Burn

by Suzanne Wright

“Oh my God!” exclaimed a female voice behind them as Levi destroyed the last two snakes with small balls of hellfire.

  Turning, Harper blinked. It was obviously a day for surprises. Knox and his sentinels all positioned themselves in front of her.

  Knox asked suspiciously, “What are you doing here, Carla?”

  The woman clasped her hands in front of her as she slowly walked forward, dancing her alarmed gaze from Knox to where the snakes once were. “I, um, I wanted to talk to Harper. Larkin wouldn’t tell me where she was – only that she wasn’t in the hotel. I thought she might have gone home.”

  Knox narrowed his eyes. “Is that so?”

  “Where did the snakes come from?”

  “Now that’s a very good question.”

  Carla stumbled before coming to an abrupt halt. “You suspect me?”

  More interested in the little matter of a spell being put on her home, Harper asked Knox, “Can you unravel the spell?”

  He shook his head. “Only another practitioner or an incantor can do that.” Incantors were demons that could use magick.

  “I know a few incantors,” said Levi. “I can call one, have her come down here. She should be able to understand and untangle the threads of the spell.”

  “You do that.” Knox curled an arm around Harper. “Come on, let’s go.”

  As Tanner opened the rear door of the Bentley, Carla stepped forward. “Wait, Harper, I – I was hoping we could talk. Just for a minute. Please?”

  Harper cocked her head. “Why? You want to make nice with me to be sure I don’t ask Knox to cast you out of the lair? Or are you panicking that I’ll blab about our sharing of DNA to your family?”

  Carla’s shoulders slumped. She looked defeated and hurt. “I should have known there was no point in this. The imps have all turned you against me.”

  Harper snorted. “Oh no, Carla, you did that all on your own.” Harper hopped into the Bentley, puffing out a long breath. What a fucking day.

  Sliding close to her, Knox combed his fingers through her hair as the car began to move. “You okay?”

  “No, I’m pissed. As if it’s not bad enough that someone wants me dead, I had a lot of sentimental stuff in my apartment from all the places I’ve been. It’s a good chance that most of it is ashes now. I’ll have to buy new furniture and—”

  “No, you won’t. You’ll be living with me.”

  Her eyebrows flew up. “Is that a fact?”

  He curled his hand tight around her jaw. “If you think I’ll let my mate live apart from me, think again.”

  “Such charm.” She ignored Tanner’s snicker.

  Knox slid his hand from her jaw to her throat. “There’s no sense in us living apart.”

  “Hm.”

  “And you love the mansion.”

  She forced a snort, even though it was totally true. “Where did you get that idea?”

  “You relax when you’re there.”

  That was also totally true. She felt safe there. Not only because it had top security measures, but because there was an unexpected restful atmosphere to the place that allowed a person to wind down. Meg’s merry nature and fantastic cooking probably helped with that, just like Dan’s innate positivity. Harper couldn’t help but soak it in. Still, she shrugged, trying to seem casual. “You have a nice bathroom.” A very decadent bathroom that contained a large, circular bath made of black granite that had Jacuzzi jets.

  Knox went to speak again but stopped as Levi told him, Carla’s crying. I think she expects me to hug her.

  Ignore the ‘poor me’ routine.

  I am, but there is something she said that you might be interested in hearing. She claims that Kendra drove past her as Carla was making her way here. Now what would Kendra be doing down these parts?

  Yes, what would Kendra be doing there? I’ll have Keenan bring her to me.

  “Was that Levi? Is Carla being a pain in the ass for him?” Harper asked with a small smile.

  Knox looked at her. “Yes, it was Levi.”

  His tone was…off. “Something wrong?” His hesitation made her tense. “Don’t lie.”

  “Carla told Levi that she past Kendra on her way to your apartment.” Keenan, find Kendra and bring her to the boathouse. The building was on the same grounds as his mansion.

  Will do, Keenan replied.

  Harper frowned thoughtfully. “Odd that Kendra would be in North Las Vegas. She considers the place and everyone in it to be very much beneath her. But if you’re thinking she had something to do with those snakes, I really doubt it.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that have been going on, and about just how each of the suspects operate. Kendra has a serious issue with me – there’s no denying that. And she seems to think we’re competing in life somehow. But that’s exactly why I think that if she did something, she’d want me to know for a fact that it was her. She’d want me to know how smart she is, that she won. I don’t think she’d hide behind compulsions and dark practitioners.”

  “She’d have to if she wanted to live,” Knox pointed out. “She knows that killing you is a death sentence simply because you’re my anchor.” He wondered how Kendra would take hearing that Harper was now also his mate.

  “Maybe. But I wouldn’t put it past Carla to lie about seeing Kendra just to shift the suspicion onto someone else. Don’t overlook that possibility.”

  “I won’t,” he assured her. Still, Carla was the least likely suspect to him. Harper was undeniably a threat to Carla’s world, and there was a possibility that the people so curious about Harper would uncover Carla’s connection to her. But there were easier ways for the woman to deal with this than to get rid of Harper. She could instead do damage control and make peace with Harper so that if the truth came out, Carla could act the regretful mother who did love her child. It did appear that, by approaching Harper, it was in fact her plan.

  Isla and Kendra had more reason to want Harper dead. Both resented her because both believed she had something that should have been theirs – in Isla’s case, her anchor; in Kendra’s case, her father. Isla was cold and cunning, and she would think nothing of ridding the world of Harper. Kendra was angry, jealous, spiteful, and bitter; that was a bad combination that could drive someone to do cruel things, including kill her half-sister for having everything she didn’t.

  One thing was for certain: Whoever was targeting his mate would soon know a pain like no other.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Harper was surprised when Tanner pulled up at the mansion, since she’d expected them to go straight back to the Underground. As usual, Dan gave Harper a big smile as he opened the front door. “Good to see you again, Miss Wallis.”

  “Thanks.” She still wasn’t all that great at dealing with the courteousness. “One question,” she said to Knox as he guided her through the mansion. “Why did we come here instead of going back to the hotel?” Dario would be giving his speech later.

  Knox led her into his bathroom, and she gasped. “I asked Meg to get a bath ready for you.” Meg had clearly taken it upon herself to add jasmine-scented candles and a glass of red wine.

  “Not that I’m not eager to hop into that thing but…Why?”

  Pulling her flush against him, he pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth. “You’re upset.” She didn’t show it, but he knew well that she was hurting at the idea that her own mother might want her dead. “As I mentioned before, you relax here.” And he wanted to take care of her. But she was so damn self-sufficient, so used to having only herself to depend on, that she always turned a little awkward when he tried to take care of her. She didn’t quite know how to handle it. He watched an array of emotions cross her face as she held back the awkwardness, rolling back her shoulders to push away her tension.

  “Thank you,” she finally said.

  He smiled in amusement. “Hard, wasn’t it?”

  She gave him a mock scowl that turned into a grimace. “Shit, I d
idn’t bring any clothes with me.”

  “You have clothes here.”

  “You mean all the expensive designer stuff you bought that I told you to take back?”

  “They’re just clothes, Harper.” Before she could rant, he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. “Hear me now, because this is important. I know you feel uncomfortable about this and I understand why, but I am going to buy you things. I am going to spoil you. I am going to take care of you when you need me to. Because I want to. Because you deserve it. Because that’s what mates do. Rejecting the things I do or give you is much like pushing me away.”

  “You know that’s not what I’m trying to do.”

  “I do know that, which is why I’m not mad. You wouldn’t like it if anything I did made you feel that I was holding you at a distance.”

  “You do hold me at a distance. You’re very tight-lipped about your past and what you are. I get it,” she quickly assured him. “I really do. It’s nothing personal to me, it’s just that you’re so used to keeping secrets it’s uncomfortable for you to share, and it’s not like your secrets are small. But you can’t call someone your mate and keep important things from them. I’m not saying you have to spill your guts here and now. I wouldn’t ask that of you. But if we’re really going to build something, you’re gonna have to do a little sharing.”

  It sounded so simple, yet Knox knew it would be far from it. His past was as dark as the truth of what he was. She was strong enough to handle both, but he didn’t want her to have to – and he didn’t want to run the risk that she’d leave. Still, she was right; there had to be honesty between them. “I’ll try sharing if you try accepting things from me.”

  “Compromise,” she drawled. “All right, I’ll try.”

  “Good girl.”

  Knox, began Keenan, we’re here.

  I’ll meet you in the boathouse.

  “Levi again?” she asked, sensing a telepathic exchange. “Has the incantor arrived to undo the spell?”

  “No, it was Keenan.” With one last kiss, Knox released her. “Enjoy your bath, I’ll be back soon.”

  “Remember that little conversation we just had about secrets and compromises?”

  His demon chuckled, oddly delighted by her astuteness as opposed to irritated by the fact that they’d never get anything past her. Knox sighed. “I asked him to bring Kendra here. They’re in the boathouse.”

  “You’re going to question her.”

  “Of course.”

  “But you don’t want me to be there.”

  “Once Jolene pointed out that Kendra was probably your half-sister, did you feel bad that you’d caused her soul-deep pain?” He already knew the answer. Harper had a tough exterior, but she was soft on the inside.

  “A little,” she admitted. “We’re not emotionally sisters, we don’t have a bond. But…”

  “I might have to hurt her, Harper. I don’t want you to see that.”

  Harper ran a hand through her hair. “I really don’t think she’s behind all this.”

  “You might be right.” But he wasn’t willing to risk it.

  “Okay, I’ll stay.” She was too damn tired emotionally to deal with Kendra in the same day she’d dealt with Carla and yet more dark magick bullshit.

  Knox kissed her. “I won’t be long.”

  Strolling into the boathouse, he found Keenan leaning against the wall as he stared at the she-demon squirming in a chair. She haughtily lifted her chin as Knox moved to stand in front of her. Despite her efforts to appear cool and collected, her nervousness was easy to sense. But…was she nervous because she was the culprit they were looking for? Or was she nervous because being brought in front of her Prime was never a good thing?

  “What’s this about?” she finally asked.

  “I’d start with the question, ‘Where were you tonight?’ But I already know the answer to that. And I find it confusing.”

  The squirming stopped, but she didn’t speak.

  “You knew people were watching you, didn’t you, Kendra? You slipped away so they wouldn’t know where you were going. Why would you do that? More to the point, what reason could you have for being in North Las Vegas?”

  “There’s no law against going there.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.” He took a single step forward, letting his rage show in his expression. She blanched. “My patience has been tested too many times tonight, Kendra.” The words came out a dark rumble. “You don’t want to push me. Or did you enjoy your last punishment so much that you want a repeat?”

  Fear glimmered in her eyes; she was no doubt recalling being forced to swallow a ball of hellfire for confronting Harper in the restrooms – it had burned her mouth, throat, windpipe, lungs, stomach, and intestines before fizzling away. Merciless, sure, but he’d been through worse at five years old.

  “I was meeting someone at a bar there,” she admitted.

  “Why?”

  “It’s personal.” She jolted when he conjured an orb of hellfire. “They know the location of a demon I’m trying to find,” she said in a rush.

  “By any chance, would Lucian Wallis be the person you’re trying to locate?”

  Her face went slack. “You know…?”

  “That he’s your biological father? Yes. That you hate him for having no part in your life? Yes. That you hate Harper for having what you didn’t? Yes.” Casually, Knox repeatedly bounced the orb of hellfire in his hand. “Do you hate her so much that you want her dead? That you would use dark practitioners to help achieve that little dream?”

  She gasped in sheer horror. “What? No! I won’t lie and say I have any pleasant feelings for Harper Wallis. I don’t. Never will. And since I value my life, I wouldn’t risk it for someone who means nothing to me – attempting to kill your anchor would indeed put my life at risk. And I find the idea that you believe I would ever associate with dark practitioners very offensive.” The woman was haughty through and through.

  “You do? I find the fact that someone tried to kill Harper very offensive.”

  “You should have thought of that before you declared she was your anchor. In doing that, you put a target on her back. It’s true that it keeps her safe from the majority of the demon population. But you have many enemies. They see her as a way to get to you. Most of them will never act on that out of their fear of you. But some will be too stupid or simply too hungry for vengeance to care.”

  He knew that. It was why he’d assigned Harper a bodyguard. In a world so brutal, she was still far safer being known as his anchor than as a she-demon of a small lair.

  “If she’s in danger, it’s because of you.”

  “Or maybe it’s because of you, Kendra.” Knox crushed the orb of hellfire in his hand. “Maybe it’s because you despise her for having everything you wanted.”

  Kendra laughed. “You think I’m jealous that she had Lucian Wallis for a father?”

  “You speak of him with such contempt,” observed Keenan. “Yet, you’re trying to find him. Why?”

  “I want to confront him. I want to tell him what a bastard he is for leaving my mother so broken that she turned to alcohol for a comfort that it was never going to give her.”

  “One way to strike out at him would be through the daughter he acknowledges – the only person he has any real regard for,” Keenan pointed out.

  “I don’t want him to hurt because she’s hurt. I want him to hurt because the truth hurts. He needs to hear the truth of what he did to my mother.”

  “Maybe that’s true,” said Knox. “But not for one second do I believe that you don’t hate my Harper with a passion.”

  “Your Harper?” Her upper lip curled as bitterness wafted from her. “So you are fucking her. I wonder how long it will be before your demon tires of this one. I suppose it won’t be long, since she’s an imp and a W—”

  With a snarl, his demon shot to the surface. “I thought you value your life,” it said.

  She shrank in her seat,
eyes wide. “I – I do.”

  The demon had no pity. “Never insult what belongs to me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

  Knox resurfaced, but she didn’t calm – most likely due to the fury thickening the air and making the floor tremble. “Hear me when I say that if I discover you had anything to do with the attacks on Harper, I will destroy you, Kendra. Not fast. But slowly. Very, very slowly. The pain will be far worse than you can ever imagine. So agonizing that you’ll beg for death. But I wouldn’t give it to you. No, because that would be merciful. And we both know I’m a cruel, ruthless bastard. You might be a nightmare by breed, Kendra, but I’m everybody’s fucking nightmare.”

  She licked her lips. “It wasn’t me, I swear it wasn’t me.”

  “Then you’ll get to live the life you claim to value. If not, you die.”

  Who would ever need so many clothes?

  Wrapped in the softest towel ever, Harper puffed out a long breath as she browsed through the things in the huge closet, forcing herself not to check the price tags. The clothes ranged from casual stuff to evening dresses. The lingerie in the drawers were all pretty raunchy, as were the sheer, scraps of lace she was assuming were nightgowns.

  Hearing footsteps, she turned to see Knox striding into the room. “Well?”

  He fingered her wet locks. “Kendra claims it wasn’t her. Unsurprisingly. She says she met with someone who could give her Lucian’s current location. Apparently, she wishes to confront him.”

  That didn’t sound good. “Do you think she means to hurt him?”

  “Physically? I don’t believe so.”

  “She’ll get a shock if she does. He’s got abilities that freak even me out. And I have eyes that frequently change color – there aren’t much stuff weirder than that.”

  Knox looked into eyes that were presently mercury. “Do you get that from Lucian?”

  “Nope. I don’t know if it’s a trait that’s in the genes somewhere or just a real freaky defect.”

  Knox nipped at her bottom lip. “They’re not freaky or a defect. They’re unique, just like you.” He smiled at her mumbled ‘Whatever.’ “Feeling better?”