“Did you also know that he was sleeping with one of the Horsemen? Isla? They were close, Harper. They’d known each other for centuries. But he killed her. You think you’re any safer with him?”
At the reminder of Isla, Harper’s demon curled her upper lip. “He killed her because she hurt me. And yes, I do believe I’m safe with him.” She fumbled behind her for the doorknob. “Look, you need to go back to Cuba, Drew.”
“Nothing I say could change your mind on Thorne?”
“Nothing.” With that, she turned to the door again.
“I know that Asher’s not a sphinx.”
That comment had her hand freezing on the knob. Whirling to face Drew, she scoffed, “Of course he’s a sphinx. It’s perfectly easy to sense.”
“Did you forget I have the ability to identify a demon’s breed on sight?”
Yes, actually, she had forgotten. But she remembered now that he didn’t even need to be in the vicinity of the person in question. Drew could look at a photo of a demon and simply see what they were. Stomach rolling, she nonetheless stated, “Asher is a sphinx.”
Eyes soft with sympathy, Drew shook his head. “No, Harper, he’s not.”
Fisting her hands, she advanced on the asshole and then jabbed a finger at him. “Don’t you dare fuck with me just because you’re bitter about my—”
“This is not me fucking with you. I would never lie about something like this. I’m telling you, Harper, your son is not a sphinx.”
“Then do educate me, Drew … what is he?” she spat sardonically, humoring him.
“Each breed of demon has a sort of aura. Not a spiritual glow like what humans talk about. The auras I see are faint ribbons of light that twine around a person. Thorne’s light is black, which sounds like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? But the color black is really just the complete absorption of visible light; it’s the absence of color. I have no idea what he is, but it’s dark and old and I’ve never come across one like it before.”
“And Asher’s light?” she asked, voice cracking.
“He doesn’t have one, Harper. He has a shadow instead. It’s like a dark smudge. Do you know what that means? It means he doesn’t belong to a breed. He’s a demon, yes, but he’s nothing … natural. Whatever he is doesn’t have a marker because it shouldn’t exist.”
Her spine snapped straight. “My son has every right to exist!”
“I’m not saying he should be fucking killed, Harper, I’m saying he isn’t a natural breed of demon. I haven’t told anyone, before you ask. And I won’t. But you need to be careful, Harper, because that dark smudge … it pulses. Like an irregular heartbeat. I don’t know what the fuck that means, but it can’t be anything good. You wouldn’t have fully committed yourself to someone who kept secrets from you, so I’m sure you think you know what Thorne is. But I doubt he’s told you the truth because whatever that guy is, he couldn’t even conceive a normal demon. What does that say about him?”
Overwhelmed, she swallowed. “I have to go. You have to go.”
“You really think I could go back to fucking Cuba when I know there’s an incorporeal demon out there who came at you and is highly likely to do it again? I’d spend my days going insane with worry. No, I’m staying until the threat has gone and I know you’re safe.”
“Knox won’t stand for that.”
“He’s already taken my future from me. What more can he do?”
“Your future?” she echoed, blood boiling at the sheer nerve of him. “If you’d really thought of me that way, you’d have done something about it a long time ago. And you’re goddamn arrogant to assume that I was that much of a sure thing.” Her demon surfaced with a hiss. “You had no right to mark yourself for me,” it said.
Drew shrugged. “It’s done.”
“You have to get rid of it.”
“You think I’ll let Thorne or anyone else tell me what I can do to my own damn body?”
Retaking control, Harper glared at him. “And how would you like it if you knew there was someone out there wearing your female on his skin?”
“Someone out there is.” He gave her a pointed look.
Harper snarled. “I’m not yours. Never have been. Never will be. You need to accept it or—”
Behind her, the bedroom door flew open.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” growled Tanner. He rounded Harper and stalked into Drew’s personal space. “Do you want to die? Is that what this is?”
Sidling up to Harper, Jolene put a hand on her back. “I tried to keep him downstairs, but he got suspicious.”
“Call Thorne here,” Drew dared. “Even better, ask Ciaran to go get him. Harper has a right to know why her son—”
She jerked as fire roared to life in front of her. Hissed. Popped. Crackled. And there was Knox. No, there was Knox’s demon. Oh, shit.
Everyone froze, eyeing it warily. Its attention was on Drew. Although it looked the image of utter composure, fury gleamed in those obsidian eyes. The air turned bitterly cold and so oppressive that it hurt to breathe it in.
Chest tingling, Harper coughed. “Knox?” Knox, please get your demon to dial it down. If anything, the air thickened even further. Then they were all coughing. Rubbing her chest, she tried again. “Knox?”
Black eyes slid to her, and the fury there receded just a little. Either the demon chose to subside or Knox wasn’t taking any of its shit, because then he surfaced and the air cleared. Want to tell me why you’re in a bedroom with the fucker who wants to steal you from me?
She winced. Yeah, it did look bad, didn’t it? I didn’t know Drew was here. Grams just said she had something she needed to show me.
He arched a brow. And you didn’t think to walk out when you realized why she really brought you here?
Grams said he just wanted to say goodbye. I figured I could just let him get it over with and then leave.
Knox’s gaze cut to her grandmother. “You fucked with my trust, Jolene.”
Smoothing a hand down her blouse, Jolene said, “Drew just wanted to say his goodbyes.” It wasn’t a defense; it was a statement. Jolene didn’t justify herself to anyone.
“No, he didn’t want that,” said Knox. “Not at all.”
Harper frowned, wondering if he’d taken a dip in Drew’s mind and seen a wholly different intention.
Knox turned to Drew. “Did you have it removed?”
Drew lifted his chin. “If you mean the tat, no.” And his expression said that he had absolutely no intention of doing so. Jolene groaned in exasperation. Tanner shook his head, mouth tightening. Knox? He just looked at the hellcat blankly.
“That’s fine. I can remove it for you.” Knox gripped Drew, and then fire erupted around them.
“Knox, no!” Harper shouted, but it was too late. They were gone. Sighing, she shoved a hand through her hair. “Well, Grams, I can’t say you didn’t fuck this one up.”
Jolene fingered her pearl necklace. “Will he kill him?”
“I don’t know.” Harper rubbed her temple. The day had started off so well …
“If Knox can pyroport,” began Jolene, “why has he been using Ciaran like a cab all this time?”
“He likes to keep people guessing about what he can do.”
Jolene gave a slow nod of understanding. “His secret is safe with me.”
“I’d like to say your hellcat is safe with Knox, Jolene,” Tanner told her, jaw hard. “But he’s not. Not one little fucking bit.”
*
As the flames eased off, Knox grabbed the hellcat with psychic hands and rammed him into the cracked stone wall. The breath slammed out of Clarke’s lungs. He coughed, body shaking, eyes burning with rage. He would no doubt have stupidly lunged at Knox if the psychic hands weren’t pinning him to the wall like a butterfly.