Ashes

  He nodded. “Jolene, good to see you.” After everyone exchanged greetings, Knox guided Harper to the corner of the eternally long sofa, where she’d be surrounded and out of reach. The sentinels joined them in lounging around the VIP area, but they also watched the crowd closely with shrewd eyes.

  Harper glanced around. “Where’s Martina and Ciaran?”

  “Martina’s working the crowd,” replied Jolene. Translation: she was pickpocketing. “And Ciaran’s chatting up some girl at the bar.”

  At that moment, the server appeared, took Knox and Harper’s orders, and then left.

  Raini stirred her cocktail as she spoke to Harper. “God, it’s been super weird not seeing you every day.”

  Devon nodded. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I genuinely didn’t expect to miss you this much.”

  Harper snorted. “Thanks, I guess.”

  Tanner grinned at Devon. “You’ve missed me too. Admit it.”

  The hellcat sneered. “Or I could just punch you in the dick instead.”

  “So you’ve been thinking about my dick, huh. Don’t worry; it thinks about you all the time.”

  Devon turned to Harper, her hand gripping her highball glass tightly. “If you don’t end him, I will.”

  Harper sighed tiredly. “Tanner, stop risking your life.” He ignored her, of course, and proceeded to sniff Devon’s hair.

  “Come on, we need a picture,” Khloë announced. Keenan literally dashed out of the way, and the imp rolled her eyes. “Chill, Keenan, I just want one of us girls. Larkin, that includes you.”

  The she-demons all grouped together and smiled while Khloë snapped a few photos. Raini and Devon then also did the same with their phones.

  “I heard about the baby shower,” Larkin said to Khloë. “If Harper were talking about anyone but you, I’d have thought she was kidding when she said that you strapped diapers to your feet and tried skiing down Jolene’s hallway.”

  Keenan shook his head in judgement. “She wasn’t kidding. I was there.” He’d been on bodyguard duty with Tanner.

  Khloë glared at the incubus. “Don’t look at me like that. As you can see, I have a smartphone with a camera and I ain’t afraid to use it.”

  The server neared them, holding the tray high as he weaved through the crowd. Finally reaching their table, he put two square coasters on the artificial ice table and then carefully placed down Harper’s water and Knox’s gin and tonic. Leaving the area, he almost bumped into Mila, who had a group of people with her that Harper didn’t recognize.

  Levi only allowed Mila to pass, but the others didn’t appear to take offence.

  “Knox, Harper, I just wanted to say congratulations in person.” Mila gave Harper a genuine but reserved smile. “It’s good to see that you’re well. And your hair looks so shiny and healthy.”

  See, said Knox. Not everyone will have harsh things to say.

  “My breasts went a lot bigger than yours when I was pregnant,” Mila continued. “There’s still time for yours to grow, though. But your backside does seem a little bigger, so at least there’s that.”

  “Yeah, at least there’s that,” Harper said.

  Told you this would happen.

  Knox tactfully changed the subject and, before long, Mila and her guests were gone. Harper gave him a grateful smile. Over the next half hour, he had to do it several more times. It didn’t always work, however. Some people were totally undeterred, such as Raul’s girlfriend who rambled on and on about her friend’s pregnancy and then asked, “Can I touch your belly?”

  “Depends if you’re willing to pay the fee,” said Harper, deadpan.

  Her brow furrowed. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  Raul covered his laugh with a cough. “It was great talking with you both. Hopefully we’ll do so again soon.”

  Harper couldn’t bring herself to return the sentiment, which only seemed to amuse Raul more.

  Devon shook her head in wonder once they’d left. “Some people can be so rude.”

  Khloë snorted. “Says the person who keeps reaching out to stroke her baby bump.”

  “Well, at least I pull my hand back.”

  It was a good thing that she did, thought Harper, because her demon wouldn’t react well despite the fact that it trusted Devon to an extent. It was currently on edge and wanted to get out of the place, away from all the strangers around it. Soon, Harper assured it.

  As the hours went on, more and more people approached to pass on their congratulations and ask after Harper’s welfare. Of course, they were also filled with questions – did she know the sex of the baby? Had they chosen any names? Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned out that Harper was carrying twins? No, actually, it wouldn’t be funny. Not at all.

  Her demon tensed when Polly approached – it remembered her from the announcement, and it didn’t like how nosy she was.

  Polly’s eyes widened. “Wow, your belly is big.”

  Harper blinked. “This somehow surprises you?” Hello, pregnant.

  “It’s just that you’re bigger each time I see you.”

  Um, wasn’t that how it was supposed to work?

  “You look as though you’re gonna burst any second now.”

  What a stroke to the ego that was. “Well, don’t worry; the baby’s not quite ready to make its debut yet.”

  “I’ll bet your sex drive has gone through the roof. My sister’s did.”

  “Really?” Please stop talking, Harper barely refrained from adding. She sensed Knox’s amusement and wanted to smack him.

  “Oh yes. You know, my Raymond said he’d always fantasized about having sex with a pregnant woman. We all have our fantasies, but some of Raymond’s do surprise me. Personally, I don’t understand what the attraction could possibly be in having sex with a pregnant woman, but…” She cut off, as if just realizing she could be offending Harper.

  At this point, Khloë, Raini, and Devon – who were all absolutely shitfaced after hours of drinking shots – were practically folded over with silent laughter.

  Taking a deep breath, Harper said, “Right, well, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve officially arrived at the end of this conversation.”

  “Yes,” said Polly with a shaky laugh. “Before I go, let me give you a little advice…”

  Oh God, please don’t, Harper wanted to say. Instead, she chugged down her water like it was tequila. As she listened to Polly talk about her son’s wide shoulders, the use of forceps, and a consequential cone head, she gripped Knox’s arm. As much as I love unsolicited advice, you need to make her to stop.

  Knox massaged Harper’s nape as he expertly redirected the conversation by involving Jolene, who soon managed to guide Polly away. Okay, you were right, he relented. People do see baby bumps as a green light to say inappropriate things.

  Harper nodded, taking a calming breath. It worked, but that calm quickly left her when she saw none other than Thatcher, Jonas, and Alethea approaching. The dolphin was smiling, but her eyes were hard. That wasn’t what caught Harper’s attention, though; it was how close she was to Thatcher – they invaded each other’s space in a very intimate way. I think Thatcher’s banging the dolphin.

  Knox blinked. That sounded wrong on several levels.

  Levi reluctantly allowed the three demons to pass, giving each of them a warning glare that they didn’t fail to miss. Apparently, though, Alethea chose to ignore hers, because she pointed at Harper’s stomach and said, “So, that’s what happened to my beach ball!” The others all sucked in a shocked breath.

  Total. Fucking. Bitch. Harper just stared at her blankly. She wants me to hit her, doesn’t she? I totally get that now. Her demon snarled, wanting to rise and deliver a warning of its own. Harper barely managed to keep it from surfacing.

  Knox rubbed her thigh soothingly, but he didn’t say a word to Alethea. He didn’t need to – his icy glare was enough to make her pale.

  The girls slid forward on their seats, looking ready t
o pounce. Khloë even shoved up imaginary sleeves, as if readying herself to deliver a solid punch.

  “Alethea,” Jonas reprimanded under his breath. He then shot both Knox and Harper a wide yet awkward smile. “I apologize for my sister’s behavior.”

  “I’ve noticed you do that a lot,” clipped Jolene.

  Jonas’ mouth tightened. “We’re here in peace. I came to see how Harper was doing.”

  “I’m good, thanks,” said Harper.

  “I’d imagine that you’re eager to see the end of the pregnancy,” hedged Thatcher, the shadow of a smile on his face. He seemed to be genuinely trying to make conversation.

  Harper nodded. “It’s hard to cart the beach ball everywhere,” she said dryly, taking Alethea’s joke and making it her own. The others laughed and, as Harper had hoped, Alethea flushed in anger. Awesome.

  “I don’t think your stomach’s actually that big,” said Raini. “Not for someone who only has five weeks left before the baby comes.”

  Devon nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  Knox lay his arm across Harper, resting a possessive hand on her thigh. The baby’s annoyed. Just a brief touch of its mind was enough for Knox to pick up a vibe of irritation.

  I know, said Harper. I don’t know whether my emotions rub off on it or it just gets annoyed by me being annoyed.

  Thatcher looked at Knox, his expression nostalgic. “Watching your child be born is an amazing thing. Becoming a father… it changes you. For some people, that’s a good thing. For others, it’s not. But I have a feeling it will affect you in a good way. You’re a man who has his priorities straight and takes care of what’s his.” He slid a meaningful look at Alethea and said to her, “There’s really only so many times your brother can save you. One day, you’ll push them too far. There’ll be no one who can help you.” He walked away.

  Cheeks reddening, Jonas gave a courteous nod. “Enjoy your evening. Time to go, Alethea.”

  “Thatcher’s right,” Knox told her before she had the chance to leave. “Your petty comments are designed to make Harper feel bad about herself. They don’t work, which is the only reason you breathe.” His eyes bled to black and his demon said, “If there ever comes a time when you do hurt her, there will be no one who can keep you safe from me.”

  To Harper’s shock, Alethea’s own demon rose, but before it could say a single word, Jonas swiftly propelled it away. It was a few moments before Knox’s demon finally retreated.

  “You okay?” Harper asked him.

  “I should be asking you that. It was you who she tried to hurt.”

  Jolene made a dismissive sound. “Ignore her. And ignore all this ‘advice’ you’ve been given – it’s just verbal junk mail. And to think that they’d risk upsetting a pregnant she-demon… there are lot of people who are simply, well, stupid. Don’t listen to any of the others either, sweetheart. Pregnancy is a personal, subjective experience. What people can forget is that everyone experiences it a little differently. It’s challenging and it can be scary, but it’s a gift and a privilege. Enjoy it.”

  Harper smiled. “I will. Thanks, Grams.” Scooting to the edge of the sofa, she said, “Larkin, I gotta pee.” And the tension was broken.

  The harpy chuckled. “Come on.”

  Harper gave Knox a quick kiss and then allowed Larkin to help her stand.

  “Ooh, I’ll come too.” Khloë rose. Swayed. Double-blinked. Larkin put a hand on the imp’s shoulder and sat her back down. Khloë didn’t even seem to notice.

  “I’ll stay here,” slurred Raini. “You know I don’t like it when the room spins.”

  Devon tossed back the rest of her Cosmo and stood. “I’ll go with you. I got your back.”

  Harper didn’t bother pointing out that the hellcat could barely walk. It was an unspoken rule that none of them ever went to the restrooms alone. It wouldn’t matter to Devon that Larkin was coming along; Devon would feel the need to come too.

  Larkin remained in front of Harper as they headed to the restrooms. There was no need to weave their way through the throngs of people – they easily moved aside at the “don’t fucking test me” expression on the sentinel’s pretty face.

  Mere feet away from the door, Larkin came to a halt. “Motherfucker.”

  “What is it?” Harper tracked her gaze. And winced. “Oh.”

  “What?” asked Devon from behind.

  “Carla’s heading to the restrooms, with one eye on Harper,” said Larkin. “Why this bitch seems to like waylaying you in restrooms, Harper, I don’t know.” Larkin pushed open the door for the ladies’ room and peeked inside. “Coast is clear. Go.”

  Harper walked in, but Devon remained with Larkin.

  “Go, Harper,” said the hellcat. “We got this.”

  Larkin frowned at Devon. “I’m a sentinel, I will deal —”

  “We got this.”

  Harper sighed. “Whatever. Just keep Carla away from me.” Her demon would go ape-shit if the woman confronted Harper again.

  Alone in the restrooms, Harper quickly did her business – all the while, Larkin and Devon argued with Carla outside. Their voices were muffled, thanks to the closed door and the loud music, so Harper couldn’t make out what was being said.

  After washing her hands in the sink, she turned to grab some paper towels… and there was McCauley. She almost jumped out of her freaking skin. “Jesus, kid, what’s with the sneaking around?” Her demon stirred, anxious and ready to defend.

  He blinked. “You need to run.”

  Harper’s body went rigid. “Run?” It didn’t sound like a threat, but…

  “She’s going to hurt you.”

  All right, that was unexpected. And damn creepy when spoken in that toneless voice. She licked her lips. “Who?” But the boy just stared at her with those chillingly blank eyes. “I don’t understand, McCauley.”

  “I didn’t kill them.”

  Harper didn’t have to ask who he meant. “Was it your demon?”

  He shook his head.

  She frowned. “Do you know who did it?”

  He nodded slowly.

  God, trying to get info out of the kid was like trying to get blood out of a stone. “Who was it?”

  “Linda.”

  “Linda?” Harper found that she wasn’t quite so surprised by that answer. A part of her had always thought something was… off about the woman. Still, a whole lot of things were off about the kid laying accusations at Linda’s door, so Harper wasn’t totally convinced. “Why?”

  “She wanted me to stay with her. And she hated Talia.”

  The latter didn’t made sense. “Why did she hate Talia?”

  “I don’t know.” He paused. “She kept calling me Sam. I told her that’s not my name, and she yelled at me.”

  Wyatt’s voice came to Harper… Our son was stillborn. We called him Sam. But Harper also remembered the warning that Nora had delivered via Dario – when the time comes to kill the child, don’t hesitate.

  Was the kid fucking with her head, gearing up to hurt her? Her gut said no, but Harper didn’t know what to think or believe. Her demon was too wound up to think straight and help her work it out.

  “I didn’t like it in her house,” he told her. “My demon said we weren’t safe there.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

  “I don’t know you.”

  It was a simple yet very adult answer, Harper thought, as she inclined her head. Nobody with trust issues asked for help from perfect strangers. And a child who’d found out his whole life had been a lie and whose human mother tried to kill him would definitely have trust issues.

  “Linda says you’re bad,” McCauley added. “But my demon thinks you’ll protect me from her if I warn you.”

  “Why would Linda think I was bad?”

  “She said you killed someone she loved.”

  All right, that made no sense to Harper. Unless, of course, Linda had some affection for Roan, which didn’t seem like
ly. “Where’s Linda now?”

  “I don’t know, but she wants to hurt you.”

  Harper opened her mouth to ask just why he wanted protection from Linda, but then a new voice joined the others outside the door. It was familiar, yet too muffled for Harper to place it. “Hide,” she hissed.

  McCauley dashed into one of the stalls and closed the door behind him. His little feet disappeared, and she figured he was standing on the toilet. She wondered if he’d been there when she’d first entered the restrooms.