Page 43 of Hell’s Half Acre

Envee sat there in silence, debating what to do. She understood his fear. She had it, too.

The last thing she wanted was to be punished. For too long, she’d lived in absolute terror. Lived scared to crawl out of the hole where she’d made her home in Hell.

If she closed her eyes, she could still see that dismal place.

Until a hellhound had dragged her out by the throat. Envee had done her best to beat the beast off her.

It’d been useless. Hellhounds were enforcers. They were the ones sent to drag reluctant souls to Hell. To find demons who’d escaped and return them.

Worse than any bounty hunter, they never allowed any target to escape.

So Envee had done her best to protect herself and allowed the hound to take her wherever he wanted.

He’d dragged her to the feet of Luke’s mother. Tall and slender, Senka had been beauty incarnate. Her dark skin and gold eyes were the real envy of all.

With that indefinable grace, Senka had sauntered toward Envee. She’d cupped Envee’s chin in her hand and had lifted her face so that she could examine it more closely.

“Forgive my hound for being so clumsy. I hadn’t meant for him to hurt you.”

Those words had confused her. It’d been the first time in Hell anyone had ever apologized. Especially for pain.

“Why am I here, domina?”

Senka had actually given her a kind smile. “Lucifer has need of a demon.”

Fear had torn her apart. No one wanted to come to the devil’s attention. Those who did seldom survived. And those who survived always wished they hadn’t.

Yet there she’d stood in front of Senka, leader of the hellhounds and Lucifer’s primary handmaid.

Never had Envee been more terrified.

“My lord wishes to gift a demon for my child. You’ve been chosen.”

“Why me?” The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

“Because Helly has promised me that you won’t harm him. I need you to watch over my son and make sure none of the others cause him harm. If they do, you tell me. Understood?”

She nodded, not quite sure what that meant.

Senka inclined her head. “Do this for me, demon, and you’ll never again have to fear the pit. So long as my child is safe, you’re safe.”

Over the centuries, Senka had proven true to those words. A rarity in their existence.

So long as she didn’t hurt Luke, she was safe.

That was the last thought on Envee’s mind before something grabbed her and dragged her into the darkness.

Chapter

Seven

It was just before dawn. Luke waited a few more minutes for the veil between worlds to fall to its weakest point. These were the minutes when the human race was at its most vulnerable. Mankind had no idea that every day it danced on the edge of extinction.

Far more things wanted to end the world and humanity than they would ever guess.

The number of protectors kept shrinking while the predators bred at extraordinary rates.

If he was smart, he’d return to the side with the best chance of winning.