Embers

by Suzanne Wright

  “She could have had someone teleport a replica of the case to her after giving them a description of it,” Levi suggested, but Dion didn’t seem to have heard him. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.

  “It hadn’t even occurred to me to check if she’d taken anything when she left. I’ll have to search the entire museum from top to bottom to see what else she stole.” Finally, Dion looked at Knox. “Do you think she meant to free the incorporeal?”

  “I think she did free it,” Knox told him.

  “No,” said Dion with a sharp shake of his head. “No, it’s not as easy as it may sound to free an incorporeal from a container. It would not have been as simple as merely smashing the display case.”

  “Why not?” asked Knox.

  “For one thing, it would take an extremely strong spell to break the glass—the ritual is quite complicated. Secondly, the incorporeal would have been in no fit state to follow her instructions. It was in captivity for a very long time. The spell that kept the case locked also kept the incorporeal from dying without a host.”

  Planting his feet, Knox folded his arms. “Humor me. Let’s say she managed to free it. What would have happened next?”

  “Well, when first released, the incorporeal would have been extremely weak—so much so that it wouldn’t have been able to survive outside of a human host for more than a few seconds. It also would have been unable to control the host and, as such, would have been forced to simply lie in the background while it ‘fed’ on its host’s energy.”

  Rubbing at his chin, Knox asked, “How long would it have taken the incorporeal to reach such a level of strength that it could maintain a physical form of its own choosing for a short time?”

  Dion was silent for a moment as he considered it. “Providing it was given a strong host to drain on being freed, I’d say it would have taken somewhere between four and six months. But only if the incorporeal was extremely powerful.”

  “I have reason to believe that she did manage to free it.” Knox told him about the demon’s attempt to get near Asher and its attack on Knox. Dion actually paled, and Knox wondered if it was because he worried the incorporeal would kill him in revenge for holding it captive.

  “Alethea couldn’t have freed it without help,” Dion insisted. “She simply wasn’t strong enough.”

  “I don’t believe she had help. I believe she was the help. Someone else—most likely the last of the Horsemen—wanted the incorporeal and recruited her to aid him in obtaining it. Together, they then freed it and nurtured it back to full strength. Then he made a bargain with it.”

  “But he said on the clip before killing her that she was in his way.”

  “Maybe she didn’t like the bargain he made with the incorporeal. Maybe she hadn’t known he was the Horseman until right then. We can’t be sure why he killed her, but we can be certain that the incorporeal is free.”

  Urgency in his manner, Dion slung the duplicate of his display case on the sofa. “If the incorporeal is gunning for you and your family, you need to find a way to have it banished back to hell or destroyed. It won’t stop until it’s done whatever it is that will free it. Only the flames of hell can destroy an incorporeal. And, despite the rumors, I don’t believe that’s an ability you possess. There would be no reason for you to hide it.” He swallowed. “I will do what I can to discover where Alethea spent her time running up to her death.”

  Levi looked at Dion through narrowed eyes. “You fear the incorporeal will come for you, don’t you?” It wasn’t really a question; it was a confident statement. “Well, if I were kept in a museum for centuries, confined to a small case and gawked at by passersby, I’d certainly want vengeance on my captor.”

  “You’ll need to be careful who you let on your island, especially if they’re human,” Knox advised Dion. “You wouldn’t know they were possessed by the incorporeal until it was much too late.”

  Dion swallowed nervously, but he set his jaw in determination. “It will never reach me here. I wish you luck in dealing with it.”

  Yeah, I’ll bet he does, Levi said to Knox. If it’s destroyed, he’s safe.

  You can’t blame him for being so disturbed by the idea of the incorporeal coming for him, said Knox. They’re not forgiving creatures, and I would imagine they would be eager to make their captor pay for a very long time.

  After Armand teleported Knox and the sentinels to Knox’s office within the Underground, the teleporter left the room. Knox sank into his leather chair behind his desk and brought Larkin up to speed on all that Dion had said. “Well, now we know for sure where Alethea got the incorporeal,” Knox added. “By all appearances, it does seem that she stole it right from under Dion’s nose.”

  “For a minute, I did wonder if maybe he gave the incorporeal to her and then fed us a load of shit to cover his ass,” began Levi, “but he could have just denied ever owning an incorporeal—we would never have been able to prove that he had. He could have also denied that Alethea had spent a lot of time with him before her disappearance—again, we wouldn’t have been able to prove it was a lie on our part.”

  Perched on the sofa near the window that overlooked the combat circle beneath them, Larkin spoke, “I agree that it’s unlikely he was in cahoots with Alethea. It seems extreme that he’d have gone to the trouble of having a replica of the display case made purely on the off-chance that our investigation would have led us to him.”

  “We don’t know that it is a replica,” said Knox. “We never saw the original case. Only Jonas knows what it looks like. Dion could have shown us any damn case.”

  Larkin bit her lip. “Shit, I never thought of that. I guess we could ask Jonas to describe the case he saw at Alethea’s home.”

  “He won’t do us any favors,” said Knox. “He won’t even take my calls anymore. Despite that I can’t be sure the case truly was a replica, I’m no longer inclined to consider Dion a suspect. If he were the Horseman and needed Alethea’s help in freeing the incorporeal, it seems highly unlikely that he wouldn’t have given it to her. They could have just worked together in secret on his island.”

  Levi nodded. “Letting her take the case off the island risked someone else, like Jonas, seeing it. Plus, I doubt Dion would have wanted it so far out of his sight and reach.”

  “I don’t think Dion’s the fourth Horseman either, but that’s not to say that he isn’t one of the bastard’s minions,” said Larkin. “Honestly, though, my suspicions lean more toward Jonas. Maybe it’s just because I’ve never liked him and something about him rubs me up the wrong way. And it still bugs me that he wanted an archdemon.”

  “He said he wanted one so that he could use it to kill the incorporeal,” Levi pointed out.

  “But I can’t help wondering if maybe what he really wanted was an archdemon for a minion, so that he had extra power against Knox,” said Larkin. “Jonas did seem to put a lot of effort into looking for Alethea, but that could have been for show. You said he was adamant that she wouldn’t have known she was working with the Horseman, but that’s exactly what you’d expect him to say. You’d be suspicious if her own brother did anything but defend her.”

  Levi tilted his head, allowing that. “True. But if you ask me, Dario is the most obvious suspect, since he had a connection to both Nora and Isla. He campaigned to be Monarch of the US like Isla, but it’s possible that they weren’t really competing for the position. Maybe they both did it in the hope that at least one of them would be elected.”

  Knox twisted his mouth. “Dario does seem to be the most logical suspect. He also had a connection to Alethea. In Malden’s words, Dario’s ‘ancient history’ with Alethea hadn’t ended well, but that’s not to say that she and Dario hadn’t recently rekindled what they once had.” Alethea had never been difficult to seduce, which was partly why his demon hadn’t found her in the least bit interesting.

  “And, if the rumors are right, Dario’s no stranger to rituals,” Levi added. “It’s alleged that he regularly engage
s in voodoo sex rituals with his harem.”

  Larkin’s brow puckered. “Was his concubine part of the harem? The one who died?”

  “Most likely,” replied Knox. Many Primes had harems consisting of several concubines. Personally, he’d never seen the appeal in having a harem.

  “Maybe he replaced her with Alethea. I heard she was pretty adventurous in bed.” Larkin’s gaze turned inward. “I wonder how the concubine died.”

  Levi shrugged. “No idea.”

  Touching Harper’s mind, loving the way it rang with her fire, iron will, innate sensuality, and the soft streak she did her best to hide, Knox said, Hey, baby, how are you and our boy doing?

  We’re fine, she replied. He seems very pleased with himself after peeing in the air while I was changing his diaper. Honestly, it was like a fountain.

  Knox’s mouth twitched, able to imagine the impish grin on his son’s face. I’d say it was the Wallis part of his nature at work. They were mischievous to their core.

  Yeah, probably. How did it go with Dion?

  Alethea got the incorporeal from him. It seems that she stole it and replaced his display case with a replica, which suggests she was either prepared and went there specifically to take the incorporeal or she had someone teleport a replica to her.

  Harper was quiet for a moment. I’m more inclined to think that she already knew he had an incorporeal. The Horseman probably knew and sent her to get it, allowing her to take the risks. She’d have gotten a kick out of the danger. But we can’t be sure, can we? She sighed. At least we know where the incorporeal came from. Are you going to tell the other Primes about it?

  Yes, I’ll hold a teleconference later today to bring them up to speed. I don’t want them wasting resources on trying to find out where she got it from.

  “So,” began Larkin, “you no longer think that Thatcher’s a possible suspect?”

  Knox gave Harper’s mind a soft stroke with his own before breaking the connection and responding to Larkin. “I didn’t say that. They could have chosen to continue their relationship in secret for one reason or another. Whatever way you look at it, Dario is the most likely suspect. But it bothers me that it seems so obvious.”

  “Just because something is obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t the right answer,” said Larkin. “If you’re leaning so much toward Dario, why haven’t you paid him a visit?”

  “I feel as if I’m missing something. Something important.” But damn if Knox could figure out what.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Ew, Asher, don’t eat the sand—” Too late. Harper sighed, shaking her head. Sitting in his sandbox where he’d been digging out half-buried toys, Asher grimaced as he worked to spit out the gritty sand.

  Mouth curved, Keenan declared, “I got it.” Taking a tissue from Harper, he crouched and wiped Asher’s mouth.

  It was no more than twenty minutes ago that she’d stopped Asher from licking stagnant pond water from his fingers. The landscapers had added the shallow pond especially for Asher, keeping it close to the playground—complete with a little bridge, a rock formation, and beautiful plants. Asher loved it. He always had a grand time tossing rocks in the water, ripping apart the high grass, watching frogs plop into the water, and playing with the silky petals of the wildflowers. What he most loved was feeding the geese and ducks.

  The playground was his favorite place on the estate, though. In terms of equipment, there was everything a child could want, some of which he was too young to use yet. Sandbox, swings, seesaw, slide, jungle gym, rock climbing wall, tube maze, monkey bars—you name it, it was there. All were brightly colored, just like the rubber matting on which they were situated.

  It was a little distance from the house, so the playground was pretty quiet. At that moment, all she could hear was the gentle rustling of grass and the slight creak of the swing-chains, thanks to the breeze. A breeze which was a very welcome reprieve from the glare of the sun.

  “What’s with the crows?” asked Tanner, who was lazing on a wooden bench in the shade.

  Tracking his gaze, Harper squinted at the gathering of crows in the high trees. “I don’t know. Dan keeps chasing them off, but they keep coming back. And they bring friends. At first, I worried the incorporeal might be hitching a ride in one of them.”

  “It wouldn’t get on the estate—not even while possessing a bird,” said Keenan. “The psychic shield encompasses every bit of land, every tree, every blade of grass. A demonic presence would rebound right off it.”

  Harper nodded, since Knox had already assured her of the same thing many times. “Dan said there’s no maliciousness in the crows’ minds. He said it’s almost like they’re drawn here.”

  Tanner’s gaze cut to Asher. “If he’s drawing them, he’s not doing it on purpose.”

  “No, he’s not.” She smiled at the way Asher kept trying to grab the sand, frustrated that it kept pouring out of his little fist. “It might not be him. I mean, he doesn’t draw other animals to him. And if he had some kind of affinity for birds, the ducks and geese near the pond would be drawn to him, right?”

  “True. Never thought of that. In that case, you’re right, it might not be him. I don’t know what else it could be, though.”

  No, neither did she. But no matter what way she looked at it, it made no sense that it was Asher. Taking in a deep breath, Harper felt her nose wrinkle. The spongy material beneath their feet might be a good safety measure, but sun-warmed rubber wasn’t a pleasant smell. At the least there were the scents of tree blossoms, pine sap, and flowering plants to make up for it.

  “No!” yelled Asher, glaring at the sand as it once again sifted through his fingers. “Ma!”

  She stifled a smile. “I can’t make it stay in your hand, baby.”

  He patted the sand hard in a huff, grimaced when a cloud of it hit him in the face. Worse, he went to lick some from his little fingers.

  “No, Asher, don’t eat—” Too late. Again. Plucking another tissue out of her pocket, she wiped his mouth. He gripped her hand as he pulled himself to his feet. She smiled. “Big boy, aren’t you?” Holding her hand, he toddled out of the sandbox.

  Keenan crouched and held out his arms. “Come on, little man. Try walking over to me.”

  Keeping his little fingers curled around hers, Asher walked toward him. Harper moved with him, step for step, impressed by his balance and speed. As Keenan urged him to keep going, she ever so gently let go of Asher’s hand, hoping he’d carry on walking. Instead, he stopped dead and then deliberately plopped right on his ass.

  Keenan chuckled. “Let’s go for a wander.” Taking Asher’s hand, he guided him around the play area.

  “His balance is getting better,” Tanner commented. “He’ll be walking on his own in no time.”

  She nodded. “Then I’ll really be in trouble, because he’ll go searching for it.”

  “It’s the Wallis in him,” Tanner said with a grin.

  Yeah, it certainly was. Just then, Jolene’s mind touched hers, bold and strong. Sweetheart, is there anyone around who can watch Asher for you for a little while?

  Harper frowned. What’s wrong?

  Nothing. I just have something to show you. It won’t take long.

  Wondering if Jolene was being deliberately and annoyingly vague just for the fun of it, Harper turned to the incubus. “Keenan, would you be able to watch over Asher for me for a little while? Jolene wants to see me. She said it won’t take long.”

  “Of course,” Keenan replied.

  Tanner fluidly rose from the bench. “I’ll go with you.”

  Reaching out to her grandmother, Harper said, Keenan will stay with Asher. I’m ready when you are.

  Good, Jolene instantly responded. I’ll send Ciaran for you.

  Mere moments later, the male imp appeared in front of them. He grinned at Harper. “Hey.”

  Asher’s head lifted, and he smiled.

  Ciaran saluted him. “Hey, kiddo! I’m just borrowing your mom for a few minut
es.”

  “What’s this about?” Harper asked him.

  He shrugged. “No idea. I’m just following orders.” He teleported her and Tanner to Jolene’s kitchen.

  Sitting at the island, flicking through a magazine, Jolene looked up and smiled. “Harper, thanks for coming so fast.”

  Harper returned her smile and accepted the one-armed hug. “Hey, Grams. What’s going on?”

  Jolene looked the personification of innocence. “As I said, I just have something to show you.”

  Uneasy, Harper narrowed her eyes. “You’re being very mysterious.”

  “Tanner, Ciaran will keep you company while we’re upstairs,” Jolene told him. “We won’t be long.”

  Shrugging at Tanner’s questioning look, Harper followed her grandmother out of the room, up the stairs, and toward Harper’s old bedroom. “Seriously, Grams, what’s this all about?”

  Stopping outside the closed bedroom door, Jolene said, “Drew’s inside. He wants to say his goodbyes.”

  Harper gaped. “What?” Her inner demon hissed, furious. He hadn’t called her since Knox warned him to stop, but he also hadn’t cut his visit to the US early, promising Jolene he’d keep his distance. This was not keeping his distance, and it would piss Knox the fuck off. “Grams, don’t put me in this position.”

  “He’s agreed to leave and have the tattoo removed tonight, but he wishes to speak with you first. He’s very insistent about it. If you want him in Cuba, away from Knox, just give Drew five minutes of your time. He was your friend once. And it would mean a lot to Devon if all this awkwardness could be a thing of the past.”

  The latter comment made Harper’s hackles lower. She’d spoken with Devon just last night, who was mad at Drew for “not using his brain” and just letting the whole thing go. But she also felt sorry for her brother, and she was upset that he was so angry with her for not giving him a heads-up when Knox first began pursuing Harper. She hated that Devon was hurting and there was such friction between the siblings—they’d never really argued before. Harper wanted to see an end to all this shit.