Page 68 of Demon Dating Service

“No,” Luke replied without a breath of hesitation.

Azroth relaxed in an instant. “Ah, well then, there’s no need for you to move out. You still have much more schooling to complete, and you are an excellent fit in our little home. We can find other ways to amuse ourselves.”

“Withmy help,” Luke added, bringing a smile to Azroth’s handsome face.

“Yes, of course. But Matteo?”

Luke sighed and gazed at the sleeping man. He adored Matteo and looked forward to dating him, learning everything he could about him. But the demons were going to continue to be part of his life. They’d become a strange family. Could he date Matteo and not share that part of himself with the man he was falling for? It wasn’t fair to either of them.

“I don’t want him to forget. I want to tell him about you and the other demons. You need to meet,” Luke said.

Azroth stared at him in shock yet again. “Oh…okay.”

“But…he may not take the news all that well. If he can’t adjust, can you tweak his memory then? Not hurt him, though.”

The demon waved a hand dismissively prior to rising from his chair. “Yes, yes. That’s fine. Not everyone can deal with the idea of demons as well as you have. We understand. And we promise, no matter what, we won’t ever harm Matteo…unless you say we can.” He strolled to the stairs. “I’ll let you both get another hour of sleep. You will awaken naturally with memories fully intact.”

Azroth had barely finished speaking when Luke flopped down onto his pillow and drifted off into blissful sleep.

Chapter 26

My Extended Family

LUKE

Luke stretched out his toes as his brain crawled toward consciousness, and they came into contact with another foot. His eyes snapped open to find Matteo sharing the same pillow. That beautiful face was relaxed in sleep, not holding a single shadow or bruise from last night’s adventure.

He sucked in a loud breath as all his memories slammed into his brain. The attack by the masked men, the kidnapping, waking up to a brutal beating, and the demons.

The demons had swept in and saved them. He had no idea what they’d done with those frat bros in the end, and he didn’t care. Not when they’d hurt Matteo for no reason at all.

But Azroth had come to him afterward and given him the choice to have the horrible event wiped from Matteo’s mind. Walking away from that choice still seemed like a good idea, but now he had to explain it all to Matteo.

What the hell was he thinking?

Just as panic was setting in, Matteo stirred next to him. He blinked those ridiculously long eyelashes that always made Luke’s heart flutter. As soon as his big brown eyes focused on Luke, he smiled and let out a happy sigh.

Yet, before he could whisper a pleased “good morning,” that expression of joy withered. His eyes widened as they filled with a mix of horror and fear. He gasped and grabbed Luke’s arm, his fingers digging painfully into flesh.

“Luke! The kidnappers! They—” His words broke off as he looked around, fully registering that they were lying in Luke’s bed in his attic apartment. He released Luke and shot upright. He clutched the blanket to his chest, twisting it in his fingers. “How…how did we get here? How did we escape? It was real! I know it was real. That wasn’t a dream!”

Luke sat up and wrapped Matteo in his arms, squeezing him as a tremble rippled throughout his entire body. “We’re safe. We’re at my place, and we are safe. No one can get us here.”

“But-but-but how? How did we get here? I don’t remember! Those bastards…they grabbed us right off the street. They…they were the ones who were harassing you! They go to Ravenwood! We have to report them. Call the cops!”

His arms didn’t budge from Matteo as the man seemed to want to spring from the bed. Calling the cops wasn’t an option any longer. Even if the demons hadn’t stepped in and they had escaped on their own, what would they tell the cops? That they vaguely recognized the voice of one of the masked men? That they thought it was this one guy—someone whose name they didn’t even know—without an ounce of actual physical proof?

“Shhh, honey. You need to calm down. It’s okay. Everything is okay,” Luke murmured, kissing his cheek.

“Yes, but how is it okay? I don’t understand anything. The last thing I remember is lying in the dark on that cold concrete floor. My arm was killing me. My head hurt. But now, nothing hurts. It’s like it didn’t happen, but I know it did.” Matteo’s face whipped around, and he stared at Luke with an air of desperation, tears filling his eyes.

“It did, and I can explain everything, but…I’m afraid you won’t believe me. It’s going to be hard to understand.”

“Why wouldn’t I believe you? Of course I’d believe you!” Matteo practically shouted in his face, making Luke’s heart melt. “Wait! Wait! First, are you okay? That evil fucker kicked you. I saw it. Did you go to the hospital?” As he spoke, he turned in Luke’s arms and began feeling his chest and stomach.

“I’m fine.” Luke caught one of his hands and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “All healed up. Nothing’s wrong, I swear.”

“Okay, good.” He released a deep breath of relief and then narrowed his eyes at Luke. “Now start talking.”