She remembered when she’d told him about her “hallucinations” and grit her teeth. The bastard had gone along with her erroneous assumption. Then again, she could see why he’d be reluctant to tell her he was an actual demon from Hell. No way she’d have taken him home again tonight.Asshole.
“You told me I was descended fromwitchesand was having avision, dickface,” she spat. “I get wanting to keep the truth from me, but did you have to feed me such a crock of shit?”
“It’s not a crock of shit. Well, minus the having a vision thing. But you being a witch is a very possible explanation for why you have the Sight.”
Eva blinked. Blinked again. “Witches are real too? Oh my god. This is too much. I don’t understand any of this.” She hunched forward and put her face in her hands but dropped them quickly back into her lap because it made her feel carsick with his terrible driving.
“I’m pretty confused myself.”
She sat up straight again and glared at the side of his head. “So, that’s what this was all about, then? You finally met someone after thousands of years who was attracted to you, so you wanted to get laid.”
“Yeah.” He turned another corner, finally slowing down as they entered another neighborhood.
It surprised her how much that hurt. But he was a freaking demon, after all. What did she expect him to say?
And hold on a hot sec, was she really sad that ademondidn’t have feelings for her? She ought to be jumping for joy. The last thing she wanted was a demon that was capable of murdering an entire village because he “got carried away” declaring his undying love for her.
Were demons even capable of love? Probably not. In fact, had Ash said hedidhave feelings for her, he’d likely have been lying. His blunt address was probably the most honest answer he could have given. It should have comforted her that he was truthful and that she didn’t have to worry about some sort of twisted attachment on his end.
It should have. But it didn’t.
But then, he frowned. “But also, I really did like your music that night at the club. It soothed me. And I like jamming with you. And I like being around you. Your company is... enjoyable.” He looked confused about that.
Wow. She was overcome by the heartfelt sentiment.Not.
“Wait, how did you learn to play piano if you’re a demon?”
“I told you. Miguel taught me before he was killed. Demons can assimilate any human skill relatively quickly, but we can never be real artists. We can only mimic what humans can do. We have no soul, and so any expressions of creativity are equally soulless. That’s why I don’t really consider myself a musician.”
“But you said you think that demons could evolve into something with some version of a soul.”
He shrugged. “It’s still not the same as a human soul. All humans have the potential for divinity, and it comes out in their art. Demons are just... demons.”
She didn’t buy it. Lying asshole or not, as far as she was concerned, he was a damn good musician and there wasn’t a single “soulless” thing about it.
But that conversation would have to wait—Ash finally turned her car into a potholed parking lot beside a crummy apartment building. He’d driven them across town to one of the most run-down neighborhoods in the city. Laundry hung from balconies with junk piled in the corners, and she could hear the dull roar of heavy metal music coming from one of the basement units even at this ungodly hour.
“You live here? You couldn’t afford anywhere nicer?”
He cocked a brow. “I could afford nicer. But we picked this place because no one would expect us to, so it makes a good hiding spot.”
He pulled into a parking spot next to a rusted out sedan and switched off the car. “Come on, my brothers will be waiting inside.”
Wondering if she’d fallen that night at the club, hit her head and ended up in a coma, and this was all a dream, Eva climbed out of the car. Thelonious’s hiss as she pulled him and her bag out of the back suggested otherwise. In what coma-induced fantasy did one get stuck carrying around their severely pissed cat in a pet carrier? Maybe in a nightmare, she supposed.Maybe I’ve died and gone to Hell.
“Give me your bag,” Ash said, reaching for it. “You take the cat.” She handed him her backpack, and he locked her car. She followed him toward the dumpy building, noticing he appeared to be swaying on his feet. He really didn’t look good.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah, fine.”
“I can take my bag if you need.”
“It’s fine.” They reached the door, which had a broken lock and was stuck ajar, and Ash held it open for her.
Was it normal for demons to hold doors for people, or was it a sign of his “evolution”? Or maybe demons were always polite and charming as a way to lure humans into their traps?
Ugh.She decided she was done with speculating for the night. It was way too late for earth-shattering revelations. No more questions until she’d had at least six hours of sleep.
