Knox swore through gritted teeth, but he didn’t move his eyes from the screen.
After a pause for what was clearly dramatic effect, the voice went on, “Yes, to all those who doubted my group’s existence, we are real. Although my compatriots—Isla, Nora, and Roan—are dead, the goal remains the same. The US Primes have to fall. But, really, must there be deaths? I don’t see why. If each of the US Primes step down, this will end here. If not, many will die. And you, Mr. Thorne, will be the first to do so. It’s nothing personal. You’re simply in my way, much like Alethea is in my way.”
She snapped something at the Horseman, but her words were once again silent.
He rested his hand on her head. “Now you get to see what I do to those who stand in my way.” Hellfire streamed out of his palm and engulfed her body in a rush. Her screams would have no doubt overridden the sounds of fire hissing and popping if the Horseman hadn’t stolen her voice. Her skin blistered and melted as the hellfire ate at it. Finally, her charred, blackened, steaming corpse slumped in her seat. Then the video came to an end.
Knox rubbed a hand down his face. “Jesus.”
Grim, Levi nodded. “I never liked her, but death-by-hellfire … I wouldn’t have wished that on her.”
If he were normal, Knox probably would have felt some element of grief over her death. He’d known her for centuries, and they’d shared a bed many times. But she’d also done her best to hurt Harper ever since Knox claimed the little sphinx as his mate. As such, he’d come to feel little for the she-demon other than utter contempt.
Like the other women from his past, Alethea had been elegant, cultured, sophisticated, and well-groomed. Since she’d viewed Harper as somewhat beneath her, Alethea had taken his claim on Harper as, in Levi’s words, a “personal insult”. But that wasn’t the only reason Alethea had been an absolute bitch to her. She—like many others—was intimidated by Harper. Moreover, Alethea had been unable to work out what made his mate “tick”. Unable to pierce Harper’s aloof “you’re not worth my time” air or hit her where it truly hurt, no matter what Alethea did or how far she went.
Harper was indeed a hard nut to crack. She was difficult to predict. Hard to offend. Impossible to manipulate. Rare for their kind, she also had no aspirations for power whatsoever. Nor was she driven by greed, addictions, or a craving for adrenalin rushes. Unlike other Primes, she didn’t demand respect or submission. Didn’t flaunt her status or act like she was above others. Alethea had just never been able to understand her.
She’d no doubt also been jealous that Harper was incredibly powerful—so powerful, in fact, that she’d fought off a death hex. Demons respected strength and, as such, the other Primes had grudgingly come to not only respect her but accept her as Knox’s mate. Alethea, however, had never treated Harper with anything less than hostility. For that reason, he couldn’t find it in him to feel any grief over her death. But, since he didn’t have a lot of good in him, that wasn’t at all shocking.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Knox handed the iPhone back to his sentinel. “I’m surprised the clip even made it onto the website.”
“Some viewers have commented on it, slating the ‘special effects’ and calling Alethea a bad actor. I doubt the people at YouTube thought it was real. Why would they?”
Knox inclined his head, conceding Levi’s point. “I’ll need to call Jonas. I’m sure he’s seen the clip by now and isn’t in the mood for conversation, but I need to speak with him. The Horseman said he wanted me to die first. And although he also said he’d only kill me if the Primes didn’t agree to step down, I don’t think it means he’s not behind what happened to Asher.”
“Neither do I. It doesn’t make sense that he’d give you advanced warning that he meant to attack—he’d need whatever advantage he could get. I think he sent someone after Asher. I think he waited a while, hoping you’d lower your guard, and then struck out of nowhere. Probably believed that an abrupt attack would be effective.”
“But it wasn’t. All it did was alert us to his plans, so he had nothing to lose by making this video and spouting dire warnings.”
“You should make a public statement,” Levi recommended. “Disclose that someone was sent for Asher. It will enrage a whole lot of people, especially our lair and even some of the Primes. We need demonkind to be angry, not afraid.”
“Once I’ve spoken with Jonas and I have the facts about his sister, I’ll make a statement.” Knox twisted his mouth as he considered the footage. “The Horseman said she was in his way. It seems likely that he knew her personally.”
Levi nodded. “She was sleeping with Thatcher, but it didn’t last long. Alethea’s relationships never did.”
True enough. “I need to tell Harper about this before someone else does.” Baby, you got a minute?
Her psychic taste of honey, coffee, and truffles poured into his mind, filling every empty space. Sure, she responded. I’m just making a snack while Asher has his afternoon nap.
Knox pyroported to their kitchen to find her standing at the counter, spreading soft cheese on a bagel. “Where’s Meg?” he asked. The housekeeper often prepared their meals before they got the chance.
“Visiting her sister.” Harper frowned at whatever she saw on his face. “What happened? Please tell me you found out who tried to take Asher.”
“I wish I could.” Knox took her hands and drew her to him. “There’s no tactful way to say this. Alethea’s dead.”
For a long moment, Harper said nothing. “Dead?”
“Dead. Her murder was posted on YouTube.” He told her about the footage and that the killer claimed to be the remaining Horseman. “I advise you not to watch the clip—it’s ugly. You don’t want that in your head.”
Harper shoved a hand through her hair, shocked. She couldn’t pretend to feel any upset over the she-demon’s death. In truth, she hadn’t felt even the most basic respect for Alethea, hence why she’d found great joy in toying with the woman, calling her “dolphin” due to her kind’s random ability to shift into such a mammal. Still, Harper experienced no sense of satisfaction over her death. “That’s a hell of a way to go. I wouldn’t have wished it on her. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Except maybe for the person who tried to take Asher. Them I would wish never-ending torture on.”
The culprit would suffer a fuck of a lot worse than what Alethea did—Knox would make sure of it. Many might have been surprised by Harper’s merciful response to Alethea’s death, but that was because they didn’t see the marshmallow center that lay beneath her hard exterior. Knox loved that she had such compassion and mercy in her. Some might view those qualities as weaknesses. But the fact that she was as kindhearted as she was bloodthirsty made her strong, in his opinion. She had many facets, and that gave her an edge.
“I intend to speak with Jonas and find out who Alethea was associating with before she disappeared,” said Knox. “It might be insensitive not to give him space and time to grieve first, but the Horseman is making their move—we don’t have time.”
“Jonas will want the fucker caught. If you make it clear that you intend to make that happen, he’ll be more cooperative. Damn, I feel bad for him. I don’t trust him—not knowing he wanted to make a deal with Lou in the hope of getting his hands on an archdemon—but it must be hard to lose a sibling.” Harper winced, because she remembered that she herself had lost a sibling. She’d also been the one to kill him.
“You’re thinking of Roan. Stop.” Knox rested his hands on her shoulders. “As you’ve said before, it was him or you. You chose you. He was never a brother to you. Never. And let’s not forget that he was working with whoever killed Alethea. Her murderer even named Roan as one of the Horsemen on the video.”