Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

“So I heard,” said Whitney, a note of anxiety in her voice. “And, like the attack itself, I should have heard that from you.”

“I knew you and Joe were at a party, I didn’t want to ruin it. And it wasn’t like there was anything you could have done. I didn’t think the news would reach you so fast.”

Walking into the kitchen, Piper found Levi sat at the island, an empty bowl in front of him, a half-full cup of coffee in hand. Another steaming mug was on the opposite side of the island, along with a plate on which a toasted bagel sat. And as her gaze locked with his, her lower stomach clenched at the glitter of heat there.

Memories of their kiss crawled all over her. She’d gone to bed restless and horny and so damn disoriented. She’d had it in her head for so long that she wasn’t his type that she still struggled to let the apparent truth sink in.

“Tell me your attacker has been detained,” said Whitney.

Piper perched herself on a stool at the island. “He hasn’t yet, but he will be. Levi is on it, as are Knox and the other sentinels.”

“Good. Joe and I are counting on Levi to sort out this situation and ensure you’re well-protected.” Whitney paused. “I’m sorry about how badly things went with Celeste the other day—”

“It isn’t you who needs to apologize.”

“Maybe not, but we both know you’ll hear no such apology from her. I wanted to invite you and Levi to dinner. Celeste won’t be there. I won’t have a repeat of what happened a few days ago. Joe and I would like to get to know your anchor better.”

Piper felt her face soften. “I’m sure Levi will be up for it.”

“We know how busy he is. Find out what evening would be best for him and then get back to me. Now, tell me how things are going at Urban Ink.”

Piper did exactly that while eating her bagel. After ending the call a few minutes later, she looked at Levi, the impact of his piercing gaze hitting her like a fist to the solar plexus. “That was my mom. She wants us to have dinner with her and Joe at their house. Just the four of us.”

He lifted his cup. “When?”

“She said to ask what would be a good evening for you. She knows you’re a busy guy.”

“You pick a day. I’ll make it happen.” He sipped at his drink. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Healed.”

“Fully? You won’t be much good with a tattoo gun today if not.”

Piper took a swig of her coffee. “There’s no blemish, no pain, no nothing.”

“Good.”

As they went on to talk about general things, she braced herself for any mention of their kiss and the conversation that had followed it. But … he didn’t once raise the subject. Didn’t even hint at it.

It wasn’t entirely surprising. She’d figured he might choose to act like it hadn’t happened. It was important to Levi that nothing got in the way of them forming the anchor bond, and he might worry that acting on their attraction in any way would do exactly that.

Piper was glad he wanted to keep things platonic. She was also disappointed. The whole thing was … ugh, she honestly had no idea what she truly wanted here.

Her demon, on the other hand, was having no such internal crisis. It was totally up for blurring some lines, so it was annoyed with both her and him for their inaction.

“I’ll walk you to the coffeehouse next to the studio,” he told her as she washed the dirty dishware. “The girls will be waiting for you there. After that, I have a few things to do. Enzo and Dez will stand guard outside the studio throughout your entire shift. I’ll be there to pick you up as usual at closing time. If you wish to leave the studio at any time, your guards will go with you.”

She nodded. “All right.” Would all this protection gall her? Not at all. Getting attacked was no fun, and she’d rather make it difficult for anyone to repeat said attack.

“If you need me for anything, reach out telepathically or call my cell.”

“You said you had things to do. I don’t want to bother you when you’re busy.”

“Piper, I’ll never be too busy to answer a call from you—telepathic or otherwise. You come first. Understand?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

Not so convinced she was sure, Levi narrowed his eyes. “Do you have it in your head that you’ll come second to my positions within the lair?”

“Well, I kind of expect to. I won’t be upset about it. I understand you’re dedicated to your roles. I admire the level of your dedication.”

That comment annoyed him as much as it warmed him. Because while he liked that she respected his commitments to their lair, he didn’t like that she’d so much as think that those commitments came before her. It annoyed his demon just the same. “I told you, you’re my priority.”

“Mentally, maybe. But you won’t always be able to act on that, because a lot of your time is taken up by both sentinel stuff and being Knox’s bodyguard. I don’t say that with resentment, I swear. That’s not the sort of person I am.”

“And neglecting my anchor isn’t the sort of person I am.”

“I’m not saying you’ll neglect me. I’m simply saying you’re a busy guy and that that will be a factor here.”

Levi crossed to her, pinning her gaze with his. “Let’s get a few things straight. You don’t come second to my positions, Piper. You never will. Am I busy? Yes. Will we always spend as much time together as we do now? No. But you can bet your sweet little ass that I’ll be checking in with you on, at the very least, a weekly basis. You can reach out to me any time. I’ll always answer. I’m an ‘all or nothing’ person, Piper. You don’t have to worry that I’ll be a half-assed anchor.”

She nodded again. “I believe you.”

He studied her closely. “Do you? Or do you believe that this is all wishful thinking on my part?”

A sigh slipped out of her. “This is one of those situations where time will tell, isn’t it? Now, are you ready to leave? Because I don’t want to be late for work.”

He shot her a narrow-eyed look, not liking that she meant to brush the topic aside. But as this wasn’t a good time for him to push, he made a mental note to revisit the matter later. “Then let’s go.”

He kept the conversation light as he drove, pointedly avoiding the subject of the kiss. He hadn’t initially intended to say nothing of it, but she was still as tense and unsure as she had been last night. The conversation they needed to have could wait until later. And they would have it.

After escorting her into the coffeehouse, he did a quick walkthrough of the studio, despite knowing Piper’s attacker could conceal their presence. The one thing that brought Levi comfort was that Devon’s hellcat sense of smell would pick up anyone lingering in the studio who shouldn’t be there.

Back in the coffeehouse, he said his goodbyes to Piper, reminded her to contact him if there was a problem, and then—barely resisting the urge to plant a kiss on her mouth—headed to Knox’s main office within the Underground. It was pretty close to the studio, so it was only a matter of minutes before Levi reached the small stairwell that led to the office. His demon squinted at the sight of Celeste leaning against the wall. For fuck’s sake.

Levi had expected her to seek him out eventually—maybe to continue their argument, or maybe to play head games with him. She’d regret it soon enough. He’d been tactful the other night due to Whitney and Joe’s presence. Now that he and Celeste were alone, he had no intention of holding his tongue.

She straightened and turned to fully face him. There was nothing confrontational about her body language today. She looked nervous. Sheepish. Awkward.

And he wasn’t buying it.

“What are you doing here?” Levi asked, keeping his voice bored.

She cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“So talk.”

“Can we go somewhere private?”

“No.”

Her mouth briefly tightened. “Fine,” she said, her voice low. “I overreacted the other night. I know that. I was shocked, and I didn’t handle it well.”

“It’s Piper you need to have this conversation with.”

“I will apologize to her. I wanted to speak with you first.”

“Well now you have.”

She stared at him for a long moment. “You don’t have any interest in talking to me, do you?”

“No.” She was a fool if she’d thought differently.

She bit down on the inside of her cheek. “So you’re jumping on Piper’s bandwagon. I suppose I should have expected that. People always take her side.”

“You can’t play me the way you do your father and Whitney. Or have you forgotten that?”

Her eyes widened. “I never tried to play you.”

“Sure you did. But it doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago—”

“Not that long ago. And it wasn’t as if we simply had a one-night stand or something. We were together.”

He snorted. “Don’t pretend what we had was anything close to serious. You spent more time with the other men you were sleeping with than you did me during those four months.”

“Because you were always so busy! And you didn’t ask for exclusivity.”

“I’m not looking for you to justify anything. I’m simply pointing out that it wasn’t quite the cozy relationship you like to imply it was.” All of which he’d have said the other night, but he hadn’t wanted to make his and Piper’s announcement all about Celeste and their past.

“You cared for me,” she insisted. “You cared for your job more, I know that. But I did mean something to you.”

This time, it was his demon who snorted. “I never even really knew you. You wore a mask around me. A mask that started to slip when you couldn’t find a way to control me. It just kept slipping, little by little.”

Her eyes flashed. “You act like it was you who walked away. I ended things between us.”

“It was yet another attempt to manipulate me, though, wasn’t it? You wanted me to choose you over my positions.”

She perched her hands on her hips. “It’s so terrible that I wanted a real commitment from you? That I wanted more for us than a fling?” Taking a long breath, she held up her hands in surrender. “I didn’t come here to fight. I don’t want to rehash what happened back then. Like you said, it’s in the past. I’m more interested in the future.” She licked her lips. “Our future. I want us to try again.”

Fucking hell, the woman couldn’t be more predictable if she tried. “You want to pull me away from Piper,” he corrected.

“No, it’s not that. I reacted badly the other day, but it wasn’t fair of me to ask that you both give up the anchor bond. I know that, and I’m sorry. This here and now is nothing to do with the psi-mate thing. This is about us.”

“There’s not going to be an ‘us.’”

Celeste’s lips flattened. “Just because it didn’t work so well the first time round doesn’t mean we can’t make it work a second time.”

“I’m not interested in trying again.”

“Because of Piper? Because you don’t think she’d handle it well? Look, I could talk to her. I could make her see—”

“I’m not interested in trying again,” he repeated.

Celeste’s expression soured. “You won’t have time for anyone she doesn’t like? Is that how it is?”

“I don’t have time for anyone who treats my anchor like shit. That includes you. But even if you were sweet as pie to her, I wouldn’t want to get involved with you again. You’re not all that invested in the idea either. You simply don’t like that the stepsister you despise has rights to someone who you once considered yours.” He’d never been ‘hers,’ but she hadn’t seen it that way. “You don’t like how important Piper is to me, and you’re thinking that if you can get back into my bed, you’ll be front and center and she’ll be pushed aside. Can you not see how fucking petty and vindictive that is?”

“You’re twisting everything.”

“No, I’m calling you on your bullshit. Something you’re not used to people doing.” He took a fluid step toward her, his face hard. “Understand something, Celeste. This little hobby you have of doing your best to fuck with Piper’s life—that’s over. She’s under my personal protection now. Anyone who tries hurting her will have to deal with me and my demon. Stepsister or not, that will include you.”

He’d expected a rant, a snarl, an insult. Instead, all the tension drained out of her. Sadness glimmered in her eyes.

“That’s all I wanted from you, you know,” she said. “For you to claim rights to me. For you to class me as directly under your protection. But you just never did.” She opened her mouth to say more but then shook her head and walked away.

He had the distinct feeling she was hoping that he, moved by her apparent despair, would call her back to him. Instead, Levi ascended the stairwell and headed to Knox’s office. It was as sleek and contemporary as it was spacious. The tall glass window overlooked the combat circle where Levi liked to blow off steam occasionally.

Both Tanner and Keenan had claimed the sofa while Larkin relaxed in a cozy armchair. Just like the desk chairs, they were cushioned with Italian leather that was soft as butter.

Seated behind the executive desk, Knox turned away from the hi-tech computer and frowned at Levi. “You all right?”

Grunting, Levi spared the wall-mounted security monitors a quick glance. There was plenty of CCTV footage of the Underground. It was important to keep an eye on their kind, since they didn’t always play nicely. “I’ll be fine when someone informs me that they discovered who targeted Piper,” he said, taking the seat opposite Knox. “Anyone have any news?”

Knox flipped his pen upside down and began idly tapping the papers in front of him with it. “Most of the people on our list of suspects have been interviewed by members of the Force. Only a few don’t have alibis for the time of her attack.”

“Do Jasper and Sefton have alibis?” They were Levi’s main suspects.

Knox nodded. “Their father swore they were with him.”

“He would have said it even if they weren’t.”

“But we can’t prove he lied.”

Larkin shifted in her seat. “Neither Jasper nor Sefton had injuries consistent with the attack that took place at the deli. In fact, no one who was interviewed had any wounds. Which means that either the injuries were healed by the time these people were questioned—which is entirely possible—or none of those people were Piper’s attacker.”

“No one in our lair is down on record as having the ability to conceal their appearance, but that doesn’t mean they can’t,” said Keenan. “Deli Guy may well have been hired by someone.”

“Possibly.” Levi twisted his mouth. “Has Piper’s ex, Kelvin, been interviewed yet?”

“Not yet,” said Knox. “He wasn’t home when our Force members went to see him. They plan to catch him at his tattoo shop today.”

“Leave that with me,” said Levi. “I’ll speak with him.”

Larkin tilted her head. “How’s Piper?”

“Fully healed.”

“Good, though I kind of meant emotionally,” said the harpy. “It’s not every day someone invisible tries to kill you, even in the strange world of demons.”

“She seemed in shock when I saw her at the studio after the attack,” Tanner chipped in.

Levi rubbed his nape. “Piper’s very good at dissociating from whatever’s going on inside her. I saw it over and over when she helped victims relive their attacks. She seems to prefer to process things in the privacy of her own mind.”

“Kind of like you,” said Tanner.

Levi nodded. “Which is why I’d be a hypocrite if I pushed her to share the things that bug her.”

“But you’ll push her anyway,” Larkin accused, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. “Because you’ll hate the thought that she could be hurting or anxious or confused. You’ll want to fix it.”

Unable to deny it, Levi only shrugged.

“Is she any closer to wanting to form the anchor bond?” asked Knox.

“I believe she’s warming to the idea.” Levi slid his gaze to Larkin. “I took your advice and let Celeste be ‘the bad guy’ in front of Whitney and Joe. It worked.”

“Of course it worked,” said Larkin with a haughty sniff. “Celeste didn’t take the news well, then?”

“No.” Levi puffed out a breath. “She threw a tantrum, saying she wouldn’t ‘allow’ me and Piper to bond. But she apologized for that just now.”

Tanner’s brow creased. “What? Here?”

“She was waiting at the bottom of the stairwell,” said Levi. “She gave me a false apology and then tried convincing me we should give things another shot.”

Keenan rolled his blue eyes. “As if you’d ever be up for that. It’s like she’s forgotten all the drama she caused after you two ended things.”

“I’ve learned that Celeste has a selective memory.” Levi exhaled heavily. “Piper’s not going to be happy when she hears about it, but I doubt she’ll be surprised.”

Just then, Knox’s phone began to ring. The Prime held up a finger and then answered his cell.

“On another note,” began Larkin, sliding her gaze to Tanner, “have you and Devon decided on any baby names?”

Tanner’s mouth thinned. “Her new favorites are Engelbert for a boy and Hallelujah for a girl. It’s like she wants our kid to get bullied.”

Levi exchanged a smile with Keenan. They were all pretty certain that Devon was simply messing with her mate as a punishment for how much he hovered around and fussed over her.

Knox ended his call and sighed, his face grim, his eyes glittering with anger. “There’s been another murder.”

As they strode up the path toward the victim’s house, Tanner looked at Levi. “There are other reapers who could do this.”

Levi tossed him a sideways glance. “Do you really think I’d leave this to others when it could be connected to my aunt’s death?”

“No. But I do think that the killer—whether they had anything to do with her death or not—wants you to investigate these deaths. This is probably his warped way of … reaching out to you. Even communicating with you. After all, you feel what he feels when you use your gifts. You get a vague impression of what happened. Maybe he wants that.”

“He could be right, Levi,” Knox said from behind them.

Glancing over his shoulder, Levi told the Prime, “I can’t walk away from this.”

Covering the rear, Larkin and Keenan exchanged an unhappy look.

“All right,” said Knox. “I simply want you to consider that the killer could be purposely trying to draw you into this.”

Levi already had considered it. In his opinion, it didn’t matter either way, because he couldn’t step aside. He needed to play some part in catching this bastard.

Levi took the lead as they walked into the house and through to the living room. Waves of pulsing emotions hit him like a clap of thunder. “It’s like the last scene. The feminine emotions are anger, powerlessness, and a sense of utter defeat. Above it all is a blinding, choking, all-consuming fear.”

Levi noticed that the body on the rug was in the process of being bagged by some members of the Force. Her face wasn’t covered, so he could see the X that had been carved into her forehead. A brief touch of her arm confirmed for him that the broken neck was the cause of death and she’d been deceased for a little over two days.

Emma’s body had only been found because her one-year-old child, Charlotte, had been earlier left outside the lair’s foster home—clean, healthy, and unharmed, much like Diem’s son, Toby.

“What are you getting from the bastard who did this, Levi?” asked Tanner as the Force members carried the body out of the house.

“Same as last time,” said Levi, scanning the room. Like at the previous murder scene, no furniture was broken or upturned. There was no blood or other mess. “Contentment, a mounting irritation, disappointment, rage, loneliness. Again, it’s as if all was going good in his mind, but then he became more and more annoyed—and much more quickly than he did with Diem. Killing Emma was necessary to him, but he hated the desolation that followed.”

“So she was yet another victim who didn’t satisfy whatever sick needs he has,” said Larkin, her face tight.

“Emma’s here,” Levi told them as snatches of her voice floated through the air.

… couldn’t scream … helpless …

… my mind … control …

… so gentle … Charlotte …

Levi frowned. “She says she was unable to scream; that she was helpless. She said ‘my mind’ and then ‘control.’”

Keenan pursed his lips. “You think he might have the gift of mind control? That maybe he took her over? Used her as some kind of puppet?”

“It would explain why no one reported hearing any screams or cries,” said Knox. “And it would also account for why there are no signs of a struggle. The women can’t struggle. He strips them of their will.”

“Has Emma said anything else?” Larkin asked Levi.

“She seems to be saying that he was gentle with Charlotte,” replied Levi. “Wait, there’s more. I can’t quite make out her words.”

… remember … can’t … hates …

“I don’t know what she’s trying to say.” Levi repeated the three words she’d spoken. “Now she’s sobbing and muttering her daughter’s name. I can feel her presence fading.” He posed a few questions at her, unsurprised when she gave no answers.

“Are there any pulses of physical pain in the air?” asked Tanner.

“No. I don’t believe he hurt her until the end when he broke her neck.”

Leaving the house, Levi and the other sentinels spoke with the neighbors. None reported seeing or hearing anything untoward, just as none had seen a car parked outside the house. Two people, however, claimed to have seen a man enter the house two days ago, but none could give an accurate description. They just kept using the word ‘average,’ but they could remember what he wore—jeans, a jacket, and a cap.

Gathering in Emma’s front yard with Knox and the other sentinels, Levi sighed. “As I see it, there are only two similarities between Emma and Diem—they were single, and they had a young child. They looked nothing alike, there was an eight-year age gap between them, and they didn’t have similar jobs or hobbies. Aside from being part of the same lair, they were in no way connected.”

“In terms of character, they were alike in some ways,” said Larkin. “Gentle. Shy. Quick to smile.”

“Making them nothing like my aunt,” Levi pointed out.

“Maybe his tastes in character have changed.” Larkin shrugged. “Emma and Diem were also good moms. And there was some friction between them and their family members.”

“In summary, then, he likes single mothers who don’t have the best support network,” said Keenan. “So, what, he wants a woman who he feels needs someone? He wants to be their savior?”

“That or he prefers victims he is fairly certain won’t have constant visits from family members as he doesn’t wish to be interrupted. We have to operate on the assumption that he’s using our lair as his metaphorical hunting ground,” Knox added, a thread of menace in his voice. “I want guards on every single mother within our lair—guards who will knock on their front door every morning, ask how they’re doing, and briefly check the house.”

Pausing, Knox turned to Levi. “Since a man has been seen at both crime scenes, I don’t believe it was the same person who attacked Piper or the killer would have concealed himself on entering the houses the way he did at the deli.”

“I don’t consider him a suspect. Being childless, Piper’s not his type. Also, I don’t see any reason why he’d target my anchor.” Levi looked at Emma’s house. “This thing he does … he’s trying to fulfill something inside him. He doesn’t get off on causing physical pain. He even makes the deaths quick. What happened to Piper was completely different, not to mention risky and sloppy.”

Knox gave a slow nod. “Whoever killed Diem and Emma likes control. Nothing about what occurred at the deli was controlled.”

“The person who attacked Piper … my money is on Sefton or Jasper.” Again, Levi slid his gaze to the house. “As for who did this, I have no fucking clue who we should be looking at. Part of me wants to go hunting, but I can’t bring myself to leave Piper’s side right now.”

“I understand,” said Knox. “Your instincts—not to mention your demon—wouldn’t allow it. But I would not ask you to go hunting in any case, because I believe that that’s what this killer wants: to draw you into a game of cat-and-mouse. As Tanner speculated, this person is reaching out to you. He wants your attention. So we’re not going to give it to him. That’s what will make him slip up. That and making it near impossible for him to harm other single mothers within our lair. We’ll get him, Levi.”

“Then he’s mine.”

“Oh yes, then he’s yours.”