Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Slipping his cell phone back into his pocket, Knox relaxed into the buttery leather seat of the Bentley as he said to Levi, “Did you find out anything about Clarke?”

On realizing that Devon’s brother coveted Harper, Knox had asked the sentinel to do some digging on the male hellcat. Levi had been so thorough that he’d had a member of their Force, Armand, teleport him to Clarke’s home earlier while Knox was in a meeting.

Levi briefly met Knox’s gaze via the rear-view mirror. “As you already know, he’s been living in Cuba for the past six years. He hasn’t been a permanent fixture there, though. It’s more like Cuba is his main base. He goes away for months at a time. Even went on a two-year trip to no-man’s land on one of those ‘unplugged vacations’ where there was no phone service. He got back from there a month ago. When he is in Cuba, he rents a little shack on the beach. Works as a scuba diving instructor. Spends a lot of his time engaging in extreme sports. He also likes to party and socialize, and he sleeps around more than he dates. He has a type. Tall, blonde, stick-thin.”

“The opposite of Harper,” mused Knox. The surprise of that made his brows lower. “Find anything of interest in Clarke’s shack?”

“The guy’s as frugal as they come. The furniture couldn’t be more basic. There are framed photos all over the house—they’re all of Clarke doing extreme sports. None were of Harper or even Devon. I found a shoebox on the top shelf of his closet. There were little mementos in there and some pictures of his lair. Harper was on a few of them, but not alone or with him. There was nothing in his home that would suggest he’s carrying a torch for her. But … ”

Knox stilled. “But, what?”

“I noticed on his photos that he has an interesting tattoo between his shoulder blades. Not her work. At least, I doubt it was her work. I can’t imagine Harper doing a tattoo like that without feeling damn awkward about it.”

“Levi, tell me.”

The sentinel sighed. “It’s a picture of a sphinx—body of a lion, woman’s head, but no wings. And there was a hellcat snuggled up to it protectively.”

Knox swore. His rage bubbled out of him and filled the car, making the air so thick and oppressive it weighed heavy on his chest. “He marked himself for her.” His demon roared, livid. By having what was essentially a symbol of Harper tattooed on his skin, Clarke had left a brand on her demon’s behalf—as if it had claimed him. As if he had some claim to Harper.

Fists clenching, Knox forced his back teeth to unlock. “I have to say, Levi, I don’t like that some guy’s practically wearing my mate on his skin.”

“Neither do I.” A muscle in Levi’s jaw ticked. “I was so pissed when I saw it, I ground the photo to dust—frame and all.”

Knox would like to smash the bastard’s fucking jaw. He drew in a breath through his nose. “I very much doubt that Harper knows about the tattoo.”

“She’d never keep something like this from you, not even to stop you from hurting him.” Levi slowed the car as they approached a red light. “There’s something I really don’t get. If he wanted her bad enough to brand himself for her, why stay away from her?”

“I don’t know.” Reining in his anger, Knox cricked his neck. “But I know someone who’s likely to have the answer.”

A little while later, they were stood on Jolene Wallis’s porch. Opening the front door, she smiled. “Knox, always a pleasure.” She stepped aside, allowing him and Levi to enter. Her brow creased. “No Harper or Asher?”

“They’re at the studio.”

“Ah. I was just about to make coffee for me and Ciaran. He’s in the living area, watching TV.” She gestured for them to follow her down the hallway, adding, “Come tell me what brings you here.”

Following her into the kitchen, Knox positioned himself next to the island. He politely turned down her offer of a drink. Likewise, leaning against the doorjamb, Levi gave a quick shake of the head to her offer.

As Jolene pottered around the kitchen, Knox simply said, “Drew Clarke.”

Jolene spared him a brief look. “What about him?”

“He wants Harper, but he stayed away from her. Why is that?”

With a sigh, Jolene turned to face Knox. “Because I told him to.”

He’d suspected as much. “Why?”

Pouring coffee into her mug, Jolene explained, “Harper needed—and deserved—someone who would put her first. Someone who would stay in one place and build a life with her. Drew is not that person. Like Lucian, he’s very self-focused, enjoys partying and—though his base is in Cuba—he also travels a lot. Harper did enjoy her years of traveling with Lucian, but what she needed was roots, not someone who she’d come second to. So I told Drew to keep his distance until he was ready to give her what she did need.”

“You were testing him to see if he’d step up,” Knox guessed.

“Yes.” Jolene’s lips thinned. “He failed the test, just as I’d figured he would. He stayed in Cuba, living the regular bachelor lifestyle. I think he believed he had all the time in the world to take before offering Harper anything serious—back then, she only dated humans. Drew didn’t feel threatened by that. He hadn’t counted on her ever dating another demon, let alone mating with him.”

“And yet, he didn’t appear when I began dating Harper.” Which made no sense, unless … “You told Devon not to tell him.”

“Of course I did.” Jolene blew over the rim of the steaming cup. “I didn’t know how serious you were about Harper, but I knew that if Drew heard another demon was pursuing her, he’d have returned to stake his claim. He would have staked that claim for the wrong reason—not because he was ready for more, but because he didn’t want to see her with another.

“I also knew that you, being possessive and a lover of challenges, would have fought for her. But I couldn’t be sure whether it would have been because she meant something to you or because you simply weren’t prepared to lose a challenge. You and Harper needed time without outside interference to see just whether you had anything worth keeping. So I told the lair not to mention your relationship with Harper to Drew.”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Knox tilted his head. “Why keep it from him for so long? She’s been fully mine for a while now.”

“I didn’t plan to keep it from him for so long. He went on a trip to some God-forsaken place where he wouldn’t be ‘tethered by technology’. No one heard from him for two years, and he didn’t hear from us. Which suited me fine, because I know he doesn’t have a chance of luring her away from you. What I need is for him to know that. Once upon a time, he might have stupidly fought you and inevitably died. I’m fond of the boy, I don’t want him dead. I also wouldn’t want to deal with the clusterfuck it would cause.”

Knox understood what she meant. If he killed the brother of Harper’s close friend, it would drive a wedge between the two females. Harper would feel torn between her loyalty to Devon and her loyalty to him. Some of her lair would understand Knox’s actions; the others would hate him for it. And Jolene, a master manipulator who was madly protective of her lair, would naturally do what it took to ensure such a future didn’t come to pass—including keeping Drew blind.

“Like I said, he might have once fought you for her. Not now. The black diamond wouldn’t have stopped him. But seeing her holding a baby boy, being part of a family? That screams to Drew that he lost his chance. He’ll know that he has no one to blame but himself.” Jolene sipped her coffee. “He’ll brood and stew and whine, but he’ll move on.”

Knox wasn’t so sure about that. “He has a tattoo of a sphinx snuggled up to a hellcat. A sphinx without wings.”

Shock stiffened Jolene’s shoulders. She sighed. “The dumb bastard.”

Levi snickered. “He’ll be a dead dumb bastard if he doesn’t get rid of it soon.”

Jolene went rigid. “Don’t, Knox. Don’t kill him. You’re understandably angry. But think what it would do to Harper and Devon’s relationship if you were responsible for Drew’s death.”

Knox stared at her, incredulous. “You’re asking me to drop this?”

“Of course not. I’m asking that you give me a chance to deal with this. I’ll talk to him. I’ll make him see sense and have the tattoo removed.”

“You truly think you can?”

“I won’t know until I try. Grant me this. For Harper’s sake.”

Exhaling a heavy breath, Knox nodded. “You have one chance to deal with this, Jolene. One. If he doesn’t make the right decision and move the fuck on, I’ll make him—even if that means doing something that causes problems between Harper and Devon.” He would not allow another male to wear a symbol of his mate as if she’d branded him.

“I understand.” Jolene rubbed her forehead. “You know, this only goes to prove what I’ve been saying. Despite caring deeply for her, Drew isn’t able to put her needs before his own.”

“Like Lucian,” said Knox.

“Like Lucian,” Jolene agreed. “She would never be as important to Drew as she is to you.”

That went without saying, as far as Knox was concerned. She would never be as vital to another as she was to him. “I don’t think he’ll return to Cuba without trying to stir the sort of shit that will get him killed. Talk to him, Jolene. Make sure he gets rid of the tattoo, backs off, and moves on.”

“I highly doubt he’ll bother trying to cause trouble when he knows nothing could come of it.”

Keenan’s mind touched his. Knox, I thought you might want to know that Devon’s brother is at the studio, talking with Harper. I could be wrong, but it looks like he’s trying to stir the pot.

Knox’s jaw hardened. He sighed at Jolene. “It seems you were wrong.”

Watching Asher roll on the breakroom table like a dog performing a trick, Harper shook her head. The kid did the weirdest stuff.

“You were pretty shaken last week,” said Drew, beside her. “How are you feeling?”

No less shaken, but … “Fine.” She’d feel a whole lot better if Drew would sit elsewhere, since Keenan kept glaring at them like they were having sex or something.

Drew folded his arms. “Do you miss working here?”

“A little. But I’d miss Asher more.”

“I suppose you don’t have to work, now that you’re shacked up with a billionaire.”

Harper blinked, shocked. She was used to cutting remarks like that, but she’d never expected to hear one from someone who knew her better than that; someone she considered a friend. Still, she only said, “True.”

Drew swore under his breath and then held up his hands. “That was uncalled for, Harper, I’m sorry.” When she only inclined her head slightly, he put his hand on her arm. “Harper, really, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, forget it.” She shifted position so that his hand fell away from her arm.

“Smile for Khloë!” the imp sang at Asher, holding up her cell phone to snap a photo of him. Asher just kept on rolling from side to side. So Khloë snapped a photo of Keenan instead who, for some unknown reason, hated having his photo taken. The sentinel practically leaped on her, trying to snatch the phone so he could no doubt delete the photo. Khloë just laughed.

“Do you worry Asher won’t have wings?” Drew asked Harper.

She did worry a little, since it had once been a limitation of hers. Although she had the tattoo-like markings of wings on her back, they hadn’t surfaced at her call. Very few people knew that her wings finally came to her after Knox’s power poured into her mind and body. Asher didn’t yet have the markings on his back, but that wasn’t uncommon since he was so young.

She also worried he’d share her inability to conjure orbs of hellfire. It was something the majority of demons could do, but although Harper could infuse it into objects, she wasn’t able to shape it into orbs. “I don’t want there to be anything that people could use against him. Weaknesses matter in the world of demons. Many people look down on me for not being able to call on my wings. Except for Knox. It never mattered to him.”

“It doesn’t matter to me or anyone else here either,” Drew insisted.

Yeah, but they’d known Harper all their lives. She’d expected it to totally matter to someone as powerful and high-status as Knox, but he’d genuinely never batted an eyelid about it. She loved that.

“Devon tells me he’s also your anchor,” said Drew.

“Yep.” Eager to move off the subject of Knox, she asked, “You met your anchor yet?”

“No, not yet.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Considering that your parents were anchors and that everything went to shit for them, I wouldn’t have thought you’d ever get involved with your own anchor.”

“I’m not Carla, and he’s not Lucian.”

“He’s like Lucian in some ways.”

That got her back up. “And you think you know Knox so well because, what?”

His mouth tightened. “It doesn’t bother you that Thorne has a whole line of exes?”

“They’re not exes per se.”

“Excuse me, ex-bed buddies,” he said, voice dry as a bone. “What-the-fuck-ever. It has to bother you.”

Yes, it did, but she wasn’t about to talk of her relationship with Knox to another guy—especially one who so clearly disapproved of it. “Everyone has a past.”

“I heard that the encantada who was killed on the YouTube video was part of his past.”

Harper narrowed her eyes. “Did you now?”

“Well, see, no one—not even Devon—told me about you getting together with Thorne or any of the things that followed. I’ve been catching up fast since I got back to the US. I also heard that the encantada was always flirting with Thorne and insulting you like it was her job.”

Harper’s fingers flexed. “You think Knox killed her? Is that what you’re saying?”

Drew tossed her an incredulous look. “No. If he had, he wouldn’t have broadcasted it on YouTube. But it made me wonder … what if the Horseman killed her because she was once with Thorne? What if the Horseman will target women from Thorne’s past as he works up to the main event? And what if he then targets the woman in Thorne’s present?” Keeping his eyes on hers, Drew gestured at Asher. “You need to take that little boy over there and go stay someplace safe, lay low for a while.”

Her inner demon bristled, and Harper lifted her chin. “I don’t hide.”

He sighed. “Harper, you need to push your pride aside—”

“This isn’t about pride. This is about my need to be proactive in keeping my son safe. Hiding isn’t the answer. Finding the Horseman is what will keep Asher safe.”

“Thorne doesn’t need you for that. He’s not a guy who’d ever need anyone.” Drew’s eyes hardened. “Definitely not a guy I would ever have envisioned you with.”

She so didn’t want to have this conversation.

“Ma!” shouted Asher, crawling toward her, saving Drew from a “Back the fuck off” glower.

“Hey, baby boy.” She sat him on her lap and kissed his hair. “Done rolling around like a pup?”

As he squinted, nose wrinkling, his head abruptly snapped forward and he sneezed. Then he jumped, startled by the sound.

Harper chuckled. “Bless you.”

He giggled, dimples deepening in that way that melted her heart. Drew laughed along with him, and Asher abruptly went quiet, studying him with a sober expression. It was almost like a … “Did I say you could laugh with me?” look.

Harper glanced at Keenan, who was smirking, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

The air chilled slightly as Asher’s eyes bled to black and his demon surfaced to study Drew with an unblinking stare. “Bye,” it said, voice young but flat. It wasn’t a farewell; it was a fuck off and get out of here.

Drew leaned back in his seat. “Whoa. Does it get like that around all strangers?”

“Only the people it doesn’t like,” said Keenan, offering Drew a toothy grin.

At that moment, the breakroom door swung open. Knox, Levi, and Ciaran entered the room. Demon retreating, Asher beamed. “Da!”

“What’s this I hear about you cuffing your mom, little man?” Knox picked him up, kissed his cheek, and then bent down to brush a kiss over Harper’s mouth. “Hey, baby. You okay?”

“Yeah.” She shot Levi and Ciaran a brief smile. “This is quite the surprise.”

“Ain’t it, though?” Ciaran ruffled Khloë’s hair. “Hey, bitch-face.”

“Touch me again and I’ll throw you out the fucking window,” Khloë threatened, matter-of-fact. Her twin just laughed.

Harper stared up at Knox. “What brings you here, I wonder.” Keenan called you, didn’t he?

Knox’s mouth twitched. He doesn’t like how friendly Drew is with you.

Oh, my God, you actually called Ciaran to you just so that you could show up here and figuratively mark your territory?She tried to sound outraged but failed. Honestly, it was just far too dumb for her to be annoyed by it.

Not quite, replied Knox. He was at Jolene’s house when I paid her a visit.

Her brow furrowed. Why were you at her place?

Long story. I’ll tell you later.If Knox wasn’t so pissed with Clarke, he’d be amused that the hellcat was doing his best to keep his mind clear right then—even to the point that he was internally humming a tune. Knox’s demon found no amusement in it either. All it wanted to do was launch itself at Clarke and rip him to shreds.

It was incredibly tempting to do exactly that. But as Knox took in the way Devon smiled adoringly at his son and he recalled all the times she’d been there for Harper, he knew he couldn’t. His mate and Devon had a solid friendship that had lasted a long time. For Harper, he’d give Jolene the chance to deal with it.

Levi crossed to Harper. “I’m curious about your brand-new cuff.”

Drew’s brows snapped together. “Cuff? What cuff?”

“It’s a temporary gift from Asher,” said Harper as she lifted her arm so that Knox and Levi could study the cuff. “Asher has an identical one on his own wrist.”

Touching her psychic cuff and feeling the hum of power, Knox pursed his lips. “Hmm. It’s strong.” His demon was quite proud of Asher’s show of power. It was also completely unsurprised. “Very strong, actually.”

She frowned. “You can’t take it off?”

“I could,” said Knox. “But I’d much rather see how long the link lasts without interference. If the cuffs aren’t gone by tonight, I’ll take them off. Unless you’re absolutely desperate to have them gone …?”

Harper chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I’ll wait till later. It would be handy to know how long they last, just in case he does it again.”

“Wait a minute, your kid bound you to him?” asked Drew, casting Asher a wary look.

Before Harper could answer, Knox interlinked their fingers and squeezed her hand. “You done here, baby?”

“Yep.”

“Good.” Knox tugged her to her feet. “I’ll walk you outside to the Audi before I head to my next meeting.” Because there was no fucking way he was leaving her with Drew. Not after what Knox had discovered.

Slinging Asher’s bag over her shoulder, Harper said her goodbyes to everyone, adding, “Take care, and be alert.”

“Be alert about what?” asked Drew, brow creased.

“I’ll explain in a minute,” Devon told him.

Drew waved at Asher, who frowned at him, expression once again sober.

Asher doesn’t like him much, apparently,Harper told Knox, unable to hide her amusement.

Knox shrugged. Kids can sense evil.

Snorting, Harper let Knox lead her out of the studio. Tanner, Keenan, Levi, and Ciaran surrounded them protectively as they walked down the strip. Still in Knox’s arms, Asher babbled to himself.

“I take it you fully warned the girls,” Knox said to Harper.

She nodded. “I don’t think the incorporeal will turn its attention their way, but it’s best that they’re warned just in case.” The rest of demonkind would be warned after the Primes met and discussed the issue. Her demon’s upper lip curled at the thought of the meeting. It had no time or patience for politics. Imps didn’t take politics whatsoever seriously, but Jolene never missed a meeting.

On the subject of her grandmother … “I should probably give Grams a call and check she’s okay,” said Harper. “She was pretty mad when I first told her about the incorporeal. I’m worried she’ll do something dumb.”

“She seemed fine when I visited her just now.”

Harper glanced at him. “Are you going to tell me just why you went to see her?”

“We’ll talk about it later. We don’t have enough time to cover it right now.”

“Ma!” Asher pointed toward the rodeo, where a guy was struggling to hold tight to a wild bucking bull.

Harper smiled. “I see it.”

Recalling the time Harper had engaged in such a sport and nearly took a hundred years off his life, Knox warned, “You’d better not try putting Asher on the back of a bull.” Having been raised by imps, his mate had engaged in lots of dangerous and often highly illegal activities since a very young age—including breaking into bank vaults and indulging in high-speed car racing. He didn’t want Asher doing the same.

Her mouth kicked up into a smile. “Not even once?”

“No.”

“But it’s fun.”

Knox looked at her, incredulous. “It’s the most dangerous eight seconds of sport.” A sport that imps especially loved to do when drunk.

“What’s your point?”

Knox shook his head. “Never mind.”

His mate just chuckled.

“Ooh.” Fire erupted out of Asher’s hand, and then he was holding a little truck. Smiling, he showed it to Harper. “Ma!”

“I see it, but that’s not yours.” Gently prying the truck from him, Harper shook her head in reprimand. “We don’t take people’s things.” She glanced around in search of the owner. A little boy in a stroller was hanging over the side, his teary gaze sweeping the floor like he was looking for something. Harper walked over and gave the little boy the truck, and he instantly calmed.

The kid’s mother, who’d been gossiping with another woman, completely oblivious, turned.

“I was just handing him back his toy,” said Harper, knowing the woman would assume he’d simply dropped it.

“Th-thank you,” she stuttered, recognizing Harper and seeming a little intimidated.

“No problem.” Harper returned to her son, whose eyes bled to black as his demon surfaced. It touched her mind, communicating its displeasure. “Don’t be a brat,” she told it. She cut her gaze to Knox. “It’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“You are in your head.”

Yes, he was. Outside, Knox buckled Asher into the car seat of the Audi and then gave her a lingering kiss. “Unfortunately, I can’t go home with you. I won’t be long.”

“Don’t work too hard.” She smoothed a hand down his tie. “See you soon.”

He gave her nape a little squeeze. “Stay safe.”

“Right back at you, Thorne.” With that, she slid into the car.

Tanner and Keenan both gave him reassuring looks that said they’d keep her and Asher safe, and then the sentinels hopped into the Audi.

Only when the car was no more than a dot in his vision did Knox then head back inside the club, where Ciaran then teleported them all back to Jolene’s kitchen. She was waiting there, body tight, fists clenched.

“Is he still alive?” she asked.

“I told you I’d give you an opportunity to deal with it yourself, and I will,” Knox told her. “Make the most of that opportunity, Jolene, because I won’t give you another. No one gets to covet what belongs to me.” He and Levi then exited the house and headed to the Bentley.

Inside the car, Levi clicked on his seat belt and said, “Didn’t you mention the tattoo to Drew?” He tapped his temple to indicate he meant telepathically.

“No,” said Knox. “I’ll leave Jolene to deal with that problem. Clarke was careful to keep his mind blank, but it didn’t take telepathy to sense his jealousy or bitterness.”

Pulling onto the road to merge into the traffic, Levi smirked. “No, it didn’t. I couldn’t help but enjoy it. Did you notice that Asher doesn’t like him?”

Knox smiled. “As I told Harper, kids sense evil.”

“Are you going to tell her about Drew’s tattoo?”

“Yes.” Knox didn’t particularly want her to know. Not that he worried she would be so moved by the news that she would try leaving Knox to be with the hellcat or something equally unrealistic. But he got the feeling that the situation was awkward enough for her as it was. Knowing about the tattoo would only make it worse for her. Still … “If she found out about it some other way and then realized I already knew, she’d be pissed that I didn’t tell her.”

“And you want to see her reaction.”

Knox felt his brow crease. “I don’t worry that she cares for him.”

“No, but you still want to see her reaction. I think she’ll be shocked.”

Probably. Despite knowing her inside out, Knox could never predict her responses. Never. She continued to surprise and astound him. His demon loved that about her.

“What Clarke did was no little thing,” Levi went on. “She knows him better than we do, but I don’t think she even sees just how much jealousy is eating him up inside right now.”

In agreement with that, Knox nodded. “Harper is very astute, but the insecurities that she carries make it easy for her to miss when someone is attracted to her.” Being discarded by both parents had left her with what she called “textbook abandonment issues”. Though Lucian, at Jolene’s insistence, had later taken Harper to live with him, he’d never given her stability or been a true father to her. She had been the parent.

Harper persistently reassured Knox that, in spite of all that, she’d had a good childhood. It was clear to Knox that Lucian did care for her. He also seemed to adore Asher, but he could go for up to six months at a time before even making contact to ask about their welfare. Moreover, Lucian didn’t find anything whatsoever wrong with that. Knox would never like or trust him.

“Personally,” began Levi, “I don’t think she’ll be flattered to know that Clarke sort of had her on reserve.”

“No, that won’t flatter her,” Knox agreed. “If anything, she’ll be furious to hear that he thought she’d be waiting in the wings.” For humans, it might seem odd that someone would spend years away from someone they cared for. But to creatures with extensive lifetimes, years were more like months. “And her demon will be outraged to hear that he marked himself on its behalf.”

“Still, I don’t think Harper will want him dead, considering he’s her friend’s brother, which is understandable.”

“If he wants to live, he’ll get rid of the tattoo. I’d be happy to do it for him. A little hellfire would burn it right off.” The idea made his demon bare his teeth in a feral grin.

Levi’s lips twitched. “Envisioning that shouldn’t make me smile, but I’m a bloodthirsty son of a bitch.” He paused as he turned a sharp corner. “Do you think Clarke will put up a fight? It would be a singularly stupid thing to do, but he’ll probably feel that he chose her first; that he has rights to her.”

Frowning thoughtfully, Knox licked his front teeth. “Maybe. Time will tell, I suppose.” Hearing his cell beep, Knox fished it out of his pocket and answered the long-winded email from his business associate. Which led to yet another email. And another. And a—

“We have a tail,” announced Levi as they stopped at a red light. “The pick-up truck two cars behind us. I turned off the freeway and drove into a rough neighborhood to see if they followed. They did.”

Pocketing his cell, Knox peered out of the tinted rear window. It wasn’t the first time they’d been followed. Sometimes it was paparazzi, sometimes it was someone hoping to pitch a business idea to him, sometimes it was a PI hired by a business rival or even a nosy Prime. Other times—though they weren’t so common—it was a threat.

Squinting, Knox studied what he could see of the driver, which wasn’t much. Scruffy dark hair. Scraggly overgrown beard. Red T-shirt. “I don’t recognize the driver. It could be the incorporeal.” The thought made his demon unfurl and rise close to the surface, ready to lunge and attack if needs be. It wanted a fight, craved revenge on the entity that could potentially be just behind them.

As Levi stopped the car at a red light, Knox glanced around, taking note of where they were and how many humans were walking along the drab street. Not many. There was an elderly woman struggling with an umbrella, a vagrant pushing a cart, a woman with a stroller, and a trio of teens that had just strode out of an alley. Still, he’d prefer to battle somewhere more secluded. If there were humans around, it would limit how Knox could retaliate against an attack.

“We need to lead the incorporeal into a more derelict area,” said Knox.

“I got a place in mind.” Tapping his fingers impatiently on the wheel, Levi sighed and tipped his chin toward the pedestrian crossing the street. “There’s always a slow old lady when you’re in a rush. Seriously, she’s moving, like, an inch at a time.”

If he wasn’t so focused on the matter of the incorporeal, Knox might have smiled. Instead, he was running through battle plans in his head. His heart was pounding, and adrenalin was pumping through him. Preparing him. Invigorating him.

Like his demon, he relished the thought of fighting the demon that had dared to not only attempt to possess his son, but who had made his mate bleed. The delicious anticipation of it had his demon practically licking its lips.

Glancing at the traffic light, Knox rolled back his shoulders. It would go green any moment now, surely. Every second that ticked by seemed like minutes, winding him that much tighter with tension.

Amber.

Green.

“Fucking finally,” Levi burst out, shifting the gear and exerting pressure on the pedal.

“Don’t drive fast or try to lose it,” said Knox. “We don’t want it to know we’ve made it.”

Further up the street, the woman with the stroller halted at the curb. As they neared, she looked their way. Smirked cruelly. And then shoved the stroller right into the road.

Levi slammed his foot on the pedal and sharply swerved the steering wheel, making the car skid until it was sideways. Tires screeched and the reaper swore a blue streak. His quick reflexes might not have been enough if Knox hadn’t reached out with his psychic hands to yank the stroller to a standstill.

That was when a powerful gust of gale-force wind swept up the Bentley and tossed it in the air like it was no more than a leaf.

Even as the car flipped over and glacial air thrust into the open windows to freeze him, Knox grabbed Levi and pyroported them directly behind the woman, witnesses be fucking damned.

Just as the crackling flames eased away from him and Knox snapped a psychic hand around her throat, she went limp. He saw it leave her—saw the vaporous swirl that dissipated so fast, he could almost think it had never been there at all.

Shaking with rage and frustration, Knox sent hellfire blasting out of his hand like it was a flamethrower; aiming for what he could no longer see, even as he knew it would do no real damage anyway.

His heartbeat was pounding so loud in his ears that it took a moment to realize the woman in his psychic grip was screaming and struggling to get free, wanting to get to her baby. Knox released her so fast she stumbled, but he was too consumed by fury to feel bad for her. Just the same, he couldn’t find it in him to feel any sympathy for the truck driver, who’d hopped out of the vehicle, looking equally baffled.

Spinning to face Knox, Levi hissed out a breath. “That mother-fucking motherfucker.”

Silently cursing himself, Knox flexed his fingers so hard his joints cracked. “I was so busy concentrating on what was happening behind me that I didn’t think to focus on what was going on right in front of us.”

“The incorporeal must have realized we’d made it, abandoned the driver, and then possessed the woman in the hope of catching us off-guard with a frontal attack.”

“It was a good plan,” Knox ground out. “And now it could be anywhere.” In a person, a bird, a rat—anyone. He scanned his surroundings slowly, but nothing set off his alarms.

“We have to get out of here before more people appear,” said Levi, casting a meaningful look at the trio of teens that had gathered around the woman and her baby—one of the teens was snapping pictures. “You’re going to have to plant a false memory in the minds of those witnesses over there. I’ll take care of deleting the photos.”

Muscles quivering, Knox forced himself to think past the anger clouding his thoughts. Levi was right; they needed to do damage control. Knox drew in a breath. “Let’s get that done so we can send the humans on their way.”

Although it was easy enough for Knox to thrust his mind into that of another, manipulating memories was a little more challenging. But he’d done it often enough over the years to cover their asses that it didn’t take long to have the humans all believing that the woman had accidentally lost control of the stroller and that Knox and Levi had got out of the car to help.

As the truck driver’s last memory was of driving along the freeway—at which point the incorporeal had either instantly possessed him or had taken control of his body after lingering inside him for a while—Knox planted false memories of the driver taking a series of wrong turns.

Once they were alone, Knox and Levi then headed to the Bentley. It lay on its side on the opposite side of the street, where it had knocked down a lamppost. All things considered, it should have been a wreck. But there were no dents, no smashed windows, and no smoke hissing out of the hood, thanks to its preternatural protection.

After Levi telekinetically righted the Bentley, they both hopped inside and quickly returned their personal objects to their rightful places.

Switching on the ignition, Levi said, “It came after you. It could have done a similar attack on Tanner’s car to get to Harper and Asher. It didn’t. It went directly after you. I didn’t expect that.”

As the impact of Levi’s words hit him, they stole Knox’s breath. If the same had happened to the Audi, Harper wouldn’t have been able to pyroport her and Asher out of the flipping car as he’d done for Levi. No, his mate and son would have been tossed from side to side, thumped by loose objects flying around the car, and potentially been badly injured.

The Bentley rattled with the anger seeping out of him.

“I guess that wasn’t the smartest thing for me to say.” Levi gave him a sheepish smile. “I’m making the point that the incorporeal may well have abandoned the idea of trying to possess Asher. Either that or it’s happy to keep us guessing about what it intends to do next. If it’s the latter, it’s working.”

Knox nodded. “I didn’t expect such a direct, public attack on me.”

“But even though you’re pissed, you’re also relieved it targeted you,” Levi sensed.

Of course he was. Knox shrugged. “Better it’s me than my mate and son.”