Page 52 of Hell’s Half Acre

With a grimace, Luke rolled the demon over and pulled him to his feet.

A sudden billowy haze engulfed them. Without being told, Sorcha knew Luke was shielding the demon’s true form from the humans.

“Who’s inside the store, Harmmy?”

The demon started to run, but Luke caught his arm and held him in place. “You want me to turn Simi loose on you with her barbecue sauce? She is hungry.”

The demon’s skin turned to a light steel blue as it focused its three eyes on Simi. “Don’t eat me!”

Simi flashed a grin at Sorcha. “The Simi still gots it! Scaring demons for thousands of years!” She started for the door.

“Hold on a second,” Luke warned. He turned back to Harmmy. “How many are in there?”

The demon hesitated.

“Harmmy, I won’t ask again. If Simi gets hurt going in there, I’m the least of your concerns. Acheron and Thorn will tear you apart.”

Something that appeared to be fins blew out from the demon’s cheeks. “Six, dominus. Holler, Grudge, Vinny, Zagan, Malyce, and Treacle.”

The look on his face said that was quite a cocktail of chaos.

“What do I need to know?” she asked.

“Stay behind me.” He held his hands up, and Harmmy vanished.

Sorcha sucked her breath in sharply as she feared Luke had murdered the demon. “Did you just⁠—”

“I sent him back to the closet.”

That made her feel better. For a moment, she’d thought he had disintegrated the beast. “Can you do that with the others?”

“Maybe. If I don’t explode them first.”

She widened her eyes. “What?”

“Could happen. Wouldn’t be the first time I did so. Depends on how mad they make me. I can’t always control the pressure I use or what it hits. Like a scatter gun. That’s why they duck and cover when I lose my shit.”

Now, she understood. That was why he tried not to lose his shit. “So, stay behind you and be ready to get slimed.”

“Exactly.” Luke inclined his head to her. “And don’t shoot them. It’ll only piss them off. Even the hellfire bullets. They’re used to the fire.”

She pulled her hand away from her weapon. “Okay. Anything else?”

“Don’t run. They will chase.” He gave her a hard stare. “You don’t want them to chase.”

That wasn’t terrifying at all. “Good safety tip. Noted.”

He started for the chaos inside the store.

With a deep breath, she followed after Luke, toward the entrance.

Shattered glass crunched under her feet as she tried to peer inside the store.

She saw nothing.

Not until Luke used his powers to throw open the double doors so hard that she was amazed they weren’t torn from their hinges.

Shrieks filled the air as the demons ran around an old-fashioned truck toward the back of the store.