Embers

by Suzanne Wright

  Harper gasped as ice-cold psychic fingers dug into her thighs, hiked them up and then spread them wide, letting Knox slide even deeper and hit some magical spot inside her. “Fuck, Knox, I’m going to come with or without you.”

  He bit her lower lip. “Then come.” He pounded harder, his pace furious, and then he watched as her orgasm crashed into her, making her eyes go blind. She screamed as her spine arched like a bow. Knox jammed his cock deep just as her pussy contracted and rippled around him, greedily milking every bit of come from his dick. And then they both collapsed.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Pausing in pulling on a fresh sweater after Asher had spilled milk all over her other one, Harper looked at Knox. “What do you mean, you’re not going to work?”

  Leaning his hip against the doorjamb of the closet, Knox said, “I mean, I’m taking the day off. We’re going out. You, me, and Asher.”

  “We are? Where?”

  “I was thinking we could pyroport to the spot on the Grand Canyon where I taught you to fly. He loved it last time—especially since we both took turns flying him around.”

  Harper pursed her lips. They didn’t get enough days out, in her opinion. And it would be good for Asher to leave the estate for a little while. “Sounds good.”

  “It does.” Crossing to her, Knox drew her to him and slid his arms around her waist. “How do you feel about getting away from Vegas for a week or so? The three of us need some uninterrupted time together. I was thinking we could take a trip out on the yacht.”

  She sighed. “You apologized last night. I accepted your apology.”

  “I know you did.”

  “Then you also know you don’t need to make it up to me by doing nice stuff or—”

  “I want to do things for you. I want to spoil you. I like spoiling you. I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like, because I’m conscious of how awkward it makes you feel.” He was introducing her to the concept, little by little, but Knox suspected that awkwardness would always be there. Since he found it sort of cute, that didn’t bother him in the least. “But this isn’t just about that. The three of us could really use some time and space away from all the shit that’s going on around us.”

  Unable to deny that, Harper relented, “Okay. A little break would be nice. But I think Asher would prefer another trip to the island over some time on the yacht.”

  Knox traced the brand on her throat was his fingertip. “You’re right, he’ll enjoy the beach. And he likes the nursery we had built for him in the hut.” At Harper’s specifications.

  She sighed. “It’s not a hut. It’s a giant beach villa with a thatched roof.”

  Knox’s mouth quirked. “Call it whatever you like. Can you be packed and ready to leave tomorrow morning?”

  “So soon?”

  “Like I said, we need the time and space away.”

  “Tomorrow morning’s good with me. But since you’ll be taking some time off work for a vacation, you really don’t need to stay home today.”

  “I know. I want to stay home.” Not only because they needed quality time together, but because he needed her to be in easy reach for a little while so that he could touch her whenever he liked. After what happened, Knox didn’t want her out of his sight. He wasn’t leaving her side until the fear that had struck him last night had completely faded. If that made him irrational, so be it.

  They’d spent much of the night talking and fucking, enjoying some alone time. When Asher woke at six in the morning, they brought him into their room and let him play on their bed while they watched TV. It had been peaceful. Normal. They didn’t get much “normal” these days. Which was why Knox then said … “Later, you and I are going out for dinner.”

  She lifted a brow. “Is that a fact?”

  Mouth twitching at her haughty tone, Knox kissed her. “I’ll rephrase. I’d like to take you out to dinner later. Does that work for you?”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  “I’ll hound you until you agree.”

  Harper snorted. She didn’t doubt that he would. “Where do you want to go?”

  “You choose.”

  Harper leaned back a little to study him, narrowing her eyes. “You, a total control freak, want me to choose? I think the last time you did that was when I was pregnant. You’d messed up then too. Knox, I told you, you don’t need to do nice things for me—your apology has been accepted.”

  “And I told you that I want to do things for you, so suck it up.” Before she could chew a chunk out of his ass for that remark, he kissed her. Took her mouth, pouring that consuming and overpowering emotion he felt for her right down her throat. Moaning, she melted against him, and something in him settled. Just as he pulled back, Larkin’s mind touched his.

  Knox, we need to talk, the harpy told him. I’m in the living room when you’re ready.

  We’ll be right down. Cupping Harper’s hips, Knox said, “Larkin’s here. She no doubt wants to check on you. I assured her that you were fine earlier this morning by telepathy, but she’ll naturally want to see that for herself.”

  Knox hadn’t been surprised when Tanner and Levi turned up a few hours ago, wanting to check on Harper first thing. Keenan had actually stayed the night, worried for her. Knox was quite sure his little sphinx would be surprised by just how protective his sentinels were of her. It wasn’t about her being their Prime; it wasn’t about duty. They cared for and respected her. She had a way of winning people’s loyalty without even trying.

  “I’m ready,” said Harper, straightening her sweater. “We can—” Hearing her cell chime, she walked out of the closet and over to the nightstand, where she grabbed the phone. The name flashing on the screen made her blink in surprise and caused her stomach to knot.

  “Who is it?” asked Knox, who’d followed her into the bedroom. “Clarke?” He’d kill the fucker if it was.

  “Not the one you’re thinking of. It’s Devon.” The other girls had called last night to check on Harper after Jolene—who’d lost her everloving mind when she heard about the café incident—passed on the news of what happened. It had hurt Harper that Devon hadn’t bothered to even send her a text. Noticing that Knox was lingering, arms folded, Harper said, “Can I have a little privacy while I take the call?”

  “I’m staying until I’m sure she’s not calling to give you grief.” He held her gaze with his own, telling her without words that he wouldn’t budge.

  Sighing, Harper swiped her thumb across the screen. “Hello?”

  “Hey,” Devon greeted shyly. “I meant to call you last night but … well, I wasn’t sure if you’d want to hear from me, considering I’ve been such a bitch lately. Now I’ve decided I don’t care if you don’t want to talk to me, I need to know you’re okay. Khloë promised you were fine, but … ”

  Shoulders losing their stiffness, Harper said, “I’m okay. And I’m glad you called.” She gave Knox an “it’s fine” look, but he still didn’t move. She rolled her eyes.

  “Khloë said that you would have died if Knox hadn’t been there at the café.” Devon’s voice shook a little. “He’s handy to have around.”

  Harper gave a soft snort of amusement. “Very true.”

  “It wasn’t fair of me to be mad at him. Drew was warned, and he ignored every one of those warnings. I just felt torn. And guilty, because I was pissed at him even while he was so hurt. He’s my brother. I felt like I should have sided with him, but I couldn’t. It ate me up.”

  “I get it. I’m not upset.”

  “Not sure if Jolene’s already told you, but Drew left for Cuba. We escorted him to the airport and watched the plane take off. He’s gone so … Look, I know Knox probably won’t care, but tell him I’m sorry for not being fair to him. I’m guessing he’s right there, since there’s no way he wouldn’t monitor a call you received from someone he suspected might upset you.”

  Harper met his eyes. “He’s here.”

  “And that’s why I like that you have him. I wan
t someone who’ll always look out for you, even if that means my brother suffered his wrath.” There was a short pause. “So, are we okay? You and me, I mean?”

  “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 inc
antor 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.

  Generally, familiars were rarely powerful. However, they were often annoyingly immune to the compelling tone that all sphinxes were gifted with, which meant that Harper probably wouldn’t be able to force the she-demon to confess all. But that was okay. There were other much more fun ways of extracting information from people.

  As they neared the boathouse, Harper shot Knox a look. Remember, let me lead. He only inclined his head, which would have to be good enough. Blanking her expression, she pushed open the door. Three gleaming chrome and fiberglass boats were separated by narrow walkways. At the end of the central walkway was a curvy redhead, tied to a chair, her eyes wide, her freckled face pale.

  Keeping her gaze locked with Sherryl’s, Harper slowly stalked toward her, wooden floorboards groaning beneath her feet. The rough nylon ropes creaked as the boats swayed gently. Beneath the scent of the briny salt water that lapped at the hulls were the smells of wax and motor oil … and the little bitch’s fear. Excellent. That fear was like catnip to Harper’s demon.

  Coming to a halt, Harper bared her teeth in a feral smile. She was conscious of Knox sidling up to her while Larkin joined Levi in standing near the wall, but her focus was on the familiar in front of her. The familiar who had quite possibly passed on info that led to the attempted attack on her son. As far as Harper was concerned, an effort to possess Asher counted as an attack. An attack that, if successful, could have led to any number of bad things for her little boy.

  Harper tilted her head. “Sherryl, isn’t it? I have some questions for you. I’d advise you not to choose silence over honesty, but I truly can’t say I’m hoping you’ll choose honesty. I’m in a real bitchy mood, so torturing answers out of you would bring me nothing but supreme joy.”

  Sherryl studied her. “You’re not a killer,” she said, voice shaky but sure. “I see into a person. You’ll kill in self-defense or during combat. But you won’t kill someone who isn’t fighting back.”