
His dysfunctional family had been trying to get him to go out with them for weeks, and he’d steadfastly refused. The last time he was in this club, he’d grabbed a human by the throat and nearly crushed his windpipe just for bumping into him. He wasn’t looking to repeat that experience, especially because this time, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop. Crushing a throat seemed like the perfect outlet for his pent-up frustration.
So why had he come out tonight?
He wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe he sensed he was close to a kind of precipice, and he’d come here hoping to recapture the hope and elation he’d felt after his last visit. It was that very night that he’d made his six-months-of-celibacy pact, after all.
Maybe, if he just kept trying, just kept pretending, things would fix themselves. Yeah, he’d never heard of that working for anybody ever, but fuck it, there was a first time for everything.
“Let’s go,” he told Eva.
They pulled open the heavy door and climbed the stairs to the dumpy old jazz club, pushing into the tightly packed throng of bodies. Being seven feet tall in human form, Bel towered overeveryone. People took one look at him and got out of his way. Funny, because he wasn’t even angry at the moment. Just mildly irritated, which was pretty much his constant state of being.
He was used to humans being afraid of him. He was an ancient supernatural being, and most mortals sensed that in some part of their subconscious. The only people who weren’t afraid of him were those who viewed him as a potential sexual partner. And half the time, he was pretty sure they were still afraid of him too. It was just mixed with desire—a tantalizing combination for any thrill seeker.
The band was on stage, already setting up for the first round of jamming. “Skye has the night off and wanted to meet up,” Eva called over her shoulder, half shouting to be heard over the house music pumping through the PA system. “I told her to save our usual table.” She shot Bel a wary look.
“It’s so loud in here!” Sunshine exclaimed, pressing her palms over her ears.
“Meph and I will get drinks!” Iris called out. She looked at Bel. “What do you want?”
“Something strong,” he replied.
She saluted him with a grin and then grabbed Meph and dragged him toward the bar.
Bel and Raum flanked an overstimulated Sunshine as they followed Ash and Eva through the crowd. Poor Sunshine kept her palms over her ears, and her ever-present smile began to look slightly strained.
Raum shot protective glares in multiple directions. Their natural demonic allure meant Bel and his brothers were used to attracting attention, but Sunshine’s otherworldly angelic aura drew just as many gazes. Eyes followed her all the way across the club.
“Sunshine, do you want some earplugs?” Eva asked when they reached the table. “I keep an extra pair of those foamy construction ones in my bag in case of emergencies.”
“Yes, please!” Sunshine shouted, and Eva dug through her purse.
Bel took a seat on the narrow wooden bench against the wall, wincing when the entire thing creaked ominously under his weight. If it gave out under him, he was going to burn this place to the ground.
Raum sat beside him. “You good?”
“No,” Bel growled. “Why did I agree to this again?”
“You used to like going out.”
“Hm.”
