“Of course we’re okay. We’ll always be ‘okay’, Devon.”
There was a distinct sigh of relief. “Maybe we could have dinner later or something. I’ve missed you.”
Harper bit her lower lip. “I have plans for tonight. I can’t do lunch either—me, Knox, and Asher are going out for the day.”
“That’s no problem—a family day out is much more important. We can get together another time.”
Harper smiled. “We’ll definitely meet up soon.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Have a great time. And give Asher a kiss for me.”
“Will do. Take care.” With that, Harper ended the call and tossed her phone on the bed.
Knox crossed to her and rubbed her back. “Feel better now?”
“Yes.” Being at odds with Devon had made things feel … off-balance. Out of whack. Now that the knot in the pit of Harper’s stomach unraveled, she took a deep, cleansing breath. “She wants you to know that she’s sorry for being mad at you. She knows it was unfair.”
“She felt torn, I understand that. I’m not at all grieved by it.” Other people’s opinions of him mattered little to Knox. “But she upset you, and that’s not whatsoever acceptable to me.” He didn’t believe the female hellcat deserved to get off with it so lightly.
“You upset me, too,” Harper reminded him gently. “You asked me to forgive you, and I have. She’s asked me to accept her apology, and I have. It would be hypocritical of you to begrudge her the forgiveness I gave her when you wanted it from me, too.” Before he could grumble about that, she kissed him. “How about we go see Larkin now?”
Allowing her to distract him from a conversation that he had no real desire to continue, Knox took his mate’s hand and led her down the stairs and into the living area. All four of his sentinels were scattered around the room.
Raking her gaze over Harper, Larkin smiled, “Hey. You look good for a girl who almost died.”
Knox let out a low growl. “Don’t remind me of what a close call it was.”
Larkin lifted her hands in a placatory gesture, but she seemed to be stifling a smile.
“Thanks for cleaning up the mess at the café, Larkin,” said Harper. “Knox told me what you and Tanner did.” Harper had already thanked the hellhound earlier.
Larkin just shrugged. “That’s what we do.”
Glancing around, Harper frowned. “Where’s Asher?”
“In the playarea with Meg,” replied Keenan, juggling toy bricks. “When Larkin said she had some news, I thought it would be better if the little guy wasn’t in the room.”
“Thanks, Keenan.” Taking a seat on the sofa beside Tanner, Harper lifted a brow at Larkin. “So, coming to check on me isn’t the only reason you’re here.”
“No.” The harpy looked at Knox. “You wanted me to track Alethea’s movements before she disappeared. I told you that I’d spoken with the humans she was regularly photographed with, right?”
Knox gave a short nod and settled on the sofa next to Harper, pulling her close. “You said there was only one you couldn’t find. A woman.”
“Yes.” Larkin scooted forward on her seat. “I figured that speaking to her wouldn’t really help, since it was likely that Jonas had given her the Australia story, just as he had the others.”
“But he hadn’t?” prodded Levi.
“That I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her.” Larkin’s eyes flitted between Harper and Knox. “I think she’s much more likely to give you answers than she is me.”
Knox arched a brow. “Why is that?”
“Because she’s not human,” said Larkin. “She’s a demon, so she’ll know exactly what a mistake it would be to play dumb with you.”
Tanner blinked. “A demon? One of ours?”
Larkin shook her head. “She’s one of Thatcher’s demons. I ran her picture through facial recognition software. Her name is Sherryl Malloy.”
Brow furrowing, Harper tilted her head. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
Larkin hesitated. “Because she’s dating your cousin, Ciaran.”
Knox had performed several interrogations in the boathouse on the grounds of their estate, but he was wary of having any strangers near his home and son right now—even if those strangers wouldn’t live long. As such, he would have asked Levi to grab Sherryl Malloy and take her straight to the Chamber … if Harper weren’t insisting on being part of the interrogation. Nothing he’d said had made her change her mind, and that meant he’d have to conduct it at the boathouse, because there was no way he was taking her to the Chamber.
He didn’t want her to ever step foot inside there. Didn’t want her to see the torturous implements and devices, or to be stained by the grim and hopeless air of the place. Of course, she knew Knox had a specific place where he punished those who deserved it. She was also well-aware that none of those punishments were even remotely merciful. But she never asked for details. Never even asked where the punishments took place. And that suited Knox just fine.
It would suit him just as much if she’d leave the interrogation up to him, but she’d point-blank refused. So, at that moment, his mate was walking between him and Larkin as they made their way to the boathouse. Tanner and Keenan had agreed to remain with Asher, but Knox suspected they would join them at some point out of sheer nosiness, if nothing else. They didn’t like to miss anything.
Knox briefly glanced at his mate. Harper looked composed, but her fiery anger brushed the edges of his mind. His demon wanted to nuzzle and calm her, even as it also fairly vibrated with its own fury.
Technically, since Malloy was one of Thatcher’s demons, Knox should contact the Prime about the situation before performing any interrogation. It was Thatcher’s right to deal with it himself and to take care of any punishments that needed to be dealt out. But since Knox hadn’t been able to cross Thatcher off his suspect list, he had no intention whatsoever of involving him in this.
Harper gave Knox a sideways look and said, “Let me lead this time. This bitch may well have been using Ciaran to get an in with my family and spy on them somehow for Alethea. She might have even recommended that Heidi be the perfect kid to use for the ritual to free the incorporeal. You can have your turn when I’m done.”
“You’re all heart,” Knox said dryly. She just snorted.
“I don’t think Malloy had anything to do with what happened to Heidi,” said Larkin, frowning. “From what I could gather, she’s only been dating Ciaran for a few months, off and on.”
“Yes, but I called Khloë a few minutes ago,” Harper told her. “She said that Ciaran and Sherryl have been working together at a retail store for a few years now. They were friends well before they started sharing a bed. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sherryl pushed for more so that she could get closer to him and get more info.”
“How much did you tell Khloë when you asked about Malloy?” Larkin asked.
“Not much. I assured her that I’d answer her questions later, once I had the answers I needed.” And Harper would do whatever it took to get them from this bitch who’d endangered her family. Anticipation filled her inner demon, who was anxious to vent some of the rage it had been forced to contain for far too long.
“Does Ciaran care about Malloy?” asked Larkin.
Harper considered it for a moment. “I doubt it, or he’d have brought her to family gatherings. He’s never once mentioned her to me. It was Khloë who talked about her, saying she didn’t like Ciaran’s new girlfriend.”
Harper also knew from Khloë that Sherryl was a familiar—a breed of demon that could change into small animals such as cats, dogs, birds, and ferrets. As such, Harper had been able to warn Levi that the bitch might try to escape him by shifting into an animal. She had indeed tried it, but Levi had bound her quickly with the preternatural rope he’d been given by his incantor friend—a demonic witch. It not only trapped a person, it blocked them from being able to use their gifts. Only a very powerful demon could escape it.