Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Slouched on Levi’s sofa, Piper glanced down at the prickling burn on her chest. It was the worst of her wounds but, fortunately, was healing as fast as the others. She still couldn’t quite believe she’d been involved in yet another mini battle. It had all happened so damn fast, and it had shattered her hopes that whoever wanted her dead had backed off.

So many emotions fought for supremacy inside her, but anger won out. Anger that someone had targeted her. Anger that Levi had been hurt defending her. Anger that she had no fucking clue who’d apparently decided she’d lived long enough, just as she had no idea why they’d reached such a decision.

Her demon wanted to drop-kick a fucker. In its view, their ‘hater’ was a goddamn coward, refusing to expose themselves. Yeah, Piper could agree with that.

Feeling the weight of someone’s gaze, she looked up. Levi stood directly across from her, his arms folded, his neck corded. He’d barely taken his eyes from her since they arrived at his apartment, as if worried she’d suddenly vanish from his view … though it wasn’t as if anyone could teleport here and snatch her. The preternatural security measures in this building were tip-top, and they’d prevent any such intrusion. Still, he watched her closely, tension in every muscle.

Her body would probably be just as stiff if she didn’t feel so drained. The effects of the drugging power hadn’t yet completely faded, and the psychic energy she’d expended had only worsened the fatigue that plagued her.

“When are you going to question our captive?” she asked Levi. Said captive was currently asleep in the office/library with Enzo and Dez watching over him.

“When Knox arrives,” Levi replied. “Armand will teleport him here.”

“I’d insist on coming along to the interrogation, but I feel like I’m going to fall asleep any second now.” If Piper went with them, she’d be trembling and staggering. Looking weak in front of other predators was a no-no.

“Not a lot can take me by surprise,” began Larkin, sitting beside Piper, “but seeing you abruptly disappear from the dance floor like that … I never would have expected anyone to snatch you out of a crowd like that.”

“That was why it worked,” said Piper, sounding as tired as she felt. “No one would have seen it coming. And you need to stop feeling guilty, because it’s really pissing me off.”

Larkin’s lips twitched, though no humor lit her eyes. “Can’t help it. You were right there … and then you weren’t. All the girls freaked out. Enzo and Dez lost their minds.”

“You didn’t fail me. No one did. Khloë was inches away from me, and even she wasn’t able to stop that bastard from taking me.”

“Don’t think she isn’t furious about it. You don’t need to worry that she might be beating herself up about it, though. Khloë doesn’t really do guilt. The only people she’s blaming are the people behind the kidnapping.”

“And so she should.” Piper looked at Levi. “You need to stop feeling guilty, too.”

A muscle in his cheek ticked. “It galls me that even with you surrounded by people, someone was able to get to you.”

“There’s no real way to ensure I’m completely safe.” Piper narrowed her eyes at the shifty expression that came over his face. “Whatever idea is floating around your head, well, you can push it right back out.”

“It would work,” he said.

“What?” asked Larkin.

Levi rubbed at his jaw. “It’s something Asher once did to Harper. He didn’t want her to leave him, so he slapped what were essentially power cuffs on her. She couldn’t go far from his side. I’m sure there’s someone who could link me and Piper in such a way.”

A snicker burst out of her. “Ha, no, not happening.” The guy had to be high if he thought differently.

“If you were cuffed to me—”

“I wouldn’t be able to work or shower or use the goddamn toilet without you nearby. And you wouldn’t be able to do any of the sentinel stuff you never tell me about. It’s not realistic, and it wouldn’t guarantee my safety. It would only mean I couldn’t go far from your side.”

“You’d be safer, though.”

“Whoever wants me dead would simply take a different approach. People can be attacked from afar, remember?”

“She’s right, Levi,” Larkin cut in. “You can stick that close to her without cuffs anyway.”

He grunted, clearly unhappy that no one wished to support his idea.

At that moment, Armand, Knox, and Harper appeared in the doorway. The two Primes settled their gazes on Piper.

“It’s good to see you’re relatively unharmed,” said Knox.

Levi growled low in his throat.

Knox sighed. “Yes, I’m aware that even one injury is one too many. All I mean is that things could be a lot worse.”

Harper cast Piper an apologetic look, seeming a lot more sober than she had earlier. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop that fucker from taking you.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Knox told his mate. “We’ve been over this. Three times.”

“He’s right,” Piper said to her. “Apologies really aren’t necessary.”

“I know that intellectually.” Harper shoved a hand through her hair. “I still can’t help feeling bad.”

Knox turned to Piper. “I’m aware that you’ve already given Levi a full account of what occurred tonight, but I’d like it if you would run through it with me.”

“I can do that for her,” said Levi. “She needs to rest.”

“It’s fine, Levi,” said Piper before sliding her gaze back to the Prime. She relayed the event to him, leaving out no details. A yawn cracked her jaw, which had Levi straightening his shoulders.

“You have two options,” he said. “You can sleep right there on the sofa, or I can put you in bed. Either way, you need sleep. You’ll be safe here. Larkin and Harper will watch over you until I get back. Enzo and Dez will stand guard outside the apartment.”

“I was planning to crash right here, because I really can’t be bothered to move,” said Piper. The main bedroom seemed so very, very far away right now. Well, the apartment was pretty big, with its living area, kitchen, master bathroom, two en-suite bedrooms, office/library, and workout space. Every room was airy, open, and spacious.

Levi gave a satisfied nod. “First, I need you to wake up our captive. No, don’t get up. I’ll have Enzo and Dez bring him to you.”

The Force members dragged their sleeping prisoner into the living room and over to Piper. The demon was bound by thick rope that held a slight glimmer. Magick. He was also a hellbull. She hadn’t been able to sense it earlier—she’d been too out of it, thanks to the fucking daze he put her in.

“Is the rope enchanted?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied Levi. “It’ll stop him from using his abilities, so we won’t need to worry he’ll teleport to safety.”

Wise precaution. She touched the hellbull’s head, releasing him from the hold of her power.

He snapped awake, breathing hard, his eyes wide with fright … just as anyone would after surfacing from a horrific nightmare. Those eyes bounced from person to person, and he swallowed so hard there was an audible click of his tongue.

“I won’t be long,” Levi told her. Then he, Knox, Armand, and the captive were gone.

Levi dumped the hellbull onto the wooden floor of Knox’s boathouse. It was a place they often took people to be interrogated. Ordinarily, Levi would stand off to the side and mostly observe while his Prime did the honors. That wouldn’t be happening tonight—something he’d already telepathically made clear to Knox, who hadn’t objected.

The hellbull frantically glanced around, his breathing still choppy.

“Don’t bother looking for exits,” said Levi, circling him. “You won’t escape us. No one is coming to save you. You missed a lot while you were dozing, so you’re no doubt not aware that your friends are dead.”

Biting out a curse, he squeezed his eyes shut.

“I have some questions for you. I’d advise you to answer them honestly. My patience is currently at an all-time low.” Levi tilted his head. “What’s your name?”

“Vittorio,” he gritted out.

“Why did you kidnap my anchor, Vittorio?”

“Anchor?” the hellbull echoed, apparently deciding to go for clueless. Wrong decision.

Levi began to circle him again. “You know, I was very young when I realized I had a particular ability. It took me a while to learn to call on and control it. It’s not an ability that helps much during battles, because it requires a lot of concentration. But during a one-to-one duel or torture sessions, it can be quite helpful. It allows me to do something like this.”

The hellbull arched with a scream as Levi put immense pressure on his brain.

“Or this,” Levi added.

Vittorio started to choke as the oxygen gushed out of his lungs.

“Or even this.”

An agonized cry burst out of Vittorio as an impact slammed into his kidney.

“In sum, I can psychically grip any organ in your body. I can squeeze them. Twist them. Burst them. Collapse them. Inflate them. Punch them. Any number of things, really.”

Sweat beading his brow, the hellbull began to shake.

“Now, I will ask you again,” said Levi, his voice low and calm. “Why did you kidnap my anchor?”

“I wasn’t planning to hurt her, man,” replied Vittorio. “I’m just the delivery guy.”

“Explain.”

“I retrieve shit for people. So do—so did—my boys.”

“Define ‘shit.’”

“Cars, jewelry, people, whatever.”

He classed people, classed Piper, as shit? Levi’s demon growled. “You’re saying you were hired to ‘deliver’ my anchor to someone?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“I want their name.”

“I don’t know who it was. Some guy called Alfie’s burner, just like customers always do. They didn’t give their name, and Alfie didn’t ask for it. They told him they wanted Piper Winslow alive, and they agreed to our fee.”

“Where were you supposed to deliver her?”

“We hadn’t agreed on a location. We only do that once we have what or who we’ve been hired to retrieve.”

“I’m going to need the phone number of whoever called your friend Alfie.”

“I don’t know it. Alfie has it on his burner. He keeps that phone in the van.”

Fuck.The hellfire would have consumed the cell by now.

Knox’s mind touched Levi’s. I’ll have Armand check the wreckage just in case the phone is intact.

Moments later, Armand disappeared.

Vittorio licked his lips. “I’m telling you, I wouldn’t have hurt her.” He said it like he should therefore be spared.

Anger spiked through Levi, hardening his jaw. “But you knew that whoever hired you might hurt her. That didn’t stop you, did it?”

“Alfie made it clear to him that we don’t deliver people to be killed. The guy assured him that he meant Piper no harm.”

“And you believed that? I doubt it. I doubt your friends did either. But you felt that having that stipulation—one you didn’t attempt to enforce—meant you bore no guilt in whatever might happen to the people you retrieve for others.”

Vittorio shook his head. “It’s not like that.”

“It very much is. And this right here is the consequence. You fuckers knew what a dangerous game you were playing. You played it anyway, and I’d say you enjoyed it. After all, you boasted to your friends that snatching Piper was ‘too easy.’ She said you were cocky about it.” Levi crouched beside him. “Taking my anchor was the worst mistake you ever could have made. But I’m thinking you’ve already realized that.”

A scream tore out of Vittorio as Levi squeezed, tugged, twisted, punctured, and hit the organs in his body. He didn’t rush. He took his time. He made it hurt. He kept it up until the bastard was dazed and drained and weak … just as Piper had been. Only when Vittorio was near death from internal bleeding did Levi finally rupture his brain.

Slowly standing, Levi burst the body into cinders with a mere click of his fingers.

“Feel better?” asked Knox.

“No.” Clenching his fists, Levi rolled back his shoulders. “I will once I have my hands on whoever hired the hellbull.”

Knox folded his arms. “The person who wants Piper dead could have paid a teleporter to appear at her side and kill her. Instead, they wanted her taken and delivered to them. I would say that means they would prefer to do the murderous deed themselves.”

“And if that’s the case, it would suggest that the person who attacked Piper at the deli—who did try to kill her on the spot—wasn’t a mercenary. She went head-to-head with whoever has her in their sights.”

“I had both Tanner and Keenan do some very deep digging. Although the ability to conceal a person’s presence isn’t unheard of, no one the two sentinels questioned knows of anyone in or out of our lair who can do that. Whoever is after Piper has kept their ability very quiet.”

“Because it gives them an advantage. We all have gifts we don’t boast about for that very reason.” Levi scrubbed a hand down his face. “I still think Jasper and Sefton are the likeliest suspects. Especially since Jasper confronted Piper earlier at the bar shortly before she was kidnapped.”

Knox lifted a brow. “Is that so? I hadn’t heard that.”

Levi brought him up to speed. “Considering Sefton allegedly only made a half-assed attempt to pull his brother away, I’d say he didn’t really mind so much that Jasper mouthed off the way he did. It suits him to let Jasper say the shit he’s too scared to voice.”

Knox nodded. “I’d have to agree. Unfortunately, I can’t search their minds to see if your suspicions are correct.”

Levi knew that. Knew that the only thing a person would find if they entered the mind of a nightmare was their own personal nightmare.

“I can, however, thoroughly question Jasper when I punish him tomorrow,” said Knox. “He was warned to leave Piper be. He knew what the consequences would be if he didn’t.”

“I want to be there for that. It’s going to be hard to leave Piper’s side, though.” Levi tilted his head as he remembered, “She’s off work tomorrow. I should be able to convince her to spend the day in my apartment. She might agree to wait for me there.” Levi wouldn’t worry so much if she was safely within his home.

Just then, Armand materialized a few feet away, his expression grim. “No cell phones escaped the fire.”

Levi gritted his teeth. “Fuck.”

“Whoever made the call to this Alfie person probably took precautions to ensure it couldn’t be traced back to them in any case,” said Armand.

“Probably,” Knox agreed.

After spending a few more minutes exchanging theories that got them nowhere, they returned to Levi’s apartment.

His heart squeezed when he saw Piper curled up asleep on the sofa. She was far too pale, and he hated the sight of the dark smudges under her eyes. He should have prolonged the hellbull’s suffering a little more.

She didn’t stir as people announced they were leaving and said their goodbyes. He was glad of it. She needed her rest.

Once they were alone, Levi crossed to the sofa and stared down at her. He’d watched her sleep many times. He liked to look at her. Smell her. Touch her. Liked knowing he had such a basic claim to her—one she’d never escape.

When he realized she was his anchor and that he’d no longer have to keep his distance, he’d known he’d one day have her in his bed—or hers. He’d known it would be good. He’d known it might take some time to work the need she roused in him out of his system.

He hadn’t known that that need would intensify rather than level off. He hadn’t anticipated that she’d be an itch he’d never quite scratch, a tug in his stomach that would never ease up, a hum in his blood who’d addicted him better and faster than any drug.

His demon was hooked on her. It liked everything about her. And its possessiveness of her had ballooned over the past two weeks. The territorialism was no longer purely anchor based. The entity was proprietary of her on every level, and Levi doubted she had any clue.

He carefully scooped her up and carried her through his apartment, nuzzling her hair. In his bedroom, he flicked back his coverlet and laid her on his bed. As he slipped off her shoes, he noticed her eyelids flutter open. “Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey.” It was a croak. She blinked hard. “What did the hellbull say?”

Levi kicked off his own shoes. “He and his friends, who thought of themselves as mere delivery men, were hired to take you to someone. He didn’t have a name or other details to help us.”

She sighed. “So we have nothing.”

“Knox and I do feel we can be sure that the bastard at the deli wasn’t hired help. He was there to kill you, and he enjoyed causing you pain. The hellbull, on the other hand, was only asked to retrieve and deliver you.”

She frowned as Levi whipped off his tee, her eyes dipping to the wound on his chest. “I hate seeing you injured.”

His heart squeezed. “Right back at you.” He unbuttoned his fly. “Need help getting off your dress?”

“Nah, I got it.”

He shed his jeans while she awkwardly shimmied out of her ruined dress before tossing it on the floor. His jaw hardened at the sight of her burns. They’d healed a little more since he last checked them, but they still had to be sore.

Sliding into bed beside her, he said, “I have a proposition.”

“You want me to temporarily move in here.”

He blinked. “Am I that predictable?”

“When it comes to matters concerning my safety, yes. I’m not crazy about the idea, but I can’t deny it makes sense. Your security measures far exceed mine.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “You’re not going to fight me on this?”

“I’m all about being sensible. No one can get to me here, which means they also can’t get to you. If I insist on staying at my house, you’ll want to stay there with me. I’d then be putting you in danger of whoever might think to come for me there. That’s not good with me. You’re not the only one who’s protective, you know.”

He swallowed. “It’s easy to forget that. You don’t struggle to fight the pull of the bond.”

“Actually, you’re wrong, I do struggle to fight—”

“Then stop doing it. My demon hates that you’re not claimed; that you don’t wear an anchor mark that proclaims you’re ours and we’d fight to the death for you.”

There’d be something bittersweet for Levi about finally forming the bond, because he’d lose the sexual intimacy they had. He’d always known he would have to give it up eventually. Because she’d been right—casual sex would muddy things between them. It already had.

As much as he didn’t want things to go back to the way they initially were, what kind of person would it make him to put his libido before his anchor’s safety? He was her one guarantee that she’d never turn rogue. He would strengthen her and center her demon. He had to put her first because, whether she believed it or not, she was his priority.

“How much longer are you going to make us wait, Piper?”

“As a matter of fact, I was going to tell you tonight that I was ready. But then this happened, and I’m thinking it would be better if we waited.”

“What?”

“When things quietened down, I thought maybe whoever targeted me had decided I was more trouble than I was worth or something. But I was wrong, and that means someone out there still wants me dead. If I die and we’re bonded—”

“You’re not holding back to protect me, Piper,” he told her, his face hard. “No way.”

“You could turn rogue.”

He gripped her chin. “You’re not gonna die. I’d never fucking allow it.”

“The strength of your will alone can’t keep me alive. People lose others all the time. We take for granted that we’ll live long lives. It doesn’t always work that way.”

“It doesn’t, no. But certain things can tip the balance in our favor. When you and I are bonded, you’ll be stronger. The power that drugged you tonight? You’d have fought through that if you were anchored to me.”

“I would rather we waited until the threat has passed.”

“And if it was the other way around, would you accept that shit from me?”

She hesitated. “Well no, but you’d argue that we needed to wait.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’d never believe that refusing to bond with you would be some sort of safety precaution. No matter the situation, you’ll have a better chance of survival if we’re bonded.” He tightened his grip on her nape. “Don’t let this person have the power you’re giving them. Don’t let them act as a barrier between us and our bond.”

“I doubt that’s their intention.”

“Probably not. But you’re still allowing them that level of power over you. Over us.”

She sighed, a tired groan slipping out of her. “I just don’t want you to end up rogue.”

“Which means you’d fight harder to live if we were bonded. Am I wrong?”

She exhaled heavily. “No. No, you’re not wrong.”

“Then let’s do this. Let’s claim each other right here, right now.” A selfish part of him rose up in protest, not wanting this thing they had to end. His demon let out a low growl, pissed that Levi intended to live up to the agreement he’d made with her. The entity didn’t see why sex needed to be taken off the table.

“You’re sure you want to take the chance that—”

“Right here, right now,” he repeated, even though it made his chest ache.

Piper stared into his eyes for a long moment. “Okay,” she said, her voice soft.

He didn’t have a second to feel any triumph, because she instantly released her hold on her psyche, and it all but barreled into his.

Levi grunted as their psyches fused together, becoming two intersecting spheres. After the brief moment of disorientation passed, he said, “I feel you.” It was like she was inside him now. Her psychic presence was strong and intimate, virtually humming with her confidence, quiet strength, and unswerving loyalty. Her psychic taste was just as vivid—pumpkin pie and cinnamon spice. His demon loved it.

Mine.Levi snaked his hand around her throat and pressed his thumb against the hollow beneath her ear, branding her. When he removed his thumb, a small glistening infinity symbol proclaiming her anchored was stamped right there. Each person’s brand held a slight difference. For Piper’s, a scythe slashed through both loops.

“Your turn,” he told her, self-satisfaction pouring through him.

Using her thumb, she left her own mark on the hollow beneath his ear, and the slight sting quickly faded. She narrowed her eyes as she studied it. “You have a ‘P’ inside one loop, and a ‘W’ inside the lower one. What does my symbol look like?”

He described it, adding, “The bond is so much more steadying than I’d expected.” It centered his demon and bolstered their strength which, most importantly, meant it did the same for both her and her inner entity. He focused on that, on how this was best for her, wrestling back the conflicting emotions attempting to surge through him.

“It’s kind of weird how our minds keep brushing and bumping each other’s,” she said. “Though not in a bad way.”

Mindful of her injuries, he drew her close and kissed her forehead, letting himself have this last moment of closeness. Tomorrow, they’d sleep in separate beds from then on. Tonight … tonight, he needed to hold her. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Your psychic taste fits you well. Whiskey and almonds. Good whiskey.”

He felt his mouth curve. “Yours is cinnamon spice and pumpkin pie. Makes me hungry.” He splayed his hand on her back, the move a little too possessive.

“Is your demon done sulking now?”

“Oh, yeah. Totally done.” Which was a lie. The demon was incredibly pleased to have the bond, but it was infuriated with Levi for being prepared to let her go on a sexual level.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed another soft kiss to her forehead. “Now go back to sleep. I’ll be right here. I won’t leave you.” Not tonight. But every other night? Yeah, that he’d have to do.