She heard a sob build in Asher’s chest, but the sound seemed so very far away. “Shh, baby,” she whispered, voice lacking in strength, head spinning. “We’re fine. Let me get a good look at you.” But even as she said it, she could do no more than loosen her hold on him before the darkness pulled at her. She fought it, she really did, she fought it so fucking hard … but it was mere moments before it swallowed her whole.
Knox felt it the moment that Harper lost consciousness—his own vision darkened around the edges, making him almost lose his footing on the moss-covered earth. His heart leaped, and his ribs suddenly felt too tight as panic tore through him.
Baby, don’t fucking do this to me. Wake the fuck up. He had no chance of sounding gentle when a soul-wrenching terror was strangling him with a vice-like grip.
Pulse racing, Knox touched Asher’s mind and felt vibes of fear, confusion, and shock. But no pain, to his utter relief. That didn’t calm Knox’s demon—the entity was going fucking insane.
Knox soothingly brushed his mind over Asher’s, trying to ease his anxiety. It’s okay, I’ll find you, he said, hoping the reassurance in his tone would somehow comfort his son.
Asher’s mind slid against his own, cold and composed, and he knew it wasn’t Asher responding to him. It was his son’s inner demon, giving him the “impression” that it would keep Asher safe. That would have to be enough for now.
Knox scanned the area, as if he’d miraculously see some sign of Harper and Asher. He didn’t. Hell, they could have been twelve feet away and he probably wouldn’t have noticed, since the undergrowth was so dense. Ropy vines curled around thick tree trunks and draped over branches that boasted long-ass leaves. If he’d thought it would help, he’d fly over the island in search of them, but the canopies were too thick—he could easily skim right over Harper and Asher without knowing it.
He’d managed to pyroport the sentinels, Davis, and Noelle to the ground before the jet crashed somewhere in the distance, but they had no fucking idea where they were. None. Worse, he had no fucking idea where his mate and son were. Baby, wake up and tell me where you are. Nothing. Not a fucking thing.
“Harper’s unconscious,” Knox told the others, voice thick, stomach rock hard. He wouldn’t be surprised to hear that his eyes looked as feverish with rage as he suspected.
“Shit,” cursed Levi, sidestepping a spiky pineapple bush as he sidled up to Knox, fists clenched. “Asher?”
“He seems to be okay.” But while Harper was unconscious, Asher was extremely vulnerable. As if the heat, insects, and wild animals weren’t enough of a problem, there was the added danger of the Horseman. Who else would have taken out the jet? “We have to find them.” Even he heard the fear in his voice—the emotion left a metallic taste on his tongue.
Tanner’s nostrils flared as he drew in the scents around them. “They’re not close, but that doesn’t mean they’re at the other end of the island or anything. We will find them, Knox.”
Oh, they’d find them. What worried Knox was that the Horseman might find them first. The very idea of it made his chest tighten unbearably, taking his breath away. “But we don’t know which direction to head in, do we? Until we have even a hint of an idea where they landed, we don’t know where to start.” Harper, fucking answer me!
“Am I the only one thinking that the Horseman was responsible for the jet crashing?” asked Davis, taking his mate’s hand in his.
“It had to have been him,” said Knox. “He wasn’t able to get on my island—it’s too well-protected—but he knew what direction we’d take to get home, so he waited.” If Knox hadn’t erased the memory of himself using his ability to pyroport from Drew’s mind, leaving the hellcat clueless to it, Drew probably would have taken another course of action.
Noelle flicked a frown at the giant termite nest a few feet away. “Do you think he thought the crash would be enough to kill us?”
“I doubt it.” Levi used the bottom of his tee to wipe at the sweat on his forehead. The air was hot, thick, and heavy. “But I think he thought it would badly injure and weaken Knox.”
“Can’t Harper fly above the canopies when she wakes?” Noelle asked Knox. “You’d easily spot her if you then did the same.”
Knox shook his head. “He hurt her. Damaged either one or both of her wings bad enough to make her fall.” And the fact that she couldn’t fly her way out of danger made it even more important that Knox find her and Asher fast.
Tanner rubbed at his nape. “I have to say, I can’t imagine Drew harming her. Unless he’s given up on winning her to his side. Some people have that whole ‘If I can’t have you, no one will’ mentality.”
Harper, baby, I need you to wake up. When she didn’t answer, Knox growled and kicked aside one of the pieces of overripe fruit that littered the ground. “Whoever the Horseman is, he’s somewhere on this island. Where, I don’t know. But my guess is that he’ll be intent on tracking Harper and Asher, just like we are.”
Levi nodded, jaw hard. “They’re your only vulnerabilities. Moreover, they’re your demon’s only vulnerabilities.”
The reaper had that right. It was taking every inch of control Knox possessed to keep his demon in check. The entity wanted to hunt and annihilate the person who it knew was daring to hunt its mate and child.
It was filling Knox’s mind with images of them hurt and in pain, trying to goad Knox into surrendering control. But he didn’t. Even though he felt close to drowning in a soul-eating rage, he maintained control. Because the demon wouldn’t think. Wouldn’t wait for Harper to wake and give them some clue as to where she was. It would only do what it had been born to do—destroy.
“I don’t think he’ll hurt them, Knox,” said Tanner. “At least not until you’re there to watch.”
That didn’t make Knox feel much better. He again touched Asher’s mind. The vibes of fear had eased, which told Knox that it was highly unlikely they’d been found.
It galled him that he couldn’t get moving—he needed to act, but they needed some idea of what direction they should move in first. That left him feeling both helpless and fucking useless.
Harper, wake up, baby. Harper? Harper, WAKE THE FUCK UP!
Harper’s eyes snapped open as the telepathic shout seemed to rattle her brain, making her wince. She blinked rapidly, struggling to bring her surroundings into focus, groaning at the throbbing pain in her head. The smudge in her vision cleared, and she saw Asher sitting on the ground a few feet away, babbling to himself while shaking Hound, like he was playing on the rug at home. But they weren’t at home. They were … in a rainforest? What the hell—
The jet went down.
Her heart leaped in horror, slamming against her ribs, as memories flickered through her mind. The distance between her and Asher suddenly felt like miles. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
She tried bolting upright. And she instantly regretted it as pain exploded in her skull, streaked down her back, and lanced through her left wing-stem. The shock of the white-hot pain made her muscles lock tight. Motherfucker. She clenched her teeth, but a long hiss escaped. The sound caught Asher’s attention.
He looked at her and—unbelievably—a smile creased his face. There were dried tears on his cheeks, but he didn’t appear to be in any pain. In fact, there didn’t seem to be even a scratch on him, thank God. Her body and wings had protected him.
A growl rumbled out of Knox. Harper, you need to—
I’m awake, I’m awake, she assured him. A vibe of relief reverberated against her mind.
How long had she been out? Looking up, she saw snatches of sunlight through the thick, lush canopy. The sky hadn’t darkened. The fact that her wings hadn’t melted into her back suggested that she hadn’t been unconscious long.