“Fuck.” Just as Harper resurfaced, Knox cinched her hips and repeatedly slammed her down on his cock. His climax barreled into him, making his fingers dig into her hips as he thrust deep and filled her with everything he had. As she came hard, she bit his neck to muffle her scream. Sated, she then sagged against him, arms flopping to her sides. “Your demon branded me.”
“Yep. Does it bother you?” she asked cautiously.
“Of course not.” The demon had every right to brand him. And it was a huge fucking turn-on. He liked that Harper and her demon were possessive of him. “I’m intrigued about what the brand looks like.”
Once they were both cleaned up and had their clothes back in order, Harper took a look at his nape. “I’m not so sure you’re gonna like it.”
“Describe it.”
“Well, it’s sort of tribal. Has solid black lines and pointed curves.” She’d done tattoos similar to the brand. “One of the curves has wings and the head of a sphinx – which looks uncannily like me. Hang on a sec.” She snapped a picture with her cell phone. “See.”
Knox turned to look at the photo. “I like it.”
“That’s a relief, because you’re kind of stuck with it…unless you’re planning to get rid of me at any point. Then I’ll just carve it into your flesh out of spite.”
He chuckled, sliding his arms around her. “I consider myself warned. So, what does the birthday girl want to do next?”
“I need to visit Jolene. I promised.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“Okay, but” – she grimaced – “just know in advance that my family is kind of crazy.”
“They’re imps, of course they’re crazy.”
“I’d like to use the excuse that it’s because they’re imps, but…well, you’ll see. Just brace yourself.”
Standing in Jolene’s kitchen a few hours later, Knox had to wonder if this was what a mental ward was like. Over the past few hours, every member of the lair had appeared at one point or another to wish Harper a happy birthday. Some had remained, some had left. With the exception of Jolene, Beck, Martina, and Harper’s co-workers, all had looked at him like they thought he was imagining sticking their severed heads on a flagpole.
They thought he was insane, yet they could accept the strange behavior going on around them. One imp was wearing nothing but a kilt, blue face paint, and a pink Hawaiian flower necklace. Another was dressed up as Harry Potter and occasionally blurted out meaningless spells for no apparent reason. There was also the imp who was carrying a hedgehog and losing patience with the creature because, ‘You’re not listening to me; you never listen to me.’ Then there was the group taking bets about whether the teenager currently eating a raw onion would vomit.
“Are you really Harper’s mate?”
Hearing that sweet, tinkle-like voice, Knox looked down to see the most angelic looking child he’d ever laid eyes on. Long white-blond ringlets, aquamarine eyes, and rosy cheeks. She couldn’t be much older than four years. “I am.”
“You’re really tall,” she said shakily, worrying her lower lip.
He squatted down to meet her level of height, so he didn’t seem so intimidating. “That better?” Her smile was all dimples as she nodded shyly. “I’m Knox.”
“I’m Heidi. Harper calls me Heidi-ho.”
“It’s good to meet you, Heidi.”
“I’m gonna be five in four months. You can come see me on my birthday, if you want.”
“Thanks, I—”
“Heidi-ho,” drawled Harper. “Give him back his wallet.”
Blinking, Knox frowned. “Wallet?” He watched in bemusement as the child’s innocent expression morphed into a put-out snarl that called Harper a traitor.
“Don’t be fooled by those angelic looks, Knox,” Harper told him as he stood upright. “That kid is a plotter. She’s as manipulative as Jolene, and she can cry on cue.”
Handing Knox his wallet, Heidi burst out into very convincing tears. Then she smiled brightly. “Good, aren’t I?” Heidi wrapped her body around Harper’s leg.
His inner demon was chuckling, impressed. He turned to Harper. “She does that ‘you’re really tall’ thing in that trembling voice to make people bend down, doesn’t she?”
“Yep. Then she robs them blind.”
Hearing a new voice behind them, Knox guessed another lair member had arrived. But when sharply Harper pivoted on the spot just as Heidi released her with an “Uh-oh,’ Knox had a pretty good idea who it was. He turned just in time to see a tall male imp with salt and pepper hair hold his arms out to Harper with a wide grin.
“I thought you couldn’t make it,” said Harper.
Lucian wrapped his arms around her. “Happy birthday, baby girl.” Pulling back, he told her, “I sold the emu. I couldn’t miss this, could I?”
There was no way Knox could fail to see the genuine affection Lucian had for Harper. It was in his eyes and the tone of his voice. While Knox wished for her sake that it would be enough to cool his anger at the imp, it simply wasn’t.
He gave father and daughter a few minutes to catch up before he sidled up to Harper. Lucian gave him an assessing look. “You must be Lucian,” said Knox, conscious that a silence had fallen. “I’m Knox Thorne.”
“I know who you are,” said Lucian. “Can’t say I ever expected to see you at my mother’s house. What’s she done this time?”
“I’m not here to see Jolene. I’m here with my anchor. She also happens to be my mate.”
Lucian’s brows flew up. “Really? Who—” He paused, taking in just how close Knox stood to Harper. His face reddened, his lips thinned, and his nostrils flared. “Anchor? Mate?”
“That’s right.”
Lucian actually stamped his foot as he looked at Harper, his emotional immaturity quite evident at that moment. “You mated with him? Do you have any idea how dangerous he is? Do you not value your own life?”
With a silent groan, Harper stated firmly, “Knox would never hurt me.”
“You can’t really believe that! You must have heard all the stories about him! He’s ruthless, brutal! He doesn’t have an ounce of mercy in his system!”
“Very true,” confirmed Knox. “In fact, most of the stories about me are true. I’m a danger to every demon out there…except for Harper.”
Lucian sniggered. “Forgive me if I don’t find the words of an evil, conscienceless bastard comforting.”
Harper raised a hand. “Lucian, I don’t want to argue with you – I really, really don’t – but Knox is my choice, and I won’t have you insult him.” But she knew her words would fall on deaf ears. Lucian was wearing his ‘I’m ready to rant’ expression.
“I don’t understand why he’s your choice! It’s not like you could be short of male attention! Why him?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I care about him.”
“But does he care about you? That’s the question! Don’t tell me he does! That demon cares for no one but himself!”
Knox’s chuckle was empty of humor…and the dark sound made everyone freeze. “Isn’t that a case of pot, kettle, and black? Oh, and you really do need to quit talking to her that way. I won’t have it.” His demon wanted to gut the bastard for it. “This is all a surprise for you, I get that. But then, if you were a real part of her life, you’d have already known.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. “If you’ve got something to say to me, just say it. No sly remarks.”
“Fine.” Knox stepped into the imp’s personal space. “You’re a selfish, irresponsible, juvenile, self-indulgent asshole. In fact, scrap ‘juvenile’ – you’re not quite that advanced.”
“You son of a—”
“Harper had already been abandoned by her mother. Did you make up for that? Did you make sure that she at least had one parent take care of her from the start? No. You left her with Jolene, and you continued with your self-centered, nomadic lifestyle. And let’s be honest, you wouldn’t even have visited Harper if Jolene
hadn’t insisted on it.”
Clenching his fists, Lucian lifted his chin. “She was with me from the age of four—”
“Because Jolene forced you to take responsibility for your child, which was something you should have done from the beginning.”
“What, you think I should have taken a baby around the world with me?”
“No, you should have stayed with her. But that would have required you to put another being before yourself. And you just can’t do that, can you?” Knox shook his head. “It amazes me that Harper is the person she is today after having you and Carla for parents.”
Lucian snorted dismissively. “You think you know all about our lives? You know nothing.”
“Wrong, Lucian. I know everything.”
“Then you know I took care of her—”
“No, Lucian, she took care of you.”
The imp’s jaw hardened. “You’ve no right to judge me.”
“She’s my mate, I have every right.”
Seeming lost for words, Lucian turned to his mother…like a small, petulant child. “You don’t care that he’s speaking to me like that?”
Jolene shrugged. “You need to hear it, Lucian. I’ve tried to make you see yourself as you really are, but you never listen to me. Maybe you’ll listen to him.”
Eyes clouded with uncertainty, Lucian turned to his daughter. “We didn’t have a bad life, did we?”
“No, we didn’t,” replied Harper.
“But it wasn’t a life that gave her stability and security, was it, Lucian?” said Knox. “It wasn’t a life that began from the moment she was put in the care of this lair. You should have put her first, quit traveling, and given her what she needed. You didn’t. And for that, I’ll never, ever like you. I’ll accept you’re a part of Harper’s life, because I’d never ask her to choose, but that’s as good as it will ever get between you and me.” His inner demon, however, would never accept Lucian.
Harper slipped between the two males. “Look, you’ve both taken your shots at each other; let it go. Let it go,” she repeated when Lucian went to speak. Predictably, he stomped off in a huff. He was still wearing that sulky expression when she and Knox left half an hour later.
“You’re upset with me for insulting Lucian,” assumed Knox as Levi drove them home in the Bentley. Tanner rode shotgun.
“No,” she denied. “Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a fun moment. But I know that if it was the other way around, I’d smack the shit out of whoever I believed let you down.”
The protectiveness in her tone made him smile. “I couldn’t help but notice that Khloë enjoyed the dispute.”
Harper shrugged. “She’s never liked Lucian.”
Knox’s phone beeped, halting what he would have said next.
“Is everything ready for the voting poll tomorrow?” she asked, watching his fingers adeptly flying over the screen of his cell.
“Almost,” he replied.
“Which way do you think the wind will blow?”
“It’s hard to say. Each of the three candidates made appealing proposals. One thing in our favor is that demons, as a rule, aren’t fond of great changes. The whisper campaigns also did a lot of damage.”
“The question is: Just how much damage did they do?”
There would be no knowing the answer until tomorrow.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Knox arranged for the polling station to be open from 6am to 10pm in the same Underground hotel that held the speeches. Demons voted using an electronic polling system that had been used in the past. In short, each demon entered a polling booth and voted using the computer inside – one that was designed to ensure the demon couldn’t place more than one vote.
According to Larkin, many demons claimed they wouldn’t be voting, since they were undecided. Still, it seemed that the entire U.S. public had come to the Underground to witness the result of the election. As such, everybody was no doubt waiting impatiently for the Primes to finish their five course meal.
The restaurant’s table seating arrangement was the same as it had been for the speeches. Beside him, Harper was as stunning as always in a fuchsia halter-neck dress that dipped near her cleavage enough to flash some of his demon’s brand. The sight was enough to make him hard, despite that he’d exploded inside her only an hour ago. He thought about the brand he now wore on his nape and felt masculine satisfaction rise in him. His mate had marked him, made it clear that he was taken. His inner demon was pretty smug about it.
Knox watched, totally rapt, as Harper licked chocolate sauce from her spoon. She was such a sensual creature, and so very unaware of it. He put his mouth to her ear, speaking quietly. “Every time your tongue flicks out to catch that sauce, I remember how it feels to have your tongue lapping at my cock.”
“You should get that put in a Hallmark card or something.”
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest.
She pushed aside her plate and spoon. “Looks like almost everyone is done with dessert. How long until you announce the result of the poll?”
“A few minutes.” Sweeping his gaze around the room, he studied each of the candidates. Isla looked smug, seemingly confident that she would be elected. Dario seemed composed, but he was chugging down wine like a man dying of thirst. Malden’s expression and posture betrayed nothing.
Neither Knox nor his inner demon was comfortable having Isla in the same room as Harper. So far, Isla had done nothing more than greet him from a distance with a simple nod. It was difficult to imagine that the cool, collected she-demon was the same one that enjoyed sexually assaulting and torturing the women within her lair.
When Harper informed him of Khloë’s findings, his initial reaction had been shock. Dismay had quickly followed – dismay at the fact that the vulnerable, abused child he once knew had grown into an abuser herself. That such cruelty existed within her only gave him more reason to suspect she was responsible for the things that had happened to and around Harper. If so, the Prime was living on borrowed time.
“Why do you look like you’ve just swallowed something bitter?” Harper asked him. Her eyes were presently a bright gold that fairly mesmerized him.
Knox lightly touched one of the two jeweled, metal hair sticks she’d inserted into her bun. “I don’t like you being in close proximity to Isla.”
Harper wasn’t so keen on it either. Although she didn’t share Knox’s belief that Isla was the guilty party, it didn’t mean that Harper was comfortable around such a twisted bitch. “Any news on the mysterious Kendra impersonator?”
Knox shook his head. “We still haven’t been able to find out her location or her true identity.”
“In terms of whether she’s a likely suspect, it doesn’t look good for her that she’s disappeared.”
“No, it doesn’t,” he allowed.
“You’ve crossed Carla off the list of suspects, haven’t you?”
“I don’t believe she wants you dead.”
Neither did Harper. “Lucian’s pissed that I found out the whole Carla story. He thought it was best that I just believed the woman was an evil heifer, nothing more.”
“Can we not talk about that negligent, childish, self-absorbed bastard?”
“Can’t you come up with a pet name for him that’s a little less offensive?”
“How about I shorten it to just ‘bastard’?”
Harper sighed heavily. “Forget it.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Jolene.
“I don’t like to admit defeat, but it’s possible that I’ll never get Knox and Lucian to like each other,” replied Harper.
Her grandmother shook her head. “Lucian will never like any male in your life. And Knox will never stop imagining new ways to kill him. It’s a hopeless case.” Jolene patted her hand. “But I’m sure Knox wishes he could put his dislike of Lucian aside for your sake. I’m sure he wishes your feelings on this matter could come before his. I’m sure he—”
Knox cut her off. “Don’t tr
y to manipulate me, Jolene. It won’t work.” He kissed Harper’s cheek. “It’s time. If the result causes any kind of uproar, Tanner will get you out of here.” Before she could bristle and tell him she could take care of herself, Knox pushed away from the table and walked onto the dais.
Harper frowned, confused, as Isla moved to stand beside the dais…as if she was expecting to be called up there. Dario and Malden followed her lead.
“Have you noticed all the scowls that Isla has received tonight?” Jolene asked her. “There are many unhappy bunnies in this room, and they seem to hold her responsible for their misery.”
Yes, Harper had noticed. “I don’t know what she’s done, but whatever it is has pissed off a lot of people.”
Knox spoke then, filling the silence that his mere presence had commanded. “As you all know, the polling station closed two hours ago. The votes have all been entered into the polling computer software, and in just a few minutes the software will count the votes. Before we get to that, I want to make it clear that if a Monarch is elected, it will not give them any power over me or this place. As such, do not think to issue any orders at the moment of your election. Your authority and your position means nothing here.”
“Isla didn’t like that remark,” commented Jolene as Knox moved to the side of the white screen that was hanging behind him.
Knox nodded at Levi, who was near the laptop situated on a small table in front of the dais. Instantly, the laptop screen was projected onto the large white screen, showing the image of a box that said, ‘Count Votes.’ After another nod from Knox, Levi clicked it. The words ‘Please wait’ replaced the box, and under it was a bar that showed the percentage of time left to go.
The silence now seemed weighty, somber. The air fairly hummed with a suspense that brought goosebumps to Harper’s arms.
Eighty percent.