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Watching from her living room sofa later that day as Luka paced like a caged jungle cat, Naomi inwardly sighed. “I really just thought that you’d roll your eyes.”

He slid her a surprised look. “Excuse me?”

When he’d appeared to help her transfer the rest of her stuff to his place, she’d lapped up his little displays of possessive affection before casually tossing out that she’d had a brief chat with Draya.

As was typical of Luka, he’d demanded every last detail.

With each one she’d revealed, his expression had gone darker.

And then a stream of Russian curses had all but burst out of him as he began to pace back and forth.

Well, who would like hearing that they’d been someone’s mark? That they hadn’t sensed such a thing? That they’d almost gone ahead and slept with a person who had set out to manipulate and use them?

Maybe Naomi should have kept the confrontation to herself after all. At least for a short while. He was already on edge due to the cleric situation. But then Ella would have informed him of it anyway, so keeping it quiet hadn’t really been an option.

She rose from the sofa. “I can understand why you’d be mad that Draya thought she had a prayer of playing you, but—”

“That’s not why I’m pissed,” he said, coming to a halt.

She felt her brows slide together. “It’s not?”

“No. I’m pissed that she dared go near you.”

Aw, he was too sweet. “She didn’t really have much of a choice, to be fair. The changing rooms weren’t at all spacious, so there was no real way she could have physically avoided me.”

Luka prowled toward her. “She could have stepped aside, let you pass, and walked right on out of there. She could have kept her mouth shut and her opinions to herself. But no. She decided to give you grief instead.”

“She didn’t touch me, though,” Naomi reminded him. “She just—”

“Tried filling your head with shit and called you a cowardly little bitch,” he finished, his tone clipped.

Naomi shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

His eyes blazed, a murderous glint in their depths. “By who?”

“Uh, never mind. Doesn’t matter. Forget I said anything.” She fisted the front of his shirt. “Look, I’m not upset. What she thinks or feels means nothing to me.”

“What she did is still unacceptable. Whether it bothered you isn’t the point. She should never have dared pull that shit.”

In total agreement, her inner entity nodded firmly. Unsurprising. Since it was evident by the lethal edge in Luka’s voice that repercussions would be due, she asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Something she won’t like,” he answered vaguely.

Naomi exhaled heavily, knowing that she couldn’t talk him out of retaliating. This was who he was. A person who’d never let a slight to his mate go unaddressed. And she wouldn’t want him any other way. Nor would her demon, who very much approved of his plan. Typical.

“Fine. Can we not talk about her any more, though?” She leaned into him, sliding her palms up his chest. “I’d rather we just finished moving this stuff to your place and then enjoyed our evening.”

His arms came around her, his hands settling on her lower back. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Positive. Honestly,” she assured him, but it didn’t soften his expression any.

He cast her a look of reprimand. “You should have telepathed me the moment Draya opened her mouth.”

“To what purpose? Luka, I’m not going to request you intervene to fight my every battle—especially the teensy ones. I don’t need you to do that for me. And I wouldn’t feel good about myself, about us, if I forced myself to lean on you for everything when it goes against who I am.”

He clenched his jaw. “Why did you have to word it like that?”

She stifled a smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, does it cut into your argument?”

“Yes.”

Her demon snickered, amused. “If you want a mate who’ll turn to you for every little thing . . .”

“I want you. Only you.” He nuzzled her face, his hand gliding down to rest on her ass. “I accept that this is who you are, but I reserve the right to complain when I don’t get my way in everything.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“Does it?”

“Uh, no, but whatever.”

“And just why does that legion have his hands all over you?” demanded a new voice.

Naomi froze. Ah, hell. She very slowly turned her head. Lou stood a few feet away in a scruffy tee and faded jeans, a joint between his fingers, his angry gaze bouncing from her to Luka.

Turning to face him fully, she forced a smile. “Hello, Dad.”

He stiffened. “What . . .”

“Luka knows you’re my father. I had to tell him.”

Lou’s face scrunched up. “Why?”

“We claimed each other.”

His eyes fairly bugged out of his head. “ Claimed? You claimed each other?”

“Yes.”

“When?” he demanded, a near-hysterical note to his voice that tickled her entity.

“Like . . . six days ago.”

His expression firmed. “So the same day clerics blew up your car—something you failed to mention. I had to find out from someone else, which is what I came here to whine at you about. Something I would have enjoyed. But this” —he flicked a finger from her to Luka —“I’m not so jolly about.

” He peered down at his joint. “I’m hallucinating.

That’s what it is. Maybe Jester dosed the weed with LSD. Sounds like something he’d do.”

Pausing, Lou inhaled deeply and then closed his eyes.

“This isn’t real. My baby girl is not mated.

She’s not. It’s an illusion within an illusion.

When I open my eyes, the legion will be gone.

Like magick.” He opened his eyes, his shoulders slumped, and he looked back at the joint. “The LSD is strong in this one.”

Oh Lord. “You’re not hallucinating. This situation is very much real. I claimed Luka. He claimed me. We’re mates.”

Lou’s joint abruptly disappeared in a ball of ultraviolet flames. His brows squishing together, he dropped his hand to his side. “How can you be mated? I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“And if I had?”

“I . . . I would have told you.”

He shot her an indignant look. “You think you’re going to get a lie past me , the ultimate connoisseur of deception? Really? And why would you date him , of all people?”

Naomi felt her brows snap together in affront. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Uh, everything ,” Lou drawled. “His reputation is widely known. He’s cold-blooded. Vindictive. Lethal. Volatile. He has three inner entities —even for me that’s fucking weird.”

She folded her arms. “And if he had only one entity and was none of those things you listed, you’d be fine with this?”

“No.”

“So, basically, you wouldn’t like him no matter what?”

“Basically.”

Her demon rolled its eyes. Honestly, Lou was a total man child. “Well, that’s just too bad. Luka’s my choice. You’ll have to accept that.”

“Why?” It was a genuine question.

“As my father, you’re supposed to be supportive.”

“You continue to expect reasonable reactions from me. I have no idea why that is. We long ago established that I would always do outrageous things.”

Absolutely true. However . . . “What other option do you have but to accept this?”

Lou twisted his mouth, pensive. “I could drag him down to hell.”

Naomi stiffened. “You promised you wouldn’t do that to someone I care about ever again. I’m still traumatized by how you tossed poor Donatello into an abyss down there.”

Lou’s jaw tightened at the memory. “The little bastard bit me.”

She scoffed. “No he didn’t.”

“Yes he did!”

“He was a turtle. They don’t have teeth.”

Luka shifted slightly, drawing Lou’s attention.

“Normally I wouldn’t care what anyone thought of Naomi and me claiming each other.

But as you’re her father, I’ll give you the assurance you need.

Still, I’m going to say this to you only once; whether you believe it or not is up to you.

I’m not a good person. I’ve never tried to be.

I’ve done nothing to deserve having something as good as Naomi in my life.

Nonetheless, I’m keeping her. There’s not a single thing more important to me than she is. ”

Lou pulled a face, flapping a hand. “Blah, blah, blah, words are cheap, blah.”

“ Dad ,” Naomi groaned.

“I’m not wrong,” he maintained, folding his arms. “I don’t believe him. And I don’t like him. And you can’t make me be nice to him. So there.”

“Your level of maturity is overwhelming.”

Lou squinted. “I detected a hint of sarcasm there.”

“Oh, it was no hint. It was full-on sarcasm.” Naomi put her hands on her hips. “Why would you find it so hard to believe that he cares about me? Are you saying I’m unlovable?”

Lou wagged his finger at her. “Don’t. Don’t start trying to talk me in circles.

I’m too stoned for that shit, it’ll make me dizzy.

” He crossed to her and rested his hands on her upper arms. “Listen to me, men are the worst. Pigs. Liars. Adulterers. We have no practical relevance other than to help ensure the propagation of our respective species. That’s it. That’s all we have to offer.”

“So what you’re saying is you’d prefer I was into women?”

“Celibacy,” he asserted. “Celibacy is the only avenue that leads to happiness.”

“Are you celibate?”

“No. But I wouldn’t know happiness if it took a steaming shit on my head, so we don’t need to worry about me. Only you. Just. You.”

Beyond exasperated at this point, Naomi said, “Maybe I should telepath Jolene and ask her to come over. She can help bring the tension down a few notches.” Or, more accurately, the Prime would annoy the crap out of him—they’d been frenemies for years.

Lou stilled, his mouth dropping open. “Oh, you’re diabolical.”

Naomi grinned. “Thank you.”

Releasing her arms, he dropped his own to his sides and let out a dramatic huff. “Is it so wrong that I want you to have a decent man in your life?”

“I thought you said all men are pigs.”

“There are some exceptions. You could find one easy. They’d flock to you because they’d sense you’re special.”

She snorted. “If I had a decent man anywhere in my general vicinity, you’d hate him because he was decent. You’d say he was weak and boring and you’d throw things at him for fun. Tell me I’m wrong—and mean it.”

Lou gave her a sulky look. “It’s occasionally discomforting that you know me as well as you do.”

“Just occasionally? I’d better put a little more effort into it.”

His lips curled. “That’s my girl.” His smile faded as he glanced from her to Luka. “So it’s a done deal? You insist on giving him a home?”

Naomi felt her brow crease. “He’s a person, not a pet.”

“He’s a man. Men are pigs. Pigs can be pets. Ergo . . .”

“Oh my God, you are unbelievably ridiculous.”

He frowned. “Why do you always say that?”

“Because it’s so very true.”

“What’s ridiculous is you taking a legion as your mate. Come on, you’re smarter than this!”

Luka stepped closer to her, his attention on Lou. “You’re free to disapprove of me, but don’t raise your voice at Naomi. I don’t like it.”

She winced. Uh-oh . Her dad was going to flip his lid for sure.

Except . . . he didn’t. He didn’t bristle. Didn’t get mad. Didn’t give Luka a load of shit. Hell, he didn’t even look her mate’s way. As if refusing to acknowledge not only Luka’s words but his very presence.

She heaved a sigh. “You’re going to pretend Luka’s not here, aren’t you?”

Lou shrugged. “It’s that or beat him bloody. He’s defiling my once-virginal daughter.”

Naomi scratched her cheek. “Uh, sorry to burst your bubble, Dad, but I lost my virginity years a—”

“La, la, la, la, deaf ears.”

Fuck this shit. “That’s it, I’m calling Jolene.”

Lou scowled. “Don’t bother, I’m leaving. I’m gonna smoke another joint, eat some munchies, and pray to the lunar gods that this was all a funky-ass dream.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Are there such things as lunar gods?”

“We’ll soon fucking find out.” He clicked his heels and disappeared.

Blowing out a long breath, she shoved a hand into her hair as she slowly turned to face Luka. He wore the look of someone who’d just been poleaxed. Sigh. Plenty of people wore that look after meeting Lucifer.

She cleared her throat. “So. That’s my dad. Quite a gem, isn’t he?”

“Hmm.” After a long moment of silence, Luka raised a finger. “I have a question. Why would he banish a turtle to hell?”

“Jolene gave Donatello to me as a birthday gift. Lou didn’t like that I was so delighted with it.

He felt outdone and jealous. She made it worse by smirking at him smugly.

And, as I’m sure you noticed, his thought processes aren’t normal.

So in his head, it was a perfectly reasonable reaction to throw the turtle into an abyss, never to be seen again. ”

Luka twisted his mouth. “Hmm,” he repeated.

She expected him to ply her with more questions, but he said nothing, just stared into the distance, his expression blank. “You’re still stuck processing him, aren’t you? Yeah, it takes most people’s brains a fair few moments to do that. You’ll snap out of it soon. Want a beer while we wait?”

“Hmm.”

She gave a nod. “Beer it is.”