Page 23

Naomi looked up slowly. There beside her table was Luka, glaring down at Daniel through eyes that were pure frost. A slight chill went down her spine, sending a sweep of goosebumps up her arms. And not in a good way.

Shit.

She had hoped to keep him out of this situation, but she’d known there was a chance that Konstantin would spot Daniel following her if the PI was still around.

She’d been prepared for this moment. She just wished that it hadn’t arrived, because Luka would likely insist on involving himself in the situation.

Her demon wasn’t quite so bothered by that. But that was mostly because it was curious as to what he would do. The entity wanted a peek at his merciless streak.

Freaking typical.

Naomi became aware that the volume in the restaurant had lowered slightly. Demons would recognize the legion in an instant. Humans wouldn’t, but considering everything about him at that moment screamed “threat”, she understood why some might sit up and take notice.

Luka’s gaze slid to her . . . and their chemistry aimed and fired. The crackling force tautened the air as it hit. Every synapse in her system seemed to go electric. Her body never failed to come alive around him, even at moments like these.

Needing a reprieve from it, she returned her attention to Daniel. He was gaping up at Luka in shock, his face slack, his previous smirk nowhere to be found. That the PI seemed so surprised to see the legion would suggest he hadn’t yet heard she was sleeping with him.

“Luka Belinsky,” he breathed.

“You have me at a disadvantage,” said Luka, his voice low and smooth even as danger looped through every word. “You clearly know who I am. I have no fucking idea who you are.”

“D-Daniel Phillips.”

“And you’re bothering Naomi because?”

Daniel hesitated, clearly scrambling to come up with some bullshit excuse.

“You do not want to lie to me,” Luka recommended.

“I wasn’t harassing her or anything. I just had some questions for her. I’m a PI.”

“Hired by whom and to do what?”

Daniel licked his lips. “I . . . I can’t discuss my cases or my clients.”

“You will with me.”

“I really can’t—I’m legally bound to share very little.”

His patience a thing of the past, Luka edged closer to the table, raring to strangle the little shit.

“You seem to think you have a choice here. You don’t.

Let me speak plainly. I don’t give a fuck what assurances you granted your clients or what legalities are in place that prohibit you from revealing details.

Naomi is under my protection. If you insist on making yourself a problem for her, then I become your problem. That’s how this works.”

The blood drained from Daniel’s face—a sight that pleased Belial. “I didn’t know that she had protected status. I swear I didn’t know.”

“Now you do. And you can either tell me what I want to know, or I take you somewhere we can get more . . . comfortable. And you’ll still tell me what I want to know.”

Daniel swallowed so hard it looked like it hurt. “I-I have a client that’s interested in meeting a ghost artist who works with Naomi’s psi-mate. The artist wishes to remain anonymous, so Tobe won’t reveal their identity. I was hired to find out who they are and obtain their contact details.”

“What does that have to do with Naomi?”

“Anchors share secrets with each other. I thought maybe Tobe had mentioned names of his ghost artists to her.”

“I’ve already told you I don’t know any,” she said to Daniel.

So they’d come into contact before now?

The PI lifted his shoulders. “I’m struggling to get answers for my client, so I thought I’d try again.”

“Well, you did,” said Luka. “And it was fruitless. It would be just as fruitless if you questioned her again. But you won’t do that, will you?” It wasn’t a question; it was a straight-up order that carried a promise of very dark consequences.

Fear flickering in his eyes, Daniel shook his head. “No. No, of course not.”

Abraxas snorted at his cowardice, finding him pathetic. Luka’s other two entities agreed with that assessment.

Luka cut his gaze back to Naomi and held out his palm to her.

She slowly placed her hand in his as she pushed out of her seat. It was only then that she seemed to notice that the twins and Daniil were a few feet behind him. “I just need to put my rubbish in the—” She cut off as Nikandr grabbed her tray and did it for her. “Right.”

“Let’s go.” Luka splayed a hand on her back to guide her away from the table.

She threw him a quick look. “Konstantin telepathed you about Daniel,” she guessed.

He dipped his chin. “He’d noticed that someone was watching you. When I arrived, he said the person was at your table. It was clear by your body language that he wasn’t welcome.”

Mikhail led the way as all five of them exited the restaurant and then, with Konstantin sliding in behind them, walked into the side alley. Once they were deep in the shadows and away from human eyes, Luka looked at his teleporter. “My house.”

Surprise flickered across Daniil’s face. Understandable. Luka didn’t bring his bed buddies to his home. But right then, his protectiveness a feral thing, he wanted Naomi in the place she’d be safest.

Their surroundings momentarily blurred before altering completely, and suddenly they were all standing in his foyer.

Luka swept his gaze over his demons. “Leave us.” After the four males had obligingly exited the house, he refocused on Naomi. She was glancing around with her lips parted, taking in the winding staircase, marble flooring, and sparkling chandelier.

“Wow,” she breathed.

“You never mentioned that you’d been approached by a PI,” said Luka, a bite to his voice.

She shrugged, visibly unfazed by his annoyance. “Why would I? It wasn’t necessary for you to know. It had no bearing on anything.” She didn’t add that it wasn’t his business, but the implication was there in her tone and expression.

Luka felt his face harden, and all three of his demons bristled. Because this felt like his business. “If there’s a threat to you, I need to be aware of it.”

“He’s not a threat, just a pest.”

Perhaps so, but . . . “That isn’t the point.”

“Look, you don’t tell me all of what goes on in your life. And why would you? I’m not entitled to know your business. We’ve made no commitment to each other.”

“You’re under my protection.”

“Super. But it doesn’t change the facts. Come on, Luka, you wouldn’t have told me if you’d been approached by a PI. You can’t have it both ways.”

“Why not?”

Even as irritation scraped at Naomi’s skin, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I can’t even whine about how much of a handful you are. I knew what I was getting into. But don’t think I’ll stand for any bullshit,” she softly warned. “That isn’t who I am.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed,” he muttered. “If the PI bothers you again, I want to know about it.”

“I doubt he will. You scared him.”

“Even scared people do unadvisable things.”

“True enough. Iain’s an example of that.” Thinking of him made her nose wrinkle. “Is he doing any better?”

Luka’s lips thinned. “Not yet. He persists in maintaining that he’s not under the thrall of a siren song.”

Guilt nipped at Naomi’s heels, which annoyed her entity. Yes, yes, it was misplaced guilt—she knew that well—but it didn’t make how she felt any less real. The guy was willingly undergoing torture to prove that he truly loved her, for God’s sake.

She sank her hand into her hair, momentarily stilling as Luka’s gaze followed the movement before taking a slow glide down the length of her curls. It was nothing short of a visual caress that was as potent as any touch, causing her belly to flutter and her demon to preen.

“I didn’t fail to notice that you gave me no guarantee you’d contact me if Phillips made a nuisance of himself again.”

Tenacious bastard . Her demon rolled its eyes, though it respected his level of perseverance and liked that he was so protective of Naomi. “If I hear from him again, I’ll tell you. Now, do I get a tour of this palace or what?”

Luka gave her a long look, as though he was debating whether he should run with the change of topic. Finally, he said, “I don’t see why not.”

Naomi followed him through the house, stealing little peeks at the various rooms—and there were many. The place was the height of luxury and amazingly clean, but it had no soul. Which was kind of sad. “You have a lot of guards,” she noted.

“It’s more of a deterrent than a precaution. Only two demons have ever managed to scale the walls of the estate undetected, but they didn’t make it to the house. They were seen and detained before they had the chance. You’re safe here, Naomi. Safer than you’ll be anywhere else.”

Well, the clerics would be unlikely to get past his security—that was reassuring. She doubted any would attempt to infiltrate the place, but she still felt better knowing that they had little chance of success if they tried.

“I’d get lost in a place like this in no time,” she said as they walked toward the foyer’s staircase. “How long have you lived here?”

Without breaking stride, Luka briefly glanced at her over his shoulder. “A while.”

“Don’t overload me with information,” she mocked.

“I won’t,” he deadpanned.

Upstairs, he resumed his tour, pointing out rooms. Reaching a particular door, he pushed it open and ushered her inside. “This is the master bedroom.”

Moving to stand in the center of the large space, Naomi took a slow look around. Now this room had a Luka vibe to it. It was neat and masculine and a little moody. Dark woods, oak flooring, luxury bedding, walls the color of desert sand. And it smelled like him; like power, amber, and sandalwood.

She zeroed in on the king-sized four-poster bed. “I’ll bet this room has seen a lot of action,” she teased.

He regarded her with a serious expression. “I don’t bring women home.”

Oh. “So why bring me here?”

“Because I wanted to.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Do you always do what you want to do?”