“They’re your pets. People usually love to share pet photos.”
“Hmm. Never thought of that. But if you’re curious…” He opened the door to her closet, snapped his finger and the wall turned clear.
The two demons closest to the wall shrieked, then covered themselves with their hands.
“I’m naked!” The female demon really wasn’t. She wore a tight red sweater and matching skirt. She was actually beautiful with her curly blonde hair that matched her short horns.
“That’s Envee,” Luke said with a sigh.
Three more pushed her aside so that they could press themselves against the wall like children or zombies on a window. A cute male with red eyes and horns even placed his mouth on the wall and blew his cheeks out.
“Hey, boss! Can you share those cookies?” That was an adorable teenage girl with black hair and a pair of red horns and eyes.
“Xesbeth,” Luke said to Sorcha. “They look so cute, don’t they?”
“They do.”
He snapped his fingers and they turned into shadow beasts.
Sorcha gasped. “Is that what they really look like?”
“Yes. And they smell.”
“No, we don’t!”
“You smell.” It sounded like one demon shoved another.
“You smell worse!”
Now, there was definitely a scuffle in the closet that caused the ones she could see to turn around and start yelling at the combatants.
“Enough!” Luke hit the wall twice with his fist and the wall turned opaque again. “Go bother Sorath.”
“Okay.”
Then there was silence.
Sorcha let out a long, relieved breath. “They are a handful.”
“I know. Makes me wish my father kept count and that my pets came with an expiration date, like normal creatures.”
“Meaning?”
“They never die. Believe me, I have tried.”
Her eyebrows shot north at something she didn’t expect to hear. She wasn’t sure what part of that disturbed her most. The fact that the demons were immortal or that Luke had tried to kill them. “I thought you said everything, except God, could die?”
“I did. Doesn’t mean it’s easy to accomplish. Demons can be killed. I just haven’t found the means for the ones in my closet. Yet.”
Unsure of what to say to that, she nodded slowly. “I’m just going to do my work now.”
“Sounds good.” Luke pulled his coat tighter around him before he sat down in what she thought was going to be thin air.
But right as he sat, his black throne-like office chair appeared beneath him.
“Nice. Wish I could do that. It would have saved my dignity a few times.”
He wrinkled his nose playfully. “I won’t let you fall, Sorcha. I’ll always make sure there’s a chair to catch you.”
