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A cheron froze at the last thing he expected.

Thorn, in full demon form and armor, appeared in the middle of Kat’s condo.

What was he thinking after what he’d done?

Acheron immediately threw up a shield to keep his family safe. “Come to surrender?”

Thorn shook his head. “Where’s Styxx, Kat or Tory?”

“My family doesn’t concern you.”

Clearing his throat, Thorn ignored him. “Styxx? Kat? Tory? Hell, even one of the grandkids,” he called out. “Could one of you come out here for a minute?”

Ash’s eyes turned vibrant red. “They need to stay put.”

“I’m not going to hurt them.”

“You damn right about that.” Horns shot out of his head.

Thorn took a deep breath to settle his nerves as Ash’s family came out from a door behind the Atlantean god.

“Something wrong?” Kat asked.

Before Thorn could answer, Simi appeared by his side. The moment she saw Acheron turning blue, she gasped. “It okies, akri! Your Simi is fine. See?” She turned around to show him that Thorn hadn’t hurt her.

“Then get behind me.”

Instead of doing as Acheron ordered, she stepped in front of Thorn. “I will if you promise me that you won’t hurt him.”

Thorn had never seen eyes boil before, but he would bet his rotten soul that Acheron’s boiled as his lips curled.

“This isn’t a game, Simkey.”

“No.” Thorn gently nudged her toward Kat. “It’s not and I’m here to ask you something important.”

Styxx scoffed. “Are you kidding? You just laid waste to a good portion of prime Las Vegas real estate. There’s a body count out there that warrants the governor calling out the National Guard.”

Thorn cringed at that. “I would say I’m sorry, but we both know it would be insincere. And I’d tell you that I don’t remember it, except I doubt you’d believe me. Even if it’s true.”

“Then what happened?” Ash asked.

“I really don’t know. My last memory is fuzzy. All I can recall is being stuffed in a room and left there after I had a bad conversation with my son.” He gestured toward Simi. “I really lost myself. Paimon and Noir knew what they were doing when they trapped me. I can’t handle what I damned my son to. Something inside me broke and it unleashed the demon. I had no control over myself. I never would have attacked humans had I been in my right mind.”

Styxx scowled at him. “So what? You’re here to apologize?”

Thorn turned toward Acheron. “Well, yes, and I’m here to ask for Simi’s hand in marriage.”

Faster than anyone could blink, Acheron exploded. His skin turned a swirling blue. Black horns jutted from his head at the same time a pair of black wings sprang out.

One second, he was in front of Thorn, the next, he had him on the ground in a choke hold so tight, that Thorn actually feared dying.

“Akri, no! Stop!” Simi grabbed Acheron’s arms. “Let him go! Don’t you dare hurt him!”

For the first time in his extremely long life, Thorn didn’t fight back. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Simi, and of all people, he knew how much Simi loved her akri. If it meant his life to keep from breaking her heart, he would.

He felt the demon drain out of him. All of it. He was in human form, on the floor and he was pretty sure he was turning the same shade of blue as Acheron.

The moment he was no longer a demon, Acheron returned to his own human form.

But he didn’t release Thorn.

“Would you kindly remove your hands from my throat, Acheron?”

His grip tightened for a moment. Then Ash let out a fierce roar, released him and stood up. “I should rip your head off your shoulders.”

“I would not enjoy that.”

“And neither would the Simi.” She moved to stand between them.

To Thorn’s shock, she turned toward him and scowled as she saw his neck. “No! You damaged my Thorny! How could you, akri?”

Acheron’s nostrils flared. “How could you, Simi? It was bad with Nick, but Thorn ? Seriously? Thorn?”

Wow. No one had ever used his name as an insult before. It was quite impressive.

Thorn pushed himself to his feet. “Let’s be clear, Blue Man Group. I haven’t touched Simi.”

That took some of the bluster from him. “What?”

“I love her, Acheron. I want to marry her. But I haven’t touched her … other than a kiss.”

A myriad of emotions played across Acheron’s face. With an astonished expression, he turned toward Simi. “No?”

“No. Thorny always been a gentle demon. That why the Simi’s in love with him. ’Cause he’s not only quality. He’s the bestest. So, don’t you hurt him, akri. The Simi would never forgive you.”

Styxx let out a low whistle at that. “So … how do we proceed?”

Kat clapped him on the back. “Bad news, Dad. Simi grew up.”

“Would you all stop!” It was obvious Acheron wasn’t enjoying their teasing. “I’m trying hard to process this without committing murder. And none of you are helping.” He turned back toward Thorn. “You have more nerve than anyone I’ve ever known.”

Not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing, Thorn shifted his feet. “Do we have your blessing?”

Acheron turned back toward Simi. “Is this what you want?”

She shrugged. “The Simi’s heart is a complicated thing, akri. It’s lubbed him since he made me laugh ’cause he was trying to scare me.”

Shaking his head, Ash let out a long, tired sigh. “Fine. I won’t stand in the way, but you cannot take her to Azmodea. Ever. Not for any reason. You understand? Those are my terms. I don’t want her near your father or Azura.”

“Understood and for the record, I wasn’t going to take her there.”

“Good. So, where are you going with her?”

Thorn grinned. “I was thinking of a temple in Katateros …”

He expected Acheron to protest or insult him. Instead, he nodded. “There are dozens that are unoccupied. Sounds like a plan.”

Thorn felt the color drain from his face as his ploy backfired. “That was a joke.”

Laughing, Styxx put his hand on his shoulder. “Nope. My brother has spoken. Looks like we’ll be neighbors. But don’t worry. Ash only visits when the human world is about to end.”

Great. Thorn wanted to protest, until he looked at Simi.

The happiness in her eyes was too great. She seemed to love the idea. “Is that where you want to live?”

“Oh absolutely! Then the Simi won’t have to rearrange her room. I can leave it as is and all things Simi will be nearby, but we can decorate the new place all scary like you like. Maybe even move your bony throne there.”

Thorn actually felt Ash’s stare on him. It hung hard and heavy. Almost the same as when Ash strangled him.

Only worse.

It was a good think he loved Simi enough to tolerate his future father-in-law.

Thorn offered Simi a smile. “We can live wherever you want.”

Clapping her hands, Simi threw herself into his arms.

Thorn caught her against him and closed his eyes at how good she felt there. It was incredible.

Until he saw the look on Acheron’s face as the Atlantean god cleared his throat.

Sin laughed. “You’ll live, Thorn. But you will never be comfortable around him, and he will never stop glaring at you.”

“And now you know why we live here in Vegas,” Kat said. “Dad might be able to pop in whenever he wants, but we’re just far enough away to where he usually has better things to do than make us crazy.”

“Fair point. And note taken.” But there was one major difference.

Kat agreed to live away from her father. Simi …

The happy look she had said that he was trading a private mansion with no interference to a temple right up under a god he knew wanted to skewer him.

Joy. Oh joy.

But one look at Simi’s happiness and Thorn realized he’d rather live there than anywhere else.

“We are going to be one weird family, aren’t we?” he asked.

Ash looked over at his daughter and Sin, then to his brother. “We’ve been that for a long time, brother.”

Simi smiled. “Well, y’all know what the Simi says… We have three kinds of family. Those we are born to, those who are born to us and those we let into our hearts.”

Akri gasped. “Wait! I’m the one who said that.”

Simi tsked at him. “You might have said it first, akri. The Simi made it famous.”