“As in, I waited too long, and now I’m like a powder keg about to blow.” One hand dragged through his white-blond hair. “I’m worried if I let go even a little, I’ll go off. And if I do that with a human? She’s dead.”
“You’re talking about the hellfire?”
Bel nodded.
Raum winced. Bursting into flames in the bedroom would be a bit of a mood killer, that was for sure. And he was right: a human woman wouldn’t survive it. And that was just a bit fucked up.
“Well, shit,” Raum said.
Before they’d escaped Hell, this wouldn’t have been an issue. If Belial burst into flames with a demon partner, he might roast them a little, but he’d have to really try to actually kill them. But with a human… No way.
“You repeat this, I’ll wring your neck till your head pops off.”
“You need to find another outlet. Bottling it up isn’t gonna work long term.”
“You think I don’t know that? I tried napping, for fuck’s sake.”
“Drugs?”
Bel gave him a dry look. “You have no idea the shit that’s in my room right now.”
“What, like psychedelics?”
“No. There’s no way I’m getting so fucked up I risk losing control.”
“Right.” A flaming Belial high on mushrooms sounded like something out of a nightmare. Or a biblical apocalypse prophecy. “What about sleeping pills? So you can get some rest?”
“Last night I took enough to kill a human three times over.”
Raum winced. “And?”
“I made macarons at four AM.”
“Fuck, dude.”
Bel waved a hand. “There’s nothing I can do about it now, so there’s no point talking about it. Let’s get shitfaced.” He headed toward the liquor shelf in the kitchen like a man on a mission.
Raum lingered in the living room. He didn’t want to get drunk. He was tired from work and he was doing it all again tomorrow. Plus, unlike his brother, there was nothing physically preventing him from going out and finding a human to slake any pent-up lust with.
Except…he wasn’t in the mood. When he thought about women, he just thought about the mystery girl peeking at him from around the building. It was the stupidest thing, but something about her made him think that no other would do.
He shook his head. He’d exchanged all of three words with her, didn’t know her name and would probably never see her again.
Maybe he wanted to get drunk after all.
He followed Bel and sat on the counter, ignoring the glare Bel shot him. His issues aside, he didn’t want to leave his brother alone right now. Bel was going through some shit, and it would be to everyone’s benefit if he could get drunk enough to finally pass out.
Bel handed him an overfilled shot glass of tequila, and they tossed them back together. And then did it again. And again. And several more times after that.
Finally, Bel slammed the half-empty bottle on the counter and announced in a booming voice, “Let’s make cheesecake.”
* * *
The week passed quickly.
Life went on business as usual. Raum worked at the shelter every day and managed to keep it secret from his brothers. Meph was out most days with Iris. Bel’s attempts to sleep remained unsuccessful.
On Friday, someone brought a little gray pit bull into the shelter, found half starved and stuck in a sewer. She was afraid of her own shadow, and her legs trembled so much she could barely stand. They named her Luna because she was found on a full moon.
