Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

HENDRIX

"You look like you're in a good mood."

Blinking a few times, I looked up from the papers in front of me. I barely fell asleep after my night with Art when I woke up with a song in my head. I crept downstairs, grabbed my guitar and a few blank music sheets, and snuck out of the apartment. I flew up to the roof, resting my back against the short wall that wrapped around the edge, and started playing. It was still a little raw, but I hadn't written a new song in a while and I was excited that some of my passion was coming back.

I hummed, smiling up at Laz. "I am. What are you doing up?"

It'd been a few hours, but the sun was just coming up and most of the others liked to sleep in, especially after a late show. I didn't get home until well after midnight last night, and a few of them were still awake when I arrived.

Dropping to sit beside me, he sighed. "Can't seem to stay asleep. Might be hungry."

I frowned. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn't mean regular food. As an incubus, Laz fed off sexual energy. He was old enough now that he could go awhile between feeds, but now that I was thinking about it, I hadn't seen him hook up in weeks.

"How long has it been?"

He shrugged, but his non-answer was answer enough. I sighed heavily.

"Laz, I know you like her, but you can't skip eating. You know her rule. Even if she did feel that way about you, she might not go for it."

The dejected look on his face killed me. I wanted to make him feel better, but he'd been pining for a while. Nothing I could say was going to make it easier. And with him starving himself, I felt like I had to be blunt. I put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a little.

"She doesn't skip feedings, Laz. And you know her and her feeder hook up after." He winced, but I kept going. He needed some sense knocked into him. "You need to take care of yourself. She hasn't even acknowledged your interest yet. You'll kill yourself waiting for her."

He nodded slowly, but the hurt on his face made me think he wasn't going to do what I suggested.

"Laz…"

He sighed heavily. "I know. I just… No one even sparks interest anymore. It's hard to get into it. All I want is her."

"So why not just go watch? Your cousin owns that sex club downtown, right?" It was a new place, popular with incubi and succubi, as well as anyone interested in feeding them for a night. It was pretty exclusive, you needed to fill out a lot of paperwork to go, but I think Felix went a few times before he met Tyler. Being around the sexual energy would be enough to take the edge off. It was a little like drinking a bunch of water when you were hungry, but at least he wouldn't die.

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish she'd give me a shot."

"I know, man." So did a lot of guys. Ruby was gorgeous and sassy, with her sleek black bob and rocker outfits. She fit the band to a T and people flocked to her like moths. I understood why Laz was interested, but Ruby was also stubborn and we talked plenty before about her dating. She'd never break her rule about no band members. Not unless something insane happened.

In a lame effort to distract me from pestering him, Laz jerked his chin towards the papers in front of me. "Whatcha working on?"

I gave him a flat look. "Nice redirection, man."

"You know you want to show me," he wheedled with a smirk.

True. I was never patient enough to wait for a song to be finished before I showed the band. They usually helped me smooth out some of the raw aspects of it. I still didn't like him avoiding the subject, but I kind of doubted I'd get him to take up my suggestion right now. The club wasn't even open this morning. I'd bug him more about it later tonight. Or I'd call his cousin and force the issue. It'd make me a dick, but I'd rather be a dick than let my friend starve.

"Fine. Go easy on me. It's been a while."

He snorted at the innuendo, taking the papers I handed him. His eyes flicked over the notes and the words, his brows raising ever so slightly. When he glanced over at me, I grimaced.

"Shut up."

It wasn't my usual style. Sort of. It was our style of music, but it was more upbeat than I usually swayed toward. We were normally all about going against the crowd and having a good time. And since the integration, there were a good few songs that revolved around how the humans saw us. One of my favorites was all about how we'd act like they saw us if they asked nicely. It was hilarious and edgy, and Art said he loved it.

This song was… a love song. Sappy as all get out. It still had an edge to it, we were a rock band, not teen pop, but I saw Art's influence in it. I couldn't stop thinking about him and this was the result.

"Play me a couple notes," Laz urged, his eyes back on the paper.

I plucked the guitar, giving him the beat. He could probably hear it in his head reading the notes, but he preferred to focus on one aspect at a time, either the words or the notes themselves. He bobbed his head, pursing his lips as he read over the lines.

"It's raw, but I like where it's headed. I'm guessing this has something to do with our number one fan?"

I didn't even try to deny it. I wasn't the love song type of guy. My dad was a big influence on my music and we had similar rebellious themes to our songs. But that wasn't where the music took me this time. And if I learned anything from years of doing this, it was to never question where the music was going. All my best stuff came from following that rule.

"He had a part in it, yeah. Is that a problem?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Like I can talk about anyone else's love life right now. You're a grown ass demon. You can decide for yourself who you're into. Just do me a favor and don't scare him off. His suggestions have been helpful. Duncan said we've already got over a thousand followers on our socials now that we're posting more. Could explain the crowd increase. Artie's a smart dude."

I hummed my acknowledgement. I had no intention of scaring Art off. I had a lot of plans, and the list was getting crazy long with the stuff I could show him, but it wasn't just about sex. I liked hanging out with him, spending time with him after the shows. I wanted to get to know him better. Which meant not coming on too strong.

"Well, if you don't want me scaring him off, then maybe don't tell him about this one. It's just a concept right now anyway."

"Probably a good idea," he chuckled. "Wouldn't want him knowing how much of a sap you really are."

"Hey, fuck off, man," I growled, shoving his shoulder. My tone lacked any genuine conviction. I knew the song was sappy, but still. "Help me fix it if you're gonna judge. It doesn't hit quite right on the second verse to me."

We spent a little while out there, throwing out ideas on how to make the song a little less of a sap fest without ruining the message. After it got too hot to sit on the roof, we went back inside, and eventually the rest of the band joined us. Minus Zion, because he'd never actually come hang out with us without a decent reason.

I got plenty of teasing about the song and its new direction, but they supported me anyway and after a few hours of going back and forth, we managed to smooth out a few of the more problematic areas. I had pulled out my phone to order us some food when I got a message from Art. Nothing special, just checking in, but it included a picture of him and Sophie eating ice cream together. A stupid huge smile spread across my face and when Ruby noticed, she smirked at me.

"Is that Artie?"

I wasn't paying attention to her, too busy typing out a reply, asking him to get me one next time. I was looking at the picture again when she snatched the phone from me, sidestepping me when I tried to get it back.

"Aw, how cute. Kinda makes me want some ice cream right now."

"Give it back," I demanded.

She chuckled, holding the phone out to take a selfie with the band in the background, me included, with a big scowl on my face. She stuck out her tongue and snapped the picture, sending it off to Art with a grin before tossing the phone back to me. "You're welcome."

Rolling my eyes, I studied the photo she sent. I looked pissed, which was not how I wanted Art to see me. "You're the worst friend on the planet."

She cackled, grabbing a drink from the kitchen, while I waited for Art's reply. I saw the bubbles pop up, and I was debating explaining what was going on in the picture, when my phone started buzzing in my hand. I frowned. He almost never called me.

"Who is it? Is it Artie? Tell him to come hang out!" Duncan called.

I shook my head, putting the phone to my ear. "Z? What's up?"