As he disappeared, the last remaining gust teased the chalk line at the edge of the sigil containing the unconscious demon, smudging it slightly.
22
Divine Intervention
Jacqui hung up the phone, more disturbed than she cared to admit. Why was Dan involved in this? And how big of a secret had he been keeping from her? She had a strong suspicion she wasn’t going to like the answers to any of those questions.
She slid open the patio door and stepped back inside, closing it behind her. Eva had warned her the demons had heightened senses, and she hadn’t wanted them to overhear, so she’d made sure to walk a distance away from the house before calling Dan.
Back inside, she could hear Meph and Raum bickering about something in the living room, the muffled conversation featuring an array of creative profanity. Belial washed dishes in the kitchen, and there was muffled music coming from the den, not quite buried beneath the sound of clinking porcelain.
The music was what really caught her attention.
She stopped, hand still wrapped around the door handle, and listened closer. Sultry piano chords were complemented by the ethereal tones of Eva’s violin as she outlined the mournful melody of “My Funny Valentine.”
Jacqui wandered into the kitchen in a daze, needing to share the moment with someone. That was the beauty of art at its finest—it was always better when there was another who understood your wonder.
Belial glanced up from the sink when she entered.
“That’s your brother? He’s... They’re...” She actually had to wipe a tear from her eye. “They play together so beautifully. Like they were made to.”
Bel nodded and went back to scrubbing. He had a face like an angel, but there was a hardness to those features that made him intimidating and difficult to read. Not to mention, he had to be seven feet tall, and it was hard to see his face at all from that height.
“We found out recently that music makes Ash’s curse lift,” he said. “The effect seems to be temporary, but I’m daring to hope he can find a way to lift it permanently if he keeps experimenting. It’s never been a possibility before now.”
She grabbed a dish towel and took over drying and putting away. “How did it happen?”
“Eva and Asmodeus played together at Eva’s jazz club. Afterward, he got attacked by women. They swarmed him like wasps on shit.”
She had to laugh at the analogy. “What did he do?”
“After three thousand years of being invisible, he panicked.” Belial snorted. “Eva came to his rescue and dragged him out of there.”
“He wasn’t tempted by the women?”
“Nope.” Belial shook his head. “He’s always been a bit weird, but that was taking it to a whole new level.”
Well, that was interesting. “Why do you think the curse lifted?”
“Something to do with the music. Ash always said he wasn’t a real musician because he’s a demon, and I think it ties into that.”
Jacqui scoffed. “He sounds like a real musician to me.”
“I know. But he thinks music comes from humans’ souls, and since demons don’t have souls, whatever art he creates is just a mockery of the real thing.”
Jacqui paused while drying a plate and considered this. “There may be some truth to that, but I think he’s missing an important point. In fact”—she lowered the plate and looked up at Belial—“I think all of you are.”
The imposing demon tilted his head as he met her gaze. It would be oh so easy to wither under that piercing stare, and she was glad there was no malice in it. “What point?”
“You escaped from Hell because you didn’t feel you belonged there anymore. Eva told me about Asmodeus’s whole ‘theory of demonic evolution,’ and well, I think it’s true. While you may not be humans with human souls, I don’t believe you’re entirely demonic either. I think you may be something in between. And if you look at things from that perspective, it makes perfect sense why Ash’s curse would lift when he plays music.”
Without breaking eye contact, Belial passed her another plate to dry. “Why?”
“If music is an expression of divinity, then every time Asmodeus plays, he’s becoming a little more divine and a little less demonic. The curse was on his demonic self, so it won’t affect this newer, more human side of him.”
Belial stared at her without speaking for so long, she finally caved and looked away. But it didn’t help. It felt like his eyes were burning a hole in the side of her head as she focused on drying her next plate. She hoped she hadn’t angered him by suggesting Ash wasn’t demonic, but she wasn’t going to take back what she’d said.
Something in her pressed the importance of connecting with these beings, even one as ancient and formidable as Belial. If there was truly such a thing as demons that could evolve, then helping them along that process seemed like a necessary service to the world.
