His mouth curved, but then he sighed again. “Apparently, your grandmother woke up and is now also pushing to see you.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “I need to use the bathroom and stuff; then they can come in.” After she’d done her business, Knox curled an arm around her waist and brought her to sit on his lap on the chair, careful not to jar Asher. “Thank you for giving me my son.”
The wealth of possession in his voice made her smile. “Thank you for giving him to me.”
“You were amazing yesterday. I’m fucking proud of you. You went through a lot for the three of us to be right where we are now. I love you, baby.”
She brushed her mouth against his. “And I love you.” At the knock on the door, she let out a long breath. “Brace yourself.” Getting back into bed, she propped herself up against the headboard. She held her arms out for Asher, wanting to have a little hold before they came in and took him, but knuckles again rapped on the door – this time impatiently.
Knox opened it wide, still holding Asher. Jolene entered first and literally melted as she got a good look at the baby. “Knox, he’s just you with a lot less hair.”
Harper smiled. “That’s what I said.”
Jolene wasted no time in taking Asher from him and, nuzzling his head, then made a beeline for Harper. She kissed her hair. “You did good, sweetheart. He’s beautiful. Does he have a name yet?”
“Asher,” Knox told her.
“Asher,” Raini echoed as she walked in. “I like that.”
“Very appropriate, all things considered,” said Levi, no doubt remembering the shield of embers, sparks, and ashes.
Everyone filed in, kissing Asher’s head and then giving Harper a brief hug, but none succeeded at getting their hands on the baby. Jolene was determined to have her moment with him.
“He smells so good,” said Khloë.
“I hope you know that male sphinxes are a handful,” Jolene told Knox. “Worse than girls. Hopefully he won’t share Harper’s ability to infuse hellfire into things. She ruined at least three sofas and once set fire to her own cradle because she wanted out. That’s not counting the times she burned her way through the safety straps of her stroller, car seat, and high chair. Really, I pity you if Asher has that ability.”
“He’s powerful,” said Devon. “I can feel it.”
Tanner nodded. “We had a peek at the kid in action.” He briefly described what happened.
Jolene grinned, proud. “He’s definitely a Wallis.”
Knox’s jaw clenched. “He’s a Thorne.”
Jolene waved that away, as if the surname was a mere technicality. “You know what I mean. Oh, he’s waking up. Well, hello there.” As a unit, everyone crowded around Jolene, whispering and cooing at Asher, all the while ignoring Jolene’s glowers.
Harper smiled as Asher’s mind slid against hers – it was a questioning touch, like he was wondering where she was. She gave his mind a reassuring stroke. “This kid is gonna be demanding.”
Knox raised a brow. “You expected anything else?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all.”
“Grams, stop hogging him,” Khloë complained. With a huff, Jolene passed him to Khloë. Soon, the baby was passed around from person to person.
“His demon just surfaced and took my measure,” said Keenan, grinning. “I think I passed my assessment, because it retreated.”
Taking Asher from the incubus, Raini turned to Harper as she stroked her finger over Asher’s cheek. “Does he look like the baby in those dreams you told me about?”
“No,” Harper replied. “Those weren’t premonitions. Those were my subconscious telling me to wake the fuck up and realize I was pregnant.”
“He’s so tiny,” said Devon. “He didn’t need an incubator?”
Knox shook his head. “Rodgers thought he might, since he was born early, but he’s kept up his own body temperature just fine.”
“Of course he has,” said Jolene. “He’s a Wallis.”
Knox glared at her. “He’s a Thorne.”
Jolene again waved that away. “How much does he weigh?”
“Asher Knox Thorne made his grand entrance weighing five pounds two ounces, which isn’t bad at all for a premature baby,” said Harper.
“Not bad at all,” agreed Jolene. “Well, Harper, how does it feel to be a mom?”
Harper couldn’t help but smile. “Like everything’s right in the world.”
Knox took her hand. Everything is right. “I’m hoping he’ll have Harper’s eyes.”
She sighed at him. “Knox, why do you hate our son?”
Jolene scowled at her. “There’s nothing wrong with your eyes. They’re beautiful.”
“That’s what I said,” said Knox.
Harper shook her head. “Forget it. How about we just – oh God, no.”
Knox frowned. “What?” He tracked her gaze, and could only sigh.
In the doorway, Lou thrust his arms up in the air. “We have ourselves a baby.” Stalking forward, he pushed through the crowd until he reached Raini, who was still holding Asher. “Girl? Boy?”
“Boy,” Raini told him.
He turned to Knox and raised his hand. “Hey, up high!”
“Well, hello, Lou,” Jolene said from behind him.
Lou’s mouth tightened and he dropped his arm. “I’m still not talking to you, evil woman.”
Jolene rolled her eyes. “You really need to stop holding grudges. Besides, taking things personally when you’re dealing with an imp is utterly pointless and —”
“La, la, la, la, la, la, deaf ears.”
Harper just looked at him. “I can’t imagine what a joy it must be up there in your head.”
Lou stroked Asher’s cheek. “Hey, little guy. You remember your Uncle Lou, don’t you? Of course you do. Who’d ever forget me?” He peered at Harper. “I don’t suppose you did the right thing and named him Lucifer.”
“His name is Asher,” Knox told him.
Surprisingly, Lou grinned. “I like that. It’s a good name for a boy who might one day decimate the universe. His demon is taking my measure.” He held his arms out. “I want a little hold.” But Raini frowned.
“Just let him have a hold,” said Knox with a sigh. “It’s the fastest way to make him leave.”
Lou’s grin widened. “I always feel so welcome here.” He carefully cradled the baby. “You look just like your daddy. Yes, you do, but don’t be upset; we all have crosses to bear.”
“Don’t think I won’t hurt you,” said Harper.
Lou’s brows drew together. “I was comforting him.”
“You were being an ass.”
“And this surprises you why?”
Harper just sighed. “I can’t do this with you. I don’t have the energy.”
“I heard labor is tiring work.” His brow creased, as if something only just occurred to him. “Hey, I thought the baby wasn’t due for another month.”
Harper scratched her head. “Yeah, well, the deadline got pushed ahead by one of the Horsemen.”
Lou scowled. “Seriously? What happened? What did the —?” His scowl morphed into a look of utter distaste, and he peered down at Asher. “Ew, he just farted right on my hand.”
At that moment, the door again opened and Meg strolled in, carrying a tray. “Visiting time is over,” she declared. “Mom and baby need rest.” She placed the tray on the nightstand, and the scents of coffee, biscuits, and gravy made Harper inwardly sigh happily.
Meg carefully took Asher from a cooing Lou and handed him over to Harper. “There.” She then gave her the bottle of formula from the tray. “He’ll be hungry.”
“Can’t I feed him?” begged Devon.
Looking rather fierce, Meg shook her head and waved her hands at the others, urging them out of the room. “Time to leave.”
Smiling at Harper, Khloë jerked her thumb toward Meg. “Does she know she’s an employee?”
Harper chuckled. “I wouldn’t mess w
ith her if I were you.”
“Come on, out, they need rest,” Meg insisted. “You can come back tomorrow.”
Ignoring her, Lou spoke to Harper, “Wait, you haven’t told me what happened with the Horse-person yet.”
Jolene took his arm. “I’ll tell you all about it. Meg’s right, they need rest.”
He shrugged her off. “I told you, I’m still not talking to you.”
Saying their goodbyes, everyone filed out. Apart from Knox, of course. Meg gave him a pointed look.
“Sorry, Meg, you’re not kicking me out,” he told her, sinking into the rocking chair. “I’m staying with my family.”
The latter comment seemed to melt the woman. Smiling, Meg nodded and left the room, softly closing the door behind her.
“He latched on with no problems this time,” Harper told Knox, watching the baby drink the formula.
Knox leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the mattress. “That’s good.” Ignoring the sound of his cell chiming, he added, “We need him to grow and get stronger.”
“Aren’t you going to answer your phone?”
“It’ll probably just be another of the Primes. We’ve had dozens of congratulatory calls and emails from them.”
Harper tipped her chin toward the phone that had been placed on the bedside cabinet. “Any texts sent to my cell?”
Knox checked. “A lot. There’s one from Kellen,” he added, barely able to hide his annoyance.
“Saying?”
Knox opened the message. “It says, ‘Congratulations. I know you’ll be a better mom than ours is’.” Relaxing slightly, Knox cupped her face and breezed his thumb along her lower lip. “He’s right. You will be.”
“You wouldn’t let me be anything else.”
Knox lightly skimmed his hand over the baby’s hat-covered head. “There are no messages from Lucian, so I’m guessing he doesn’t yet know that Asher’s been born.”
“I’ll speak to him later.”
“Just be aware that if he calls our child the spawn of evil again I will hurt him.” It would be the perfect excuse to finally get his hands on the son of a bitch.
“I think you’ll be surprised by his reaction.”
“How so?”
“He wasn’t happy that I was pregnant, but now that Asher’s actually a person – someone who he can see and touch – Lucian won’t be such an ass. He likes babies. He just doesn’t like caring for them because he’s no good at it.”
“I’m very aware of that,” Knox rumbled, thinking of her upbringing. “I didn’t understand his behavior before, and I especially don’t understand it now that I have Asher. I know I could never abandon him. I know I could never do anything to harm him.”
“Do you really want to talk about Lucian?”
“No.” Knox touched Asher’s little fist. “I’m more interested in knowing if you’re going to give me what I asked for.”
“Knox —”
“I want to give you my name, baby. I want us all to share the same one.”
Her mouth slowly curved. “So do I; you don’t have to try to persuade me.”
Satisfaction coursed through him, and he kissed her palm again. “Thank you, Harper Thorne.”
“That’s going to take some getting used to.” She looked at Asher. “So is being a parent. I still can’t believe we made this little person.”
Knox smiled. “He’s perfect. Amazing. Just like his mom.”
“Just like his dad,” Harper corrected. Seeing that he’d drank half his bottle, Harper gently pulled it from his mouth and handed it to Knox. She then sat Asher upright, gently curving her hand around the front of his neck to hold him up while she rubbed his back.
“I can’t get over how tiny he is,” said Knox. The baby’s eyes opened, and his blue eyes bled to black. The demon stared out at him, and Knox’s own demon rose to the surface for just a moment before both entities retreated. They had done it once before, shortly after Asher was born. Both times, Knox’s demon chuckled – it was a sound that held a secret. “I still think there’s something my demon isn’t telling us.”
“Probably, because this kid’s as powerful as people expected he would be.” That unnerved her in ways she didn’t want to think about. “Do we hide that he’s powerful so no one sees him as a threat?”
“We can only hide that for as long as we keep him here, where he can’t be reached or seen. It’s easy to sense all that power. I’m good with keeping him here for a little while.”
“Me, too. I don’t think people will be suspicious of that, considering I was recently kidnapped by Nora, who wanted to take the baby.”
Knox rubbed her leg. “I didn’t think I’d ever have this. Someone who was mine. A child. A family. Didn’t see it coming.” His face hardened as he added, “I’ll fight to the death to protect and keep what we have.”
“So will I, and so will our demons. And if anyone out there decides to test us on that, they’ll find out that there are much worse things than death.”
Knox had to smile. “Have I mentioned that I love how bloodthirsty you are?”
“Once or twice. Never hurts to hear it again.”
He chuckled. “You are bloodthirsty, Harper. And beautiful. And smart. And so fucking strong. There’s no one like you, and I love that you belong to me.”
“Then kiss me and shut up, because you’re making me blush.”
Chuckling again, he did.
Suzanne Wright, Ashes
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