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I didn’t anticipate that you would matter to me, but you do .

The words kept swirling around her brain. This dude had a talent for knocking her mentally off balance with just a few words, and she wasn’t too good at rolling with it. “You say that I matter to you, but you haven’t been in my life long. There are things about me that you don’t know.”

“Oh, I’m well aware that you’re hiding parts of yourself from me. There’s no point, Naomi. I’ll find them.”

Alarm bells started blaring in her head. It was a struggle to keep her breathing even. Because this . . . She really hadn’t expected to ever find herself in this position.

Luka could be nosy and something of a meddler, true, but he’d resolutely kept a distance between them.

Yes, they talked sometimes; tentatively shared this and that.

But neither had ever pushed when a no-no topic was broached.

As such, he’d given her not one clue that he would make this little declaration.

What should she do now?

Easy.

Pull away. End their arrangement. Ask him to leave. Self-preservation demanded it. Because who knew what he’d do if he discovered that Lou was her father?

She’d like to think that he would keep it to himself. If he didn’t, though, a whole heap of problems would ensue. More, given the “quirk” that Lou had passed on to her, Luka would be sure to look at her differently if he knew the full truth. That bothered her far more than it should.

So, yes, she should usher him out.

But she didn’t.

Well, it wasn’t that simple. He pulled at her somehow. Not in the mere sense of her feeling drawn to him—that would be a freaking understatement at this point. It was more than that. She just couldn’t put it into words. Or maybe she didn’t want to examine the matter too closely. Whichever.

The protective moat she’d built around herself . . . she had the distinct feeling that he could cross it if she wasn’t careful. Which was all the more reason for her to tell him to leave, wasn’t it? And yet, she still didn’t.

Her demon didn’t weigh in on the matter, equally torn. It liked Luka. Liked him for Naomi. And it felt that if anyone would accept her secrets and keep them safe, it would be him. But the entity didn’t trust in that, so it didn’t wish to push her in either direction.

“Naomi?”

The sound of her name sent her thoughts scattering. “Hmm?”

He looked close to sighing. “You stopped listening, didn’t you?”

“Only with one ear.”

He snagged her nape with his palm, holding her gaze. “You don’t have to be wary of what’s happening here.”

“What is happening?” she asked, her heartbeat kicking up.

“I don’t know. Maybe something. Maybe nothing.” He tipped his head to the side. “Is it really so bad that I want to know you?”

“No.”

“But?”

“But it’s best that you don’t go looking for the parts of me I keep hidden. You wouldn’t like what you uncovered.”

“It wouldn’t change that you matter. Not for me, not for my demons.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Yes, I can,” Luka assured her, unable to imagine that anything about her could be so terrible. He released her nape and splayed his hand around her throat to palm Dagon’s brand. “We want you in a way we’ve never wanted another woman.”

“That’s just physical,” she croaked.

“If that were true, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He leaned toward her slightly. “Keep your secrets, Naomi. I won’t nag you to part with them.”

“Really?”

“Really. I have plenty of my own.” He flicked a look at the ceiling. “I don’t need to know what’s behind that locked door upstairs, or if—like many in your lair—you have an illegal mode of income. I just want to know you better. That’s all.”

Naomi nibbled on her lower lip, still the picture of uncertainty. She pulled in a long preparatory breath and then exhaled heavily. The unease bled out of her expression little by little, and her shoulders lost their stiffness. “Okay.” A low whisper.

Satisfied, Luka felt the corner of his mouth hitch up.

The temperature abruptly lowered as her eyes turned pure black. “You will keep to your word and not push her,” the demon told him. Told him. With all the authority of a queen.

Luka’s brows lifted in surprise. “I will respect it when there’s something she doesn’t want to share,” he promised, but the demon’s hard expression didn’t soften.

“If you discover what she fears you might, you will keep it to yourself.” Malice churned in its eyes. “If you reveal her secrets and cause her harm, there will be a reckoning. I will bathe in your blood once I am done with you.”

His entities had mixed reactions to that proclamation.

Abraxas huffed, affronted that it didn’t have the demon’s utter devotion.

Belial smirked, liking its vengeful streak.

Dagon was offended that the entity would even think Luka was lying .

. . even though lying was all Dagon really did.

Luka, well, he wondered why Naomi’s demon would feel so confident that it could take him down.

“It won’t come to that,” he assured it. “I’m not in the habit of revealing people’s personal business.”

The entity’s only response was a steady glare of warning. Then it retreated, and Naomi’s eyes were back to their usual gray-green.

“So,” Luka said, “your demon doesn’t trust me.”

“No. But don’t take it personally,” she advised. “It’s mistrustful by nature.”

“Then we have that in common.”

His mind flicked back to the entity’s comment. If you discover what she fears you might . . .

It was the word “fears” that stuck out most, because what could Naomi possibly fear him discovering? What could be so monumental that it would drive her demon to threaten him that way? Not many entities would dare. In fact, he couldn’t recall any having done so in the past.

“Your demon wasn’t bluffing just now.” Letting his hand slip away from her throat, he threaded his fingers through her hair. “It meant what it said. It would truly seek to make me pay if I brought you harm.”

“It’s very protective of me.”

“Good. So am I. In which case your demon doesn’t need to worry that I’d ever commit an act that would negatively impact you. I don’t expect it to take my word for that. I have the feeling that it won’t anyway. But I’m making the statement nonetheless.”

She studied him closely, and her lips twitched. “It bothers you that my demon isn’t being friendly toward you,” she correctly sensed. “It doesn’t dislike you, Luka. The opposite, actually. But for my entity, ‘like’ and ‘trust’ aren’t mutually compatible.”

“Hmm, I can relate.”

“But it still bothers you.”

“A little,” he conceded. “My demons aren’t too pleased about it either. But I’m sure your entity will relax around us eventually. We can be patient.”

“Can you?”

“No.”

Her smile went up a notch. “You’re spoiled.”

He gave a small, unapologetic shrug. “I’m used to having my own way. Comes with having been a Prime for so long, I suppose.”

“Well, since there’s nothing I can say that will improve your mood regarding this particular subject, maybe we could switch topics. Or . . .”

“Or?”

“Or go upstairs, get naked, and fuck each other stupid. Personally, I’m leaning more toward the latter. You?”

Like that, his mindset shifted and his body began to stir. “I think we’ve done enough talking for one night.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Glad you see things my way.”