Page 3 of Hell’s Half Acre

“Nothing.”

She laughed out loud. “Keep your delusions, then.” Snapping her fingers, she made the demon vanish.

Luke gaped. “What did you do?”

“Put it where it belonged…locked in a wardrobe.” She ruffled his hair. “Those are the subterranean demons, dominus. Fit only for tormenting others.”

“My father gave him to me as a pet.”

Helly winced. “Of course, he did. A pet that is more likely to bite and devour you than obey.” She picked him up and smiled at him.

Luke smiled back, especially since he was so tall now that his feet almost touched the ground when she held him. Even so, Helly carried him toward his room.

“You and I will have some real fun. What do you say, little bit?”

Luke nodded. “What shall we call my demon pet?”

“Dohlar.”

What a peculiar name. “Why Dohlar?”

“Because he’s worthless.”

“My father says I’m worthless.”

She kissed his cheek. “You are extremely valuable, dominus. One day you will learn your worth.”

“Then why do you look so worried?”

“Because I’m terrified of the day in Hell when the others here realize your true value.”

Chapter

One

Savannah, Georgia, Centuries later

Being a homicide detective, Sorcha O’Malley had heard a lot of frightening things during her career. Had seen even worse.

But the most terrifying words ever spoken by anyone in any time period in history came out of Helly’s mouth.

“Your demons are out of the closet.”

Yeah, that was worse than being trapped in traffic on an interstate with a toddler shouting, “Hey! I gotta poop!” Mostly because in this case, the demons were real. They were from Hell and they all had little to no respect for humanity.

Sitting beside her partner, Luke Teivel, in his vintage convertible Gauguin Red 1957 Chrysler 300C, she had absolutely no response to those words as she stared at Luke’s imp, Helly, in the backseat.

Tiny and adorable, Helly looked like a college student. Except for the ram-like horns that wrapped around her brown hair. Given that those horns were currently showing and they were riding in a convertible, Sorcha was glad it was dark. Especially since there were cops and medical staff all over the crime scene they’d been about to leave.

And the local news. She could only imagine what a reporter would say if they caught sight of a real live demon in Luke’s car.

That was a nightmare in the making. Right up there with “Hey, your demons have escaped the closet and are loose in the human world.”

When Luke spoke, his voice was deep and even. “And how did they get out?” He put the car in reverse and turned around, then started down the long street toward their Infernal Affairs office.

Helly shrugged. “Wasn’t there, boss. No idea. I went back to the apartment, like you said…the closet door was wide open and there was no sight or sign of the evil beasts. So, knowing how you feel about the FCDs being on the loose, I went to Hell to check it and see if they’d returned home. They weren’t there either. Pretty sure they’re on the loose…here.”

Luke winced. “Unbelievable.”