Ashes

  She wanted to shout. Struggle. Fight back. But she felt paralyzed with the sheer agony that came with each and every slice. Not even the adrenaline pumping through her was much help at this point.

  “Now those rings sure are pretty,” said her captor, keeping her hands fisted so tightly that her nails bit hard into her palms. “I’ll bet there are people willing to pay top dollar for them – maybe even more than this guy’s paying us for the wings.”

  Like hell would she let them take the rings. Knox had given them to her. One was a black diamond; something a demon only gave to their mate. It was a symbol of the ultimate commitment. They meant more to her than even her wings.

  “No, don’t free her hands. She can cause soul-deep pain, idiot.”

  “She’s trapped in a dream right now. She doesn’t even know we’re here or where she is.”

  This was her chance, Harper thought. If nothing else, she could hurt one of the bastards who was hurting her. She didn’t move when he slowly lifted her third finger. She remained still, quiet. As she felt him try to tug off her rings, she did nothing more than poke his hand. The dark power prickling the pad of her finger forced its way inside him.

  His mouth opened in a silent scream as pain scorched his nerve endings, punctured his organs, sawed through his bones, and battered his soul. He stumbled back and fell, knocking piles of paper down with him. And there were her keys. Grabbing them, she infused hellfire into them and – bracing herself for yet more pain – swung back her arm and slashed at the male behind her.

  There was a cry of pain, and then his weight left her. Twisting, Harper spun to face the bastard, breaths sawing in and out of her. Stocky. Dirty blond hair. Scruffy beard. Leather jacket. He also had a saw in his hand that dripped with blood. Not good.

  He was glaring at the sizzling slash across his chest as his skin blistered and peeled away, thanks to the hellfire eating at it. Her demon smiled at the sight. His gaze snapped to hers just as Harper tugged down the gag, and he lifted his saw threateningly.

  Well, shit.

  She thought about snatching the stiletto blade from her boot and infusing it with hellfire, but it was really no match for the saw, was it? Still, if she could touch him just once, he’d be a soul-deep wreck just like his friend. He shifted from foot to foot, and she knew he was preparing to charge at her. Her breathing quick and shallow, she braced herself. But he didn’t move.

  Eyes cold, mouth set into a sneer, he spoke. “You burned me.”

  Using the back of her trembling hand to wipe at the sweat beading her forehead, she snarled, “And you almost cut off my fucking wings.” She wanted to bludgeon the son of a bitch with his own weapon. But not before sawing off his arms and mangling him.

  Her demon shoved its way to the surface and hissed at him. “I warned you that you would pay. You should have heeded me.” Harper forced her demon to retreat and abruptly lashed out with the blazing keys. He jerked back, but they still scored his cheek. His skin sizzled as the hellfire ate at it. Her demon grinned.

  “You bitch!” He lifted his saw again, ready to attack.

  KNOX!

  With a battle cry, he lunged.

  She sidestepped him, barely avoiding the saw. He crashed into her desk with a grunt, slashing at thin air and —

  Fire thundered to life outside the office doorway. He whirled around to watch as the fire spat and crackled. The flames then faded, and there was Knox. Relief flooded Harper so fast, her legs shook.

  Deep-set ebony eyes swept over her, and his perfectly sculpted face set into a mask of savage anger. Her attacker took a cautious step away as those dark eyes slammed on him with lethal intent, glittering with a fury that began to pulse around them.

  Her attacker made a gurgling sound and dropped his bloody saw, clawing at an invisible hand that lifted him off his feet. Knox’s psychic hands had touched her more than once and always given her nothing but pleasure. That had made it so easy for her to forget that they could also deliver a shit load of pain.

  Knox stalked to him. Slowly. Casually. Utterly composed. Yet, every step was both predatory and threatening. She shivered a little. It always spooked her when he was so unnaturally calm.

  His eyes flicked to the other demon, who was still sobbing in the corner, but his gaze quickly snapped back to the male in his psychic grip. Knox halted in front of him and cocked his head. “Your little friend over there can answer my questions,” he rumbled. “Which is a very good thing because there isn’t the slightest chance that I could let you live even a moment longer.”

  Knox’s eyes bled to black and the room temperature plummeted as his demon rose to the surface. Harper tensed. It would never harm her, she knew that. But it would be dumb to ever let herself forget how cold, menacing, and old the entity was. It could destroy them all so very easily. And it wasn’t particularly interested in the right or wrong of wreaking havoc when it was in a rage. Right then, it was incalculably pissed.

  The demon glared at its captive. “You hurt what’s mine,” it said in a chilling, disembodied voice. “Cut her. Made her bleed. Caused her pain.” It leaned forward slightly. “Now I will do the same to you.”

  Straightening, the demon held up its hand. The male’s body arched toward it; legs kicking, arms flailing, eyes bulging. His face was red and contorted with an agony that he’d undoubtedly cry out with if his larynx wasn’t being crushed. His body violently bucked, and there was a nauseating crack as his ribs broke and his chest somehow burst open. His heart flew into the demon’s open hand, still beating.

  Harper didn’t know whether to be impressed or revolted. Her bloodthirsty demon was most certainly impressed, grinning with a wicked satisfaction.

  The corpse dropped to the floor like a sack of spuds. Hellfire erupted out of the demon’s hand, devouring the organ it held until even the blood was completely gone.

  Harper’s brows rose. Now that was definitely impressive. Her inner demon wholeheartedly agreed.

  The entity turned to face Harper, and its black eyes raked over her. Then those eyes changed, and she was once more looking at Knox. But then they bled to black again, and she realized that he and his demon were battling for dominance. She stayed rigid as she waited to see who would win.

  Finally, the entity seemed to have agreed to retreat, and suddenly Knox’s dark eyes were focused solely on her. Despite that danger clung to him, that his demon was so pitiless and cruel, and that he was every inch the most lethal predator she’d ever met, Harper felt nothing but safe when he stalked to her and cradled her face with his hands.

  “Ah, baby, what did they do to you?” Even though his voice vibrated with a rage that was thickening the air, there was a gentle note to it that almost undid her.

  “They tried to saw off my wings,” she told him, struggling to ease the tremble in her limbs. Now that the adrenaline rush was fading, the pain was like nothing she’d ever felt and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay conscious.

  Knox viciously swore. “Let me see.”

  Holding herself stiffly, she turned. “How bad is it?” He didn’t answer, but fury blasted the air, sending shockwaves sweeping outwards. The walls and ceiling shook slightly. She slowly turned back to face him. His expression was now blank, and he looked the image of composure even as his anger seemed to clog up the room. “How bad?” she asked again, panicking now.

  Knox cupped his mate’s jaw, wanting to pull her close and hold her tight against him, but he was scared he’d hurt her. She was in enough pain as it was. “The bastards didn’t get very far. The saw didn’t even make it halfway through the stems.” But he knew that every drag of the serrated blade must have been absolutely agonizing. He clenched his jaw, hating the very thought of her in such excruciating pain.

  She wasn’t bleeding badly, but the cuts on her back were ugly. The saw had sliced into her flesh several times, as if she’d repeatedly jerked and the blade had accidentally nicked her each time.

  The front door burst open just
moments before Levi came skidding into the office. His gun-metal gray eyes took in Harper, the dead demon, his whimpering friend, and the bloody saw. “Fuck,” he bit out.

  Knox wasn’t surprised to see his sentinel. They’d been in the middle of a conversation when Knox had heard Harper’s telepathic scream, whispered her name, and then abruptly pyroported from his office to the studio. Levi had no doubt panicked.

  “They tried to steal Harper’s wings,” Knox told him. “I believe they’re hunters.”

  Levi cursed again. “How successful were they?” he growled, examining the dead body.

  “Not very,” said Harper. “I’ll be okay.”

  Knox framed her face again, fighting to keep his touch gentle when he was feeling anything but. “You should have called me immediately. I know you want to protect me just as I do you, but why wait until you’re so badly hurt?”

  “I did call you. You didn’t come.”

  He frowned. “I came as soon as I heard you.”

  She shook her head. “I called you over and over. You didn’t come.” She’d started to think that he wasn’t going to come at all. “I thought something might have happened to you.”

  Knox slid a possessive hand around her nape and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I only heard you once, baby. It was like an echo of a scream.” And it had pierced a heart he hadn’t thought he had until he met Harper. “One of the hunters must be a blocker.”

  “A what?”

  “Someone who can block telepathic calls. If you weren’t so strong, I probably wouldn’t have heard you at all.” And then they’d have taken her wings, he thought. They might have even killed her to protect their identities. He could have arrived here, spare set of keys in hand, only to find her dead. His breath caught in his throat at just the very idea, and his demon bared its teeth, wanting vengeance on the other male who’d dared to harm its mate.

  Knox stroked his thumb along her jaw. “We need to get you home.” Where she’d be safe, where he could get her cleaned up, where she could heal. Vengeance would come later.

  “Are we taking that little fucker with us?” Levi clipped.

  Knox cut his gaze to the hunter that was huddled against the wall, shaking and whimpering as what Knox suspected was soul-deep pain reverberated through him. That wasn’t good enough for Knox or his demon. No amount of pain would be enough. They wanted to see the bastard bleed, wanted to hear him scream in the sheer agony that he and the other hunter had put Harper through. Neither Knox nor his demon would settle for anything less.

  “He’s definitely coming with us,” Knox replied as he prowled to the hunter. The smell of the male’s fear pleased his demon, who tried to resurface again, but Knox pushed it down. Now wasn’t the time to play with their prey. Getting Harper to safety where she could heal was his priority.

  Knox squatted in front of him. “You and I will talk very soon. You’re going to tell me everything I want to know. Everything.”

  And then he was going to die.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Stretched out beside his mate as she lay on her stomach, Knox stroked a hand over her long, sleek, dark hair and played with the gold ends. Although her cuts had faded to pink lines and the tears in the stems of her wings had partially reknitted, anger still blazed inside him. He took a deep, controlled breath, inhaling her warm, honeyed scent. She was alive. Safe. Healing. But rage was still a living, breathing, clawing thing inside him.

  His demon’s anger didn’t show any signs of abating either. How could it? Their mate had been attacked, for fuck’s sake. Attacked in her own studio, a place where she should have been safe. He’d been the one to convince her that she would be safe there. She’d relocated her studio at his request, believing he was right, and he’d been far fucking from it.

  His eyes fell closed as he remembered the moment he’d heard her telepathic scream. The panicked, pain-filled sound kept replaying in his mind like a broken record, and he knew he’d never forget it. Similarly, he’d never forget the sight of her there in her office; eyes clouded with pain, limbs trembling, and her skin glistening with a fine sheen of sweat.

  His demon had almost lost it; had wanted nothing more than to rise and wreak havoc, but Knox had only given it dominance for a short time. He’d needed to check on Harper, had reminded the demon that she was more important than their revenge – something it luckily agreed with. The entity was selfish and merciless, but it would always put Harper first.

  The dark entities that lived within demons couldn’t love; they simply weren’t capable of that emotion. But they could form attachments to people. It wasn’t something they did often or easily, but it was always permanent and always intense. Knox’s demon had claimed Harper as its mate. It had “collected” her and was every bit as possessive and protective of the little sphinx as Knox was.

  Shiny, defiant, and unique, she’d instantly captured his demon’s interest the second they met. Knox had been just as fascinated. She was an intriguing creature. Smart. Stubborn. Complex. Elusive. There weren’t many things that Knox found unpredictable, but Harper often managed to surprise him. That was something he liked.

  It sometimes amused him that someone so small had so easily upturned his life. Innately sensual with mouthwatering curves and a plush mouth that he’d never tire of biting, Harper was a package that he hadn’t been able to resist. He craved her on every level – mentally, physically, and even emotionally. She was indelible to him, as both his mate and his anchor.

  Demons came in pairs; had fated psychic mates, or “anchors”, that could make them stronger and keep them stable enough to prevent them from ever turning rogue. It was impossible for demons to control the dark entity within them, but it was possible to resist the entity’s persistent attempts to completely take over if a demon linked minds with their anchor.

  Knox hadn’t planned to claim his anchor, since he was powerful enough on his own. The whole thing had seemed unnecessary and complicated to him. He didn’t allow people in his life, but there was no way a person could maintain a distance between themselves and their anchor. Especially since they found it mentally uncomfortable to be separated for long periods.

  Although the anchor bond was only psychic in nature as opposed to emotional or sexual, anchors still tended to be close friends and they always protected, supported, and were loyal toward each other. Knox didn’t consider himself a person who needed friends, even though a numbing loneliness had begun to plague him back then.

  Still, when he’d first stroked Harper’s mind and realized what she was to him, he’d thought Mine. He hadn’t been able to walk away from her. He’d relentlessly pursued her both psychically and sexually. Only once he’d fused their psyches had he understood that she truly was the only thing that could ever keep him stable. For all his power, he could never have been enough to keep himself from turning rogue.

  Just like, for all his power, he hadn’t heard her calling for him tonight.

  The hunters had cut her, sawed at her wings, tried to steal them from her… and he’d been talking with Levi, completely oblivious. Knox had made her promise to call out to him if she was ever in danger. Stubborn and protective, Harper rarely did so – refusing to lure him into dangerous situations. The fact that she had reached out to him showed just how scared she’d been. It gutted him that she’d suffered so much pain and had feared that he wouldn’t come for her.

  He traced the pink lines on her back, needing that proof that she was healing. A vicious sexual need pricked at him, pushing him to follow the primal urge to drive his cock deep inside her; to take her hard and reassure himself in the most basic way that she was alive. But he didn’t. She might be healing, but she was also drained. The last thing she needed was him fucking in and out of her like a man possessed.

  She flinched as his finger touched a wound that was obviously still tender. He fisted his hand, infuriated with himself because, dammit, he should have fucking heard her. No, he should have gone to her with the spare set of key
s rather than give her a little time to find her own. Then he could have killed the hunters before they even got the chance to touch her.

  As he pulled back his arm, her hand loosely cuffed his wrist. “It’s not your fault, Knox.”

  He wasn’t surprised by her comment. Of course she’d know where his thoughts had led him. She understood him better than anyone. Sometimes, that made him uncomfortable, but it also felt good to be known so well after centuries of living a mostly solitary existence. He’d had plenty of people around him, but not part of his life. “I told you that you’d be safe there.”

  “Not even you could have guaranteed that.”

  He let his eyes drift over her face, hating the lines of pain there. “I should have heard you.” He kissed her, pouring a silent apology into it.

  “You did hear me.”

  “Not soon enough.”

  “Through no fault of your own.” If Harper hadn’t gotten stronger since fusing her psyche with Knox’s, she might not have been able to contact him at all. That wasn’t something she wanted to think about. Not only because she’d have lost her wings, but because Knox would have subsequently lost all control – something that would have led to so many deaths and so much destruction.