Burn

  Kendra seemed taken aback by her bored tone. “I simply thought I’d say hello. How are things down your end? And by ‘end’ I mean the bottom of the social ladder.”

  To people like Kendra, who clearly prized social status, that comment would probably be offensive. Harper found it nothing but petty. “I see someone got up on the wrong side of their pigpen this morning.”

  Kendra ground her teeth. “I’d imagine you can’t believe your luck that Knox Thorne is your anchor.”

  “You’re having a little trouble dealing with that, huh?”

  “Trouble?” Kendra laughed. “Of course not. I pity him, having not only an imp but a Wallis for an anchor.”

  Harper batted her eyelids. “Well, aren’t you sweet to care.”

  That was when Khloë came striding out of the stall, fixing Kendra with a hard look. “I’ll never understand why people can’t just let their exes go.” This was coming from a girl who had only moments ago considered texting her own ex. “But I guess Knox doesn’t really count as an ex, since you two weren’t in an actual relationship. That’s gotta hurt.”

  Harper’s inner demon didn’t at all like the reminder that Kendra knew Knox intimately.

  “Kendra,” interrupted one of the she-demons by the hand dryers. “I really think you should leave. If Knox hears you’re bothering his anchor, he won’t take it well.”

  Kendra looked at Harper speculatively. “Yes, I’ve heard he’s quite protective of you. Still, it won’t last long, because his demon simply doesn’t attach itself to people.”

  Harper heard the bitterness in the latter words. “And that just eats at your pride, doesn’t it?” It also satisfied Harper’s demon.

  “Does it bother me that I have to watch him with others? Yes. However, I’m used to it – Knox doesn’t believe in being exclusive. But the good thing for me is that I can move on. I can keep him out of my life and out of my thoughts. You can’t, can you? So you’d better hope you don’t come to care for him or your life won’t be fun watching the man you want flit from woman to woman.”

  A hurt that was deep, concerning, rose in Harper as the prospect fluttered through her mind. “It’s true that I might find it hard on some level. I mean, anchors are possessive of each other, right? But that means Knox is in the same boat. He’ll get pissed watching me with other guys. Whereas you…well, he doesn’t give a shit what you do. Making him jealous isn’t working out so well, is it?” Harper pouted. “How sad for you.”

  Just as she and Khloë moved to pass, Kendra gripped Harper’s arm tight and hissed, “You can’t possibly—”

  “You should let go of me, Kendra.” The bitch really, really should…because her behavior had triggered a primal reaction in Harper that could mean very bad things for Kendra. Her familiar dark power had rushed to her hands, ready to protect and defend Harper. In addition, her demon was on high alert, raring to take control. Harper urged it to remain calm, assured it that she’d take care of this. “I’d like to say that I don’t want to hurt you, but I do. You make it really hard to like you.” She put her face close to Kendra’s. “So don’t tempt me.”

  “What are you going to do, imp?”

  Khloë grinned. “I love it when this happens.”

  “I’ll probably just poke you in the forehead, which I’m fairly sure is pretty empty.”

  Eyes glittering with malice, Kendra tightened her hold. Warmth shot up Harper’s arm and filled every part of her. But that was pretty much all that happened. Judging from Kendra’s dumbfounded expression, more should have happened. Whatever she’d tried to do hadn’t worked.

  Harper sniffed. “That all you got?” Then she did exactly as she’d threatened: she poked Kendra’s forehead, and the power prickling the pad of her index finger forced its way inside Kendra; past skin and bone, attacking the soul within. Having a dualism to her soul meant that not only did it hurt Kendra, it hurt her demon.

  Her eyes widened as she tangled her hands in her hair and cried out, dropping to her knees. Then, sobbing and moaning, she scrambled into the corner, eyeing Harper like she was Lucifer himself. Yeah, that wasn’t an uncommon reaction.

  “We’ll be going now.” Taking a gleeful Khloë by the arm, Harper led her out of the restrooms…and slammed into a solid, familiar body that made her inner demon go from pissed to happy in a nanosecond. She frowned at Knox. “What are you doing here?”

  “Are you all right?” he demanded. Levi, Devon, and Raini were behind him.

  “Knox came and asked where you were,” explained Raini. “We were a little worried that you guys were taking a while.”

  “Who’s crying?” Knox asked.

  “I’m surprised you need to ask,” said Khloë, “since you’ve probably made her cry out a few times yourself. In bed, I mean.”

  Knox pushed his way into the restrooms, causing Harper and Khloë to back up. That was when he saw Kendra huddled into a ball in the corner, whimpering and clearly in pain. It was easy enough to guess why, but it wasn’t clear what Kendra had done to provoke Harper. He arched a brow at his anchor. “What happened?”

  She shrugged. “Kendra was just saying hello.”

  Face hardening, he repeated, “What happened?”

  Harper sighed. “It’s been dealt with.”

  Knowing his anchor was so stubborn she could keep that up all night long, Knox turned to the she-demons from his lair that were standing off to the side. He didn’t even need to ask them what happened; the entire story spilled out of them in a rush. Hearing the things Kendra had said and done, it was really no wonder that Harper retaliated.

  “Levi, get Kendra out of here.” Knox turned to his anchor. “You come with me.” Amber eyes glared at him for that order.

  “Look, I get that you want to talk about this, but I’m here with my cousin and my friends – I don’t ditch people.”

  He looked at the three she-demons lingering in the doorway. “Follow us to the VIP section. It’s where you should have been anyway, Harper.” Little squeals of delight came from her companions but, of course, his anchor didn’t look all that impressed.

  Harper found it strange walking through a busy bar with Knox Thorne holding her wrist. He didn’t need to push through a crowd, it parted for him. Respect, fear, awe, and – in the case of some females – desire was in the eyes of many. The respect mostly extended to Harper but, unsurprisingly, the ogling females didn’t like her much.

  When they reached the VIP section with its comfier furniture, and its separate bar and waiters, Knox gestured for Harper’s companions to sit in a booth before he then pulled her into a corner.

  She raised a hand. “Before you say anything, let’s just be clear that you can’t be pissed at me for this. All I did was defend myself, and I’ll do it again.”

  Knox shook his head. “I’m not pissed because you defended yourself. I’m pissed because you were put in a position where you had to defend yourself. It never should have happened. Kendra knows better.”

  “I dealt with it.”

  “You think it will end there because you fought back? I’m responsible for policing every single one of my demons. If they cross a line, they’re punished – it’s as simple as that.”

  “Don’t kill her, Knox.” Harper could see that he wanted to. “Demons are known for crossing lines. We do it all the time. Kendra behaved stupidly, yes, but whatever she tried to do didn’t work and I dealt with it my way. You need to respect that and you need to be seen to respect it. Because if you don’t respect me and my ability to protect myself, neither will anyone else.”

  He couldn’t deny that was true…which only served to piss him off even more.

  “Besides, she didn’t try to kill me, she tried to hurt me. She was just picking a fight because she’s jealous.”

  “I gathered that from the things she said.” What worried him was that those things might have taken him back a step with Harper. He’d made a lot of progress with her, and he’d thought she would agree to bond very soo
n. Kendra could have fucked it up. “If any of what she said bothers you, let’s discuss it now.” He knew Harper would tell him the truth.

  “Was she right about you not being exclusive? Because I have to say, I’m not a girl who’s good with that whole ‘seeing other people’ thing. I don’t like the idea that I could be with someone who was fucking someone else only five minutes before. It’s just icky for me.”

  “I don’t share. I always demand exclusivity.” He wasn’t sure why Kendra implied differently, unless she suspected that there was more to him and Harper than them being anchors.

  “She made a good point when she said it’ll be hard for us not to interfere in each other’s sex life since prying into personal lives is what anchors do, and the possessiveness makes that harder. But I’m told it’s worse in the beginning and it gets better.”

  She was talking as if it was a given that they would bond, and that relaxed him and his demon.

  “When your demon withdraws and the sex comes to an end, we’ll both move on and you’ll be fine with it, because you’ve had your fill of me.”

  Okay, neither he nor his demon were relaxed any longer. He gripped her jaw. “Don’t talk like you’re just a convenient body to me.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Yes, he did. And she was right. They would move on. The problem was that just the thought of her with another male made him feel very dangerous. His demon was so enraged by the idea of it that Knox knew for a fact that if another male was to touch Harper, they’d very simply die. His demon was still too fixated on her.

  Harper frowned. “What’s wrong?” He just seemed so…intense all of a sudden. In response, his hand fisted in the back of her hair, angled her head how he wanted it, and then Knox took her mouth with a ferocity that alarmed her. She tasted anger, possessiveness, and a dark greedy hunger.

  His hands slid around to frame her face. “Give into me, Harper.” He needed to feel that she was his on some irrevocable level. It wasn’t enough to know she was his anchor. He needed to form the bond to solidify his claim on her.

  “This isn’t exactly the time or the place.”

  “If we go somewhere private, I’ll fuck you, Harper. We both know that’s exactly what will happen. Let’s do it here and now, where I can’t take you how I want to and then you’ll never one day wonder if I used sex to convince you.” She sighed, averting her eyes that were swirling from amber to forest green. “You’re ready for this. I know you are.” When she finally returned her gaze to his, she nodded. Satisfaction thrummed through his veins. “Good girl.”

  From a little place inside Harper, a voice screamed not to do it; that she would be giving him the power to hurt her. But she ignored it, letting herself believe that just fucking maybe this was someone who wouldn’t let her down. And if he did, well, she’d ensure he regretted it.

  Watching her shift nervously from foot to foot, Knox took her wrist and soothingly circled her skin with his thumb. He didn’t blame her for being nervous. It was a life-altering moment. There was absolutely no going back. “Let go. That’s all you have to do.”

  He was right. She’d held firm against the magnetic pull, keeping a tight hold on her own psyche. Now all she had to do was let go. Hoping it wouldn’t turn out to be a big mistake, she did.

  As their minds slammed together, Harper’s knees buckled. Their psyches fused together with a snap, not becoming one mind but intersecting just enough for her to feel Knox’s darkly sexual presence; to feel his strength and personal power. There was a psychic ‘taste’ to him: almonds, dark chocolate, and red wine. It all ‘fed’ her somehow, strengthening her. Her demon lapped it all up, stabilized in a way it never would have been without this bond.

  Just as Jolene had assured Harper, having an anchor wasn’t an invasive feeling. Still, it was intimate and a little strange, and it would take some getting used to. She looked up at Knox, who was cupping her nape, looking concerned.

  “You okay?” Knox asked, not knowing what to expect from his anchor. His anchor. She was finally officially, irreversibly his.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.”

  “Good.” He’d touched her mind many times, but this was so much more. He could now feel her psychic presence; it rang with her fire, her sensuality, her iron-will, and the gentle streak she tried to hide. And her psychic ‘taste’…honey, coffee, and truffles. All of it invigorated and steadied both Knox and his demon. This bond would stabilize his demon in a way that Knox never could have done, despite his strength and power. Only Harper could have given it this. There was one thing left for Knox to do.

  Harper watched determination flash in his eyes as the hand cupping her nape slid around to collar her throat, placing his thumb at the hollow of her right ear. A hiss escaped her as the skin beneath his thumb suddenly began to burn and throb. It only lasted seconds, but she still scowled. “You could have warned me.”

  Tilting her head to the side, Knox looked at the mark he’d left in the very place that every anchored demon was marked. Each mark was a tattoo of an infinity symbol with a slight, personal difference. Not much bigger than the pad of his thumb, the glistening infinity symbol was made of a thorn branch. And it told the world that she was anchored; that there was someone who would wreak vengeance on anyone who dared harm her.

  “Your turn.” She pressed her thumb against the hollow beneath his right ear and imprinted her mark there, which seemed to satisfy him rather than pain him. Awkward fucker. The infinity symbol had a sphinx perched in the center of the loops. Her demon relaxed at the sight of it.

  “It’s done.” He found that he couldn’t release her, and in fact had to resist tightening his possessive grip on her throat. “Now you can’t ever again deny you’re mine.” Every few seconds or so, her mind idly brushed against his – a psychic touch that could be for reassurance or to offer comfort or maybe it was both. He didn’t know. He just knew that he liked it. “Open your mouth for me.” The moment she parted her lips, he thrust his tongue inside to tangle with hers. He tasted, feasted, and breathed her into him. “Come home with me tonight.”

  She swallowed hard. “Okay.”

  Satisfied, Knox kissed her again. He’d have her as many times as he could before his demon began to get bored. It could take days, it could take weeks, but it would happen. It always did. Even so, Harper would always be his on some level.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ready to lock up the studio, Harper was slipping on her jacket when Royce walked inside. Groan.

  “Who is the guy who’s always hanging around outside the building?”

  She blinked, startled at his brusqueness. Royce generally didn’t have the balls to speak to anyone like that.

  “He takes you to work every morning and hangs around outside most of the day. Why?” he demanded.

  “I’m confused by the fact that you believe this is your business.”

  “He works for Knox Thorne, doesn’t he?” Royce stepped closer, pissing off her demon. It wanted to claw his face right off his skull. “I saw him come in here with Thorne once.” He spoke like there was some kind of conspiracy and he was onto it. “Are you fucking Thorne? Is he why you won’t come back to me?”

  What a fucking asshole. “Royce, I won’t come back to you for a number of reasons – primarily because you seem to think that monogamy is a shade a brown.”

  “I apologized for that. She meant nothing to me.”

  “Which is exactly why it should have been easy to turn her down. But you didn’t.”

  “So let’s shout this out so we can move forward. Slap me. Kick me. Call me a dog.”

  “Why? Dogs are loyal.”

  “Look, I know I did wrong. Believe me when I say I hate myself for it. We can work this out. I miss you, Harper.”

  She grabbed her purse and keys. “Well, as you can see, I’m drowning in a river of tears.” She ushered him out of the studio. “Now if you’re done, I have things to do.”

  Outside, he continued speaking even a
s she locked the front door. “I’ve told you over and over, I’m sorry and I hate that I’ve hurt you. What do you want me to do?”

  She faced him. “Honestly? Stick your cock in a bees nest. Call me and let me know how that goes.” Flashing him a sweet, acidic smile, she then made her way to Tanner, who was holding the car door open. “Hey, Tanner.”

  “Problem?” He flicked his gaze to Royce.

  She sighed. “I just don’t understand your gender. Do you?”

  Tanner held up his hands. “This isn’t a conversation that could go well for me.”

  Smiling, she slid into the car. “So true.” Within seconds, they were driving on-route to her apartment. She hadn’t seen Knox for four days, since he’d been on a business trip. In that time, though, he’d contacted her telepathically every night.

  The days apart had given her a little time to get used to their psychic bond. It was true that it was impossible to ever feel alone when you were anchored. His mind constantly stroked hers instinctively yet idly. It was comforting. She could feel him and was always aware of him on some level, yet she couldn’t sense him or his feelings as the bond wasn’t intrusive.

  As he was returning from his trip today, they had made plans to see each other tomorrow. He wanted to talk about the gathering for the whole Monarch business that was occurring in one of his Underground hotels in just two days. The time running up to the gathering had flown over fast, and during that time Knox had taken her to his home every night, had fucked her hard and long with an urgency that told her he was taking advantage of what time they had before his demon withdrew from her on a sexual level. The demon would accept her as its anchor, but it wouldn’t wish to keep her as anything more.

  Up to now, his demon wasn’t at all bored. She knew it because the brand on her breast hadn’t faded. She could admit that she checked it each morning and evening, wanting to be mentally prepared for the demon’s withdrawal. Considering how obsessed her own demon was with Knox and the predator that lived within him, Harper was pretty sure that her demon would want to burn shit down when his lost interest.