Embers

  Looking put-out, Jonas pressed his lips together. “I had a feeling you’d be too strong for it to possess you. Shame.”

  With a snarl, her inner demon lunged for the surface, making Harper’s eyes bleed to black. “What do you want?” it asked.

  Jonas’s eyes flickered. “Mostly, we want to see Knox die. Killing his mate and child is just a bonus.”

  The demon laughed—a dark, unnerving sound that seemed thick with power. “How very foolish you are. You started a war you stand no chance of winning, and you are too dimwitted to see it. I look forward to watching you and your sibling plead for death.” Satisfied by the apprehension that flashed across his face, the entity retreated.

  “Your demon is clearly very confident that Knox will save you,” Alethea said to Harper. “You yourself appear to be quite calm for someone who is caged and unable to protect your son. Relying on Knox to save you, sphinx?”

  Calm? Harper was so far from calm it wasn’t even funny. She was also fighting the urge to plead with them to leave Asher be. Begging them wouldn’t work. They would get nothing but sick satisfaction from it. Her only hope was to seem confident in his ability to protect himself. “Asher isn’t as helpless as you seem to think he is.”

  “Because he can raise a shield?” Alethea scoffed. “That doesn’t make him invulnerable. But don’t worry, we’re not quite ready for you both to die yet. Not until Knox is here to watch the show.”

  Harper shot her an incredulous look. “Are you out of your mind? Seriously? You can’t kill Knox. And he’s not going to let you hurt us. As plans go, this one is a total flop.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” said Alethea. “You escaped the jet, but the others didn’t. They’ll be badly hurt. I doubt that even Knox could walk away from a magick-induced plane crash without being severely wounded.” And the idea of that appeared to delight her.

  Harper’s demon bared its teeth, wanting to wrap one of the ropy vines around the little bitch’s neck. They wanted him weak, Harper thought. Well, they hadn’t got what they wanted, but she didn’t let her satisfaction show in her expression.

  Asher clapped, chuckling to himself, eyes on the encantada.

  Alethea looked from him to Harper, brows knitting. “Why is he clapping?”

  “He seems to find you funny.” Though fuck if Harper knew why.

  Alethea’s face hardened. “Does he now?” She took a step toward him. Although Jonas snapped out his arm to bar his sister’s path, Harper found herself snarling.

  “Bitch, you try to touch my son and—”

  “You’ll do what?” Alethea asked, hiking up an amused brow.

  “I never said I’d do anything. I won’t have to.”

  Alethea faltered—hell, even Jonas and the practitioner seemed a little spooked by the sheer confidence in Harper’s voice. That was good, because it meant they hadn’t sensed that deep inside she was screaming.

  “Do not advance on him,” Jonas told his sister. “If we make any quick or aggressive movements, he’ll pop up the shield.”

  Alethea gave a dismissive flick of the hand. “I have it on good authority that he’s not very strong. I could probably punch right through it.”

  “I’m not sure I’d ever describe Sherryl Malloy as ‘good authority’,” said Harper.

  Alethea’s eyes narrowed. “So, she told you about our ‘friendship’ during that interrogation you subjected her to.”

  “We didn’t see the clip of the interrogation, since neither of us were in the Underground at the time it was aired,” Jonas told Harper. “But I certainly heard about it from my sentinels. They were rather surprised and impressed by your voracity.”

  A snort popped out of Alethea. “Killing a person who is bound and tied is easy. That doesn’t require power.”

  But the interrogation hadn’t been a show of power. It was a warning not to fuck with Harper and Knox. And it seemed that the siblings were refusing to heed that warning. They weren’t willing to deviate from the plan they’d put in place years ago—they may have felt they’d come too far to turn back. Of course, they probably wouldn’t be feeling quite so confident if they didn’t have their minions with them.

  Alethea sighed at Jonas. “You can move your arm—I won’t approach the child. You’re right; it would be best not to risk him raising his shield. We want Knox to be afraid for himself, his mate, and their spawn. But he won’t be so afraid for his son’s life if the child is safe within his shield.”

  Barely stopping herself from grabbing a fistful of her hair, Harper lifted her chin. She wouldn’t show them her fear or desperation. No way. “Wise decision on your part.”

  “Back to the subject of Malloy’s interrogation,” began Jonas. “Your video clip had the desired effect, Harper. People received the message loud and clear. That’s not good for us, since it is us they need to fear. We’re going to make a video of our own. A video of my sentinel and Drew’s hellcat ripping apart your son while both you and Knox are helpless and can do no more than watch.”

  Just the idea of it made Harper almost retch. The protective power that lived within her was tingling her fingertips so intensely, they were close to numb—she craved to deliver some soul-deep pain upon these bastards.

  “They will not only see our power,” added Alethea, “they will see how we lured one of your old lair to partake in this.”

  Harper’s mouth flattened. “He’s just a baby.”

  “But he won’t always be a baby,” said Jonas. “He will grow, and I can’t risk him coming after us for revenge.”

  Another whine whistled out of the shuck as it danced from foot to foot, seeming uneasy. The siblings gave it an odd glance, but it was staring at Asher.

  Just then, Asher looked to Harper. His little face scrunched up at the sight of the cage. He reached toward her and flexed his hands, making a fussy ‘Ma’ sound.

  She gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, baby boy. I’m fine.” She expected him to cry or attempt to crawl toward her, but he didn’t. He calmed, and she suspected she had his demon to thank for that.

  “No, it’s not okay. It’s really, really not.” Alethea licked her front teeth. “I’m going to enjoy watching you die, sphinx. And I’m going to enjoy that Knox will watch you die. What I’ll enjoy even more is that you both get to watch your son die first.”

  So much bitterness, thought Harper. This whole thing was about far more than Knox being an obstacle to their goal. This was personal. “What’s your beef with Knox? Tell me it’s not because the black diamond isn’t on your finger. Because if so, that’s just sad.”

  Alethea sniffed. “Rejecting me was a massive mistake on his part, but no. That’s not what this is about.” Her expression made it clear that she had no intention of explaining.

  “You really think you can take him on?” Harper shook her head. “The incorporeal has to have told you that Knox can call on the flames of hell. You can’t cage him with dark magick, if that’s your big plan. It’s been tried before. It’s never worked.”

  “Ah, but that’s because those other practitioners didn’t know what he is.” Jonas smirked. “We do, thanks to Drew, which means Charles knows exactly what kind of containment spell he needs to use. It also means we know how to kill Knox.”

  Harper inwardly frowned, wondering how Drew had discovered that Knox was an archdemon.

  Jonas shot his sister a brief look of annoyance. “Of course, we’d have known that a lot sooner if someone hadn’t failed at their job of getting close to Knox.”

  Hands balling into fists, Alethea glared at him. “I didn’t fail at getting close to him. He simply wouldn’t tell me what he is.”

  “We knew in advance that he wouldn’t,” said Jonas, “which is exactly why I told you that you’d need to seduce him into taking you as his mate. How hard can that really be for a sex demon?”

  Alethea’s cheeks flushed. “It is hardly my fault that he’s so closed off. If she wasn’t his anchor, she would never have gotten c
lose enough to Knox for him to lower his guard and let her in.”

  Hearing not only scorn but jealousy in Alethea’s tone, Harper knew that … “You might have reason to want him dead, but you also grew to care for him.”

  The encantada tittered. “Wrong, sphinx.”

  Ho, ho, ho, what a lie. “Unless dear Charles can create a cage that’s impervious to the flames of hell, you won’t succeed in containing Knox. How can you not see that?”

  “It won’t hold him permanently, that’s true,” said Jonas. “The flames will certainly eat at the cage. But it will contain him long enough for us to kill him, which is all we want.”

  Whimpering, the shuck walked in a tight circle, as if chasing its tail.

  Brow furrowing, Alethea asked, “What is wrong with him?”

  Jonas lifted one shoulder. “You know he gets restless when he’s forced to wait before he plays with his food.” That made Alethea chuckle.

  It made Harper clench her fists. Asher wasn’t going to be anyone’s food. Please tell me you’re close, she said to Knox.

  His mind slid against hers. I see you. There was a wealth of rage in that rumbled response. Just hold on for me.

  Relief breezed through her. Pyroport to Asher and get him the fuck out of here.

  The shuck is standing very close to him, Harper. It’s probably been ordered to attack Asher at the slightest sign of anyone trying to save him. Do you really want to risk it?

  She squeezed her eyes shut. No, I don’t but, dammit, Knox, he needs to be safe.

  My demon is urging Asher’s to raise the shield, but it seems to be paying it no attention. I have a plan. Keep those fuckers distracted.

  Resisting the urge to glance around for some sign of Knox’s presence, she spoke to Jonas. “So, all this is just about you wanting Knox dead? The big Horsemen-goal was never really to have a power structure put in place or even to elect a Monarch—you knew yourself that it would only result in war … ” Harper trailed off as she caught an odd glint in Jonas’s eyes, and she knew … “You want war. You want chaos. Why?”

  His face darkened, and he touched his sister’s arm in what seemed to be a gesture of support. “Our world became one of chaos when we were very young. The Primes are as much to blame for that as the person who caused that chaos.”

  “The Primes think of themselves as superior,” Alethea scoffed. “They claim that the current power structure keeps us all safe. Well, it doesn’t. Not even close. A Monarch could have put an end to the suffering we endured, but there was no Monarch. The other Primes knew what was happening, but the majority did nothing. Now, they will all fall. And they will fall hard.”

  “By ‘world of chaos’ are you talking of when your old Prime turned rogue?” Harper asked.

  Jonas’s face scrunched up in scorn and revulsion. “Cordell never should have been Prime. It was no surprise that he turned rogue—the sadistic bastard was insane.”

  “I can agree with that,” said Knox, stepping out of the trees. Eyes wide, the siblings and practitioner spun to face him. And, considering she’d informed him of exactly what their plans were for him, Harper had to wonder if her mate was fucking high.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Asher looked at him with a delighted smile and clapped. “Da!”

  Knox brushed his mind over Asher’s—it was a greeting and a reassurance. He didn’t dare go to him, though. Black shucks could kill with a single bite. Not that Asher seemed at all worried by its close proximity. On the contrary, he seemed pretty content. As for Harper … she didn’t appear so happy to see Knox. In fact, she was glaring at him hard.

  This is your big plan? she clipped. Walk right into the line of fucking fire? Seriously, are you out of your everloving mind?

  “Charles,” clipped Jonas.

  A mere moment later, a band of dark magick surrounded Knox. Then, suddenly, he was inside a glass cube. No, not a cube. It was a large display box, much like the one that the incorporeal had spent God-knew-how-long trapped inside. Knox didn’t react other than to casually stuff his hands in his pockets.

  His demon did nothing more than bare its teeth. Its anger was no longer hot and out of control. It was now vibrating with a cold fury that allowed the entity to think. It knew Knox’s plan and had confidence in it. Moreover, it had confidence in Asher’s demon; believed it would protect him.

  Knox didn’t say a word as the siblings exchanged smug smirks, practically bouncing in delight. He’d purposely approached them from behind so that they’d have to turn their backs on Harper and Asher to look at him. Knox wanted their attention divided. Wanted to make it hard for them to keep tabs on him, Harper, and Asher at the same time.

  Eyes bright, Alethea laughed and pointed a finger at Harper. “And you thought he couldn’t be caged.” She laughed again, turning to face Knox. “See, no one is omnipotent.”

  Knox simply looked at her, bored. Her smugness faded. She seemed … disappointed. As if she’d expected panic and anger.

  Alethea jutted out her chin, defensive. “It was easy enough to capture you once we discovered what you are.”

  They know what I am? Knox asked Harper.

  They seem to think they do.

  Jonas tilted his head. “I must admit, I was surprised when Drew told me that you’re a phoenix. They are so few of them left. No more than a handful. But it makes sense. They’re strong, powerful, and dangerous. They’re also practically impossible to destroy, since they are reborn from their ashes over and over. But there are ways to kill them for good. And we know just how to make sure you’re not reborn this time.”

  It didn’t surprise Knox whatsoever that they were still clueless as to what breed of demon he was. Still, he said nothing.

  How tough is that damn box? Harper asked Knox.

  It can’t keep me contained. It’s designed to keep a phoenix contained. I’m not a phoenix. He could pyroport out of it, no problem. Let them relax in the illusion that they’re safe, baby. The shuck and the hellcat will relax too and hang back a little, giving Asher space. Then I can pyroport to him and take him to Davis and Noelle. Levi and Tanner will deal with the hellcat and the shuck, and you and I can then take out these other motherfuckers.

  I absolutely adore my part in your plan, but don’t wait too long to act. Alethea and Jonas plan to get a video of Asher being torn apart by the two beasts while we’re caged and forced to watch.

  Bastards. His demon roared its fury, but it kept a grip on its control. Is there a reason the shuck keeps whining and acting odd?

  If there is, I haven’t the faintest clue what it could be. Where’s Levi and Tanner?

  They’re close. And they’d follow what orders Knox had given them.

  A smirk spread across Alethea’s face as she tapped her nail on the glass box. “I’ll bet you’re surprised to learn that Jonas and I are Horsemen. I’ll bet you didn’t think I was smart enough to carry out such a plan. Wrong. Jonas and I have worked together every step of the way.” She slung a put-out look at Jonas, adding, “Except for the part where you tried getting an alliance with Lucifer and the use of an archdemon, of course. You’d failed to tell me about that.”

  “Which I apologized for,” Jonas said through gritted teeth. “Let it go.”

  She sniffed. “Fine. Let’s get on with this. I’ve been looking forward to the moment when Knox would be forced to watch his mate and child die.”

  Harper glared at them. “You could really stand there while two beasts tore an innocent child to pieces?”

  Pursing his lips, Jonas was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled and glanced at Harper over his shoulder. “Yes, I believe I can.”

  “I guess it’s not like you haven’t killed a kid before,” Harper clipped, referring to whatever demonic child was sacrificed to free the incorporeal.

  “No, it’s not,” Jonas freely admitted. “I first killed a child when I was seven. Cordell ordered it done. As I said, he was insane. Being without an anchor was too much for him.”

&
nbsp; Harper’s face fell. “He forced you to kill other children?” She sounded unable to wrap her head around it.

  “I can’t count the number of times I whipped or caned another child for ‘rebuking’ his advances or some imaginary slight.” Fury blazed in Jonas’s eyes. “That sick fuck liked children, you see. He would take in stray demons and their children; then he would kill the adults and keep the children for himself.”

  “He had a household full of them,” added Alethea, voice flat, gaze focused inward. “He liked to hurt them. Abuse them. Most of all, he relished their fear.”

  “If they bored him—and by bore him, I mean if they didn’t show the appropriate amount of fear when he hurt them—he would make one of the other children kill them.” Jonas swallowed. “His sentinels were of the same ilk as him, and so he sometimes shared us with them. Some were particularly brutal.”

  Despite what they’d been through, Knox couldn’t find it in him to feel any sympathy for two people who were planning to sic two beasts on his son and then kill his mate.

  Harper frowned. “You were initially stray demons?”

  “Little history lesson,” said Jonas. “There was once a Prime by the name of Houston Steward—Knox will remember him. He was my father; Alethea’s father. He wasn’t extremely powerful, but he was strong. Good. Honorable. A true leader. But his lair was small, and larger lairs kept coming along, plucking the strongest members out of our lair. It got smaller and smaller, until it was too weak to stand on its own. The remaining demons were forced to become strays or join other lairs. Only those who were utterly loyal to my father stayed.”

  “The other lairs were well-aware that ours was so frequently targeted,” added Alethea. “Some did try to help when he appealed to them for aid. Nora—she was Prime of Dario’s lair at the time—tried. Isla’s old Prime, Rhea, also tried; Isla was actually one of her sentinels at the time, so she did what she could at Rhea’s command. But did the other Primes offer to help him? No.” Her upper lip curled. “They were happy to take in those who fled the sinking ship.”