Page 38 of Hell’s Half Acre

With a long, drawn-out sigh, the cat stretched up into…

Sorcha couldn’t even think for a moment as she stared into the bright green eyes of a gorgeous man who could almost rival Luke in looks.

Holy shit.

Like Luke and Acheron, there was an unnatural allure to Trinket. Standing just over six feet, his medium-length, straight brown hair was tousled as if he’d just stepped out of an orgy. Thick black liner ringed his eyes, making them all the greener, and he wore a spiked collar around his throat. Completely shirtless, he had a body made for sin and pants that were so tight, it should be illegal.

They were also dangerously low, stopping just above his “danger zone.”

Sorcha had no words. He had a softer, more sensuous sex appeal. Unlike Luke who oozed raw masculine charm.

Trinket was much softer. Like a cat.

His near-naked state didn’t seem to bother him in the least. Which was weird given that it’d taken Luke over a year to adjust to the much colder-than-Hell human climate. He’d only recently stopped wearing a full-length leather coat during summer.

There didn’t appear to be a shiver anywhere on Trinket’s body. And given the acres of his tanned flesh she could see, she’d know instantly if he had a single goosebump.

“You’re not planning to take him into public dressed like that, are you?” she couldn’t resist asking.

Luke scoffed. “And have him arrested for indecent exposure? Hell no.” He scowled at Trinket. “You need to put on more clothes and update your look.” He turned back at Sorcha. “He hasn’t been out in the human world since Goth was a thing, and there’s still a huge number of folks in Hell who gravitate to that specific look.”

Interesting. “I can only imagine.”

“Does this mean I get to stay?” Trinket asked.

“As long as you’re nice to the lady and don’t give anyone rabies.”

Trinket bit his lip seductively. “How nice do you want me to be, dominus?” He practically purred the last word.

Luke’s eyes flashed red. “I’m not your pimp. Stop acting like I loan you out.”

Trinket returned to being a cat and ran up the stairs to Luke’s apartment. Sorcha finally took a full breath.

With an irritated expression, Luke followed behind him. “He spent a lot of time in some of the worst pits. Sadly, hellcats don’t have the best existence. Most of them stay in hiding whenever they can.”

“Why?”

It was Envee who answered. “Unless you’re the favorite son of the devil, Hell isn’t fun. Especially for creatures who are trained to be concubines.”

Sorcha had seen the scars on Luke’s back. Given their number and severity, she’d guess that even the devil’s favorite son didn’t have a lot of happy memories there, either.

Why Luke wanted to return to Hell was anyone’s guess.

“Do you think Trinket knows what happened to the demons?” Sorcha asked.

Trinket returned to human form before he entered Luke’s apartment. “Someone opened the door and let us out.” He went to the black leather sofa and sat down.

Luke paused in the doorway. “Did you see who?”

“None of us saw who it was. The door opened by itself and Dohlar ran for daylight. The rest of us followed after him.”

“Why did you come back?” Luke dropped his wallet and keys in the bowl by his door.

Trinket shrugged. “I don’t like being around people. They’re too handsy for me.”

Sorcha could only imagine. She saw how often someone tried to grab a piece of Luke. It must get exhausting for them to have to fend off those who didn’t respect personal boundaries.

Luke went to his fridge. “Put some clothes on. I don’t want you sweating on my couch.”