“Wait until you see them step into it and disappear,” Eva said.
“Time to go, then,” Bel said. “Meph! Get your ass in here.”
Meph appeared in the doorway, token devilish grin in place. “Ready?”
“I’m going to shove you in to get you back for the last time, asswipe.”
Meph dodged Bel’s reaching arms and darted around the outside of the circle. To everyone’s surprise, he swept up Jacqui into a hug, lifting her effortlessly with those ripped, tattooed arms, and spun her around in a circle.
She laughed and smiled her first real smile since Dan had left, and Eva could have hugged the stupid demon herself for cheering her mom up.
“Bye, Jacks,” Meph said, grinning. “Thanks for crying over my lifeless body.”
Raum smacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t be a dick.”
He rubbed his head and glared at his brother. “I was being serious! No one’s ever cried over me before.”
Jacqui was blushing, but she said, “You’re welcome. Try to stay out of trouble.”
“Can’t make any promises.”
“I saidtry.”
Belial grabbed him and threw him into the gate, and he was gone. “Oh my—” Jacqui gasped. “You weren’t kidding when you said they just disappeared! Is he okay?”
“He’s fine.” Then he and Raum and Thelonious said their goodbyes and stepped through the gate.
When it was just Eva and Ash remaining, Eva turned to him with a frown. “Do I have to drink your blood again?”
He shook his head. “It’s still in your system from before. And actually, Nephilim can teleport. You just have to learn how.”
Her eyes widened. “I canteleport?”
He nodded, lips curving. “You’ll have to practice though. Maybe your dad can teach you.”
“Good idea,” Jacqui agreed. “It’s important you learn how to protect yourself.”
“I intend to,” Eva promised. And then, after more heartfelt goodbyes and promises to visit and call, she and Ash held hands and stepped through the gate and found themselves back in Belial’s bedroom in their dumpy apartment.
They didn’t waste time there, but all loaded up in Eva’s car and headed back to her place. She couldn’t stop laughing at the sight of the four huge men trying to fit in her tiny car. She took pity on Belial and gave him the front passenger seat—there was no way she was letting any of them drive after seeing Ash behind the wheel—but he was still folded nearly in half and his head pressed into the roof. He scowled the entire drive.
When she parked in her spot behind her building, the demons jerked open the doors and sort of spilled out of the car, stretching and complaining about their aching bodies.
Chuckling, Eva looked up, seeking out her apartment window as she remembered with a sigh that it was smashed out and needed repairing. Except, as she looked, she saw nothing but smooth glass. She searched all the windows, certain she must be mixing up which apartment was hers, but none of them showed any signs of breakage.
“That’s weird.” She pointed up. “My window should be smashed, but it’s not.”
“Maybe your dad fixed it when he was here,” Ash suggested.
“Maybe.”
They headed inside and climbed on the elevator, where Meph proceeded to push the buttons for every single floor, earning another smack on the head from Raum. Finally, they arrived on Eva’s floor—the elevator continuing its diligent journey onward—and headed down the hall to stop outside her door.
Abruptly, the mood shifted from casual to tense, that dark look of focus coming into all four demons’ eyes that had freaked Eva out before. Now, she was just glad they were on her side.
“You’re sure he’s here?” Bel whispered.
Ash nodded. “Dan told me he trapped him in a sigil.”
