Ashes

  The wind rushed at her again, stealing her breath and knocking her right on her ass. Vines sprouted out of the earth and shackled her wrists, pinning her hands. She managed to fight their hold just enough to stay sitting upright, but she couldn’t free herself. She tried infusing hellfire into the grass, hoping the vines might catch fire, but only smoke left her palms. Motherfucking vortex. She could feel its sinister, repelling energy slithering between her fingers.

  Another spasm wracked her womb, making her spine arch like a brow. All the breathing exercises she’d read about went completely out of her head. She gritted her teeth against the pain, clenching her trapped hands and unintentionally scraping the soil. Her shoulders slouched as the pain finally faded. Her heart thudded in her tightening chest, her breaths burst in and out of her. “I’ll kill you all, I swear to God, I will!”

  “No, you won’t,” said Nora calmly. “You won’t even get the chance. Once the child is born, that magick you absorbed will attack every cell in your body – you’ll be dead within moments.”

  A ghostly finger of fear trailed over Harper’s nape, but she didn’t let that fear show. Her demon leaped to the surface and said, “You will die tonight. Do not doubt it.”

  Nora’s eyes flickered. “Linda,” she said, her voice a whip, “get in the circle.”

  The vines bordering the boulders parted to let Linda pass, and then the bitch crouched in front of her. “Don’t touch me,” Harper spat.

  “You’re safe from me until that baby is out.” It wasn’t a reassurance, it was a statement of fact that lacked any compassion. She put her hands on Harper’s rounded stomach. “The baby’s in position, head down.”

  Harper felt a blazing heat briefly flare from her stomach – it was the oddest fucking thing and had an almost vengeful feel to it.

  Linda yanked her hands back, as if burned. “Damn vortex,” she grumbled.

  But that hadn’t been the vortex. Nor had it been Harper or her demon. She snarled at Linda. “You’ll never take my baby from me. Never.”

  Linda’s mouth curled into a cruel smile. “Of course I will. And there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me.”

  Knox took another swig of his gin and tonic, watching for signs of Harper approaching. She’d been gone for a good five minutes now, and he was guessing that she’d been waylaid by nosy demons who were both congratulating and quizzing her at the same time.

  He’d take her home as soon as she returned to him, he decided. They’d been there for a courteous amount of time and wouldn’t look rude leaving at this point.

  “Shit,” muttered Levi, going on high alert.

  Knox put down his glass, tension mounting inside him. “What?” But then he saw Larkin and Devon fast approaching… without Harper. Anxiety flared through him. He stood, meeting Larkin’s anxious stare. “Where is she?”

  “I” – Larkin swallowed – “I don’t know.” She spoke in a rush. “She went into the restrooms while Devon and I dealt with Carla, and then she just disappeared.”

  The words rocked him, slamming into him so hard his breath caught in his throat. On the outside, he didn’t move a muscle. On the inside, he fumbled, scrambling to absorb the words. His demon let out a guttural roar. Harper had been right there with him mere minutes ago. How the fuck could she be gone?

  Harper? Harper? He reached out to stroke her mind, but he barely managed to touch it – as if there was something trying to get between her mind and his. Harper, baby, tell me you’re okay.

  She was alive; he knew that much, and he clung to it like it was a lifeline… because it was a lifeline. He needed her, wouldn’t be able to exist without her.

  He wanted to move, to act, to do something, but he felt rooted to the spot.

  “Harper’s gone?” Jolene bit out. The ground and walls began to tremor, and that snapped Knox out of his zone.

  He advanced on Larkin. “How can she just disappear?” His voice was a low rumble that vibrated with rage, but she didn’t cower.

  “The only person who was in the restrooms when I walked in looking for her was him,” said the harpy. “He claims to know who took her.”

  It was only then that Knox noticed McCauley at her side. A dark suspicion whispered in his mind. Could the child have harmed her? Dario had warned them that he may need to be killed. Knox crouched in front of the boy. “You know who has Harper?”

  McCauley nodded, eyes blank. “An old woman.”

  Not an answer Knox would have expected to hear. “An old woman?”

  “Harper called her ‘Nora’.”

  Knox didn’t show his surprise, but Jolene did by letting out a string of foul curses that made him think of Harper – and thinking of his mate, missing and possibly hurt, made his stomach churn.

  “Nora passed us to go into the restrooms,” said Devon, eyes damp. “She was gone too.”

  Which meant that either the boy was telling the truth or that Nora had been taken too. Leaning towards the first explanation, Knox asked, “Where did she take Harper, McCauley?”

  “There was smoke,” said the boy. “It was red and black, and it swirled.”

  “A portal,” said Levi.

  “Nora took Harper through a portal?” asked Raini, voice shaky.

  “Then it vanished,” McCauley added.

  Knox stormed out the VIP area, crossing to the restrooms with purposeful strides. He shoved the door open, hoping he’d find Harper standing there smiling; hoping it was all one big sick joke that he’d spank her ass for later. But there was no Harper. There was, however, the energy residue from a portal – it was like static electricity in the air.

  He whispered his fingers over the lingering energy. “I can feel it,” he said through gritted teeth, knowing the others had followed him inside. “The portal was right here.”

  “There’s no telling where it led,” growled Tanner, voice hard as stone, muscles stiff. “They could be anywhere.”

  Knox? Knox, please say you can hear me.

  His eyes closed at the sound of Harper’s voice, even though their telepathic link seemed weak and almost distant. I hear you, baby. Where are you?

  I don’t know exactly, but I’m stood on some kind of energy vortex, thanks to fucking Nora. It’s stopping me from using my abilities.

  “Harper says she’s stood on an energy vortex,” said Knox, curling his hands into fists. The back of his throat hurt, and it was difficult to swallow. “It’s preventing her from using her abilities.” Leaving her defenseless, just as she’d been once before not so long ago.

  “You can hear her?” asked Jolene, brows drawn together. “I keep calling out to her, but she’s not answering me.” The sentinels and she-demons nodded, claiming the same.

  “Maybe it’s because they’re anchored or something,” Raini suggested, hands jammed under her armpits.

  “I warned Harper to run,” said McCauley, tone flat. “She didn’t run.”

  Knox frowned. “To run from Nora?”

  He shook his head. “Linda,” he said simply, none of the urgency or fear in his voice that Knox was feeling.

  Bastard though he was, Knox itched to shake the boy and drag everything he knew out of him.

  Maybe he sensed that, because McCauley took a step forward and said, “Read my mind.”

  Because Knox’s touch was invited, it didn’t cause McCauley any pain when Knox thrust his mind into his. Knox delved into his memories, saw the boy watching the parade. Saw Linda slap a hand over his mouth and drag him into an alley. Heard her speak over the phone that then began to ring.

  “What?” Linda snapped at her caller. “Not yet. I’ll meet you once I’ve killed the brat… Of course this is important to me – I want that baby even more than you do, but this kid will pay first. It’s not like you need me to grab Harper for you or induce labor; you might be old, but there’s nothing weak about you… Fine.” Linda then ended the call and turned her attention to the boy in her arms. “All you had to do was love me. But no, you wouldn’
t do it. You left me. No one leaves me.”

  Knox watched as McCauley bit her hand and then ran as she screamed, “Ow! Get back here you little bastard!”

  Knox then sped forward through the memories, watching a fast-forward version of McCauley fleeing from Linda, hiding in the restrooms, and finally getting to Harper. “You need to run,” he said.

  Heart in his throat, Knox then watched as Nora talked with Harper before forcing her into a portal. Swallowing hard, Knox withdrew his mind from the boy’s. “Thank you for trying to help Harper, McCauley. You can tell your demon that she and I will keep you safe from Linda.” Standing, Knox gave the others a rundown of what happened.

  Devon put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, God, no. The baby’s not ready to be born yet.”

  Jolene rubbed the hellcat’s back, her eyes hard. “It would seem that they don’t care about that.” There was a wealth of lethal intent in her tone.

  “Linda’s a midwife,” said Keenan. “Nora probably recruited her to help with the birth.”

  The door burst open, and Thatcher barged in with his sentinel-slash-bodyguard behind him. His gaze ran over everyone. “My sentinel saw you all rush inside like you were being chased by a pack of wild hellhounds. What has happened?”

  Knox would have sent him out, only he wanted to see Thatcher’s reaction to the news. “Someone kidnapped Harper. They took her through a portal.”

  Shock flashed across Thatcher’s face, and it seemed genuine. “You’re sure?”

  “Does it look like I’m fucking kidding?”

  Thatcher weaved his way through the others and held up his hand, no doubt reading the magick in the air. “You are right. I could reopen the portal for you. Do you trust me?”

  “No.”

  Thatcher let out a short sigh. “Will you allow me to reopen it for you?”

  Knox narrowed his eyes. “Why would you?”

  “No one likes living under a cloud of suspicion. Maybe if I help you, you’ll no longer suspect me of meaning your mate any harm.”

  Knox, said Harper, voice still faint. I’m scared.

  Her fear pierced his soul and almost knocked him back a step. It’s going to be fine, baby. I’m right here with you. I’m going to find some way to get to you, I swear. Just hold on for me, okay? Hold on. Knox nodded at Thatcher. “How long will it take?”

  “Ordinarily, the process would take fifteen minutes. I’m a strong incantor. I should be able to do it in ten.”

  It was too long, Knox thought. But so far, it was the fastest way to get to her. He stepped aside, giving the other Prime room. “I need it done fast.”

  With his sentinel now at his side, Thatcher immediately got to work.

  “Do you think Dario’s working with Nora?” Jolene asked Knox.

  “My gut says no, but that doesn’t mean he can’t know something.” Knox turned to Tanner. “Bring him here, but don’t let him know there’s a problem – I don’t want his sentinel interfering.”

  The hellhound nodded and then disappeared from the restrooms.

  Muscles tight, Knox remained in position. He wanted to pace and curse and punch a hole through the stall door. Instead, he held himself completely still, even though he felt twitchy, restless, and dangerously on edge. His chest was so tight, he was surprised he could breathe without wheezing.

  As the she-demons began to talk, expressing their worries for Harper, Knox blocked out their conversation. He couldn’t allow himself to think of what could be happening to Harper – if he did, he’d lose his ability to focus. But despite his best efforts, images of what Nora could be doing to her kept flickering through his mind, slicing at his frayed control.

  There wasn’t just fury flooding his veins; there was guilt. He should have protected her better. He should never have let her leave his side for a single moment. In being careful not to make her feel suffocated, he’d put her and their child in danger. And he knew he’d never forgive himself for it.

  His demon’s cold rage echoed through him. Oddly, the demon wasn’t ranting and raving. It wasn’t demanding vengeance or pushing for control. If the entity was capable of feeling guilt, Knox would have wondered if it blamed itself the same way that Knox blamed himself. He didn’t know why the entity was so unnaturally quiet and still – it wasn’t inclined to communicate with him right then.

  There had only been one other time that the demon had been so silent despite its rage… the very day it had taken it upon itself to destroy the cult in which Knox had been raised as a child. Usually, the demon didn’t plan or strategize – it acted on emotion alone, and it didn’t care to maintain its composure. The fact that it seemed to be silently strategizing now didn’t relieve Knox. Harper had told him that it spooked her when Knox was so deceptively and unnaturally calm. Just the same, his demon’s unnatural calm worried him.

  “Knox,” said Larkin, voice sheepish, “I’m so sorry. I should have come in here with her. This is all my fucking fault.”

  Khloë shook her head. “No, harpy, it’s not. The fault lies with Nutty Nora and whoever might be helping her. Harper would tell you the same thing if she could.”

  Jolene nodded. “Nobody blames you, Larkin. You were told to protect Harper and that was exactly what you did by keeping Carla away from her. You couldn’t have known that Nora would mean her any harm, especially since the woman defended Harper against Carla in the coffeehouse not so long ago.”

  Larkin looked at Knox, eyes still clouded with guilt. “I understand if you want to execute me for failing Harper, but please allow me to help you find and save her first.”

  “I have no intention of executing you, Larkin. You’re not at fault.” That was the most reassurance that Knox could offer her while rage and terror were pumping through him. He rolled his neck and shoulders, trying to ease the tension in his muscles, but it didn’t work. Nothing short of having Harper in front of him would calm him.

  He’d worried enough about how smoothly the birth would go, though he’d hid those concerns from her. He’d sworn to her that he’d be with her the entire time. The thought that she’d be facing it alone, even if only for the short time it would take for him to get to her, flayed him.

  His gaze snapped to the door as it swung open and Tanner entered with Dario.

  The Prime looked around, seeming both curious and confused. “Tanner said you needed my help, but he didn’t say what was wrong.”

  Knox pinned him with an unblinking stare. “Do you know what she’s done? Are you part of this?”

  Dario blinked. “What are you —?”

  Knox lunged and fisted his shirt. “Do not fuck with me right now.”

  “I swear to you, I do not know what you mean.” Dario looked to his sentinel for help, but the male was being held back by Tanner and Keenan.

  “Nora took Harper,” Knox rumbled.

  Dario’s eyes snapped back to him and he stilled, brows drawing together. “No. No, she wouldn’t do that.”

  “Oh, but she did. I have an eyewitness that says she took her through a portal.” Knox released him with a shove. “Harper herself has telepathically informed me that Nora is with her and wants the baby. She’s inducing labor as we speak.”

  Righting his shirt, Dario frantically shook his head. “No, my grandmother would never do something like that. She has no reason to do it. She could not possibly gain anything from it.”

  Levi spoke, “There are plenty of reasons why someone would want Knox’s child, and you know it.”

  “She’s old —”

  “Just because somebody’s old doesn’t mean they’re frail or harmless,” said Jolene. “She also has help. She’s not working alone.”

  Dario’s mouth fell open. “Don’t tell me you think she’s one of the Horsemen,” he scoffed.

  “It’s possible,” said Levi. “She knew plenty about them. Maybe this was why.”

  Dario shot him an impatient look. “If she was one of them, why would she ever make you aware of them?”

  “
For the same reasons that serial killers tip off the police,” said Levi. “For attention. To create fear. If people aren’t aware that something or someone exists, it doesn’t have any power over them.”

  “Face it,” Knox snapped, “your grandmother kidnapped Harper. She wants my child. Make me believe you’re not part of this plot and tell me where Nora would take her.”

  Scrubbing a hand down his face, Dario said, “I just can’t believe that she would —”