Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

HENDRIX

Art stayed at the club longer than usual. I knew he was being polite, he invited his friend along and he didn't want to ditch him the second I was through, but we rarely stuck around long after the show. More often than not, Art would hang out for a bit to say hello to the band and then we'd head back to his place for some fun time alone. It took work to keep the irritation off my face. I wanted to get out of here with Art. My blood was buzzing after that show and I wanted Art to fuck me into the mattress until I was too exhausted to stay awake.

Laz snorted, nudging Art's arm. "You might want to consider heading out. Looks like our man here is about to lose his cool."

Art frowned, looking over his shoulder at me. I shot Laz a dirty look, but it only made him snicker. And when Art's eyes widened and a grin spread across his face, I maybe probably owed Laz one for pointing it out. He smirked at me when Art launched to his feet, giving his friend a quick goodbye. I'd thank him later. Right now, I had a man to devour.

We teleported right into his living room and got about as far as the couch before I attacked. Art went willingly, tumbling onto the cushions with me on top of him. We were all grabbing hands and passionate kisses. I had my shirt off in record time and Art's was halfway down his arms. It somehow managed to trap his arms behind him and I refused to let him loose, using the position to my advantage and dragging my mouth along his chest.

I was so into what we were doing, I didn't clue in to the noises outside the house until the doorknob rattled. The door flew open and a woman who looked a lot like Sophie strode inside, Sophie right behind her. She came to a halt when Sophie flicked on the lights, her eyes wide.

"Val?" Art's confusion was in his voice, and it took him a second to remember what we were doing. He scrambled out from underneath me, pulling his shirt closed and running his fingers through his hair. "What– What are you doing here? It's late."

Val's eyes flicked between me and Art, and a very familiar look overtook her face. It was the same look a lot of humans gave us when we first arrived. Disgust, fear, distrust, anger. She took a step back, snagging Sophie and shoving her behind her when she tried to come closer.

"What is this, Arthur?"

Art looked at a loss for words. He swallowed hard, staring at his ex-wife, flinching when she shrieked at him.

"What is this? You are sleeping with men now? You are going to corrupt our daughter with that lifestyle?"

That wasn't what I was expecting. She latched onto the gay thing first before coming around to the demon thing. I knew it was coming, but it was hard to watch as Art took a verbal beating and said nothing.

"How long? How long have you been bringing our child around monsters? I always knew you were a terrible parent! I should have gone for full custody right away!"

That made Art's head snap up. He went pale, his eyes locked on Sophie as Val shoved her farther behind her and towards the door.

"Val, wait–"

"No! I won't allow my child to be around people like him. Like you. You'll be hearing from my attorney."

He followed her as she dragged Sophie to the car. I stayed glued to my seat, choking on my own breath as I watched Art beg Val not to take Sophie away. Sophie started sobbing, tugging on her arm to escape the grip her mother held, pleading to go with Art. It was a familiar scene. The same thing happened to me when my mom found out my dad was sneaking me into the human realm when I was a kid. She lost it and told him he would never see me again. As a kid, I'd been downright horrified and heartbroken. I couldn't let that happen to Sophie.

Grabbing my clothes from where they'd been tossed onto the floor, I rushed outside, putting my hands up. Val flinched and screamed, blocking Sophie from me, but I stayed a respectful distance away from her.

"Wait! Please wait! This was my fault. Don't blame Art. I came on to him. I'll go. I'll leave him alone. Just don't take away his daughter. He loves her."

"It's too late for that," she seethed. "He'll just crawl into bed with another monster when I'm not watching. You're sick, Art. I can't believe I was ever married to you. Sophie, let's go. Now."

"No, mom! Please! I want to stay with daddy!"

Val wasn't listening. She forced her daughter into the car and dropped into the seat with her, blocking her with her body. There was a man in the front seat who watched everything with wide eyes. He looked uncertain when looking at Art's tear- stained face, but Val barked at him from the back seat and he pulled out of the driveway without a word.

The car disappeared around the block and once they were out of sight, Art dropped to his knees. I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to comfort him, but this felt like my fault. But I also couldn't walk away. Not now. Not when he looked so heartbroken.

"Art–"

"Go."

I froze, my hand reaching out for him. My stomach twisted tightly and dread filled my veins.

"Art, I–"

"Just go, Hendrix. I can't–" His voice cut out as he choked on a sob. He shook his head slowly, dropping forward onto his hands and knees with tears streaming down his face. The image ripped my heart out, but when I touched his shoulder, he jerked away from me. "Go! You said you'd go, so go! Please…"

I meant what I said in the moment. I would've left if it meant Art could keep Sophie. But now that he actually wanted me to do it, it hurt more than I thought. It felt like I was tearing my heart out of my chest and putting it through a shredder. I couldn't breathe around the lump in my throat and I couldn't move to save my life. All I could do was watch as Art fell apart on the front lawn, his entire world turned upside down because of me.

It took what felt like hours before Art finally moved. He didn't look at me as he pushed to his feet, his footsteps staggered like he didn't have the energy to walk. I held my breath, pleading internally for him to come to me and let me hold him. But that didn't happen. He walked past me, stumbling once over his own feet, and disappeared inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. I stared at the door, fighting with myself on whether I should follow him or not. But when the lock clicked, I knew I'd missed my chance. I always said Art would do anything for his daughter. Including ending our relationship, apparently.

I couldn't stomach facing the band. Not after that. I'd have to explain what happened, and I couldn't get the words out even if I wanted to. Instead, I let my feet, wings, and magic guide me. And somehow ended up in my dad's front yard. The lights were on, he was home for once, and when I stepped inside, he took one look at me and jerked his chin towards the stairs. No words were exchanged. He knew what I needed. I headed upstairs to my childhood bedroom, collapsed on the bed, and cried.

I wasn't sure when exactly I passed out. I'd never been that beat up about a break up before. Even my longest relationship didn't rip me apart like that. It was sad, sure, but nothing a few drinks with the guys or the band consoling me wouldn't cure. With Art, it felt like something had ripped my soul from my chest and I was empty inside. I couldn't get myself to leave that bed. My dad came in every once in a while, tried to get me to eat, but mostly he just left me alone.

I was going on three days without moving when he finally stepped in. "Gotta get up, boy. You need to eat."

Hugging the pillow tighter against my chest, I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn't stop prodding me. "Can't wallow forever."

"You did," I mumbled, glaring at the wall. I wanted to be pissed at him so he'd leave me the hell alone, but all I felt was heartache and pain. I couldn't muster the energy to be mad.

"I did. And look where it got me. An old demon livin' with his brother, wasting away on booze and wishin' I could change the past. But wishin' doesn't do shit, and you know that. So get up, eat somethin', and get moving."

"To do what?" I snapped, shoving myself up to sit with my back against the wall. "None of it is worth it anymore. What's the point?"

He was sitting on a chair by my bed, his expression actually clear for once. He looked sad for me, but he also looked determined. Like he wasn't going to let me get away with giving up. I shook my head helplessly.

"I can't– I can't breathe without him."

"So, go get him back, then."

"Can't. His ex-wife won't let him near his kid because of me. I don't know what she's more disgusted by. The fact that I'm a male, or that I'm a demon. It seemed like a toss up for her."

He made a tick sound behind his teeth, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, that ain't right. But I'm sure there's a solution. She can't just take away his kid."

I wasn't sure what the human laws were about kids with divorced parents. The look on Art's face said it was hopeless. And it wasn't like I had any power to stop his ex from taking Sophie away. I was a musician in a band that didn't even have a label yet. I worked several jobs to make ends meet and–

"Stop. Nothin' you're thinkin' right now is gonna help. Come on. Let's go get some food. It'll help."

He didn't let up until I begrudgingly followed him. Dad always preferred the human restaurants over the ones in the Other Realm, so he marched me through the transport tunnel with a hand on the back of my neck to get to his favorite restaurant. He nudged me into the booth, smiling at the older waitress who stopped by our table.

"Hey there gorgeous."

She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of affection there. Cheryl had been working here as long as we'd been coming, at the very least. She knew me since I was a kid and when she saw the defeated look on my face, she frowned.

"Everything alright?"

"He's goin' through somethin'. He'll be alright. He could probably use some of your famous pancakes, though. Somethin' to up his spirits a little. Hasn't eaten much in the last few days."

I barely listened to them talking to each other, resting my head in my hands, elbows on the table. I didn't want to be here. I wanted Art. The longer I spent away from him, the more painful it was. He settled so easily into my life and now that he was gone, I couldn't handle it.

My phone rang, interrupting my spiral. I wanted to ignore it, but my dad gave me a pointed look and I sighed heavily, pulling it out of my pocket. I didn't recognize the number and when I answered, it shocked the hell out of me who was speaking on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hendrix? Can you come get me? I'm scared."