Page 121 of Hell’s Half Acre

Luke smiled as he saw the food. “Is this for me?”

“I can’t eat it all, but pretty sure Helly might.”

He laughed. “Indeed. Where is she?”

“Check the closet.” She jerked her chin to where he kept his feral demons.

Luke opened the door, then gasped at the sight of Helly and Trinket on the floor with his herd of demons, watching Army of Darkness.

“Shut the door!” Treacle snarled, until he saw Luke. “Uh, sorry, dominus. Didn’t realize it was you.”

Luke closed it and turned to face Sorcha with his jaw agape. “They’re all here?”

“Except Dohlar. No one’s been able to find him yet.”

He growled. “He was always a problem.”

“Yup. Always one in every family.” She scraped fried rice onto a plate for him.

There was a strange look on his face as he sat down across from her and opened a soy sauce packet. “You think of them as a family?”

“Aren’t they?”

He poured the sauce over his rice. “Guess so.”

Sorcha watched as he snapped his chopsticks. “So when do I get to go home?”

Luke paused as he realized the answer to that question wasn’t something he could ever say out loud. He didn’t want her to go home.

Ever.

He wanted her right where she was.

Especially in his bed. Just not alone.

F-u-c-k…

That one word dragged itself out as the realization of what he wanted hit him like a sledgehammer in the crotch.

I’m falling for her.

No. He couldn’t love. He wasn’t capable of it.

Yet there was no denying what he felt. Or the pain that exploded through him at the thought of her leaving.

Not that his feelings mattered. Her safety was much more important. Not just to him, but her parents. He’d promised her mother that he’d keep her safe.

Yeah. This was about keeping her safe for her parents. Nothing else.

“We still don’t know why the Necos are after you. Those contracts stand. Until we can get them dropped, the best thing is for you to stay here where we can watch over you.”

She pursed her lips as if she knew he was lying. “For my mom, right?”

“Absolutely.”

She shook her head as the door to his closet opened.

Envee stuck her head out and cleared her throat. “Dominus?”