Page 19 of Demon with Benefits
“She loved it, Meph. She loved it so much, she wants you to be the feature of her opening at the end of March.” Jacqui looked intently at him. “Is that something you would consider?”
Meph stared at her. Jacqui was an accomplished artist in her own right. She and Dan had made a name for themselves with their paintings and sculptures and were renowned world-wide. If she said her friend had a “successful gallery” that meant it was a BFD: big fucking deal.
But Meph didn’t care about human shit like validation. He made art because—well, he honestly didn’t have a clue why the fuck he made art. Maybe it was as simple as the fact that his mind went silent for once when he was working, and that was something he needed more of.
“I know you’re very secretive about your work,” Jacqui went on, “and I respect that. In fact, I think it’s partly why you’re such a brilliant artist. You keep your inspiration very close, and that keeps it pure.”
“I don’t know if I’d say that,” he mumbled, fidgeting with his paint-covered hands.
“But I think this could be a great opportunity for you. Not just because of the recognition you’d gain, but as a way for you to expand your horizons. Exposing yourself to the world is a powerful step as a creator, and it takes a lot of courage. I remember once I first did it, I progressed in leaps and bounds. It brought a lot of insight into my craft, and as a result, a lot of inspiration. I would love to see that for you, Meph.”
Meph shifted around on his stool and rubbed the back of his neck until he realized he was probably rubbing paint all over himself. He dropped his hand.
“My brothers...” Nobody knew what he was doing all day when he disappeared, not even Raum, and he wanted to keep it that way.
“No one needs to know except us if you don’t want them to. And the patrons at the gallery of course, but they’re strangers, so it doesn’t matter.” Jacqui’s dark eyes lit up like she knew victory was within her grasp. “You told me you rented a studio space, right?”
“Yeah.” But he rarely used it because he always came here instead. All of his sculptures were here, which meant he would need to transfer them all to Montreal if he was going to do the show.
“Well, I planned it all out.” She was practically vibrating with excitement now. “We can draw a hellgate in your studio and transfer the pieces directly there. We can take sculptures through a gate, right?”
He nodded. He was pretty sure, anyway. It wasn’t like he’d tried before, but he didn’t see why it wouldn’t work. As long as someone was holding onto them, even fairly heavy objects could be transported through hellgates. Jacqui, on the other hand, would have to take a sizeable gulp of demon blood if she wanted to come through with him, as the Sheolic magic used to activate a hellgate was not compatible with regular humans.
“We’ll work out transportation to the gallery with Magalie—she’s the owner—and if you don’t want anyone to know what you’re doing, then we won’t tell them. We can do the whole show without anyone else knowing I’m in Montreal.”
“Wait.” He scrubbed his face, then realized he was probably spreading paint all over himself yet again and dropped his hand. “You’d come to Montreal and not even tell Eva?”
Jacqui nodded. “If that was what it took for you to feel comfortable doing this, yes.”
“But—”
“I love my daughter and miss her very much, but I can visit her another time. This is about yourart.” Her dark eyes blazed with passion. Yep, this woman was crazy obsessed with art. At least she’d made the right career choice. “Nothing can stand in the way of that.”
“Yeah, but...” He didn’t like the weird feeling in his gut at the idea of Jacqui missing a chance to see her daughter. “Maybe you could still visit Eva and just sneak away on the side?”
Her face split into a smile. “That’s a great idea. So? Does this mean you’re in?”
Meph dropped his head back, groaned, and then spun his stool in a circle. He cracked his knuckles one by one and picked some of the paint off his skin. Then he traced the tattoos on his palms and spun his stool around a few more times. All the while, Jacqui waited with perfect stillness, that hopeful smile never leaving her face.
Finally, he blew out the world record for longest sigh and said, “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Jacqui’s whoop of excitement had him slamming his palms over his ears. Great, he’d have paint there now too.
4
FATAL ATTRACTION
THE DEMONS HAD SOMEHOW TALKED POORLILY INTOwatching a horror movie.
Iris would have felt bad if she wasn’t secretly relieved. She would rather watch zombies eat people than a rom-com any day.
The gore took on a whole new meaning in present company, however. In case Iris had forgotten they were demons, she was given a disturbing reminder every time one of them laughed when someone was eaten or disemboweled.
Belial, currently dwarfing the armchair he sat in, would scoff when he didn’t find the violence believable, reminding her that he knew from experience.
Raum sat on the floor with his back against the couch arm, Faust cuddled in his lap, the little traitor apparently content to just lie there getting his ears scratched.
It wasn’t fair. When he sat on Iris’s lap, he would wiggle so much she could barely get a grip on him and bite anything he could get his mouth on.
