He held the phone away from his ear and looked down at Eva. The urge to wither under his piercing blue stare was hard to fight, and she found herself shrinking back a little.
Gritting her teeth, she fought her wariness and tried to grab the phone again, but he held it aloft. His hand touched the ceiling without his arm being fully straight. There was no way she could reach it.
“I made you some breakfast, Eva. It’s waiting on the kitchen counter, so help yourself. I’ll return your phone as soon as I’ve finished talking to your mother.”
“Damn it, Belial, this isn’t funny! Give it back—”
“I beg your pardon, Mrs. Gregory— Yes, it would be my pleasure to call you Jacqui.” He turned and strode out of the bedroom without a backward glance. “I did make her breakfast. She is my guest, after all.” The door closed firmly behind him.
“Manipulative bastard!” Eva hissed under her breath.
19
Guilt Trip
After a quick detour to the bathroom, Eva pulled on a pair of leggings and then tiptoed into the kitchen, nervous about facing the other demons. She couldn’t believe they’d heard her entire conversation with her mom. She hadn’t exactly held anything back.
She was still pissed at Belial for commandeering her phone and involving Jacqui, but try as she might, she couldn’t think of a better escape plan, and she was starting to get panicky about leaving. If Ash could heal from his wounds in just a few hours, then surely Mist could too?
The demons’ lack of concern about their situation was both comforting and unnerving, and her trust in them wasn’t exactly high. Having her mom’s input would be helpful, she decided. She promised herself they would stay with her parents only long enough for them to come up with a better plan.
As Belial promised, there was a plate of food waiting for her by the stove, and she stared at it in amazement. The omelet was full of vegetables, garnished with parsley, and served with toast and cheese slices. It was a simple meal, but the presentation told her there was nothing simple about the quality or ingredients.
She carried the plate into the dining room and froze when she found Meph and Raum already there, staring at her.
Raum was sitting at the far end, Thelonious purring in his lap. The furry little traitor had his head tipped back, eyes shut in bliss while Raum scratched his chin with two hands.
“’Sup,” Meph said.
She took the vacant chair at the end of the table opposite Raum. There was a chair open beside Meph too, but she just wasn’t comfortable sitting that close to him. With all the tattoos and those freaky red eyes, he was intimidating as hell, and that was before she’d found out he was a demon.
She forced herself not to think about that and started eating. As soon as the first bite melted in her mouth, her eyes fell shut. “This is amazing.”
“Bel likes to cook,” Meph said.
“He’s good at it.”
Raum transferred his intense gold eyes back to the cat in his lap, dark brow furrowing in concentration as he continued diligently scratching Thelonious’s chin.
She watched her purring cat in amazement. He’d always been friendly, but not that friendly. “I think my cat likes you more than me,” she said, scowling a little.
“Raum has a thing with animals.” Meph smirked. “You should see him with the crows in the park.”
Raum glared at him and shrugged at Eva.
Awkward silence fell again. While she ate, she studied the two brothers and they studied her too, though everyone tried to be discreet about it.
Meph sipped a cup of coffee, tattooed hands wrapped around the mug. He was definitely scary, but he was almost always smiling. Raum, on the other hand, exuded a dark intensity that was all coiled strength waiting to strike. He reminded her of a panther stalking through the bushes.
“Where’s Ash?” she asked after swallowing her last bite.
“On the deck sulking and chain smoking,” Meph said. “Bastard stole my headphones too.”
“Is he okay?”
“Oh yeah. All healed up. Your magical blood did wonders.”
“Too bad it couldn’t heal his personality,” Raum added, and the brothers snickered.
