The sting of teeth biting into the back of her shoulder snapped Harper out of sleep. Before she could wince, a hot tongue lapped and swirled over the mark to soothe the hurt. She realized that she was lying on her stomach while Knox was draped over her like a blanket, caging her in.
“Morning,” she purred. Her demon stretched, luxuriating in his attention.
“Morning, baby,” he said against her skin.
The throaty rumble made her stomach clench and her nipples tighten. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Understanding her meaning, Knox smiled. “I’m starving.” But he wouldn’t give her what she wanted just yet. He wanted to play first. Before Harper, he hadn’t “played”. Sex had never been anything but a basic need until she came along. He’d never cared for any of his partners. Never needed or craved them. Never been so focused on ensuring that they loved every minute of it. But it was different with Harper. Everything was different with her.
Harper fisted the bedsheet as his mouth traveled lower down her back and left another suckling bite that seemed to send a dart of pleasure directly to her pussy. His mouth explored her back, leaving little marks everywhere and licking along the sensitive lines of her wings. Wet and restless, she squirmed and tried arching into him. A hand pressed down on her lower back, keeping her flat against the bed.
“Don’t move.” Knox cupped her ass with his free hand. Boldly. Possessively. “I love this ass. Smooth. Pert. Biteable. And mine.” He gave it a firm squeeze.
“Knox —”
“Shh.” Knox plunged a finger inside her pussy. She tried to arch into him again, but he pushed down on her lower back to keep her flat. “I said, don’t move.”
“You’re a damn tease.”
Knox spoke into her ear. “No, I’m just playing with what belongs to me.” No one else had ever belonged to him, and he’d sure as hell never belonged to anyone else. That Harper was all his, that he had rights to her that no one else would ever have – both as his mate and as his anchor – intensified the raw possessiveness he already felt for her.
As Knox sank a second finger inside her, he curved it just right, smiling at her gasp. Fisting her hair, he pulled her face to his and took her mouth. Consumed her. Dominated her. Greedily feasted on her as he fucked her with his fingers. “That’s it. Take it.”
He burned for her. Day. Night. All the fucking time. It took nothing more than for him to shift in his seat and suddenly scent her on his shirt. Just like that, even in the middle of a conference room, he’d be rock hard. Right then, his cock was full and heavy, aching for release. For her. For the only thing is his life he’d ever loved.
Harper gasped as ice-cold psychic fingers parted her folds, leaving her clit exposed to the mattress. The finger already deep in her pussy began to thrust in and out, rocking her against the bed, sending shockwaves of pleasure to her clit. It felt so good, but she needed more. Needed him filling and fucking her. “No more teasing.”
“I’ll give you what you want,” he assured her, pausing to swirl his finger. “Soon.”
Soon? “I like ‘now’.” The words came out kind of breathy with need. “‘Now’ sounds way better.”
Knox drove another finger inside her, loving how hot and wet she was. Loving that her scent had become warmer and sweeter as her need built and built – it always did. What he loved more was that she held nothing back; that she was his with no limits or boundaries or doubts. She didn’t even hold back from his demon – a fact that the entity treasured.
Kneading her scalp, Knox licked at a bite mark he’d left near the dragonfly tattoo on her nape. The mark gave his demon the same wicked masculine satisfaction that it did him. Knox bit down, and her pussy rippled around his fingers. His cock throbbed as if in envy.
Out of her mind with the need to come, Harper bucked hard enough to get to her knees. “Knox, I’m serious, you need to —” His fingers and body heat disappeared, and then his tongue stabbed inside her. “Oh, God.” That talented tongue licked and lapped and swirled. Her thighs quivered, and she wasn’t sure how much longer they could support her weight.
She jerked as a psychic finger plunged inside her while another flicked her clit. Her pussy began to burn and spasm until it was almost unbearable, and Harper could do nothing but ride the wave as her orgasm barreled into her with such force that her head spun. But the pleasure didn’t fade. No. Because then the psychic fingers dissolved, and her pussy went from burning to inferno hot.
Knox blanketed her back again and growled into her ear, “Tell me.”
Cheek to the mattress, Harper licked her lips. “Tell you what?” she asked, just to fuck with him for teasing her.
Knox tsked at her sass. “Baby, you know better than that.” He slid his hand around her throat, covering the brand there. “If you want my cock inside you, you’ll tell me what I want to hear.”
His hand squeezed her neck in warning, but Harper only smiled. Even then, with his body trapping hers and his hand tight around her throat, she felt safe and… cherished. She knew he’d never hurt her. Knew that she was completely safe with both him and his demon. So she gave him those three little words he wanted. His long, thick cock plunged into her – forcing its way past swollen muscles until he was balls-deep in her pussy, exactly where she wanted him to be.
“I love feeling your pussy wrapped around my cock. All snug and warm and slick.” Knox gripped both her shoulders, holding her still, as he pounded in and out of her. His pace was feral, his thrusts were savage. Her hot pussy squeezed and pulsed around his cock, showing him that she wanted it, that she loved it. Maybe even needed it.
Every throaty little moan shot straight to his cock. She was so fucking tight. He needed to be deeper. Needed to be so deep that she’d never forget the feel of him; that his name would be imprinted on her soul.
“Knox…”
It was a warning, but he hadn’t needed it. He knew her body. He could sense that she was about to come. He also knew that she was expecting him to force her to wait. He didn’t. “Come for me. That’s my baby.” His balls tightened as she came with a scream, squeezing and milking his cock. He jammed himself deep and exploded, shooting jet after jet of come inside her.
Feeling hollowed out, he pressed a kiss between her shoulders. “I love you too, baby.”
“Then life is good,” she slurred.
He fully agreed.
The bed beneath her rattled, and Harper’s head snapped up. She blinked, realizing she wasn’t in bed. She was in her office, and she’d fallen asleep at her desk. Damn.
Raini stood opposite her, one brow raised, lips pursed. She gestured at the brown paper bag she’d obviously plonked on the desk, waking her. That was the second time she’d been woken by someone else that day. She much preferred Knox’s method.
Rubbing at the ache in her temples, Harper picked up her take-out cup of frothed milk, disappointed to find the cup cold. “What’s in the bag?”
Raini folded her arms. “Open it.” There was a challenge in her tone and posture, and Harper didn’t like it.
Just to be awkward, Harper said, “Maybe later.”
“Don’t play with me, Wallis. Open it.”
“Or…?”
“Or I’ll tell everyone exactly what’s in that bag. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone else. Don’t force me to.”
Out of morbid curiosity alone, Harper grabbed it with a sigh. Opening it, she froze. “You have to be kidding me.”
“You need to use it, Harper,” Raini insisted.
She shook her head and tossed the bag onto the desk. “Not necessary.”
“Isn’t it? I disagree.”
“Well, I disagree that you have a need to disagree.”
Raini picked up the bag. “Then it won’t do you any harm to use this and prove me wrong, will it? Come on, Wallis, let’s see who’s right.”
Harper sighed. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
Eyes softening, Raini put a hand to her chest. “Do it for my peace of mind, if nothing else. Please.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little ridiculous?”
“Some days. Not today.”
Again, Harper sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it later,” she lied.
“Now you’re just lying.” Raini took Harper’s hand and pulled her out of her seat.
“You’re stronger than you look.”
Raini shoved the bag at her. “Go get it over with.”
The urgency in Raini’s tone sent a chill skittering down Harper’s spine. She cocked her head, watching the succubus closely. “You really do think this is necessary, don’t you?”
Raini gave her a wan smile. “Yeah, I really do.”
Swallowing hard, Harper strode out of the office and went off to “humor” Raini so she could have that peace of mind she seemed to need. But when Harper walked to her station ten minutes later, she wasn’t feeling so nonchalant anymore. Raini took one look at her face and flashed her a small smile that was both anxious and supportive.
Devon’s brow creased. “You okay, Harper? You’re awful pale.”
Harper licked her lips. She wasn’t ready to tell them yet. Besides, Knox should be the first to hear the news. “I just feel a little lightheaded, that’s all.” That wasn’t entirely untrue.
“Huh.” Devon’s expression said she wasn’t buying it.
“Knox called me,” lied Harper, gently tapping her temple – a temple that still ached like a bitch. “He wants to see me. I shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes.”
“Take as long as you need,” said Raini.
With a nod, Harper cleared her throat. Pretty much in a daze, she grabbed her purse, and slipped on her jacket. Ignoring Khloë’s intense scrutiny, she walked out of the studio with Tanner close behind.
Sidling up to her as they walked along the loud, busy strip, he said, “Where are we going?”
“Knox wants to see me.” If the hellhound detected the lie, he didn’t show it. He simply stayed at her side, protective as ever, guarding her from pedestrians.
It didn’t take long to reach the office that was located above the combat circle. Heading behind the dome, she jogged up the flight of stairs and over to the door where Levi stood like a sentry.
Surprise briefly flashed in Levi’s eyes, but he stepped aside and knocked on the door. “Harper’s here to see you.”
“I could have done that myself,” she grumbled at the reaper, but he just smiled.
At Knox’s “Come in!” she turned the metal knob and pushed the door open, feeling a little like she was walking to her doom. Leaving Tanner with Levi, she then closed the door behind her.
Mouth curved, Knox rose from his leather chair, rounded the desk, and crossed to her. “Hey, baby.” He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her long and hard. “This is a surprise.”
Harper almost laughed. If he thought this was a surprise, he was going to find her news one hell of a shock. “How are you?” Yes, she was procrastinating – go judge her.
“Better now that you’re here.” He nipped her lower lip and then laved the mark. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what brings you here in the middle of a work day?”
“Um… well, we kind of need to talk about something.”
“We kind of need to do it?”
“Yeah. See, I just… Well, the thing is… I mean, you need to… God, there’s really no easy way to —”
The office door burst open, and Levi declared, “Knox, we got a problem.”
Knox went rigid. “What sort of problem?”
“Talia’s apartment is on fire. That kind of problem.”
Harper’s mouth fairly dropped open. Well, shit.
In no time at all, Harper found herself standing outside Talia’s apartment building for the second time in the space of a week. Nobody was sitting on the old couch outside this time. Nu-uh. Everybody simply stood across the street, staring at the blackened section of the building and watching as dark smoke drifted into the sky.
A fireman walked over to Harper and Knox, covered in soot and sweat; she recognized him from their lair. He nodded respectfully. “Mr. Thorne, Ms. Wallis.”
Knox inclined his head at him. “What happened here, Blaine?”
“The fire didn’t spread beyond Talia’s apartment. Oddly enough, it was easing off before we even arrived… as if it was under the control of someone.”
“Hellfire,” said Knox quietly.
Blaine nodded. “That would be my guess.”
“I’m hoping you’re going to tell me that Talia’s at work.”
“I wish I could. The neighbors heard her screaming. My guess is that it was her dealer. Apparently he paid her regular visits, threatening her with violence if she didn’t pay what she owed him. I’m guessing this was about money that she simply didn’t have to give.” Blaine shrugged. “I can’t think of any other reason why she would have been screaming apologies at someone.”
“Apologies?” Harper echoed.
“Yes, ma’am. Her closest neighbor claimed that Talia kept screaming that she was sorry over and over.” Hearing someone call his name, Blaine gave Knox and Harper an apologetic look. “Excuse me.”
Just as Blaine walked away, Tanner appeared and said, “I talked to her closest neighbors. They said they heard her —”
“Screaming apologies,” Knox finished. “Blaine mentioned it.”
“Did he also mention that she kept begging for forgiveness, promising that if they stopped the fire and let her out she’d make it right – whatever ‘it’ is?”
Knox rubbed his jaw. “No, he didn’t mention that.”
Tanner gestured to a curvy, dark-skinned female standing near an ambulance, her face blank, eyes wet. “Rosa just arrived. She’s Talia’s partner. Want me to talk to her?”
“I’d like to ask her some questions myself.” Keeping possession of Harper’s hand, Knox headed to the she-demon. “Rosa?”
She blinked up at the three of them, looking dazed and numb. “I don’t understand how this could have happened.” Her voice was low, soft, defeated. “I just spoke to Talia an hour ago. She was fine.”
Harper’s chest tightened. “I’m not good in these situations,” she admitted. “I don’t know what to say, except that I’m sorry.”
Rosa swallowed and gave a weak nod of thanks. “Why would someone do this?”
“The police said she’s been having trouble with her dealer,” said Knox.
“Raymond?” Rosa’s brow pinched. “He’s a lot of things, but he’s no killer. He hasn’t got the stomach for it.”
“Is there anyone else who might have been upset with her?” Harper asked. “One of the neighbors said they heard her shouting apologies to someone.”
Confused, Rosa shook her head. “She didn’t have enemies. Outside of work, Talia kept a low profile.” Silent tears began streaming down her face. “I just don’t understand.”
Knox gave her a pointed look. “If there’s anything we can do, you let us know, Rosa.”
“I will. Thank you, Mr. Thorne.” She swiped at her wet cheeks. “Maybe she’ll find some peace now. She was never really at peace with life.”
“I’d like to think that she will.” Harper gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze, feeling so fucking bad for Rosa. The female was doing a hell of a lot better than Harper would have done in her position. Losing Knox would destroy her. Wanting to give the grieving female some space, Harper clasped Knox’s hand. Let’s leave her in peace.
“Thank you for speaking with us, Rosa,” said Knox. “Remember to come to us if you need anything.” He turned to Harper. “Let’s go, baby.”
As they walked to the Bentley with Tanner, she looked up at Knox. You think it was McCauley, don’t you?
So do you.
Harper didn’t deny it. Couldn’t deny it.
Once the three of them were back inside the Bentley with Levi, she said, “If McCauley can teleport, it wouldn’t have been hard for him to go there, set the fire, watch her burn, and then ease the hellfire before getting away again without being seen.” Hellfire wouldn’t burn the demon who conjured it, which meant that McCauley would have gotten away unharmed.
Levi caught Harper’s gaze in the rearview mirror, his expression one of disbelief. “You think the kid did this?”
“Talia wasn’t alone when she burned to death,” Knox told him. “She was apologizing to someone, promising that she’d make it right.”
Levi cursed. “That doesn’t mean it was him.”
“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Knox. “But it does mean I need to speak with him. Make a pit stop at the Sanders’s house.”
Levi switched on the engine. “You got it.”
When they finally pulled up outside the house, Harper looked at Knox. “Did you give Wyatt a telepathic heads-up that we were coming?”
“No. I want to see their reactions to the news.”
Levi opened the rear door for them. “You’ve got me real curious about this kid. I’ll come inside with you this time. There are no teens lurking about, eyeing up the Bentley.”
Knox led the way up the path, and Harper then pressed the doorbell.
Wyatt opened the door after a few moments. His eyes narrowed as he took in the four of them. “Something’s happened.”
“Can we come in?” said Knox.
“Come through to the kitchen.” Wyatt led the way into a small, bright kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
Expression grave, Knox spoke, “Talia is dead.”
For a brief moment, Wyatt said nothing… as if not comprehending the words. “What?”
“Both Talia and her apartment went down in a blaze of hellfire, but the rest of the building is fine. It was clear that she alone was the target.”
“Hellfire?” Wyatt’s gaze sharpened. “She was murdered. Jesus.”
“Someone trapped her inside and killed her. She was screaming for them to let her out, but they didn’t.”
Cursing, Wyatt gave a sad shake of the head. “I’ve watched hellfire burn people alive. It has to be a horrible way to die.”
Harper was in perfect agreement with that.
Linda strolled into the kitchen. She almost stumbled to a halt as she studied their faces. “What is it? What’s happened?”
Wyatt rubbed at his nape. “Talia burned to death in her apartment. Hellfire.”
Linda’s face went slack and she gripped the counter. “Oh my God.”
“Any suspects?” asked Wyatt, shifting into detective mode.
“Some believe it may have been her dealer,” began Knox, “though her partner doesn’t seem to think so.”
“It’s always the same with addicts,” said Linda with a sigh. “If the drugs don’t kill them, the dealers do. She chose that lifestyle.”
Harper didn’t like the bite in her voice. “Nobody deserves to die like that.”
Linda blanched. “Of course not, I wasn’t suggesting that she did. I just…”
She was just glad that Talia couldn’t come and take McCauley away, Harper guessed.
Knox glanced at the doorway. “Where’s McCauley?”
Linda hesitated to respond. “He’s upstairs, playing in his room. Why?”
“Has he been there all day?” asked Knox.
She double-blinked. “Yes. He doesn’t spend a lot of time downstairs with us.” And that clearly disappointed her. “He likes his space. Privacy.”
Harper personally didn’t know a lot of six-year-olds that confined themselves to their room and didn’t want attention. It would be one thing if he was in an abusive household, but it was obvious that Linda would enjoy showering him with positive attention. “We’d like to talk to him.”
Linda’s gaze darted from Harper to Knox. “I don’t think it’s necessary for you to break the news to him. He never knew about her. Maybe we could simply tell him that you’ve been unable to find out who his biological mother is – it would be unkind to make him lose a mother twice.”
“That’s not why we wish to speak with him,” said Knox.
Realization flashed across Linda’s face. “You don’t think it was him surely? He’s six, for God’s sake.” When no one said a word, she put a hand over her heart. “I swear to you, he did not leave this house. I would know if he had.”
“Maybe you just didn’t see him leave,” said Knox.
Linda’s lips flattened. “If he could teleport, he would probably have left his human adoptive parents long ago.”
“Not if he had nowhere else to go.”
“He doesn’t even know that Talia was his mother.”
“He could have heard you talking about it.”
“But we didn’t talk about it.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Wyatt objected, ignoring his mate’s glower. “He may have overheard our argument with Pamela, Talia’s mother. I’m not saying he caused the fire, I’m just saying he may have overheard that conversation.”
Knox tilted his head slightly. “You had an argument with Pamela?”
It was Linda who responded. “Talia must have told her about him – probably because she didn’t want her to find out from anyone else. Pamela wanted to take him. She was very insistent.” From her tone, it was clear that she’d felt intimidated by the woman. “We said no. She threatened to involve you, so I pointed out that it was you who left him in our care and that if she wanted that to change then she’d have to consult you.”
“She hasn’t spoken to me about it yet.” Knox pursed his lips. “When did this happen?”
“This morning,” Linda replied. “Even if he did hear the argument, it doesn’t mean he did anything wrong. Teleporting isn’t that simple. He’d have to have an address or an image in his mind of a person or a place he wanted to go. He doesn’t know what Talia looked like or where she lived.”
Phone in her hand, Harper asked, “Does he have access to a computer? To the Internet?”
“Not the Internet,” said Linda.
“What about either of you?” Harper asked the pair.
Wyatt folded his arms. “We use the Internet, yes, why?”
“Because it would be a simple case of finding her on Instagram.” Harper held up her phone, showing them Talia’s Instagram page. “She also has a Facebook profile. In other words, there are ways he could have gotten a picture of her. Surely you don’t spend every moment watching over him. He could have used your computer without your knowledge.”
Linda shook her head. “He’s a sweet boy.”
Harper inwardly snorted.
“He’d never harm anyone,” Linda insisted. “He didn’t even harm the human who cruelly tried to burn him in an oven. No, I won’t believe that he hurt Talia.”
“We still need to speak with him.” Knox turned to Wyatt. “Take me to him.”
Linda opened her mouth to object, but Knox silenced her with a look.
“This way,” said Wyatt. They followed him up the stairs, across the landing, and over to a closed door. He gave it a rhythmic knock. “McCauley, you have visitors.” Without waiting for an invitation, Wyatt twisted the knob and let the door swing open. “You remember Knox and Harper, right?”
Keeping Harper slightly behind him, Knox entered first. He briefly scanned the room. It had been decorated and filled with toys and games that any boy McCauley’s age would love. Linda and Wyatt had clearly spared no expense.
Knox didn’t fail to notice the drawings on the walls – like last time, they were pictures of a family. Two adults, two children, and a dog. In each drawing, they were dressed or posed differently, but the people always looked the same. “Hello, McCauley.”
From his space on the carpet, McCauley looked up at them. “Hello.” His voice was as devoid of emotion as his expression. He stayed very still, his posture unnaturally perfect.
Cocking his head, Knox studied the Lego tower the boy had built. Tall, solidly built, and well-proportioned, it looked like a mock model of a building. Very advanced for a child of six. “You must be a smart boy.”
McCauley blinked.
Knox used his psychic hand to lift a Lego brick and place it on the tower. “Can you do that?”
McCauley shook his head.
Knox feigned disappointment, hoping to prick at the pride of McCauley’s demon. It worked. The boy’s eyes bled to black and then narrowed. Suddenly, dozens of Lego bricks lifted from the carpet and started to circle the tower like planets orbiting the sun.
“Impressive,” said Knox when McCauley’s demon retreated. “What else can you do?”
“Just that.”
It was a lie. Knox didn’t understand why the child would lie about it. It was as if the demon didn’t want to show its power. Was it simply used to hiding, having lived amongst humans for six years? Perhaps. “Did you leave the house today?”
The boy gave a slow, stiff shake of the head.
“Do you know why we’re here?”
“No, sir.”
“I think you do. I think you know what we suspect happened today.” That received no reaction whatsoever. “I killed someone when I was a child,” he said, ignoring Linda’s gasp. “It’s not an easy thing to do. Is it?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Talia apologized. She begged for forgiveness. But you killed her anyway. Why?”
McCauley blinked, still exhibiting no emotion. “I don’t know who you mean, sir.”
“You’re quite the little liar, aren’t you, McCauley? And you’re not as good at it as you think you are.”
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Linda shouldered her way into the room and crossed to McCauley. Standing behind him, she placed her hands on his shoulders. “You heard him, he didn’t do anything.”
Leaning into her, McCauley rubbed at his eyes. “I’m tired.”
It was an act, and Linda fell for it hook, line, and sinker – smiling down at him like he was her own, personal angel.
“We’ll be back,” Knox told her.
Linda’s head snapped up. She didn’t glare at him, but he knew that she wanted to. Instead, she stiffly inclined her head, as if not trusting herself to speak. She remained with McCauley while the others all made their way downstairs.
In the hallway, Knox spoke to Wyatt. “I think it would be best for all concerned if I remove him from your home.”
Wyatt’s shoulders sagged a little. “It would devastate Linda.”
“I’m pretty certain he killed Talia.”
“I wish I could disagree. I look in his eyes, and I see nothing. He’s never happy, he’s never sad, he’s never angry, he’s never anything. It’s not natural. But Linda wants him here.”
“He manipulated her up there,” Harper pointed out.
Wyatt nodded. “It’s not the first time he’s done it. You have to understand… Linda had several miscarriages. Only one pregnancy went full-term.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Our son was stillborn. We called him Sam.”
The agony in his voice made Harper swallow hard. She couldn’t even imagine how painful that must have been for the couple.
“It’s something that’s been eating at Linda for a long time,” Wyatt continued. “It’s like she feels that she’s failed as a woman and a mate – it’s ludicrous, of course, but that just seems to be how she feels. She sees McCauley as a chance for us to be a ‘real’ family. She doesn’t care that he doesn’t behave like normal kids. As far as she’s concerned, we shouldn’t expect any element of normality from a traumatized child. And she’s probably right about that. It could be that I’m being as insensitive and paranoid as she’s accusing me of being.”
“You’re not,” Harper stated. “As sad as it is, your mate seems intent on being willfully blind to the fact that McCauley isn’t just a little out of the ordinary. There’s something truly wrong with him.”
“I know, but it will devastate Linda if you take him. We can’t know for sure that he did kill Talia. Innocent until proven guilty, right?”
“I’m not comfortable leaving him here,” said Knox.
“Where else does he have to go? Look, you need someone to keep an eye on him. I can do that. Maybe I can even help him. Maybe with time he’ll come to trust us and he’ll change.”
Knox strongly doubted it, but Wyatt was right – he did need someone to watch over McCauley. Wyatt was as good a person as any for that role. “All right, but don’t drop your guard with him. You’re a strong demon. He might be a child, but he could also be a very dangerous child. Don’t hesitate to act in your defense.”
“I won’t.”
Though Knox still wasn’t comfortable leaving the Sanders to take on McCauley, he left the house with Harper and the sentinels. Nobody spoke until they were inside the car.
Levi turned on the ignition. “Damn, you weren’t kidding when you said that kid is creepy. I’m ninety-nine percent sure he killed Talia.”
“And he’s not sorry for it,” said Tanner.
Levi pulled away from the curb. “He behaves like our inner demons do – it’s as if he’s taking behavioral cues from it, imitating and obeying it.”
“Like the demon is the parent,” Harper mused.
Knox looked at her, eyes narrowed. “Exactly.”
“His human mother was neglectful, right?” said Tanner. “It could be that his demon sort of… stepped in.”
Levi whistled. “That would be bad. Our demons don’t particularly give a shit when it comes to right and wrong. They’re vengeful, they don’t feel guilt. If that’s the kind of ‘parent’ that’s shaped him, he needs to be watched very closely. Maybe Linda and Wyatt really can help him – they’ll be role models. They’ll give him the attention and care that, until now, only his demon ever gave him. Do you think McCauley will hurt them?”
“If our theory is right, no,” replied Knox. “His demon will be smart enough to know that it needs the Sanders to tend to McCauley’s basic needs. It will be happy to use them until it feels that McCauley can take care of himself. It will have urged him to stay with his human mother for the very same reason. She could feed and clothe McCauley – things the demon can’t do for him.”
“You don’t think it will get jealous if McCauley begins to care for the Sanders?” asked Harper.
Knox took her hand. “I don’t think there’s any risk of McCauley emotionally connecting with them any time soon. If it does happen, it would be in the distant future. Hopefully the demon will be used to the Sanders by then. It may even eventually like them if it feels they’re good to McCauley. We can only speculate.”
As Tanner and Levi started discussing sentinel business, Harper turned to Knox and asked softly, “Did you really kill someone when you were a kid?”
“They deserved it.”
“I’m not saying they didn’t. I just hate that you were put in a position where you had to kill or be killed when you were so young.” Harper gave his hand a comforting squeeze. He looked at her, and what she saw in his eyes gave her the chills.
“By the time I was done with them, so were they.”