Page 82 of Demon with Benefits
Iris ignored them. She didn’t want to talk to Suyin right now. She was too raw, and all the lying and secret keeping was too much to bear.
Plus, she had things to do.
Bundling up in her parka, she picked up Faust and zipped him up inside. Or tried to. The zipper wouldn’t go over him anymore, which made her panic a little. She knew he was growing, but she hadn’t expected it to be this fast.
She compromised by wrapping him up in a big scarf to compensate for the open zipper. Yes, he could have just walked on the leash—the sidewalks had been plowed after the storm so there was no risk of losing him in a snowbank—but she didn’t feel like cleaning his muddy feet later. And maybe she wanted to cuddle him a little.
Hound in her arms, she stepped outside, pleasantly surprised to find it was a sunny day and not too cold. It seemed fitting after last night and the mission she was on now. It felt like a good sign.
A tiny red stain in the unswept snow outside her neighbor’s door caught her eye, banishing her glow. It looked like blood. Her eyes narrowed as a chill swept down her spine.
She shook her head. It was only a drop. Likely, Mr.GQhad gotten a minor cut from slipping on the ice in his Versace loafers. That would also explain the strange prints in the snow around the door—like someone had fallen.
She shuddered a little as she turned and headed down the stairs, though it was hard to pull herself away for some reason. Her neighbor gave her the creeps, and she wasn’t sure why. Faust whimpered a little, so she cuddled him closer.
The sunshine and warmer weather put her in a better mood, and by the time she made it to the demons’ apartment building, she’d forgotten the blood-in-the-snow event. She buzzed their flat and only flinched a little as Belial demanded to know who it was. When she made it upstairs, the door was open, so she went in without knocking.
The minute she took off her coat, Raum appeared. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Thought I told you not to get involved.”
“Did he come home last night?”
Raum’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you care?”
“I’m not completely heartless.”
His raised eyebrow said he didn’t believe her. “Don’t worry about it. I said I’d handle it, and I will.”
Her heart skipped a beat. If Meph had come home, wouldn’t he have just said so? Which meant he hadn’t. And Raum still didn’t know where he was.
“I also told you I’d call when I was coming to get the phone—”
“Oh, no,” she interrupted, “I came to drop off Faust. I have to work at Le Repaire today and tomorrow, remember?”
Raum wouldn’t remember, because she hadn’t told him that, because she didn’t really have to work.
His eyes narrowed like he suspected the lie, but then Faust started wiggling in her arms, eager to get to his favorite person in the world, and she saw Raum cave.
“Okay,” he said with a shrug, but his gold eyes lit up when she set Faust down and the little puppy went racing over.
Raum scooped him up. Though he did a good job maintaining the dark and menacing vibe, there was something so adorable about seeing a guy that hot holding a puppy that Iris couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll take the phone if you have it,” Raum said.
“I forgot to bring it, actually. My bad.”
Also a lie. The phone was, in fact, in her pocket.
“Do you mind if I use your bathroom before I go?” she asked. “I have to pee so bad.” She tried to channel a bit of her twin sister as she plastered on a demure look.
He still looked suspicious but said, “Fine.”
“Thanks.” She ruffled Faust’s fluffy head as she passed, feeling Raum’s stare on her back. Bel was cooking in the kitchen as usual, and he shot her a glare too. She offered what she hoped was an innocent smile and kept going down the hall.
She did, in fact, have to pee, though that wasn’t the real reason behind inviting herself in. After washing her hands, she cracked open the door to make sure the coast was clear.
She could hear Belial and Raum talking in the kitchen as she tiptoed to Meph’s bedroom door and tried the handle. To her surprise, it opened. She’d expected him to lock it. Did he really trust his brothers that much, or did he just not care if anyone went in his room?
She slipped in quietly, closing the door behind her. A part of her was hoping to find Meph asleep—an easy end to her mission—but the unmade bed was obviously empty. It looked like he’d thrown the covers off the last time he’d gotten up and never bothered to fix them.
