Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

The sound of the alarm blaring pierced Devon’s dream. Upper lip curling, she blindly reached out to the nightstand and slapped at her phone until the dreaded noise stopped. She was not what anyone would call a morning person. Everything irked her when she first woke—the sunlight seeping over the edges of the blackout blind, the sound of her own breathing, the tacky taste in her mouth, the gnawing sensation in her stomach.

The most irritating thing about every morning? Knowing she needed to get up.

Until she’d had her first caffeine-fix of the day, her friends never spoke to her. Or made eye contact with her. Or tried getting her attention. Or made any sudden movements that she might misinterpret as a challenge.

It was as the sleep-fog began to clear from her brain that snapshot-memories of the previous day sucked her under—the cabin, Maverick’s death, Tanner bringing her home, Tanner marking her.

Well, fuck.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure what pissed her off more—that she’d been snatched by an incantor, or that she now wore the pooch’s mark. Probably the latter.

Knowing she’d need to call Jolene and find out what time they were meeting with Finn, Devon lazily grabbed her cell. Her Prime had texted her an hour ago to say that she and Ciaran would arrive at Devon’s apartment at 8:45am, since the meeting with Finn was scheduled for 9am. Jolene had also added that Devon’s car had been found but was an utter wreck. Groan.

Either Maverick had purposely put it out of commission, or some kids had found and had their fun with it. In any case, it would be taken to the local mechanic shop this morning, where some of her lair worked.

With yet another snarl, she returned the phone to the nightstand. It was a good ten minutes before she summoned the energy to get out of bed. Eyes half-closed, feet dragging, Devon made her way into the bathroom and did her business.

A short while later—washed, dressed, and wearing a subtle layer of makeup—she shuffled to the kitchen. Two cups of coffee and a Danish pastry later, she was no longer feeling like a zombie. She’d just finished rinsing her mug when Ciaran and Jolene appeared in the middle of her kitchen.

Devon almost jumped. “You need to give a girl some warning before you go teleporting into her home.”

Khloë’s twin brother raised a brow. “Where would be the fun in that?”

Jolene glanced around. “No Tanner? I told him to meet us here at exactly eight—” She cut off at the knock on the door. “Ah, good.” The Prime disappeared down the hallway. Moments later, she returned with the pooch in tow.

The moment his golden eyes landed on Devon, all her hormones sighed in feminine appreciation. Her stomach twisted as he gave her a slow, intense perusal that was nothing short of an eye-fuck.

He flashed her a crooked smile. “Here, kitty, kitty.”

Her inner demon rolled its eyes and huffed in annoyance. Devon bared her teeth at him and sniped, “Clearly the lifeguard wasn’t looking when you dived in the gene pool.”

He chuckled. “Such a cranky kitten.”

“Such a mangy mutt.”

Ciaran chuckled. “You two argue like … well, cat and dog.”

“Funny.” Devon put her hands on her hips. “Where are we meeting Finn?”

“At his home,” replied Jolene. “You ready to leave?”

Devon nodded. “Whenever you are.”

And so, mere minutes later, her father’s butler was showing them into Finn’s parlor. Like the rest of the oversized house, it was spacious and immaculately clean. Sure, it was beautiful with the crown molding, expensive chandelier, and baby piano, but the parlor made her think of a showroom. It just didn’t have any personality.

Devon sank into the sofa, frowning when Tanner took up a position behind her … like a sentry or something. Jolene and Ciaran, however, took a turn about the room. Devon was just about to ask them not to steal anything when two people elegantly strode inside.

Tall, lean, and well-groomed, Finn wore his usual imperious frown. The beautiful, curvy woman at his side—his adviser as well as his partner—always wore the ghost of a smile … but that smile never failed to slip from Leticia’s face when she was in the company of Devon. Really, given that Devon’s mom had the one-night stand with Finn while he was in a relationship with Leticia, who could blame the woman for resenting the sight of the child who came from that one-night stand?

She wasn’t a bitch to Devon, though. Never took out her hurt on her or tried cutting her from Finn’s life, which was more than Devon would have expected.

Finn’s pace faltered slightly when he saw her, and his frown briefly smoothed out. “Devon? I didn’t realize you were coming.” He took in the other people in the parlor, and his questioning gaze danced back to her.

It probably should have been sad that he hadn’t given her a hug, a smile, or even a hello. But she and Finn had never had a father-daughter relationship. He was more like a distant uncle who’d do something for her out of some sense of obligation, but not out of love or loyalty.

She’d never felt like she’d “missed out.” For one thing, Russell was fucking awesome. For another, Finn wasn’t exactly fatherly with his other kids. He was the cliché workaholic who had a corner office and never took a day off unless the circumstances were dire—as in someone was dying.

Jolene stepped forward, all smiles and grace. “Ah, Finn, Leticia, always a pleasure. You both remember my grandson, Ciaran, don’t you? And I’m sure you’ve already met Tanner Cole at some point or other.”

“Yes, I have.” Unfailingly polite no matter the circumstances, Finn greeted both males before looking down at Devon once more. “Is something wrong?”

Devon gave him a weak smile. “Kind of, yeah.”

Leticia narrowed her eyes on Jolene. “You said that you and Finn had something important that needed to be discussed.”

“We do.” Jolene lifted her chin. “It concerns Devon, and she should be here for this discussion.”

The door opened once more. Two of Finn’s sentinels, Eric and Reena, entered. The stunning redhead bore a very strong resemblance to her mother, Leticia. When she caught sight of Devon, her mouth thinned. “Devon,” she greeted.

“Reena.” As she’d told Tanner, Devon had a somewhat complicated relationship with her three half-siblings. It was less awkward with Spencer as he was so much older than her and completely focused on the family businesses. He didn’t resent her for being the product of their father’s betrayal, but Reena did. The youngest of the trio, Kaye—who was only two years older than Devon—wasn’t as bitchy, but she wasn’t exactly accepting of Devon either.

Reena had made it clear that she thought Devon disloyal for not joining their lair. Honestly, though, Devon had a hard time believing that Reena really wanted her there.

Spencer, Reena, and Kaye all considered her job to be an absolute joke, since they didn’t place much stock in tattoos or piercings. And she knew it embarrassed them that their half-sister was part of Jolene Wallis’s lair, since that lair had a bad reputation.

Like Finn and Leticia, they were all about “appearances” and placed a lot of importance on social status. They liked to be seen at the right places with the right people. Liked chic clothes, fast cars, fine wine, and posh restaurants. It wasn’t that they were shallow, they were just far too concerned with what others thought.

Devon, however, didn’t place any value on social status. She didn’t go to Michelin star restaurants or wine tasting events. She liked takeout food, vodka, and bar-crawling. Though she liked pretty clothes as much as the next person, she didn’t feel the need to keep up with the latest fashion trend—she wore what she liked.

“Why are these people here?” Reena asked her father.

“We’re about to find out,” said Finn, his expectant gaze locked on Jolene.

Ralph, the butler, offered them drinks, but everybody politely declined. The moment the door closed behind Ralph, Jolene spoke.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Devon was kidnapped last night.”

Finn did a slow blink, and his entire body went rigid.

“She freed herself, obviously,” Jolene went on. “But now we need to find out who arranged the kidnapping, and so we have some questions from you.”

Finn turned to Devon, his eyes hard. “You were kidnapped last night … and I’m only hearing this now?”

“It was my call to keep it from you until we could speak face-to-face,” Jolene told him.

Finn rounded on the other Prime. “Why?” he bit out. “You don’t trust that I’ll answer you truthfully?”

“No, I don’t. Because I suspect you may find my questions … uncomfortable.”

Flushing, he took an aggressive step toward her. “You had no right to keep this from me, Jolene. None.” Raking a hand through his hair, he looked down at Devon, seemingly at a loss for what to say to her. “Are you okay?” he finally asked.

“I’m fine,” replied Devon. “Just eager for answers.”

“Where do you come into this?” Reena asked Tanner, belligerent. “Is it connected to your Primes? Did someone take her to get at Harper?”

Tanner’s hound bared its teeth, not caring for the female’s tone. It didn’t much like her indifference toward Devon either. Although Tanner had known in advance that she and Finn weren’t close, he’d expected more concern from the other male. Finn seemed more bothered by the fact that he’d been kept in the dark than he did by the threat to his daughter.

“I’m here because Devon is under my protection,” Tanner told Reena. He cut his gaze to Finn. “From what her kidnapper told her, the person connected to the kidnapping intended to contact you.”

“There was supposed to be an exchange—me for a guy called Asa,” said Devon. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about him, would you?”

Finn’s expression went utterly blank.

Devon narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even think of lying to me, Finn. Not about this.”

“It’s lair business,” said Reena.

“And it touched Devon,” Tanner cut in, “which makes it her business.” And these people were out of their fucking minds if they thought he’d leave without the answers she was due. “Keeping your shit private is really more important to you than finding out who targeted Devon? Really?”

Nostrils flaring, Reena turned to face Finn. “Dad …”

“Who. Is. Asa?” asked Devon.

Leticia sighed. “You should tell them, Finn. They can’t protect her if they don’t know the facts.”

Reena’s eyes widened. “But—” She broke off at the cautioning look her mother shot her.

Finn’s shoulders lowered. “Asa was part of my lair. But when I denied him a position on my Force for a third time, he left. Became a stray. He also banded together with other strays and started … an operation, of sorts.”

Devon’s brow furrowed. “Operation?”

“They would kidnap the child of a demon within our lair, and then they would threaten to kill that child if the demon didn’t do something they’d otherwise never do—cheat on their mate, kill their most trusted friend, hand over one of their other children. It was a game to Asa.”

“Sick bastard,” Jolene muttered.

Devon had to agree. Demons always got revenge, but this was fucked-up even for them.

“Apt description.” Finn sank into an armchair. “We captured Asa and locked him up. As you can imagine, the people he hurt are enjoying exacting their vengeance on him.”

“What about the others in Asa’s group?” asked Jolene.

“He gave up their names under torture. They’ve all been killed.”

“He couldn’t have given up all of them, because someone wants him freed,” Jolene pointed out. “Only one of his group could possibly want that.”

“He swore there were no others. I believed him. That was my mistake.”

“We all believed him,” said Eric.

Ciaran spoke for the first time. “But how many others can there be? One? Two?”

“Probably just one, or they wouldn’t have needed to hire someone else to do the kidnapping,” said Devon.

All eyes jumped to the parlor door as it swung open. Devon watched as yet another redhead waltzed inside. Just as stunning as Reena but without the badass vibe, Kaye always looked as if she’d just walked off a commercial shoot for cosmetics.

Kaye smiled at Devon—it was the kind you’d gift a distant relative merely to be gracious. “Ralph said you were here and … my, my, this looks official.”

Reena sighed. “Kaye, we’re kind of busy here; you need to go.” Kaye’s smile slipped from her face as her gaze darted from person to person. “Something’s happened. What is it?”

Finn took a deep breath, turned to his youngest daughter, and spilled the beans.

Her mouth fell open. “Oh my God.” She eyed Devon. “You look okay, but you must be a little shook up. I don’t get why they took you. I don’t mean it in a bitchy way. It’s just that, well, you’re not a big part of Dad’s life. Shouldn’t they have gone after me or Reena or Spencer?”

Reena shot her sister a look that called her an idiot. “We’re better protected than Devon. She made an easier target.”

“I don’t think it was that,” said Jolene. “I think they thought there was more chance of Finn agreeing to free Asa if he had pressure coming at him from other people to make the trade.” She looked at Finn. “Knox and I would have demanded you take whatever action necessary to see that Devon was returned safely—I think someone was counting on that.”

Finn rubbed at the back of his head. “Devon, I …” Exhaling heavily, he dropped his arm. “You’re welcome to stay here until all this is over.”

Reena’s spine snapped straight.

“I’ll be fine, but thanks,” Devon said to him.

Finn’s lips thinned but he inclined his head. “I can take things from here, Jolene. I’ll find out who—”

“That’s not how this is going to work, Finn,” said Jolene. “I’ve already had this conversation with Harper. I don’t feel like having it again with you.”

“Harper’s merely her friend. I’m her father.”

“But not her Prime.”

“Only because she refuses to join our lair,” Reena chipped in.

Jolene slowly arched a brow. “It’s never bothered any of you before that Devon isn’t your responsibility. I don’t see why it should bother you now.”

“Ouch,” said Kaye, her lips quirking. “She makes a good point, though.”

Reena’s upper lip curled. “Kaye.”

Leticia silenced her daughters with a dark look.

“If you really want to help, talk more with Asa,” Jolene told Finn. “Do whatever you have to do to find whatever names he’s been hiding from you. We intend to talk with Maddox Quentin later tonight. It seems most likely to us that he brokered the deal. I’ll call you after I’ve spoken with him and we can compare notes.”

Finn gave a curt nod. “You’d better not hold back any information from me, Jolene.”

The imp smiled. “I was just about to say the same to you.”

Turning back to Devon, he swallowed. “You’re sure you wouldn’t rather stay here for a while?”

“I’m positive.” Devon pushed to her feet. “But I do appreciate the offer.”

He inclined his head again. “Call if you need me.”

Devon nodded, but he gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her. He was right not to. This man might have played a part in her conception, but he wasn’t the man who’d helped her with her homework, taught her to ride a bike, or shot at any teenage boys who upset her. Russell was her dad, and he was the only man she trusted with her fears and vulnerabilities.

Reena stepped close to Finn’s side and lifted her chin, staring hard at Devon. Her mind nudged Devon’s. This wouldn’t have happened to you if you’d just moved to our lair where you’d have had better protection. She didn’t add, “You have no one to blame but yourself,” but Devon heard it in the female’s tone.

You say that as if I’d have been warmly welcomed into it, said Devon. But we both know you never wanted me to move here—let’s not pretend differently.

A warm hand splayed on her back. “Time to go, kitten.”

Yes, it really was.

*

A short while later, Devon unclipped her seatbelt as Tanner pulled up outside one of Knox’s nightclubs. The place was highly popular with humans, who had no idea that the Underground was located beneath it. The club itself was closed to humans during daytime hours, but the Underground was a hub of activity twenty-four/seven.

“You weren’t kidding when you said your relationship with your half-siblings is complicated,” said Tanner as they walked toward the club.

Devon shrugged. “Plenty of people can say the same.”

“They could have at least expressed a bit of fucking concern about the issue of your safety. We practically had to drag information out of them.”

She blinked at the vehemence in his voice. “Blood relative or not, I’m an outsider; they’re not going to want to share lair business with outsiders.”

Tanner entered the club first and led her down the basement stairs and over to a door that was guarded by two powerfully built demons. With a respectful nod at Tanner, they parted and punched in the keycode for the elevator behind them. The metal doors instantly slid open.

Devon put her hand on the rail as the elevator began to smoothly descend. Already, the tension inside her started to ebb—heading for work always did that for her. She knew she was lucky to be able to claim that she adored her job. Although she specialized in piercings, she’d also been Raini’s apprentice for a while. Her apprenticeship had ended four months ago, and she was now a fully-fledged tattooist.

Tanner folded his arms. “You don’t seem to get along well with Reena.”

“We’re close in age, so I think she felt threatened when I first came into the picture. Like I’d replace her in Finn’s affections or something. She was competitive, which got annoying fast. She lost the petty streak over the years, but she never ‘took’ to me.”

“And Kaye?”

“Kaye’s pretty much indifferent to my existence. She’s a free, directionless spirit who’s wrapped up in her own world. So long as Finn continues supplying her with credit cards and paying for her condo, she’ll be blissfully happy.”

“What about the oldest, Spencer?”

“He’s very self-focused, and all he really cares about is preparing himself to take over from Finn one day. If I asked Spencer for a favor, he’d probably do it for me. But not out of love, and he’d no doubt try to extract a favor from me in exchange.”

Moments later, there was a ping, and then the shiny doors slid open once again. Hello, demonic paradise. There was a seemingly endless strip of stores, bars, casinos, clubs, eateries, restaurants, hotels, and strip clubs throughout the Underground—most of which didn’t have front walls, allowing people to see inside. There were also things you would not expect to find, including a rodeo and a combat circle.

Tanner walked in front of Devon, protecting her from being bumped by pedestrians. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the tattoo studio. As it was next door to the cutest coffeehouse and wasn’t too far from the shopping mall, Devon considered Urban Ink to be very nicely situated. She usually met up with the girls at the coffeehouse before work of a morning, and she was bummed that she’d missed it.

Two scowling, badass looking males stood near the studio’s front door, their expressions daring the world to come at them. They nodded at Tanner in greeting.

“Devon, meet Enzo and Lex,” said Tanner. “They’re members of my Force, and they’ll be watching the studio today.”

She barely had time to say hello before the pooch splayed his hand on her back and herded her toward the door. The bell above her head jangled as she pushed it open. She stepped inside, releasing a long breath as the familiar, comforting scents of ink, paint, and disinfectant swirled around her, smoothing over the sharp edges of her antsy mood and settling her feline.

Urban Ink was like a second home to Devon. She loved everything about it—the artsy/biker/rock theme, the checkered glass partitions between the tattoo stations, the metal art on the white walls that were also enlarged copies of tattoos. She wasn’t sure which of the latter she preferred best—it was a toss between the Chinese dragons and the flock of ravens.

Behind the large, freakishly tidy reception desk that doubled as a jewelry display cabinet, Khloë looked up and saluted them. “Hey, muchachos.”

The young male on the sofa snorted a laugh and then went back to scanning one of the tattoo portfolios. A burly guy sat stiffly at Raini’s station, warily eyeing the buzzing tattoo gun in her hand. Each of the stations looked similar with the black leather recliners, wall mirrors, framed licenses, and sketches and photographs of tattoos that had been tacked to the wall.

“You’re here, good,” said Harper, standing at the rear of the studio. She tipped her head toward her office. “Both of you come tell me how the meeting went.”

Devon hung her jacket on the coat rack near the vending machine and then headed to the office with Tanner hot on her heels. Inside, they brought the sphinx up to speed.

Harper blew out a breath. “Jesus, Asa is one sick puppy. Hopefully Finn can get him to part with whatever names he held back. Are you still planning to talk with Maddox Quentin?”

“Yes,” replied Tanner. “We’re going to his nightclub later; he’s there every night.” His eyes slid to Devon. “I’d ask you to wait outside, but I know I’d be wasting my breath.”

Devon frowned. “Why wouldn’t you want me there? You think he’d hurt me?”

Tanner’s snort was all arrogance. “He knows better than to touch anything under my protection. Maddox doesn’t kill for shits and giggles, but he doesn’t place much value on the life of other breeds of demon—none of his kind do. He likes to toy with people.”

Devon narrowed her eyes. “In what sense?”

“He can get into a person’s mind, like Knox. He can delete memories, insert false ones. Can find their worst fears, dig out secrets that they keep even from themselves, and compel them to do things they’d never normally do—and he can even make sure they’ll have no recollection of it.”

She’d already known that Knox had that ability—he’d used it on her honorary brother. Though she hated to admit it, Drew had brought that shit on himself.

“But unlike Knox,” Tanner went on, “Maddox can also do things like plant desires in a person’s head, change or erase their fears, make them feel pain, make them crave pain. He also likes to use people’s fears and hopes and secrets against them—sometimes to intimidate, sometimes for personal gain, and sometimes purely for his amusement.”

Devon tilted her head. “Has he ever done any of that to you?”

“He tried. It didn’t work out so well for him. He was also stupid enough to try it with Knox.”

“Really?” asked Harper, brows lifting. “What did Knox do?”

“Fried one of Maddox’s sentinels alive right there on the spot—it took mere seconds. Maddox was pissed, but he respects power. Respects guts.” Tanner pinned Devon’s gaze with his own. “I don’t think I need to tell you to be on high alert today. Whoever hired the incantor could make another try for you, thinking to take you off-guard.”

“I noticed you stationed Enzo and Lex outside,” Harper said to him. She gave a nod of approval. “Good thinking.”

Devon felt her mouth tighten. “That’s not—”

“You’re not weak, we know that,” Tanner quickly cut in. “But Asa’s friend now knows that too, since you managed to escape the cabin. Where’s the harm in you having backup just in case you need it?”

Khloë skidded into the room. “Okay, the suspense is killing me. What did Finn say?”

“Devon will tell you all about it when I’m gone,” said Tanner. “Before I go, how’s your palm, kitten?”

Devon stiffened. Oh, he just had to bring that up, didn’t he? “It’s fine.”

Harper looked at her, frowning. “Did the incantor hurt your hand? Which one?”

“I’m not hurt, I’m fine.”

Nose wrinkling, Khloë walked further into the room. “Then why is he asking about your palm?”

“The same reason he chases his tail and licks his own asshole—he’s dumb,” said Devon.

Tanner chuckled. “You can’t keep it a secret, kitten. People are going to notice it.”

“Notice what?” Harper seized Devon’s hand and studied her palm. She blinked. “He marked you? Seriously? How in the hell did that happen?”

“It wasn’t supposed to happen,” clipped Devon. “He said it would work, but I didn’t believe him.”

“I wouldn’t have believed him either,” said Khloë. “It’s pretty. Is it sensitive or anything?”

“No,” said Devon. “It’s like a tattoo. Only it glistens. And smells like wet dog.”

Tanner’s mouth kicked up into a smile as his mind touched hers. His voice flowed into her head. You like my scent.

Not in the slightest, pooch.Ha, such a lie! He had a rather scrumptious scent. It was dark, rich, and smoky with notes of cinnamon spice.

Khloë looked at him, her face all scrunched up. “Your demon is actually protective of Devon? Really?”

“She wouldn’t be wearing my mark if it wasn’t,” he said.

“Huh.” Harper scratched her chin. “And your feline hasn’t tried clawing it off?”

Devon shook her head. “It appears to think he’d make a good ally. For now, anyway.”

Harper pursed her lips. “Well, it’s right.”

Tanner glanced at his watch. “I have to go. Enzo and Lex will be outside; they’ll keep watch over you,” he told Devon. “Don’t give them any shit or try sending them off to take a break. No, don’t pretend you wouldn’t have messed with them. And don’t let Khloë mess with them either.”

The imp blinked. “What makes you think I would?”

Tanner just snorted and then tugged on one of Devon’s curls. “Be good.” He said his goodbyes and then headed out.

Khloë exhaled a mockingly dreamy sigh. “You guys would make such a cute couple.”

Devon glowered at her. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

Khloë shrugged innocently. “Hey, I did some digging on Maddox Quentin. None of the things I heard were good.”

“By the sounds of it, he isn’t good.” Devon relayed to her what Tanner told her about the descendant’s abilities.

“My hackles are rising just thinking of you in the same room as the guy,” said Khloë. “You have tough mental shields, but they’re not impenetrable. Do you think he’ll try getting in your head?”

“Not while Tanner and Jolene are right there—they’d fuck his shit up. Jolene could bring the whole building tumbling down around him—and she wouldn’t hesitate to do it, since she could shield me, her, and Tanner at the same time.”

“He doesn’t sound like a guy who’d let a little thing like danger stop him from doing anything he wanted to do,” said Harper.

Yeah, that was what worried Devon.