Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

A cold fury simmering in his blood, Levi stalked into Urban Ink, his eyes immediately seeking out his anchor. She sat on one of the black leather chairs, several people surrounding her without standing too close. Anger wracked his gut as he noted the red dots and streaks on her skin. His demon hissed out its own rage, intending to shatter every bone in the body of whoever attacked its anchor.

Levi didn’t so much as glance at anyone else as he made a beeline for her. He ignored the voices of those who tried getting his attention. He had no interest in anyone other than Piper.

Relief flickered in her eyes when she spotted him. That relief quickly gave way to concern, so she must have sensed how close to the edge he was. Using a wet cloth to wipe at the blood spatter, she assured him, “The wound’s not so bad. It’s already healing. Harper bandaged it up and gave me a spare tee to wear.”

Levi crouched in front of her. Fuck, he needed to hold her. But he wasn’t positive he could be gentle right now, he was worried he’d hold her too tight. So he settled for leaning his forehead against hers and breathing her in, almost growling at the coppery smell of blood that lay beneath her scent. “I’ll kill him.”

“Be inventive about it,” she said.

“I know lots of weird and wonderful ways to make someone suffer.” Drawing back slightly, he took the cloth from her hand and began carefully cleaning the spots she’d missed. “You should have called out to me sooner.”

“I realized that afterward. It just all happened so fast, and I was too focused on defending myself.”

“Tell me again exactly what happened. Leave nothing out. Every detail matters.”

She walked him through the attack, calm and thorough, before adding, “I can’t tell you much about him. All I know is he has a very deep voice, can punch mega hard, and possesses the ability to somehow conceal himself.”

“I don’t know of anyone with that ability,” began Tanner, standing beside his mate, “but most demons don’t advertise what they can do. They don’t like all their strengths and weaknesses to be widely known.”

“We need to know what enemies you might have, Piper,” Knox told her, his dark eyes sharp.

She pursed her lips. “There are people who don’t like me much or are especially pissed at me, but I wouldn’t say I have big, bad enemies.”

“When you talk of people who are pissed at you, I’m assuming you mean those you’ve played a part in identifying as guilty of crimes over the years,” said Knox.

“Some,” she said. “Most were their friends or lovers or family members who were upset with me. No one ever attacked or threatened to kill me, though. They just ranted, accusing me of being a liar or whatever.”

Finished cleaning her, Levi placed the cloth on the shelf beneath her mirror. “You reported every confrontation, right?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Then we already have the list of their names on file,” said Levi. “We’ll take a look at each one of them.”

Piper worried her lower lip. “I didn’t recognize his voice.”

“He could have disguised it,” Harper cut in. “You said it was very deep. Maybe it wasn’t naturally that deep.”

“He could also have been hired by someone,” said Larkin.

Levi had already considered that, which was why … “Kelvin should be included on our list of suspects.”

Piper frowned, shaking her head. “That bastard in the deli tried to kill me. Kelvin has no reason to want me dead. He’s frustrated with me right now, but not to the point of feeling murderous.”

“I agree,” said Levi. “I’m not going to rule him out, though. Not until I feel confident he had nothing to do with this.”

“What about Celeste?” asked Devon. “I know she’s your stepsister but, to be blunt, I don’t think that means anything to her.”

Piper tilted her head. “Do I think she’d mourn me? No. But have me killed? No, I don’t see her doing that. It’s a step too far for her.”

“Maybe. As with Kelvin, though, I won’t rule her out until I feel positive that I safely can,” said Levi.

“Is there anyone else you can think of who might mean you harm, Piper?” asked Knox.

She thought about it for a long moment and then shook her head. “No. No one.”

After a few more questions were asked, Levi cupped her elbow and urged her to stand as he himself pushed to his feet. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”

Piper looked from Harper to Raini. “I’ll understand if you don’t want me to come back.”

Both her new bosses frowned.

“Why wouldn’t we want you to come back?” asked Raini.

“The bastard who stabbed me might come at me again,” Piper pointed out. “He could do that here.”

“That would be on him, not you,” said Raini. “You wouldn’t be the first worker here who had danger dogging them. Sad as it might be, it’s not unusual for demons to find themselves in this situation. Our world is violent.”

Harper nodded. “The people here look out for each other. Keep coming to work as usual. Don’t put your life on hold unless you absolutely have to. And if it does come to that, you’ll still have a job waiting for you for when you can come back.”

“So we’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early,” said Raini.

As each of the girls gave Piper a gentle hug, mindful of her wounded shoulder, Larkin held out a duffel to Levi and said, “Here.”

He took it from her, nodding his thanks. He’d telepathically asked her to pack him an overnight bag, because there wasn’t a chance he was leaving Piper alone tonight. For one thing, her attacker could strike again. For another, she had to be shaken on some level; he didn’t want her dealing with it on her own.

Once she was ready to leave, Levi led her out of the Underground and then drove her home. Inside the house, he dropped his duffel on the hallway floor.

She glanced down at it. “Do I want to know what’s in that bag?”

“Larkin packed a bunch of my stuff, knowing I wouldn’t want to leave you tonight. Don’t ask me to, Piper. Not when we both know that whoever tried to kill you could come for you here. Besides, am I fuck going to leave you alone after what you just went through.”

Touched, Piper swallowed hard. She didn’t bother pointing out that she was mostly fine now, because she knew that wasn’t the point. Knew that the ‘scuffle’ earlier could have ended so differently. Namely with him mourning her. Demons who lost their anchors could go off the damn rail. And if the bond was formed at the time, a mourning anchor could even turn rogue.

“I wasn’t going to object,” said Piper. “If the situation was reversed, I’d have been too wound up to go on home like nothing happened. I’d have wanted to stay with you.” It hadn’t been easy to admit that, but the hint of warmth that seeped into his gaze made it worth it. “I’ve got a spare room you can use.”

“I won’t be sleeping. I’ll be standing guard down here.”

Since demons could go days without sleep, it wouldn’t do him any harm.

His eyes swept over her face, so fucking intent on her. That laser-focus was dangerously seductive. Dammit, she didn’t want to be this person who pined for someone she couldn’t have. It was getting old fast. But how did you switch off an attraction that felt so basic and elemental? That seemed so completely out of your control?

“I’ll find out who stabbed you, Piper. They’re in for a world of pain. And if they were hired by someone, said someone will suffer worse.”

She believed him. “Good.”

“I’ll be putting guards on you. Enzo and Dez will keep a close watch when I’m not with you. Also, I want to have a security system installed here.”

“I’m sensing you expect me to object to these precautions. While I’m not fond of that high-handed tone you’re using, I’m not going to put up a protest when it became clear today that someone wants me dead. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.”

“They won’t get what they want, I swear that to you.”

Nodding, she gestured upstairs. “I’m gonna go give myself a washdown and change clothes. I can’t shower or I’ll get the bandage wet.”

“You go do that. I’ll make dinner.”

She’d already known he could cook; he’d told her during one of their talks. “You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay, thank you.” She padded out of the room and up the stairs, already sensing he was totally going to baby her tonight. She wouldn’t expect any different, given he had to be shook up that someone wanted her dead. She wouldn’t balk at a little hovering. Temporarily.

Someone wanted her dead.

God, she really was becoming a high-maintenance anchor.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Levi kept a close eye on Piper throughout the meal. Right then—lost in her own head, operating on autopilot—she looked so very unreachable.

He’d seen her like this each time she used her gift to help others. At first, he’d mistaken it for shock. But he’d eventually come to realize that whenever Piper felt overwhelmed, she tended to distance herself from what she was feeling. He got the sense that she preferred to wait until she was alone before she allowed herself to mentally process things.

As her anchor, he wasn’t down with her dealing with anything alone. But he didn’t want to push her to talk. Not now. She’d had one fuck of a night, and it was important that she get her rest so she could heal. Tomorrow, he’d do his best to make her talk. He didn’t want her bottling things up.

“Did you call your mother or Joe about what happened?” he asked.

She double-blinked, snapping out of her daze. “Uh, no, they’re at a party. I don’t see the sense in spoiling it for them.” She sighed. “They’re gonna be pissed. And they’re gonna expect you to magically have all the answers and ensure my safety.”

He’d expect nothing less. “I will get answers, and I will keep you safe. You can count on me to do that.”

“I know.”

His heart squeezed. She might not be in any rush to claim him, but she did have faith in him; did seem to feel safe with him. That meant a lot, and it went a long way to soothing his demon’s frustration. “I have a question for you. You seem very close to Joe, but neither you nor your mother took his surname. Why? Is it out of affection for your biological father?”

“No. Winslow is actually my mom’s family name, it was never his. My father—who is convinced his calling is to be a rock star but can’t sing for shit—left when I was a baby. He came back occasionally when I was little, saying he wanted to see me, but he was only really looking to borrow money from my mom. He was a total bum.”

“You don’t sound pissed about it.” In fact, there was a note of amusement in her voice when she spoke of the male.

“He’s not a bad guy. He was never mean to me or anything. He just wasn’t a dad. He was too unreliable and self-centered to prioritize anyone else over himself.”

“Did he at least visit you on special occasions?”

“Well he’d bring me birthday presents, but never on my actual birthday. And he only ever did it to make it look like he was there to see me when, really, he wanted to borrow cash from my mom again or needed a couch to sleep on for a few nights. He stopped coming back after she met Joe. And we would have taken Joe’s surname if Celeste hadn’t put up a stink. She did the same when he invited me to call him ‘Dad.’”

Petty bitch.“So you don’t.”

“No. But Joe is my dad. I don’t need to be biologically related to him for that to be true. Sharing DNA with someone doesn’t make them your family.”

“Agreed.”

“On the subject of parents, you’ve never mentioned your own. We don’t have to talk about them if it’s a painful topic,” she hurried to add.

His first instinct was to take the out she’d given him. When it came to his origins and childhood, there was much he didn’t know. Much he didn’t remember. And the memories he did have of that time, well, not many were fun to revisit. It was reflexive of him to balk at admitting to all that, but Larkin’s assertion that he needed to be open with Piper slithered through his mind.

With a silent curse, he reluctantly confessed, “My mother, Blanche, died giving birth to me. As for my father, I don’t know his identity. I’m not sure if I ever once met him as a child. It’s possible he either had no clue I existed or simply didn’t wish to be part of my life, because he didn’t take me in after she died.” Levi gave an indifferent shrug, having long ago ceased resenting it. “There really isn’t much else I can tell you about them. My earliest memories are of the home for demonic orphans where I grew up.”

“I don’t need to ask if the home was a good place. Your flat tone says it all.”

“Growing up there was no easy ride, but it could have been worse. The staff were overly strict—often to the point of being abusive. We didn’t know until a couple of years ago, but some children were also sexually assaulted there. Compared to them, I didn’t have it so hard.”

“That doesn’t detract from what you yourself went through.”

Again, he shrugged. “One good thing came out of my time there. It’s where I met Knox and the sentinels.”

“Why didn’t your lair keep you after your mom died?”

“From what I uncovered, she was a stray demon. She and her sister, Moira, left their lair together. I never did find out why, or even which lair they came from. Moira took me in after Blanche died. I don’t remember her either. She allegedly wasn’t very happy to have a toddler in her care, but at least she didn’t give me away. After she was later murdered, I officially became an orphan.”

Piper’s lips parted. “Your aunt was murdered?”

Levi nodded.

“Jesus. What happened?”

He hesitated, pursing his lips. “It isn’t a pretty story. Definitely not a good bedtime story. And you’ve had one hell of a day. I’d rather not add to that.”

Her perceptive gaze drifted over his face. “In other words, you don’t want to talk about it,” she said, no judgment in her tone.

Honestly, no, he didn’t. Not only because it didn’t seem like the right time to pile all that crap on her, but also because it would lead to a conversation about the current murders—he really didn’t want all that stuff circulating around her head when it was already a busy place and she needed her sleep.

And yeah, okay, he didn’t want it swimming through his own mind right now either. It poked and prodded at him often, only giving him a reprieve around Piper. He wanted to enjoy that reprieve, and he certainly didn’t want his attention divided tonight when he was here to keep her safe. “I’ll tell you all about it one day. Just not tonight.”

Seconds of silence ticked by as she stared at him. “Okay,” she finally said, her voice soft and empty of reproach. She licked her lips. “I’m sorry you lost your mom and aunt, and I’m sorry you had so few people in your life who were permanent fixtures. Just so you know … I’m going to be one of those fixtures. I’m not going anywhere.”

No, she wasn’t. Because neither he nor his demon would ever let her.

A shitty dream—not quite a nightmare, just an unpleasant jumble of images and other crap—snapped Piper awake. No light was creeping around the edges of the curtains, so it was nowhere close to morning. She grabbed her cell phone and checked the time: 2:07 a.m. Fabulous.

Sitting up, she took the bottle of water from the nightstand. There wasn’t much left in it, so it wasn’t surprising that she was still thirsty after draining the bottle.

Piper edged out of bed and, figuring there was nothing indecent about an old baggy tee and some shorts, didn’t bother slipping on a robe before leaving the room. Not wanting to startle Levi, she called out, “It’s only me, don’t pounce.”

As she was making her way down the stairs, he moved to stand at the bottom, too fucking hot for words. It really wasn’t fair.

His eyes did a slow sweep of her bare legs before lifting to meet her gaze. Stark need flickered across his face. For all of two seconds. Or maybe she’d imagined it. Yep, that was probably it. Nonetheless, her pulse jumped and her stomach twisted.

“Something wrong?” he asked, not stepping back to give her space.

Piper shook her head. “Just thirsty.” She was also feeling seriously hungry. For him. For his mouth and hands on her.

She gave herself a mental slap. Jesus, the man could sure send her hormones into a tailspin. It didn’t help that all that alpha energy danced along her nerve-endings. Or that a good, fast fuck would go a long way to relaxing her.

“You should have given me a telepathic shout-out,” he said. “I’d have brought you a drink.”

“I’m not that lazy. Most of the time.” Piper walked into the kitchen, conscious of him following her. “I take it there’s been no sign of movement outside or anything.”

“None,” he confirmed. “How’s your shoulder?”

“A little better. The throbbing’s more like a dull ache now, and the wound’s itching like crazy. Which means it’s healing well and fast.” Taking a bottle of water from the fridge, she studied him. “You haven’t calmed down any, huh?”

“It’s hard to do that knowing someone tried to kill you.”

Which was why she’d earlier considered pushing him to talk of his aunt’s murder; she’d thought it might help for him to concentrate on something else for a little while. Nonetheless, she’d let it go. Piper would rather he shared something with her because he wanted to, not because he felt pressured.

His eyes dropped to her legs again, bold as you please. Finally, they lifted … only to settle on her mouth. The atmosphere suddenly felt charged. Taut. Electric. Or maybe that was just her.

Something glowed in the depths of his gray eyes. Something she couldn’t quite name but that caused little bumps to sweep over her skin.

Clearing his throat, he took a step back and tipped his chin toward the doorway. “Go on up,” he said, his voice thick. “Get some more sleep.”

She probably wouldn’t manage to doze off again. She felt wide awake, and her brain seemingly wanted to obsess over what happened at the deli. Still, she’d head on up to bed and have some ‘alone time.’ She couldn’t risk digging out her vibrator—he’d hear that baby for sure. But her fingers would do the job just fine.

Halfway to the door, she turned to him. “By the way, um, thank you. For staying. I don’t think I’d have slept at all if I’d been alone.”

A line dented his brow. “I’d never have left you on your own.” Crossing to her, he palmed the side of her neck, staring hard into her eyes. “I told you before, I’ll always be here when you need me. You might not believe that so easily now, but you will in time.”

His thumb swept over her chin and grazed her lower lip—such a simple thing, but her flesh felt so sensitized she inhaled sharply and then swallowed hard.

His pupils dilated. His grip on her neck tightened. His thumb traced the corner of her mouth.

Sexual tension sparked in the air. Hot. Dazing. Completely unexpected.

“You shouldn’t have worn shorts,” he said.

She blinked. “What?”

He pounced, slanting his mouth over hers. No hesitance, no tentativeness. He dived right in, plunging his tongue deep; shocking her with a bruising, unrestrained kiss that obliterated her control.

She clung to him, excitement building inside her as his hands greedily roamed over her—shaping, palming, squeezing. One hand delved into her shorts and panties to cup her ass, and the hard dig of his fingertips wrenched a moan out of her.

Something hit the floor. Her bottle. The sound penetrated her haze and made her good sense snap awake, but it was overruled by the burn of his mouth, the possessiveness in his touch, and the hotly sexual need that flamed through her system.

God, she needed this, needed him, needed—

Pain lanced through her injured shoulder, and she hissed through her teeth.

Levi jerked back, breathing hard. “Shit, you all right?”

Panting, she gave a jerky nod. “Fine.” But she’d messed up. Big time.

That kiss had been thrilling. Scorching. Intoxicating. Everything she’d imagined it would be.

The bitch of it was … the kiss also wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been so tightly wound due to all that was going on. That stolen moment hadn’t been about her. No, his system had needed to channel his anger into something; had needed to give the emotion an out.

She was the out.

Well at least they’d stopped before things went too far. One-night stands were fun and all, but this was Levi. Her anchor. A man she’d wanted for too long. There was nothing smart about letting a guy you badly wanted quite simply use you for a night—even if there would have been nothing disrespectful about it on his part. And so she needed to backtrack now and pretend the kiss never happened.

His cock hard and throbbing like a motherfucker, Levi watched as her dazed eyes shuttered and her body straightened. She shifted away from him, putting a respectable distance between them. He had no clue what was going on in her head, but it was clearly making her pull back. His demon narrowed its eyes at her withdrawal, not liking it.

“I’ll go upstairs.” She coughed to clear her throat. “Yeah, I’ll go.” She snatched her bottle from the floor and headed for the door.

“Running again?”

She slowly spun on her heel. “Excuse me?”

“You learned we were anchors. You fled. I kissed you. You decided to flee again. Seems this is a thing with you.” Yes, he was deliberately goading her. He wanted that mask of indifference gone. He wanted to smash through the wall she’d thrown up between them.

He expected her to bristle and go on the defensive. He wasn’t expecting the tired sigh she let out.

“You don’t really want me,” she said.

He winged up a brow. “I don’t?”

“No. You’re angry and restless and looking to give those emotions an outlet,” she told him, all reasonable.

“You know what I want better than I do, do you?”

Her eyes flared. “I know I’m not your type.”

“I have a type?” That was new to him.

“Apparently. And I’m not it.”

Levi tilted his head. She’d said it with so much authority, so much certainty. All right, now he was just confused. “Who told you that?”

“Nobody, but …”

“But, what?” he pushed, his scalp prickling with unease.

Sighing again, she thrust a hand through her hair. “Let’s not do this. We’ll just forget—”

“Finish what you were going to say, Piper.”

She weakly flapped her arms. “Does it really matter?”

“If something is related to you, yeah, it absolutely matters to me. Why do you have it in your head that you’re not my type? Who put that thought there?”

She shrugged. “You did.”

He felt his brows dart together. “What?”

“You said those very words.”

Did he fuck.

“When Celeste talked to you about my crush on you—a crush she found highly amusing—you told her I wasn’t your type. Yeah, I overheard that conversation.”

He exhaled heavily as realization settled over him. Shit.

“I also heard what you didn’t say—like ‘Celeste, you’re being a bitch.’ But would I have expected you to defend me? No. You had no reason to, and she was your girlfriend. But don’t try to now make out like I’m ‘fleeing’ when all I’m really doing is stopping us both from doing something you’d later regret.”

Raking his eyes over her face, Levi closed the distance between them. “You might say you wouldn’t have expected me to defend you, but it still rankles that I didn’t.”

“Yes. I realize it’s irrational, but yes.”

Not irrational at all. He wouldn’t have felt any happier about it, in her shoes. “What was I supposed to say to her, Piper? ‘Actually, Celeste, I can’t stop wondering what it’d feel like to have your stepsister sucking my cock’?”

Piper’s lips parted, red and swollen. His dick predictably twitched. She blinked hard. “Sorry, what?”

“A man does not tell a woman he’s involved with that he finds her stepsister attractive. I didn’t speak up for you, because I didn’t trust that my words wouldn’t reveal what I really wanted: You. Under me. As many times as I could have you.”

She gave her head a little shake. “No, seriously, what?”

“I tried shoving all that aside. It didn’t work. Not when I was with Celeste, and not after we ended things. Even the fact that you were eighteen back then ceased to mean anything to me. But I still couldn’t act on what I wanted, because she isn’t the kind of person who’d have paved the way for me to make a move on you, and I didn’t want to make things worse between the two of you than they already were.” Levi edged into her personal space. “To put it simply, I wanted you then. I still want you now.”

“But you …”

“I told her what she needed to hear. That’s all.”

“And how do I know you’re not doing the same to me right now?”

“You think I’m lying to you?”

She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead. “I don’t know, Levi. I never thought you’d ever say any of this to me. And I mean ever. It’s hard to take it in. Hard to believe it. Especially when my mind is also busy working through the ton of crap that’s currently going on around us.”

“This wasn’t the right time for me to lay this on you, I know. But I wasn’t going to let you walk away thinking I meant what I said to Celeste all those years ago. I lied to her then. I’m not lying to you now.”

Her arm flopped to her side. She looked so lost and overwhelmed, an ache struck his chest.

He stroked his hand over her hair. “Go to bed,” he said softly.

Blinking, she gave a distracted nod.

As she padded out of the room, he scrubbed a hand down his face. His blood was still hot, his cock was still hard, her taste was still in his mouth … and Levi knew he wouldn’t be able to wait until after they’d bonded before he made a move. Knew, too, that his demon wouldn’t wait.

It would be interesting to see how long he and the entity lasted before the urge to take what they wanted became too much. Probably not more than twenty-four hours. They’d spent too many years craving her to hold back for very long.

The next time she went to bed, he’d be right there with her. And neither of them would get much sleep.