Harper woke to the smells of coffee, bagel, and cream cheese. She didn’t move or open her eyes, but Knox must have sensed that she was awake because the tapping on his laptop keyboard stopped. Fingers then brushed her hair aside and he pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Morning, baby.”
“Morning,” she mumbled into the plump pillow. “What time is it?”
“Seven. You had a good, long sleep. It was a relief. You haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Taking stock of herself, she realized that her wings had melted into her back, which meant they were healed. She also realized that someone – most likely Knox – had slipped a T-shirt on her while she slept.
Opening her eyes, she found him propped up against his pillows on his side of the massive bed, laptop resting on the legs that were stretched out in front of him. “What did the hunter have to say?”
“I’ll tell you all about it while you eat. Sit up.”
But she was just so comfortable. The deluxe mattress and super-soft bedding made her feel like she was wrapped in a cloud. The hedonistic luxury wasn’t confined to the bed. The whole room was lavish with the high-quality furnishings, rare imported flooring, a huge-ass closet, and the balcony, which was more like a patio with a small pool. Knox did like his comforts.
His finger traced the shell of her ear. “Up.”
“Do I really have to?” she whined.
His lips twitched. “Yes, or your breakfast will go cold.” He closed his laptop and set it on the nightstand. “Then Meg will lecture you again for not eating well.”
It was understandable, Knox thought, that her sleep cycle and appetite was off. Almost dying at the hands of dark practitioners and then again at the hands of a near-rogue demon would shake up anyone. To be responsible for your half-brother’s death, even if he did completely deserve to die, would tug on the strings of a heart that felt as deeply as Harper’s did. “Come on, baby, sit up.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, struggling into an upright position. He kissed her. Softly. Gently. Carefully. Harper shot him a scowl. “I’m not a spun-glass princess.”
He smiled. “No, you’re definitely not that.” He placed a tray of food over her lap. “Eat.”
Just to annoy him, she sipped at her coffee first. Her demon grinned when his eyes narrowed. It didn’t like being treated like it was fragile either. “So, what did the hunter say?”
Knox waited until she bit into her bagel before he spoke. “They were sent an anonymous, encrypted email with a substantial offer if they could get their hands on your wings.”
“So we can’t trace the email?”
“No. It self-deleted a short time after it was opened.”
“Clever.” And terribly inconvenient, she thought with a frown. “How were they supposed to contact this person once they had my wings?”
“They weren’t. Their instructions were to leave your wings at a certain destination – a warehouse not far from here – where their cash would be waiting. Once they were gone, someone would come forward to grab the wings. If they didn’t appear on time, no cash.”
“What time exactly were they supposed to turn up at the drop-off point?”
“Eight pm – I hadn’t even begun interrogating him at that time.” Knox twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. “Keenan and Larkin went to the warehouse anyway and looked around, but they found no sign of anyone.”
“Shit.” She bit hard into her bagel. She figured it wasn’t fair to take her anger out on the pastry, but what was done was done.
“They were also given strict instructions not to kill you.”
Harper blinked. “Really?”
“This person wanted your wings, but they didn’t want you dead. They were allegedly very adamant about that in their email.”
“Any thoughts on why this would be important to them?”
Knox shrugged. “It could be simply that they believe I truly can call on the flames of hell and they didn’t want me to unleash those flames out of grief. After all, what use are your wings to them if the world itself no longer exists?”
Harper would like to say that, no, he wouldn’t go as far as to destroy the world if she died. But a demon who lost its mate was a dangerous creature, and if that particular demon was powerful enough to very effortlessly annihilate the world, why wouldn’t it?
A rogue archdemon had almost done it once before, which was why Lucifer – or Lou, as he liked to be called – agreed to keep the breed in hell. But since he hadn’t agreed to round up any archdemons who might still be roaming the planet, he’d left Knox exactly where he was – no doubt pleased about the loophole. The guy was whacked.
Lou was also rather insistent that Knox get Harper pregnant fast. Ever since a rogue demon had claimed to have had a vision that they’d produce a child that would destroy demonkind, Lou had badgered Knox to impregnate her. He also wanted them to call the baby Lucifer. So not gonna happen.
“Keenan will be obtaining the names of the main wing collectors, since they’re the likeliest suspects at this point,” said Knox. “I’ll pay each of them a visit if I have to, but I will find out who sent the hunters after you.”
“I’m guessing you don’t want me to come along.”
No, Knox didn’t. He wanted her far away from any who might covet her wings. He chose his words carefully, knowing she didn’t like to feel coddled. “Demons like things that are pretty and shiny. These demons might be innocent of coveting your wings, but if I put you in their sights, their interest could then turn to you.”
Harper really couldn’t deny that, which kind of annoyed her.
“On another note, Larkin and Keenan have removed the corpse from your office and cleaned up the blood.”
“Tell them I said thank you.” She hadn’t been looking forward to facing the mess.
“They felt helpless seeing you hurt, so they were actually happy that there was something they could do for you. They’re enraged by what happened. You should know that Tanner is shouldering some of the responsibility.”
She groaned. “He has no reason to. Yes, he’s my bodyguard, but we gave him the night off, since I was getting a ride with you and Levi. He can’t possibly blame himself for not being there when there was absolutely no reason why he should have been.”
“Well, he is. And nothing I’ve said has made him feel differently.”
“I’ll talk with him about it later.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Now, why don’t you tell me what it was that made you cut our telepathic conversation short yesterday.”
“Or maybe we could watch T.V. for a while.” Grabbing the remote, he switched it on.
“Knox.”
He sighed. “For the first time in months, you’re eating properly. I don’t want that to stop.”
“I’ll keep eating, I swear.” To prove it, she took another bite of her bagel. “Come on, tell me.”
He took in a long breath. “Carla, Bray, and Kellen are leaving the lair.”
“I see,” said Harper, her tone even. Given Carla was her mother, that should have hit her where it hurt, right? It didn’t. They’d never had a relationship. When Harper’s father, Lucian, rejected Carla as both his mate and his anchor, something inside the woman had just broken. Her attempt to abort Harper had failed, as had her request for an incantor – a demon capable of using magick – to trap Harper’s soul in a bottle. Jolene had paid Carla to give birth to Harper, at which point the imps had taken her in.
Such cruelty was a perfect example of just how unstable a demon could become if they lost their mate. Still, Carla’s pain was no excuse. If the things Roan told Harper right before he tried to kill her were true, Carla was still somewhat twisted. One thing that Harper knew for sure was that Carla – being self-centered, petty, and hurtful – would never play a positive part in her life, so what was the point of her being in it?
“I can’t say it’s unexpected.” In fact, Harper was surprised they’d remained there this long. “I mean, who’d want to answer to the person who killed their son?”
“You’re also a person who was almost killed by their son,” replied Knox. “Roan conspired against all the US Primes, not just you.”
“But Carla and Bray don’t want to believe that.”
“No, they don’t. They’re leaving Vegas altogether.” Knox was glad of that, but he kept his satisfaction out of his voice. “They’ve bought a house in Washington.”
“I guess it makes sense that they’d want to be far away from me.”
“I take it that Kellen still hasn’t returned any of your calls,” he said, referring to her other half-brother.
“Not a one.” The teen had initially reached out to Harper, hoping to have a relationship with her, but he had a habit of shutting her out whenever things became strained between her and his immediate family. “I’ve kind of… um… given up.”
“Because you’re not a sucker for punishment.” Knox didn’t add that there wasn’t a chance he’d let Kellen try to squeeze his way back into Harper’s life. He’d warned the kid once before that him pulling away from Harper again wouldn’t be tolerated; he wasn’t fucking kidding. He wouldn’t allow anyone to play with her feelings that way.
Knox curled a hand around her chin and turned her face to his. “Don’t let them hurt you, baby.” He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. “You can’t change that they resent you for Roan’s death, but you can change that you’re letting them make you feel bad about it.”
“It’s not that I feel bad about it,” said Harper. She’d never liked Roan, and she’d never once thought there was a chance that they could have any kind of sibling relationship, but she also hadn’t thought she’d ever have to kill him. Technically, it was her demon who’d done the deed, but the demon was part of her soul, and that meant Harper shared the responsibility.
Her demon hadn’t simply killed him. She’d coldly toyed with him before tossing him into the flames of hell – flames she’d somehow been able to conjure since they had, for lack of a better word, “birthed” her wings.
Forced to simply watch as her demon raged and destroyed, high on that power… Harper would never forget how that felt. The demon had wanted to avenge Harper. It had wanted to make Roan and his co-conspirator feel as helpless as they’d made her feel. What her demon hadn’t realized was that its actions had left her feeling utterly powerless too.
She wasn’t upset with her demon. The entity didn’t think the way she did, didn’t “feel” as she did. There was absolutely no point in expecting it to account for any emotional hurt its actions might have caused.
To the demon, it was all very simple: Roan had intended to kill her, therefore he had to die.
Harper understood that, but it still wasn’t easy to accept that she was partly at fault for her half-brother’s death because, dammit, she wasn’t made of stone. So, yeah, maybe she hadn’t slept so well for a while and maybe her appetite had suffered. But that was partly because… “I don’t feel guilty about his death. I feel guilty that I don’t actually regret what me and my demon did that night. It was him or me – I value my life more than I did his. Still, he was my half-brother.” She should feel bad about it.
“Only in a biological sense. He was never once a brother to you, Harper. He never had a kind word to say about you, he repeatedly did things to hurt you, and then he fucking tried to kill you. The imps are your family. He was never a part of it.”
Her demon fully agreed. Harper sighed. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right, baby. You’re just taking a while to realize that.”
She chuckled. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Now finish your breakfast.” He turned up the volume on the T.V., hoping it might distract her from her thoughts. He was about to grab his laptop and finish answering his emails, but the news reporter’s words snatched his attention.
“… when police arrested her this morning after the fire, she told them she’d put her son in the oven because he was a changeling. She allegedly believes that her own child was taken by fairies who left her their child in exchange. Neighbors described Lipton as pleasant and helpful, but they also claimed she was very cold towards her son. Thankfully, the boy was able to escape the house and was relatively unharmed.”
Harper scowled. “She tried burning her son in the oven? That’s sick.”
“Parents claiming their children were changelings was once a common thing,” Knox told her. “Mostly, it was a claim made by people whose children had disorders or developmental disabilities. It was said that in order to identify a changeling and undo the switch, you had to do things such as hit, whip, or burn the child in the oven. Some parents used it as an excuse for murdering their own child.”
Harper gaped. “And they got away with it?”
“Shockingly, yes.” He grabbed his cell from the nightstand and dialed a familiar number. When the demon answered after the second ring, Knox asked, “I saw the news. Anything I need to know?” He wasn’t entirely surprised by the response. “All right. I’ll be at your home in an hour.” Ending the call, he said to Harper, “That was Wyatt Sanders.”
“The detective?”
“Yes.” Wyatt was also one of the demons in their lair. “It would seem that the little boy is a demon.”
Her mouth fell open again. “You mean to tell me that there’s truly such a thing as changelings?”
“There was once upon a time,” he said, rising from the bed. “They were the days before DNA tests could be done.”
Putting the tray aside, she followed him into the walk-in closet. “Seriously?”
Selecting a fresh suit, Knox began to unbutton his shirt. “It didn’t happen very often. When it did, it mostly happened with cambions. As they’re half-human, their inner demons can sometimes lie dormant, making them more or less human. It was considered a kindness to let them be raised in the human world, where they would be fairly normal, than in the brutal world of demons, where they would be considered weak.”
Her response faded into the back of her mind as she watched his muscles fluidly bunching and rippling beneath all that sleek skin. No one had the right to look that good. Seriously. There was no fat whatsoever on that body. He was power and strength and exuded an alpha energy that gave her goosebumps. She just wanted to trace those abs with her tongue —
A low growl rumbled out of him. “You can’t look at me like that, baby. If I thought you could deal with just how hard I need to fuck you, I’d be in you right now.” Knox couldn’t give her soft and slow right then. Not when her fear-filled scream still haunted his mind and a fierce need still beat at him. “But later, when you’ve had time to properly recuperate, I’ll have you.”
“Fascinating,” she said dryly, irritated that he spoke like she was some delicate flower that needed careful handling. If she didn’t know he was still a little shaken after what happened, she’d give him a bucket load of shit for it. Today, she’d cut him some slack.
Taking a seat on the leather sofa in the center of the closet, she said, “Back to the changeling thing… I can understand why it might be considered a kindness for weak cambions, but it wasn’t a kindness to the human children.”
Knox slipped on a fresh shirt and began to button it. “Demons were only permitted to exchange the child for one who was so ill that there was no way they’d live.”
Well, that wasn’t so bad. “You said it isn’t done anymore, but Wyatt claims that the kid is one of us.”
“Yes. And I have every intention of finding out who dared to leave a changeling without my knowledge or permission.”
She pushed to her feet. “I want to come with you.”
He sighed. “Harper —”
“Nu-uh. I’m fully healed, I’ve had a decent sleep, and there’s too much going on in my head for me to relax. Also, this is no small situation.” Slyly, she asked, “Wouldn’t you rather have me with you, where you can see for yourself that I’m fine?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You play dirty.”
“Thanks.”
“I’d still rather you stayed here, within these four walls, where you’re safest.”
She frowned. “Whatever made you think I’d be staying inside these walls all day?”
He tensed. “You intend to go to work?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Maybe because you were attacked there yesterday.”
“If you think I’ll let anything or anyone taint my studio, you’re out of your mind. I will not be scared in my place of work.” It was her baby; she loved it. “It’s sweet – and undeniably irritating – that you want to wrap me up in cotton wool, but it will never happen. It’s not like it was the first time I was ever attacked. And if this is you trying to distract me from what we were talking about, it won’t work, Thorne.”
He ground his teeth. “I just want you safe.”
“I know that.” Moving to him, she deftly fastened his tie and smiled sweetly. “But, really, what safer place is there for me to be than at your side?”
His little sphinx always knew what buttons to push to get what she wanted, Knox thought with an exasperated sigh. His demon wanted to take her with it; wanted her where it could keep an eye on her. If the entity had its way, she would never leave its side.
The demon became very easily bored and had little patience for people. Harper was really the only thing that gave it a sense of contentment. It was totally charmed by her, found her company… fulfilling. She never failed to amuse and entertain it. When she was around, the demon was more passive and well-behaved.
Knox traced the tattoo-like collar of thorns on her neck with the tip of his finger. It was one of three brands of possession that his demon had left on her skin. He had to agree with Harper that, yes, putting a brand on her throat where it was so highly visible was the equivalent of an “All Rights Reserved” sign, but his demon wanted it to be clear that she was taken. Any demon who saw the brands on her flesh would know what they were; would understand that she was his and his alone.
Just as possessive, her demon had left two brands on him – one on his nape, and one across the back of his shoulders, making each seem more like an extension of the other. Both were tribal and masculine with thick, pointed curves and solid, black lines. Knox wouldn’t lie; it was a total turn-on for both him and his demon that they’d been branded by hers.
“Come on, Knox, you know nobody can keep me safe better than you can.”
She was right on that. “You’re very good at getting your way.”
Harper grinned. “I learned from the best.” Her mate was damn good at making things go his way. He could certainly talk her in circles at times. She’d had to learn fast how to keep up or he’d walk all over her – it was simply in his nature to forge ahead when he wanted something.
“I’ll help you get dressed.”
“I don’t need —”
“Just let me take care of you.”
Sensing that he needed that, she relented. “Okay.”
Harper’s demon rather liked how carefully and reverently he touched her as he stripped her naked and then dressed her in the blue jeans and black, long-sleeved shirt she chose. He even insisted on brushing her hair – something he did often, as if it soothed him somehow.
When they were both finally ready to leave, he took her hand and guided her down the curved staircase, along the wide hallway, and over to the marble foyer. There, he helped her slip into her jacket before guiding her outside and down the wide steps with a hand on her lower back.
Levi opened the rear door of the Bentley – one of several luxurious cars that Knox kept stored in the garage. Once Harper and Knox slid inside, Levi drove along the long, curved drive; passing the extensive, beautifully landscaped lawn and the security gatehouse.
The estate was bordered by high, brick walls that would have been plain had it not been for the ivy that trailed along them. At first, Harper had felt a little intimidated by the size of the estate. It was a far cry from the many homes she’d grown up in with her nomadic father. But now… well, now it felt like home.
The mansion was an expansive, lavish, beautiful piece of modern architecture, but it wasn’t excessively extravagant. Wasn’t showy or ostentatious. Instead, it possessed a warm elegance and the same undeniable charm as its owner.
It also had blue-tinted, bulletproof windows that Harper found totally awesome.
As the black, heavy, metal gates swung open, Knox spoke. “How do you feel about going somewhere for a few days? Maybe spend some time on the yacht?”
Considering she was used to his overprotective ways, Harper figured she really should have seen this coming. Crossing one leg over the other, she gave him a sideways glance. “Really, Knox, I’m not traumatized by what happened. I don’t need to get away from Vegas.”
Knox stroked her thigh. “No one would blame you if you did. It hasn’t exactly been a relaxing place for you over the past year. Plenty of people would want a break from it in your position.”
“I’m not plenty of people. Knox, seriously, I really am fine.”
Knox could sense that she truly believed that, but he wasn’t convinced – not given that her body was screaming, “stressed!” He knew she was far from fragile, but it was difficult to remember that when she looked so drained and weary. “I need you to promise that if you do feel overwhelmed —” he gently tapped her temple “— you’ll call me.”
“I promise.”
“And I need you to also promise me that you’ll be alert. There is a possibility that more hunters will be sent. I doubt it, because, although hunters are greedy, they aren’t stupid enough to pursue something that got two others killed. Still, there might be some who’ll do it for the right price. Everyone has a price.”
“I’ll be alert,” she vowed.
“Good girl.” He kissed her softly, barely resisting the urge to take her mouth hard and feast on her. He held himself in check, but it was a struggle. “I don’t know who found out that you can fly. The sentinels know, your family knows – it’s possible that someone overheard one of them talk of it. If so, I suspect that someone may have passed on this information to another person who would want it. Either that or they themselves covet your wings. They may also know just how unique your wings are.”
“If they do know, they didn’t tell the hunters. They were sincerely surprised when they saw the colors of my wings.”
“In any case, they obviously have no idea that you can conjure the flames of hell or I doubt they would have risked trying to obtain your wings.” The flames of hell could destroy anything aside from archdemons – nothing else was impervious to the flames, which was why Knox took great care in ensuring the demon world didn’t discover that he truly could call on them.
As a disturbing thought occurred to Harper, she sat up straighter. “Or maybe that’s why they did it. If someone was in possession of wings that were sort of… birthed from the flames of hell… they’d have a lot of fucking power if there was some way they were able to tap into it. The kind of power only you could fight.”
Knox twisted his mouth, pondering it. “True, but I don’t believe they could tap into it. Not unless they have some way of fusing your wings to them – and I’m quite sure that’s impossible.”
“It doesn’t mean there isn’t someone who’s willing to try it. It’s just something we should consider.”
“And we will,” he assured her. “While we’re busy finding who’s behind the attack, we’ll have to put aside our investigations into the remaining Horsemen.”
“Which could be exactly what someone wants,” she pointed out. “The Horsemen could have hired the hunters to either piss you off or distract you – maybe even both.”
That was something he had already considered. “Yes, but I need to be sure. Any immediate threat to you needs to be eliminated.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’d feel a lot better if you’d agree to learn how to call on the flames. Then you could have called on them yesterday.”
“I caused a lot of destruction last time.” Enough to scare her into never wanting to do it ever again.
“That was mostly your demon.”
“Yeah, I remember it got high on the power. It would love another try at it.” Just the thought had it fairly rubbing its hands with glee.
“But if you don’t learn how to call and direct the flames, you could call them by accident – I don’t think you want that.”
She sighed, knowing and resenting that he was right. “Fine, I’ll learn.”
“Right decision.” He kissed her palm. “Are you sure you won’t take at least one day off work?”
“Not happening, Thorne. You know me well enough to know that I can’t sit around the house doing nothing – I’ll go crazy.”
Yes, Knox did know that. He even understood it, but he’d still rather have her at home. Still, Knox knew better than to browbeat her on anything – she’d object just to be contrary. Her obstinateness was typical of both imps and sphinxes. She had many sphinx qualities, despite being more of an imp by nature. Her breed was much like a bird and a lion rolled into one. In addition to being graceful and difficult to pin down, Harper was fierce and strong.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll trust you to call me if the day catches up with you.” He’d also tell Tanner to keep a close watch on her and ensure that she ate well through the day to build up her strength.
A short time later, Levi parked the Bentley outside a small, detached house. As he opened the rear door, he said, “I think it’s best if I wait in the car.” He tipped his chin toward the group of teens who were staring at the Bentley with covetous eyes.
“We won’t be long,” said Knox. He took Harper’s hand and led her up the narrow, cobbled path. She pressed the doorbell and stood back.
Within moments, Wyatt opened the door. He nodded in deference. “Mr. Thorne, Ms. Wallis.” He stepped aside, inviting them to enter.
A redhead stood behind him, gray eyes bright, smile strained. Her face was narrow and pale, rather unlike her mate’s – he had an almost square face that was as tanned as the rest of him. It was easy enough to sense that Wyatt was a cop, Harper thought. It was in his stance, his expression, and the authoritative air about him.
“We haven’t met before,” she told Harper. “I’m Linda. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face, Miss Wallis.”
Harper gave her a quick smile. “It’s good to meet both of you. Call me Harper – the Miss Wallis stuff makes me feel awkward.”
Rather than leading them further into the house, Wyatt lowered his voice as he spoke. “The clean-up crew you sent to the hospital to destroy the boy’s hospital record and blood samples were almost done when I left.”
Knox nodded his approval. “How is he?”
Wyatt jiggled his head from side to side, but his tousled peanut-brown hair didn’t move, thanks to whatever gel he was using. “He seems all right, which I didn’t expect. His mother didn’t just try to burn him in the oven, she tried to burn the house down – as if to be sure he died. McCauley told the police that he managed to get out of the oven before she switched it on and then he scrambled out of the house. Since he has no burns, they believe him.” Demons were impervious to normal fire, so the oven would have done him absolutely no harm. “Danielle Riley” – another demon from their lair – “was his appointed social worker; she’s going to log in her file that he was placed with relatives and make it all look official.”
“Who do you think his biological parents are?” Linda asked Knox, folding her arms.
“I’m not sure yet,” replied Knox. “But I’ll find them.”
“He’s welcome to stay here until then,” Linda offered, sounding overly casual. “I mean, if that’s okay with you?”
“If you’d like to take care of him temporarily, that’s fine,” said Knox. Linda’s relief was clear to see on her face. Wyatt didn’t look so delighted, Knox noticed. “Where is he?”
“The living room,” said Linda.
“Lead us to him.”
With a nod, Wyatt headed down the thin hallway and into a homey room with apricot walls, a lush beige carpet, and a cream leather sofa. In front of the large T.V. sat a little dark-haired boy, eyes locked on the cartoon that was playing.
“McCauley,” said Wyatt, “these are the friends I was telling you about.”
The boy turned to look at them, his face surprisingly blank. Being part of a large family, Harper was used to being around kids. Used to their nervous energy, their tendency to hop from one thing to another, and their boundless curiosity. But this boy’s big brown eyes held no curiosity. No interest, no wariness, no happiness, nothing. And something about that raised her hackles.
Given what Knox had told her about changelings, Harper had expected him to be so low down on the power spectrum that he could pass for human. No demon would ever mistake this boy for human – he was by no means weak.
Knox spoke first. “Hello, McCauley. I’m Knox. This is Harper.”
The boy’s eyes bled to black as his demon surfaced, making its presence known and sizing them up. It retreated after only a few moments.
Knox tilted his head. “It fears me, doesn’t it? The entity inside you. The one that drives you. I have my own, just as Harper, Wyatt, and Linda do.”
McCauley didn’t react.
Harper caught sight of the drawing on the coffee table. It was a standard family drawing, really – two adults, one boy, one girl, and a dog that looked like a golden retriever. But his pen control and attention to detail were impressive. “You’re good. Is that you?”
He nodded.
She pointed to the little girl. “Who’s that?”
He shrugged.
“Your mother has been arrested,” Knox told him.
“Teri wasn’t my mother.” It was said with no emotion whatsoever. It didn’t even seem like he was suppressing emotion. He genuinely didn’t seem affected by the matter, one way or the other.
“No, she wasn’t,” Knox agreed. “Do you know who is?”
The little cambion shook his head. He didn’t look particularly bothered by that either.
“I intend to find the answer to that question. In the meantime, you’ll stay here with Wyatt and Linda. All right?” A nod. “Good.”
“Do you need anything?” Harper asked him.
“No, thank you.” Such a well-mannered phrase, yet there was no real “thanks” there. No gratitude. No anything.
“We’ll see you again soon,” Knox told him.
The kid’s demon rose to the surface again; there was a challenge there this time. Knox’s own demon surfaced and glared down at the boy, intimidating his demon into submission.
When both entities retreated, Knox warned, “Don’t let it borrow trouble, McCauley.” Taking Harper’s hand, Knox led her to the front door. Before opening it, he turned to Wyatt. “You sure you want to keep him here?”
It was Linda who answered. “Positive.”
Knox raised a questioning brow at Wyatt, who gave a simple nod. “All right,” said Knox.
“Was there another child?” Harper asked, remembering the picture he’d drawn.
“The only people who lived in that house were him and the human female who’d raised him,” said Wyatt. “Her husband left and remarried long ago. He has a daughter with his second wife, but he has no contact whatsoever with McCauley.”
Harper thought it likely that McCauley had drawn a picture of himself immersed in that family… or maybe he’d drawn the family he’d wished he had. “Don’t hesitate to call us if you have any problems with him.” The couple smiled, but Wyatt’s smile was weak.
Once they were back in the Bentley, Knox gave Levi a rundown of what had been said.
“I like kids, I really do,” said Harper. “But that kid was creepy. And he’s not low down on the power scale.”
Knox took her hand. “He’s fairly powerful for a cambion.”
“And pretty robotic. There’s nothing, well, child-like about him. No crazy energy, no humming or fidgeting.” There didn’t appear to be any wasted movements with him at all. “He feels… cold.”
Knox toyed with her hair. “Sometimes I think that demons forfeit emotion for power. I’m an example of that.”
Her brows snapped together. “You’re not emotionless.”
“No, but I don’t feel the range of emotions that you do. I’m not capable of many of them.”
“You feel love, right?”
The tiny tremor in her voice made his chest tighten. “Baby, one day you’re going to be utterly secure in the knowledge that you’re a loveable person. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I don’t doubt that you love me.”
Knox knew that was true. Giving her a black diamond had crushed any doubts she might have had, but he suspected that it would take a long time to ease the insecurities that had been born when both parents abandoned her as a baby. Her subconscious didn’t seem ready to heal. “Good. Never doubt it, because it will never change.”
“If you can feel this emotion so strongly, if you believe it isn’t something that will ever fade, then we don’t forfeit emotion for power.”
“That might be a good point, except that I only feel it for you. So maybe it’s just that you’re my miracle.”
She smiled. “I’ve been called a lot of things. Never a miracle. My family would be so disappointed that I’m not living up to my purpose to annoy all those who cross my path.”
Knox’s mouth curved. “Oh, you’re still expertly good at irritating people. I just get a free pass. For the most part, anyway.”
“Very true.” She smiled against his mouth when he kissed her. “Back to what we were talking about before, what do we do about McCauley?”
“I’ll have Keenan find out how many women from our lair were pregnant back then. We’ll find out who she is.”
“Are you sure she’s from this lair?” Demon lairs didn’t claim territories, and their kind sometimes lived in places far from their Prime, so Harper believed it was very possible that the mother belonged to another lair.
“No, but we should look to our own first.”
“And if one of ours did leave a changeling?”
“They’ll pay the price.”