BURN (26 page)

His eyes flashed demon for a brief moment. “You’re my sister. Don’t say you’re not.” He made a visible effort to calm himself. “I won’t tell anyone, I just want to know.”

“I’m your sister,” Harper acknowledged. She blew over the rim of her cup before taking a sip. “Carla won’t like you talking to me.”

“She doesn’t know.” He lifted his own cup. “She has a picture of you.”

Okay, well that almost caused Harper to spit her coffee all over the table. “A picture?” she asked disbelievingly.

“I found it in a box she keeps hidden in her closet.”

Harper smiled. “Let me guess…she keeps a stash of cash there.”

His cheeks reddened. “I just needed enough to—”

“I grew up with imps, I can’t judge.”

“In the photo, you’re in a graduation outfit.”

Carla was at her graduation? No fucking way.

“It’s not a close-up shot, you’re laughing with someone, but I know it was you.”

“Why would that make you think I’m your sister?”

“It didn’t. Sometimes, I
know
things when I touch stuff.” He frowned, looking a lot like his father in that moment. “It doesn’t always happen. And sometimes, it’s not very clear. But when I held the picture, I
knew
you were her kid, I
knew
she gave you up, and I
knew
she was scared of you.”

Harper blinked. “Scared?”

“Why is she scared of you?”

“I don’t know.” Harper doubted it was related to what happened when she was a toddler. Instead, it was likely that Carla wasn’t necessarily scared of Harper; she was scared of the truth getting out.

“Yes, you do.”

Harper had to smile. “Persistent little shit, aren’t you?”

He shrugged, returning her smile, though it was a little strained. “I just want to understand.”

“The only person who really understands it is Carla. All I know is that she didn’t want me, she handed me over to my paternal family, and she wants nothing to do with me.” Harper paused as they both sipped their coffee. “And I know she despises my father for leaving her.”

“She’s not…normal. She can be really nice, kind. And it’s not an act, it’s real. But the strangest things can make her angry. I think she finds her demon hard to control and it wears on her. Roan said she’s twisted up inside but that it’s not her fault. I don’t know what that means.”

“Maybe she had a shitty childhood or something.”

“She got angry when she heard you and Knox are mates.”

Ho, ho, ho, that was just fabulous. Her inner demon chuckled in delight, happy about anything that would rile the woman. “Did she?”

“She didn’t do or say anything, I could just tell.”

“I’m her dirty little secret, Kellen. It’s hard to pretend you don’t have a dirty little secret if it’s now the mate of your Prime,” Harper explained.

“My dad will be seriously mad when he finds out about this.”

“I have no intention of telling your dad or anyone else.”

Kellen seemed shocked. “You don’t want anyone to know? But what she did was wrong!”

“But if she could never have brought herself to care about me, giving me up was the best thing she did for me. I’m not bitter about what she did. If you ask me, holding bitterness inside will just destroy a person from the inside out.”

There was a long silence before he asked sheepishly, “Can I come see you sometimes? I mean, I want to know you.”

Harper smiled. “Okay. I’d like to know you too.”

“I don’t think it would be a good idea to tell Roan. He wouldn’t keep it from her. He does his best to please her all the time. He might as well be lodged up her a….butt.”

She almost laughed at his attempt not to curse in front of her. He’d soon learn she cursed like a drunken sailor. “Then it’s best if we keep it between us.” They talked for a little longer, discussing everyday things. When Kellen left, she crossed over the road to the studio.

Tanner poked his head out of the open window of the Bentley. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

“Only that Carla gave me up. He doesn’t know the rest, thankfully.” She gave him a quick rundown of everything Kellen said. “He’s smart enough to have kept it to himself so far, and he’s promised me he won’t tell anyone – not even his dad or brother.”

“Do you really think you two can have a relationship without Carla finding out?”

“I’ve no idea.” Entering the studio, she puffed out a long breath. “That was hard.”

“What happened?” asked Raini. “What did he say?”

“She has a picture of me.” Harper still couldn’t quite grasp that. “She went to my graduation, but she stayed out of sight. She took a picture while she was there.”

Khloë double-blinked. “I’m not understanding that.”

Harper sighed. “Me neither.”

Devon was the image of compassion. “What did he want?”

“To know what happened, why Carla did what she did. In his place, I’d want to know too.” Hearing the door open, Harper turned. And smiled as her nerve endings and her demon shot to life. “I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

Knox’s mouth curved as he stalked toward her, radiating a raw sexuality that always made her body hum. “I got back early.” Locking his arms around her, he pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth. But then he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just been a weird afternoon.”

“You can tell me about it in the car.”

They rode with Levi, since it seemed that Tanner had already taken off – apparently he had ‘something to get ready for,’ whatever the hell that meant.

Knox twisted to face her. “Tell me.”

So Harper did. He didn’t interrupt her. He just listened as he soothingly threaded his fingers through her hair.

Once she was done, he said, “Strange that she should have a picture of you.”

“I can’t even begin to make sense of that.”

“Then let’s not try.” He combed his fingers through her hair once more. “She isn’t important. You’re important. Forget about her, so you can enjoy yourself.”

That sounded interesting. “Enjoy myself how?”

“I haven’t spent any real time with you in four days. Before that, things were intense with fucking politics. So tonight, we’re going to the Underground to wind down and have time together.” Knox licked over her bottom lip. He loved her mouth. Loved the sensual shape of it. Loved the feel of it wrapped around his cock. Loved knowing that it was
his
.

Knox kissed her again. He would have done a whole lot more if Levi wasn’t in the car. Knox had been hard since the moment her eyes met his in the studio. Although he’d had fleeting moments with her over the past few days, it hadn’t been enough for him. He’d learned that he wasn’t just addicted to her body, but her mind, her laugh, her unpredictability, her ever-changing eyes, and the way she teased him. Every time someone had jumped to obey him in the past few days, he’d thought of the way Harper snorted at his orders. He’d…missed her.

His demon, too, had missed her. She probably had no idea just how deeply attached the demon was to her. She was its sole source of satisfaction; the only person that entertained, impressed, and delighted it. It had been bored out of its mind without her, which had made it intolerant of everyone around it.

“Yeah? Wind down how?” she asked.

“You’ll see. And you’ll get to see Tanner run, too.”

Her brow crinkled. “I don’t know what that means.”

“You will soon.”

A little while later, Harper was gaping through the protective glass of a VIP box in a hound racing stadium in the Underground. And Knox’s words made sense. She spun to face him. “Please tell me Tanner isn’t going to race here.”

Knox arched a brow. “You didn’t know hellhounds liked to race?”

Well, yes, she’d known about it. The tracks were located near the casinos, and as Harper wasn’t much into gambling, she hadn’t visited them. It looked like any normal dog racing stadium. There was a spectator area, grandstands, and private boxes that all gave a perfect view of the oval track. “I’ve heard it can be pretty brutal.”

“It can be,” he confirmed. “Almost as brutal as the hellhorses.”

That was bad, Harper knew. Normal horses could be sweet and placid. Hellhorses? Not so much. They were not only as predatory as every other demon, they were fucking wild. You didn’t ride a hellhorse unless you were crazy. “How often does Tanner do this?”

“Pretty often. Just as Levi likes the combat circle, Tanner likes the track.”

She was about to ask what Larkin and Keenan liked to do when a bell rang and eight hellhounds slowly prowled onto the track. The crowd cheered, their excitement evident. She was a little too nervous for Tanner’s demon to share in their excitement. Yes, it was most likely ironic that she was protective of the demon who protected her.

She recognized Tanner’s hound by the scar on its muzzle. It was more powerfully built than the others, but she was worried all that bulkiness would slow it down. Each of the hellhounds got into position, growling and snarling at each other…and then things turned fucking weird. Oily pits, small fires, and puddles of bubbling, boiling water abruptly appeared in random places on the track. “Well, fuck.”

Knox chuckled. “Don’t be so nervous. He’ll be fine.”

A bell rang a second time, and the hellhounds bolted – Tanner’s hound instantly fell into sixth place. Damn, they were fast as they leaped over the obstacles. Tanner’s hound was totally focused, and its pace was steady and swift, but she had the feeling it was holding back a little.

It was no shock to discover that the hounds had no problem with cheating. They liked biting, clawing, and body slamming their competitors in an effort to take the lead. One locked its jaws around the back leg of another hound and spun it off the track – a move that lost it time as other hounds raced ahead of it. One howled as it was knocked into a puddle of boiling water by another hound.

Within fifty seconds, Tanner’s demon was in third place. A competitor bit it into its flank – bad decision. Tanner’s hound slammed it into a pit; the oil kept the hound stuck in place.

The crowd was going crazy – yelling names, words of encouragement, and also some threats. Every time a hound was taken out of the equation, people who’d clearly bet on them began stamping and cursing and even turned on their friends.

Tanner’s hound soon shot into second place. All was looking good until…“Someone just shot him with a fucking orb of hellfire!”

Knox locked his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. “The spectators are allowed to do that in the last section of the track.”

“
What?
”

“That’s why the race is pretty much anyone’s race. It doesn’t matter how fast a hound is, they can be hurt and slowed down in the last section if they’re hit too many times.”

“Tanner’s hound must be pissed.” She worried her lower lip as another hound came close. “Come on, faster!” Hearing Knox chuckle again, she glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m aware that it can’t hear me. That doesn’t mean I can’t offer moral support.”

“Of course it doesn’t.”

“Shit, it’s slowing down…and that fucker just raced ahead of it.” She cursed. “And now it’s been hit again.” This time on the leg. “Oh God, they’re nearly at the finish line. Well, third place is pretty—” She gasped as Tanner’s hound put on an impressive burst of speed. It shot straight into first place and right over the finish line. She found herself bouncing up and down in Knox’s arms. “Tanner’s hound won!”

“I see that.”

“Okay, it’s a little exciting,” she allowed. “And I
might
have enjoyed it. Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

“Not yet.” Knox bit her earlobe before sucking on it. “Put your hands on the glass.”

She stilled at the dominance and authority that rung in his voice. She knew exactly what that tone meant. Her body knew what it meant, began to melt and ready itself for him. Harper’s knees buckled as an ice-cold finger slid through her folds right as Knox snaked his hand beneath her shirt to cup one breast. “
Shit
.
Tell me no one can see me.”

“No one can see you…unless I flick that switch on the wall over there.”

“Don’t.”

“Why? Don’t you want them to see me taking you? Don’t you want them to know you’re mine, that every inch of you belongs to me?” He whipped off her t-shirt and bra. “Shoes.”

She kicked them off while he quickly unbuttoned her fly and shoved down her jeans. Her panties went with a snap just as two icy fingers drove into her. The first cold thrust was always a shock, but the heat emanating from the fingers made her pussy blaze and spasm.

At his urging, she stepped out of her jeans. That was when his psychic fingers began pumping into her, making her body melt against him. Anticipation sent a tremor down her spine as she heard his zip slowly lowering. The bastard was dragging it out on purpose. The psychic fingers dissolved, leaving behind a flaming ache that was all too familiar.

“Hands on the glass, Harper. That’s my good girl.” Knox grabbed her hips, angled them just right, and slammed home. Her hot, slick pussy squeezed his cock almost to the point of pain. Too. Fucking. Good. Clutching the breast his demon had branded, Knox powered into her. “This is what I need.”