Page 37 of Hell’s Half Acre

The cat made a sound like a tiger before it hissed.

Jumping back, Sorcha gasped. “What the hell was that?”

Envee scoffed. “Not the worst thing it does. It also breathes fire and intentionally farts a noxious gas whenever it thinks it can get away with it.”

Of course, it did. What else would a cat from Hell do?

“This is really a hellcat?”

“Official term.” Luke clucked his tongue. “Where have you been hiding?”

It spread its claws and licked between them as if it were giving Sorcha a middle finger.

“Just how sentient is your little… Trinket?”

Luke shrugged nonchalantly. “He can talk. When he wants to, but he is as moody as your average teenager.”

Why wouldn’t he be? “Awesome. So he was part of your entourage in Hell?”

Luke nodded. “He was, and I thought he stayed in Hell. Sorath didn’t give me time to pack my things or look for any of my…we’ll go with entourage…when I was cast out.”

“And we weren’t about to bring him.” Envee hissed at the kitten that hissed back. “We were doing our best to leave him behind.”

“So how did he come in with the demons?” Sorcha asked.

Envee glanced toward Luke before she answered Sorcha’s question. “He followed us after we went through the portal to get here. And as soon as she saw him, Helly locked him in the closet with us, hoping Luke wouldn’t find him. Should have known it wouldn’t work.”

Trinket sniffed. “The imp should be punished for her abuse, dominus.” Trinket’s voice was deep, low, and accented in a way she’d never heard before. There was something innately soothing about that tone.

And Sorcha couldn’t resist asking something. “So, in Hell, cats and dogs get along?”

Envee snorted. “In many more ways than you can imagine.” There was a strange note in her voice.

Luke gave his demon a peeved stare before he glanced to Sorcha. “Being shapeshifters, they get along, or not, as much as anyone in Hell.”

“Figured as much.” What else would they be? “So what does Trinket look like as a human?” Given his rugged cat appearance, she imagined something quite grisly.

Definitely Frankensteinish.

Envee snorted. “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”

Luke set Trinket on the ground. “There’s also something you need to know about hellcats.”

Of course there was. “I shudder to ask.”

Luke let out a short laugh. “You know that hellhounds are protectors and enforcers.”

Having met Luke’s extremely intimidating mother and Luke himself, Sorcha was familiar with that fact. They were terrifying beasts, backed with a lot of muscle. “Yeah…and?”

No sooner had she spoken than a bad thought went through her as she considered what cats might be used for in Hell.

Sorcha visibly winced. “He’s not…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it.

That shit-eating grin that was way too sexy spread across Luke’s face. “Now you know why they’re called pussycats.”

Heat crept over her cheeks. “Seriously?” She wasn’t sure why she asked that because he was always serious when he said such shocking things.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Luke stepped back. “Trinket, let the lady see you so you can’t prank her later.”