BURN (17 page)

Isla’s very unhappy,
Levi told Knox.
She’s been watching you and Harper closely.
Every time you introduce Harper to people as your anchor and they give her the respect and acknowledgment that she’s due, Isla snarls at them.

Watch her. Warn me if she approaches.

Quick question: Are you so on edge because Isla’s nearby or because a lot of males are sending Harper admiring glances?

Both.
The males were subtle about it, as if fearing it would trigger Knox’s possessiveness as her anchor, but it still pissed off Knox and his demon. Tanya didn’t appear to like it either, obviously feeling that all male attention should be focused on her. Whenever his anchor caught Tanya glaring at her, she’d glare right back until Tanya looked away. Then Jolene would cackle.

“The Primes are like a bunch of old women looking for gossip,” Harper whispered when there was a lull in the visits to their table.

“Yes,” he agreed, discretely placing his hand on her knee beneath the table. For a moment, she froze. But then she relaxed under his hand, and his inner demon smiled in satisfaction.

There weren’t many people who were relaxed around Knox. They were always on their guard to some extent, and it was wise of them to be wary. But the one person he’d never harm was Harper, and it pleased him and his demon that she believed that. No one could have blamed her for fearing him after witnessing what he could do, but she still trusted him with her safety. She probably had no idea what that meant to him.

“They’re also looking for a weak spot in Isla,” he told her, admiring the sapphire color of Harper’s eyes. “We wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t pushed for it. They don’t want her to succeed.”

“Why don’t you just tell them that she’s suffering from delusions?”

“I don’t explain myself to people.” He drew circles on her inner knee with his thumb, loving the velvety feel of her skin. “They seem to be drawing their own conclusions anyway. And no one appears to believe her lies about you.”

She sipped at her champagne. “I got a call from Lucian earlier.”

“He’s heard about all this?”

“No, he’s in Australia right now. He doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in the U.S. He probably wouldn’t care anyway. Being a nomad, he doesn’t consider himself to be a U.S. citizen.”

“Did you tell him?”

“Nah.”

“You didn’t tell him about me either, did you?” Knox involuntarily clenched his hand on her knee. “That’s why you didn’t mention the election. You don’t want him to come here.”

Harper sighed. “I didn’t tell him because I’m not yet sure if having him near Kendra is wise. If she
is
behind what happened to me, then I’ve no doubt she could target him too. And, I admit, I’m really not looking forward to him having a shouting match with you.”

“He’ll be that opposed to me being your anchor?”

“He’s protective in his own way. He’ll think I’m not safe with you.”

Like Lucian was a stable presence in her life. “But you know differently. You know I’d never harm you.”

“I know,” she confirmed, watching as his eyes warmed.

“Good evening, Knox,” said a familiar voice that made Harper inwardly roll her eyes.
Dear ole Malden.
He nodded at Harper before smiling at her grandmother. “Jolene, it’s good to see you.”

Jolene smiled, twisting in her seat to face him. “Oh, hello…um…”

Harper leaned into her grandmother. “It’s Malc—”

“
Malden
,” he stressed, a tick in his cheek going crazy again.

Smiling brightly, Harper clicked her fingers. “That’s what I was going to say.”

I’d feel sorry for him if it wasn’t for the fact that I know he wants you,
said Knox. Malden wasn’t quite as subtle about it as the others, but Harper didn’t seem to sense his interest any more than she sensed the interest of the others.

“Is it time for you to present your case already?” asked Jolene.

“It is.” Turning to Knox, Malden said, “I hope I can change your stance on electing a Monarch.”

Knox shook his head. “No one can do that.” Malden just smiled enigmatically before disappearing. “He must think he has a convincing argument if he believes he can change my mind.”

“Or he’s just as delusional as Isla,” suggested Harper.

The chatter died down as Malden walked onto the dais and leaned on the stand. Harper thought he looked oddly amused. “I never thought there’d be a day that I’d agree with Isla Ross on anything.” That got some laughs, which hopefully irritated the bitch. “But she’s right about one thing – we need better order. Knox Thorne also has a point, though. Our kind has never done well with power structures. It’s in our nature to seek power, not to share it. And that urge to seek it is stronger in some than it is in others. But that is the very reason why we need an authority above others; we need a Monarch that keeps the peace.

“The other candidates will tell you that a hierarchical structure would work best.” He shook his head. “There is no ‘best’ form of power structure for demons. There is only a solution to the problems we face. A Monarch – a demon that has power above all others – can provide that. And that is the only change I intend to make. I don’t wish to introduce a structure, simply a Monarch.”

Well, that’s different from Isla’s proposal,
began Harper.
He probably thinks it will bring the Primes on board.
Knox gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“My wish isn’t to rule you all. Demons aren’t creatures to be ruled; we’re free and wild, and we wish to stay that way. My intention is to guide, protect, and defend. The only thing I ask of you is this: You trust me to provide our kind with what we need. And what do we need? Quite simply, we need order. And we’ll never have that as long as we’re allowed to war with each other without consequences. We’ll never have it as long as we don’t know exactly what the general public wants, because that only breeds strife, unhappiness, and resentment.”

Malden zoomed in on the camera, addressing the public. “Every decision shouldn’t be made by your Primes with your best intentions at heart. You should all have a voice, all have a say in your own lives. That is what I am promising every demon out there in exchange for your trust: A voice.

“Should any of you have an issue that your Prime is not addressing, you can report to me. If any of you wish to complain of injustices committed by your Prime, you can report to me. If a lair is having problems because of another, they can come to me – avoiding disputes and wars. And if in the future I feel that changes need to be made, it would go to a vote; each and every one of you would be part of that decision. So if you want a voice, if you want peace and protection, vote for me.”

Jolene drank some of her champagne. “Smart of him to promise a voice. To have a voice is to have an element of power. Every demon will find that an attractive idea.”

“I don’t think he wrote that speech himself,” said Raul. “He isn’t smooth enough.”

Beck nodded. “Politicians rarely write their own speeches.”

“Any questions?” Malden asked.

One of the Primes called out, “You don’t want the lairs to exist on levels of power?”

“No. Such a hierarchy wouldn’t work in the long run. It’s too strict.” Malden smiled as he added, “Demons don’t like laws, they like loopholes. All I’m proposing is that I’m elected as Monarch – a demon with influence and authority above all Primes of the U.S.”

“But is any kind of Monarch truly realistic?” asked Raul. “You’re powerful, Malden, but there are Primes more powerful than you. How do you intend to exert authority over them?”

“If the demon public of the U.S. elect me as Monarch, they have given me that authority,” replied Malden.

“Yes, but how would you
exert
it?” Raul persisted. “Knox Thorne has clearly stated he’ll never answer to another. I don’t think anyone’s in a position to force him to do anything he doesn’t wish to do.”

Malden inclined his head. “I’d hope the other Primes, Knox Thorne included, would respect the opinions of the public enough not to dismiss my authority. Dismissing it would be a betrayal of every American demon.”

Ooh, that was a clever answer
, Harper told Knox. It would make her anchor the bad guy if he stood up to Malden, not the more powerful of the two. But she doubted that would bother Knox, since he didn’t care for the opinions of others.

Raul turned to Knox as he said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Honestly, what would you do if someone was made Monarch and tried interfering in your business?”

Knox replied coolly, “Ensure they reconsidered ever doing it again.”

A Prime on a neighboring table spoke to Malden then. “Here’s what I think will happen if you’re made a Monarch. The demons scattered around the U.S. who are unhappy with the decision will request to join the lairs of Primes that they believe you can’t overpower, thereby stopping you from having any say in their lives.”

Malden considered it for a moment and then shrugged. “That would be their decision, and I would have to respect it.”

“But don’t you see the consequences of that?” asked the same Prime. “The lairs of the more powerful Primes would therefore grow. Knox Thorne already has a large lair. It would get bigger and bigger and bigger with every fuck up you made. And you
would
fuck up – all leaders do it sooner or later, because you just can’t please everyone.”

“He has a very good point,” Jolene said to Harper quietly.

A Prime near the back of the room called out, “Think of what would happen if you started pissing off the Primes, Malden, or if they found they couldn’t take being under the rule of someone else. They would all unite to overpower you…and then we’re right back to where we are now. Sure, our kind has problems the way things stand now. But there will always be problems. To elect you
might
solve some of our issues, but it would just bring us new ones.”

Murmurs of agreement spread around the room. A few more questions were asked before Malden stepped down and returned to his table.

“I have to say, Malden surprised me.” Raul leaned back in his seat. “I didn’t think he was taking this all that seriously.”

“I thought he just wanted to avoid answering to another demon, but now I’m thinking he’s very interested in being Monarch,” said Beck.

“I don’t believe any of the Primes will support him,” began Knox. “None of them are interested in having a leader. But I think that if placed in a position where they felt forced to answer to someone, they would rather it was Malden, since he doesn’t want to make many changes.”

Jolene nodded. “The rest of the U.S. demon population, however, might very well be in favor of him.”

And that was a scary thought.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Harper, if you don’t want me to break the dog in half, you need to get him away from me
now
,” Devon warned.

Sighing, Harper glared at Tanner, who sat further along the bench beside Devon, sniffing her. He’d accompanied Harper, Raini, Devon, and Khloë around the Underground while they went shopping before finally stopping at a restaurant…and he’d done nothing but taunt Devon the entire time. “
Tanner
.”

“She doesn’t need your help, Harper,” said Tanner with a smile, his eyes on Devon; there was a challenge there. “She can take care of herself. Can’t you, pretty kitty?”

“He’s trying to rile you because he wants to know what you can do,” she told Devon. It was a stupid move on his part, since Devon could seriously hurt him if she wished to do so.

Devon’s smile was a little feral. “You want to know what I can do, pooch? I can shove my foot so far up your ass, you’ll feel it in your throat.”

“Now you’re just lying.” That got him an exasperated hiss.

Harper shuffled along the bench, making room between her and Khloë, whose attention was fixed on her BBQ wings. “Devon, come sit here.” The hellcat did so with a huff. Harper turned back to Raini. “Now…you were telling me about everyone’s response to Malden’s speech last night.”

“Like I said, most people don’t like him much – he’s got a real smarmy way about him.” Raini paused to drink some Coke through her straw. “But his promise of a voice
really
got people’s attention.”

Devon nodded. “A lot of demons are mistreated by their Primes. They don’t wish to leave their lair because it would mean leaving their home and family, but they also have no one to go to for aid. Malden is offering that.”

“And the fact is that he’s right – our Primes make our decisions for us,” continued Raini. “We don’t have a say whenever there are debates among the Primes, even though the results of the debates affect us. It doesn’t bother everyone, but it does bother most.”

Swallowing a bite of her steak, Harper frowned. “Does it bother
you
?”

“No, because I trust Jolene to always look out for us,” replied Raini. “But not all Primes have the best interests of their lair at heart.”

“And there are times when the other Primes overrule Jolene,” began Devon, “which means that even though her actions benefitted us, they came to nothing simply because the other Primes didn’t support her. If
every
demon had a voice, things like that wouldn’t happen.”

“Yeah,” agreed Harper, “but I don’t believe Malden would truly act on votes.”

Devon’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

“Seriously, why would someone in such a high position of power leave major decisions up to ‘the little people,’ huh? He wouldn’t. He would hold a vote, sure, but he wouldn’t count the votes and base his decision on them. It would just be for show.”

“Giving people the illusion of power so they didn’t feel controlled when, in fact, they had no say whatsoever,” Devon realized. “You’re right. But I don’t know if the public will see that and –
oh my God, stop sniffing me!”
She whirled on Tanner, who had moved so that he was once again beside Devon.

Wiping her hands with a napkin, Khloë stared at him curiously. “Why are you sniffing Devon?”

He smiled. “She smells like candy.”

“Yeah? What kind of candy?” Khloë sounded genuinely interested.

“
Don’t encourage him
,” hissed Devon.

Khloë raised her hands. “Fine. Hey Harper, how come Knox didn’t join us for lunch?”

“Just because he’s my anchor doesn’t mean we’re together 24/7.”

“Yeah,” said Khloë, “but you guys have been doing the hunka-chunka.”

Devon’s face scrunched up. “Doing the what?”

“You know…Riding the flagpole. Roasting the broomstick. Going deep into the bush. Pounding the punanni pavement.”

“Stop, stop,” laughed Raini, her hand on her chest.

Khloë rolled her eyes. “Prudes.” She looked at the chuckling hellhound. “Come on, don’t pretend you didn’t know.”

“I knew.” He shrugged at Harper. “You wear his scent.”

Harper wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “I, what?”

Devon explained, “It happens sometimes when demons are—”

“Playing a little how’s your father,” supplied Khloë.

“—intimate for a while.” Devon threw Khloë a look of exasperation. “But only if the intimacy exists on more than one level. You guys are anchors, so you’re intimate on a psychic level. Having sex means you’re also intimate on a physical level.” She took a sip of her lemonade. “It’ll wear off when you stop sleeping together.”

“
If
they stop sleeping together,” said Raini.

Khloë frowned. “Why would they stop sleeping together?”

“Knox’s demon gets bored easily.” Harper veiled the dangerous disappointment that knowledge caused her. The brands hadn’t began to fade yet, but they would soon enough. “Speaking of boredom, I’m done shopping, let’s—” She cut herself off as four shadows fell upon them. Looking up, her stomach sank. Her inner demon went from laidback to infuriated in a heartbeat.

Harper knew who they were, but it was the small, nervous she-demon who had most of Harper’s attention. She hadn’t been this up close to Carla since she was a baby, hadn’t realized just how very little they looked alike. Maybe it was petty, but she was grateful for that.

“We just wanted to stop and introduce ourselves,” said the cheery male beside Carla. “I’m Bray, and this is my mate, Carla. It’s a pleasure to meet Knox’s anchor.”

Harper forced a smile. “The pleasure’s all mine.”
He doesn’t know
, she said to Tanner.
Carla hasn’t told him I’m her daughter.

That’s why she looks terrified. She’s afraid you’ll blurt it out right in front of them and ruin the fabric of her little world.

I irritate her enough purely by existing, I don’t need to go to extra measures.

“And these are our sons, Roan and Kellen,” continued Bray.

It was so much harder than she’d thought it would be to look at her half-brothers and pretend she didn’t know who they were. “Good to meet you both.”

Roan, who greatly resembled Carla, nodded. “And you.”

The younger brother looked more like his father. “Yeah, you too,” said Kellen, eyes narrowed. There was a knowledge in his gaze that shouldn’t be there. He knew something. What, she wasn’t sure.
How
, she wasn’t sure.

“This is Raini, Devon, and Khloë,” said Harper. “And, of course, you know Tanner.”

Carla stiffened at Khloë’s glare. She knew the she-demon was a Wallis, and that seemed to increase the panic she was already feeling.

“We’ll leave you to finish eating your lunch. We just wanted to formally introduce ourselves.” Bray gave Harper one last bright smile and then headed for a table; his family followed, though Kellen was slow in removing his gaze from her. Only then did Harper’s demon relax slightly.

“That kid knows something,” whispered Raini.

Harper sighed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“I swear, I could disembowel that bitch and not blink an eye about it,” Khloë practically growled. “I don’t know how anyone can just stand there and treat their own daughter like she’s a perfect stranger.”

Harper moved to sit by Khloë and curled an arm around her. Her cousin’s parents were fabulous; worshipped the ground their children walked on. Khloë knew from experience what a real parent was. She genuinely couldn’t understand how Carla could have abandoned Harper. “She’s not important, Khloë.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t visualize ramming a chicken wing up her ass.”

Harper smiled. “No, it doesn’t.”

“How about we get out of here?” proposed Raini.

Devon rose to her feet. “Great idea. I’m done and –
stop sniffing me!”

Knox had just finished a phone call with a difficult human business associate when there was a knock at the office door. He hoped it was Harper, since splaying her delectable body on his desk would go a long way to improving his mood. Instead, he found that it was none other than…“Isla.” His inner demon snarled, not at all happy to see her despite their history.

Her smile was pleasant and gracious. “Good afternoon, Knox.”

“Something I can help you with?”

She glanced around his office. “I’ve been at the hotel for almost two days and we’ve spent no time together at all. You always made time for me in the past.”

Yes, he had. Whenever he’d looked at her, he’d remembered the child who had been dumped at the children’s sanctuary, bruised and bleeding; it was almost a month before she’d spoken a single word. Whenever he looked at her now, however, he remembered finding Harper in an alley with two dark practitioners.

Isla took a step toward his desk. “How about we go get a drink? You can tell me what I’ve missed since we last spoke in New York.”

“I don’t have time for that.” The words came out harsher than he’d intended.

“Why the cold shoulder?”

Why? Because Knox didn’t trust her. She was quite possibly the person responsible for what happened to Harper. “I’m not what anyone would call ‘warm.’”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is this because of the tiny confrontation I had with your imp?” Her tone insinuated that such an explanation would be dramatic.

“It certainly didn’t win you any points.”

“You’ve known her two weeks. You’ve known me—”

“How do you know how long I’ve known her?” No response. “Shall I tell you what I think, Isla? I think you heard about Harper before the New York conference. I think you sent Silas—”

Her brow furrowed. “Silas?”

“—to test me. And I think there’s a very good chance that you’re the one who sent dark practitioners after Harper.”

Isla appeared suitably offended. “I may not have any regard for the imp, but I wouldn’t betray you by targeting someone in your life. And if you truly believed I
had
betrayed you in some way, you would have tried to kill me by now. I say ‘tried’ because, let’s be honest here, you couldn’t have killed me. You couldn’t have brought yourself to do it.”

“Is that what you think? You believe you can fuck with me and I won’t retaliate?” His demon released a dark laugh at the idea. “I’m a lot of things, Isla – merciful isn’t one of them.”

She cocked her head. “You are quite fond of your little imp, aren’t you? It’s a shame for you that your demon won’t form that same attachment. It means you’ll have to give her up soon enough. So sad.” Her voice hardened as she added, “If I wanted to hurt the imp, I wouldn’t have ‘sent’ anyone. I would have gone after her myself. I don’t use minions, and you know that.”

“Yes, I do…and that would make you an unlikely suspect, wouldn’t it? Maybe that’s exactly what you’re counting on.” His next words came out in a dark rumble. “Hear me when I say this, Isla: If I do discover that you targeted my anchor, I’ll destroy you.”

“You truly believe she’s your anchor?”

“I’m positive that she is. So do the wise thing and let this go, concentrate on the election.” Her confidence crumbled, and she suddenly looked lost, reminding him of the terrified, injured child she’d once been. “Has it occurred to you that just maybe you convinced yourself I was your anchor back then because, at the time, you felt you needed one? That you felt you needed the assurance that someone would always be there for you, always protect you?”

Affronted, she argued, “I need no one to protect me.”

“Not now. But back then, you weren’t as strong.”

She spoke in a low voice. “You always protected me in that place.”

“I did. But not because I ever believed you’re my anchor.”

She was silent for a few minutes. “If you’re so very certain the imp is your anchor, I will accept that. I obviously confused your protective behavior for being something more. It was my mistake. I apologize.” She studied his face. “You don’t believe me.”

“You’re a very accomplished liar, Isla.”

She smiled. “That is true. You will just have to trust me.”

“That’s the thing: I don’t.”

Her smile widened. “You always were smart. Be assured, however, that your imp is safe from me.” With those words, she strolled out of his office.

It was really no surprise that Levi, who had been guarding the door, waltzed inside. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not buying a word of what she just said.”

Knox sighed, sinking into his chair. “I can’t say I’m all that convinced either.”

“You know, I’ve always wondered…”

“What?”

“When we were in the sanctuary, Isla used to talk about going to live on a farm, surround herself with animals. You remember?”

“Yes.”

“Instead, when she left us because she was pissed that you wouldn’t accept her as your anchor, she joined a lair. She later became Prime of that lair, she took over human businesses, she enlarged her lair, she sought more and more power – even going as far as to have a vampire attempt to convert her in the hope that it would make her more powerful. Which it has.”