Chapter 5 #2
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.”
A black silk shirt immediately appeared on Trinket.
Sorcha took a seat in the armchair next to the couch. “Do you prefer Trinket or Mircea?”
The question seemed to confuse him. “What do you mean?”
“I want to make sure I use the right name for you. What do you like to be called?”
Luke grabbed two bottles of water and headed over to hand her one. “He’s never had anyone ask him that before. But I’m sure he prefers Trinket. Most of us never use our real names.”
Because in Hell it gave someone power over them when they knew their birth names. She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but Luke and Helly had said it to her enough that it was now seared into her brain.
Trinket blinked twice, turned back into a cat and ran across the floor toward Luke’s bedroom.
“Not in my bed, kitty, and don’t scratch anything.” That deep rumbling bass made her want to sit up straighter. Luke had a scary commanding voice when he wanted to.
Sorcha frowned. “I can’t tell if you like him or not.”
“We have some history.” Luke sat down on the couch and opened his water.
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not really.” Luke glanced at his phone, then spoke out loud again to Trinket. “How long have the demons been out?”
“No idea.”
Luke turned his attention to Envee.
She shrugged. “I don’t have a watch, dominus.”
He checked his phone again. “So sometime between Helly telling us and several hours of finding Envee in a freezer.” There was an underlying tone in his voice.
“What are you thinking?” Sorcha asked.
Luke smirked. “That Dohlar’s out there somewhere causing chaos.”
Given what she knew of them, she’d say that was a safe bet. “How do you normally track them?”
He took a swig of his water before he recapped it. “Follow the screams.”
That wasn’t comforting at all. “You think they’re still together as a group?”
Envee laughed.
Grimacing, Luke shook his head. “Most of them can’t stand each other. They’re who knows where.” He picked up his phone and texted someone.
“Who are you talking to?”
“Asking Kieran to keep an eye out while he’s patrolling tonight. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll find some of them first.”
Kieran was one of the Dark-Hunters stationed in Savannah. She’d not met him physically, but they’d spoken on the phone a few times.
“If you need to go look for them, I’ll be fine here,” Sorcha said.
He cast a fierce grimace toward Envee. “Can you guard her?”
“Of course, dominus. Especially if there’s more ice cream for payment.” She grinned.
Luke shook his head. “My apartment is warded. After what Anubis just did, nothing should be able to get inside here without an invitation. I’m just a call away if you need me, and Delilah will be downstairs.”