BURN (16 page)

Knox tried not to tense. “No, I haven’t.”

His tone didn’t welcome further questioning. Harper folded her arms across her chest. “You know, it’s shitty of you to do that. Since the first day we met, you’ve done nothing but quiz me about my family, my life, and my past. I didn’t ask you many questions, because I wasn’t planning to form the bond, so I didn’t see the point in getting to know you. We’re officially anchors now. Don’t you think it’s only fair for me to get to know you too?”

Picking up his glass, he swirled it a little. “You do know me.”

“I know you’re a dominant control freak who likes to always have his way.”

“You know many of the rumors about me are true. You also know that I spent a lot of my childhood in a children’s home for strays.”

She tilted her head. “What about your parents?”

“They’re dead. Have been for a very long time.”

She frowned. “Why didn’t you stay with your lair when they died?”

“I wasn’t part of a lair then.” He’d been part of something pure evil.

Harper sensed that to probe further into his childhood would make him shut down. She wanted to hear more about his life. “What happened when you left the children’s home with the sentinels? Did you all join a lair?”

“No. We considered ourselves strays, integrated ourselves into the human world.”

“A world you more or less conquered.”

He drank a little of his wine. “I suppose you could say I’ve achieved many things.”

“Ruthlessly.”

He smiled, admitting, “Yes.”

He’d gotten where he was through his own efforts and determination. Harper could respect that. “And the fact that you were seen as a power in your own right made demons gravitate toward you.”

He nodded. “Then, before I knew it, I was the Prime of a lair. A lair which has grown over the years.”

He was so uncomfortable talking about himself that it was almost amusing. “You can relax. I’m done.” She smiled. “For now.”

His eyes narrowed, glittering with humor. “So very tenacious.”

“Why, thank you.”

Knox?
It was Keenan.

Yes?

I’ve got news you’re gonna want to hear. Call the others. I’ll be twenty minutes.

“I’m guessing there was some telepathing going on,” said Harper. “I felt the echo of the conversation because our minds are connected, but I couldn’t make out the words.” It was weird.

Knox raised his brows, once again surprised. “Strange. Apparently, Keenan has information. I have a feeling I’m not going to like it.”

By the time Keenan arrived at the mansion, Larkin, Tanner, and Levi were already waiting in the living area with Knox and Harper. “Tell me,” said Knox.

Keenan flopped on the sofa next to Larkin. “You know all the missing strays? They’ve been found.”

“Found?” echoed Levi. “Alive?”

“Yes.”

Tanner leaned forward. “When?”

“A few hours ago,” replied Keenan. “They were all in a warehouse in some kind of induced coma.”

“Are they awake now?” asked Larkin.

Keenan nodded. “But it seems that they don’t remember a single moment of their capture. The last memory each of them have is of what they were doing just before they were taken.”

Harper spoke then. “Wait, who found them?”

Keenan’s smile had a cynical edge to it. “Isla.” He looked at Knox. “And you can imagine just how grateful and indebted the strays now feel toward their savior, who managed to find them when no one else could.”

“If you ask me, she was the one to take them in the first place,” said Larkin. “She’s not dumb; she knew that no Prime would wish to give up power. She knew that to get what she wanted, she’d have to include every demon in America in the voting. Finding the missing strays will certainly earn her some votes.”

Levi nodded. “I agree. Isla planned this. It’s part of her scheme to win the favor of the demon community.”

“How successful have Isla, Malden, and Dario’s campaigns been so far?” Harper asked, suspecting the sentinels would have kept a close eye on things.

“People are dubious,” replied Tanner. “But that could change when the three Primes present their cases this weekend.”

Larkin looked at Knox. “What’s the itinerary for the weekend?”

Knox took the seat beside Harper. “Malden will present his case on Friday. Isla will present hers on Saturday. And Dario will give his on Sunday. Each statement will be recorded live so that the demons outside the hotel can watch it on various big screens around the Underground.”

“What promises do you think they’ll make to the public?” Harper asked Knox.

“Plenty of very appealing ones. But I strongly doubt they would intend to keep any of those promises. Let’s hope the public see that.”

CHAPTER TEN

Glancing around the reception area, Harper saw that the Underground hotel hosting the gathering was just as ritzy and luxurious as Knox’s hotels on the Vegas strip. The only difference was that the demons didn’t have to hide their true natures here. It was simple things, like they didn’t have to pretend they were physically struggling to carry their luggage, to big things like the doormen/sentries could be in their hellhound form.

As Jolene and the receptionist went through the check-in rigmarole, Harper noticed Beck discretely stuffing his pockets with complimentary mints. Imps never turned down freebies. Meeting Tanner’s amused gaze, she rolled her eyes. As usual, he was acting as her bodyguard.

Returning to her apartment after work, she’d found Jolene, Martina, and Beck waiting for her. They’d said they wanted to spend some ‘quality family time’ with Harper before the political games began. In truth, they had wanted to update her on their ‘findings’ on Kendra. Translation, they ripped into her life…confirming that Lucian was, in fact, Kendra’s father. Her upbringing hadn’t been great, since her mother was an alcoholic and her stepfather was quite simply a dick. If she fantasied that her life would have been a bed of roses if Lucian had taken responsibility for her, she was wrong there.

Jolene had been pissed to hear about the practitioners attacking Harper. She shared Knox’s suspicion that Isla was most likely behind all the recent problems. When Harper mentioned that Carla was a suspect, she’d expected Jolene to scoff and say that Carla wasn’t intelligent enough to pull off any of it. Instead, Jolene had said, ‘Someone who can hate a tiny little baby is capable of anything.’

Studying the hotel map, Martina excitedly said, “Oh my God, this place has a spa, fitness center, nine swimming pools, eighteen restaurants, a casino, and a shopping mall.”

Harper smiled at her aunt. “I’m glad you like it so much. Hopefully that means you won’t burn anything.”

“It’s certainly very impressive,” allowed Jolene. “Where are you staying, Harper?”

“The same floor as Knox. He has a whole floor to himself and his sentinels.”

“And he wants you to sleep on the same floor for your protection,” said Jolene with a nod. But she wasn’t dumb, she suspected something was going on between Harper and Knox. It was really only a matter of time before she brought it up.

Harper hadn’t seen him since the previous night. He’d had a business meeting that morning with his human colleagues. After that, he’d been busy ensuring everything was in place for the gathering.

“Here you go.” The receptionist handed Jolene several keycards before flashing Harper a shaky smile.

A bellboy appeared. “Can I take your luggage?”

Beck raised a hand. “Not necessary, we can carry them just fine. I don’t see the point in bellboys,” he told Harper as they made their way to the elevator, luggage in hand. “We’ve got arms, we’ve got a map, and why would we want to tip someone for something we can do ourselves? It’s just laziness.”

Harper snorted. “You just don’t want to part with your money.” Beck was one of the stingiest people she’d ever met. Turning to Tanner, she said, “You can take the case up to my room. I’ll need the two store bags; I’m getting ready in Jolene’s suite.” She held out her hand, but he didn’t hand them to her.

Knox is expecting you,
Tanner reminded her as they stepped into the elevator.

Yes, she knew Knox intended for them to share the same suite.
And I’ll see him soon enough. But I want to spend some time with my family. I don’t see them often.

Tanner’s mouth curved.
It’s nice being around someone who doesn’t bow to his every whim.

Only because you like watching his face turn purple.

When they reached her family’s designated suite, it was to find Keenan waiting outside the door, wearing a boyish grin. “Hey, sphinx.”

“Keenan’s going to take over while I go change,” Tanner told Harper, handing her the two store bags, as Keenan introduced himself to her family. “I’ll be waiting out here within the hour. Be ready.”

Harper saluted him before closing the door. As she’d expected, the three-bedroom suite was just as lavish and grand as the rest of the hotel.

“It’s more like an apartment than a hotel room,” Martina said excitedly. She was right.

“I very much doubt we’d have been given such a suite if we weren’t your family, Harper,” said Jolene.

Beck read over the pamphlet they had been given by the receptionist. “The itinerary says that there’s a reception dinner taking place in an hour.”

“Knox said he wanted everybody to be as relaxed as possible before hearing out the first candidate,” explained Harper.

Jolene smiled. “Then let’s get ready.”

Approximately fifty minutes later, Harper entered the living area of the suite to find the others congregated there.

Beck was fidgeting with the top buttons of his shirt. “Don’t you laugh,” he grumbled. For some reason, he never looked right in a suit, but Harper held her hands up in a gesture of peace.

“Sweetheart, you look beautiful,” Martina said to Harper as she fingered her silk dress – it was a gentle blend of cobalt and jade.

“Thanks. Raini picked it out. You look great.” Her aunt was dressed like a sixties pin-up girl with her red and white polka dot dress and matching head scarf.

“Are we ready to go?” asked Jolene, looking as elegant as always in a violet evening suit.

“If Tanner’s here, yeah.” As promised, the hellhound was waiting outside the suite in a dark gray suit. She smiled. “Well, don’t you look dashing.”

He cast her a mock glare before leading them down the elevator and straight to the restaurant, where the reception dinner was taking place. Halting at the entrance, she consulted the seating plan and saw that she would be at the same table as her family, Knox, Raul and his anchor.

“Some of the Primes witnessed the little exchange between you and Isla in Manhattan, so they might try to talk to you and ask questions,” warned Tanner. “Just keep moving. Okay?”

She nodded, keeping stride with Tanner as he led them through the restaurant. Some demons were polite and respectful as they greeted her while others were either distant or snarling in outright jealousy – the latter was mostly the females. A few Primes did attempt to begin a conversation with her, but she kept moving just as Tanner had instructed.

Their table was in front of a dais. Like the other tables, it was set up beautifully and elegantly. Raul and his anchor were already there, and they stood with a smile.

“We haven’t officially met,” said the Prime. “I’m Raul. You’re Knox’s anchor.”

She nodded. “I’m Harper.” He then went on to introduce himself to her family, so Harper offered a nod of greeting to the dark-skinned she-demon at his side, who was astonishingly beautiful.

“I’m Tanya,” she told Harper and her family as she lifted her chin; a princess peering down at a bunch of peasants. It wasn’t bitchiness, it was more like Tanya just believed herself to be superior to pretty much everyone.

After helping Harper into her seat, Tanner melted into the shadows near the wall, on guard. A waiter quickly appeared and served them champagne, to Martina’s delight. Glancing around, Harper noticed that Larkin and Keenan were on either side of the room, their perceptive gazes missing nothing. Levi was no doubt with Knox, who currently was nowhere to be seen.

At the rear of the restaurant, a camera was set up directly opposite the dais. It would record the discussions live and allow the demon public to watch them on the TVs scattered around the Underground. One was actually in the dome while others were in the bars, casinos, and restaurants. The footage would also be shown in each and every hotel room.

Feeling eyes on her, Harper turned to find a particular she-demon staring at her with contempt.
Isla
. She looked amazingly beautiful yet so very, very cold.

Following Harper’s gaze, Jolene leaned into her. “She’s definitely not a happy bunny.” She took a sip of her champagne. “Good.”

Harper’s inner demon agreed that it was, in fact, good; that anything that annoyed the bitch claiming she had rights to Knox was good.

Raul must have noticed Isla’s glare too, because he said, “I didn’t actually witness your dispute with Isla at the conference in New York. What was it about?”

“This and that,” Harper replied.

He grinned. “Given that you’re an imp, I suppose I should have expected an evasive response.”

“This is going to be a lovely dinner,” said Martina, reading the menu. “It’s a shame it will be spoiled with political crap.”

Yeah, their lair wasn’t much into politics. They were like one huge family and that, in Harper’s opinion, was why there were so few issues within their lair.

Knox’s mind stroked hers just as a door near the dais opened. Dressed in a black, tailored designer suit, he walked inside with that innate animal grace that never failed to take her breath away. Levi slipped out behind him and took up a position beside Tanner.

Silence fell across the room as the guests all turned their attention to Knox. Halting in the center of the dais near the stand, he spoke. “For many years now, demon lairs have kept to themselves. The U.S. has had no Monarch or power structure except within our own individual lairs. It has worked well. Yet, as you know, three Primes in this room have proposed a change. They believe it would benefit the U.S. to have a Monarch that oversees the other lairs.

“During the course of this weekend, each of the three Primes will put forth their case, present you with reasons why we should not only have a ruling Prime but elect them as said Monarch. Two weeks from now, the U.S. demon population will be asked to vote whether they are in favor of a change – if they are in favor, they will also be asked to state which candidate they wish to elect.”

His face hardened slightly. “I would like to make it clear that although I have agreed to host this gathering, I am not in favor of the change. I believe that power structures simply don’t work for demons. The extent of power that a Monarch would be given never fails to corrupt and bring chaos. But you each have to make up your own mind on that, and that’s why we’re here today.”

Menace slithered into his voice. “There are rules that must be followed in order for this to be an effective democracy. Firstly, there will be no dueling between Primes, no threats, and no ultimatums. The decision made two weeks from now will be based on votes alone. If you wish to win those votes, you will need to present a civil case. Secondly, there will be no destruction of property – I will take it
very
personally if someone should violate that.”

Harper gave Martina a meaningful look, who smiled reassuringly.

Knox scanned the room. “Are the rules clear?” There was a chorus of ‘yes.’ He nodded. “Good. The first Prime will put forward their case two hours from now. In the meantime, enjoy your dinner.”

Stepping off the dais, he headed straight for Harper, looking very predatory in that moment. Following the lead of the others at the table, she politely stood to greet him, and his gaze roamed over her in a way that made her feel naked. When he reached her, he brushed his mouth against her cheek – not uncommon behavior between anchors.

“Harper,” Knox rumbled. For the first time that day, his inner demon relaxed. It had obsessed over Harper every minute of every hour, which Knox would have snorted at if he hadn’t been doing the same. It was like her scent, her taste, and the feel of her was all imprinted on his system so that he couldn’t get her out of his head.
All I want to do is back you into the wall, flip up that dress, and fuck you so hard you can’t walk.

She smiled, knowing that her face was heating.
And they say romance is dead.
“Knox,” she greeted in return.

Raul went to speak, but his anchor beat him to it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Thorne. I’m Tanya.” Going by the respectful way she spoke to him, Harper figured that Tanya considered Knox an equal. She also seemed to consider him fair game, if the sultry smile she gave him was anything to go by. Harper’s inner demon hissed.

The woman was waiting for a reaction, Knox realized. She was used to males admiring and wanting her, and she was waiting for him to cast an appreciate eye over her. She was a female who knew how to play the seduction game – a game he hadn’t realized he was so weary of until Harper came along. She outshone Tanya by far, and he wondered if either of the females knew it. Knox simply said, “Ah, you’re Raul’s anchor.”

Tanya’s face tightened, her cheeks turning pink. It probably made her more annoyed that Knox greeted the others by name.

No sooner had they sat down than the starters were brought out. Between each delicious course, various Primes came to their table and talked briefly with him. They wanted him to know that they fully agreed that electing a Monarch would be a bad move, and they were interested in his opinion on whether or not the demon public would feel the same.

All of them had heard that the missing strays were found, and it seemed that most of them suspected Isla had kidnapped them as part of a campaign tactic. The woman wasn’t fooling these people; they knew her too well. They confirmed that she was the source of the rumors that Harper wasn’t Knox’s true anchor, and they were clearly hoping he would explain why Isla seemed to have such an issue with Harper. He didn’t, though. His private business wasn’t theirs to know.