None of the cameras showed him leaving the building. He’d simply disappeared from his cell somehow. As Harper sat on the sofa with her feet tucked under her, she couldn’t think of any possible explanation for that. She had, however, thought of something else – a theory that Knox wasn’t going to like at all.
Keenan leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Well, I think we can safely say that Crow was telling the truth and he’s not alone in this little mission. Someone’s been helping him all along. That might have been why he was so hard to track. They could have given him money and even a place to hide.”
Larkin fidgeted with her braid, brows pulled together. “But why? Is it someone who believes Crow’s vision was real and they want to help him?”
“Crow told me he was ‘chosen’ for this mission,” said Harper. “I think this person has been using Crow, not helping him. He may not have even had a vision at all. They could have planted that idea in his head to manipulate him.” Just as she’d suspected after he attacked her, only she’d dismissed the idea too easily. And that made her want to slap herself in the face. She should have trusted her instincts.
“But it makes no sense that someone would use a demon bordering on rogue as an attack dog,” said Larkin.
“Sure it does,” said Harper, having given it some real thought. “To use Crow is a risk-free and highly devious move. He can actually conjure guns and knives and all kinds of shit. In that sense, he is, literally, a loaded weapon. A loaded weapon that’s absolutely and fanatically obsessed with its mission; nothing could deviate Crow from it. That makes him very, very dangerous. Add in that even if he did mention that someone else was involved it would be dismissed as the ramblings of a demon on the edge” – which all six of them had done— “that makes Crow a pretty good attack dog.”
“Okay, yeah, so there was a sneaky sort of wisdom in recruiting Crow,” Larkin conceded. “But only to an extent. He’s no match for Knox.”
“No, but he’s a match for me.”
Knox came to an abrupt halt at Harper’s words. “What?”
Ah, well, here was the theory he’d undoubtedly hate. “I’ve been thinking,” said Harper. “He told me that killing me wouldn’t be enough to stop this evil child being born because you could then meet another she-demon and have it with her. He thinks that ending your life is the answer.”
“But you think the puppeteer actually wanted him to kill you,” sensed Levi.
“I think that, at the very least, they wanted me in danger,” said Harper. “Crow’s a match for me because he’s good at taking people down fast. Like a Taser. But I’m well-protected and I have pretty substantial abilities, so it’s not like anyone could rely on him to kill me.”
“What are you getting at, Harper?” Knox asked. But he was quite sure he already knew.
“I think the puppeteer’s plans were simple: send Crow on a mission after me,” she told him. “I mean, look at the way Crow went after you again and again, determined and undaunted. I think that was what they were hoping he’d do to me. Only no one can truly control a demon so close to rogue, so their plan fucked up and Crow instead targeted you.”
Harper straightened her legs as she went on. “But let’s say their plan had worked. Let’s say Crow had honed in on me the way he did on you; coming at me over and over, but getting away each and every time. You’d have been frustrated, anxious, and even a little scared. You’d also have felt helpless and angry with yourself because you believe it’s your responsibility to protect me. What happens when a demon is stressed and their anger is building and building like a pressure cooker?”
It was Keenan who answered. “Their dominance over their demon slips. The entity starts to surface more and more.”
“Yes, their control falters,” said Harper. “I think someone wants you to lose control of your demon, Knox. I think they’re trying to find out what you are, because they think if they know what you are then they’ll know how to kill you.”
There was utter silence for a moment as everyone digested that, exchanging grim looks.
Levi finally broke the silence. “I hate to say it, but I think she’s right, Knox. Sending Crow after you makes no sense, but I can see someone thinking he’d be strong enough to take on Harper. Maybe not strong enough to kill her, but strong enough to be a threat which – as she pointed out – is all they’d really need to peck at your control.”
Knox scraped his hand over his jaw, anger pulsing inside him. He wished he could argue with Harper’s theory, but it made too much sense. That meant his mate had been the real target all along. Not the main target, no, since her death would have been a means to an end; a way to rid him of his control. But someone had still purposely set out to harm her, wielding Crow like a weapon. Flames flickered from his fingertips, making everyone but Harper stiffen.
Her mind slid against his – a soothing touch. It settled him just enough for him to bury the rage, and the flames blazing from his fingers then puffed into smoke. He rolled back his shoulders and cricked his neck. Every muscle was stiff with tension and anger. “Now that we know the puppeteer’s end game, it’s a matter of identifying just who they are.”
“Maybe this is payback from Isla’s lair,” suggested Larkin.
“Or maybe Alethea’s somehow involved,” said Keenan. “It’s possible that she’d been bitching at Harper for the simple reason that pissing her off pisses you off.”
Tanner twisted his mouth. “You need to talk to Dario, Knox. I was skeptical about the rumors, but maybe he really is building an army. Maybe he plans to go up against you once he believes he knows how to kill you.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Prime,” said Knox. “They may not even be particularly powerful. So far, they’ve hidden behind someone else.”
“But they did somehow find a way to get into the prison and retrieve Crow,” Keenan pointed out.
“Yes, but they could have hired others to do that,” said Knox. “That would make them smart and resourceful, not necessarily powerful.”
Keenan tilted his head, conceding that.
“You know,” began Levi, “it occurred to me that someone might not necessarily have taken Crow from the cell. He could in fact be dead. They could have implanted some sort of trigger in his body or mind that allowed them to kill him from afar. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it is possible. If he vaporized after his death, there would have been no remains to find.”
Knox nodded. “You could be right, but I won’t allow myself to believe it and drop my guard.” He’d been too dismissive of Crow, and it had backfired on them. Knox wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“Now that I’ve really thought about, I have to agree that using Crow really was a risk-free plan,” Larkin mused, looking at Harper. “From their perspective, if it works and you die and Knox loses his shit, great. If it doesn’t, only Crow dies and they get to try something else.”
Neither of those scenarios were acceptable to Harper. She folded her arms as she spoke to Knox. “Does Dario have an anchor?”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because one thing we know about the person behind all this is that they don’t,” she replied.
Knox cocked his head. “Why do you say that?”
“The idea of me hurt, stressed, or in danger makes you want to lose your shit, right?”
“Absolutely. But as my anchor, you also keep me stable enough not to do that.”
“Exactly. But this person didn’t think of that, which means they don’t have an anchor.” Otherwise, they’d have known how much stability an anchor could provide and, as such, they would have also known that just putting her in danger wouldn’t be enough to crack his control.
Levi nodded. “Does Dario have an anchor?”
“He’s never brought one with him to any meetings,” said Knox. “Which means he either doesn’t have an anchor or he hasn’t publically declared it. Many Primes choose not to, especially if their anchor doesn’
t want to be under a spotlight. I’ll need to make a call to find out for sure.”
Harper hadn’t wanted to share Knox’s spotlight, but he’d been adamant that she would be safer if demons knew her to be his anchor. Although being in his life did bring a certain danger to her own, she’d been more vulnerable when she’d been a she-demon of a small lair. Jolene was powerful and scary, but it didn’t stop demons from bringing shit to her door for the simple reason that small lairs were considered easy prey.
“Look more into this rumor about Dario and find out where it came from,” Knox told Larkin and Keenan. He then turned to the other two sentinels and said, “Announce to the lair that they need to once again be on the lookout for Crow. If he is alive, he’ll be even more determined than before to finish his mission.” After giving a few final orders to his sentinels, Knox sent them away. Alone with his mate, he framed her face with his hands. “I should have seen it. I should have seen that the intended target was you.”
She shook her head. “None of us saw it. The situation didn’t make sense, but no one would expect ‘sense’ from someone in Crow’s state.”
“You have to be extremely careful, Harper. It’s clear that we aren’t just dealing with Crow. Someone is behind this. Possibly more than one person. They might decide to take the matter into their own hands, though I doubt it because they appear to prefer to hide behind others. In any case, be safe. Nothing can happen to you.”
“You be careful, too.” She toyed with his collar. “You’re mega powerful, but anything that’s born can die. We will find out who it is that’s manipulating Crow.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “We will.” Whoever they were, however many of them were involved, Knox would fucking destroy them.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The following morning, Harper stood outside Knox’s office, debating whether to knock or just barge right in. It wasn’t unusual for him to spend a fair portion of the night in his home office, making or taking calls. What was unusual was that he hadn’t spent a little time with her first. Literally ten minutes after the sentinels left the previous night, he’d retreated to his office. And he was still in there.
Harper knew he was pissed about the Crow thing, so she’d let him be. After all, she liked time alone to think shit through; she could understand why he’d need it. And since he gave her space when she needed it, it would have been shitty of her not to afford him the same.
As such, she hadn’t bothered him all night. She’d even showered, dressed, and had breakfast alone. Still, though, he was holed up in there. She was due to meet with the girls in an hour to do some shopping, since the studio didn’t open until seven that evening. She wasn’t going to leave without first checking that he was okay.
Knocking would be the polite thing to do. But then, Harper wasn’t polite. So she turned the knob and swung open the door, unsurprised to find him on the phone. She didn’t enter the room, however. He’d either invite her in or he wouldn’t.
His dark gaze locked with hers, unreadable. Her demon’s mood lifted a little. It had missed him and consistently harassed Harper to go find him. For a long moment, Knox just stared at her. She considered walking away, but then he gestured for her to enter.
“I simply wish to know if he has an anchor,” he told the person on the other end of the call.
He was talking to someone about Dario, apparently. Harper stood admiring the three abstract art canvases of mechanical clockwork hanging on the gray wall, but she was totally listening to every word. She liked his office. It was way cooler than hers with the sleek black, U-shaped executive desk and lush leather chair. He had an almost futuristic computer with multiple monitors that she wouldn’t have a clue how to use.
“No major question,” said Knox. “I’d just like to know. Really? All right. Thank you. I will.” He sighed heavily as he ended the call.
She turned to face him. “I take it that was about Dario?”
“Yes,” Knox replied, slowly moving to her. “According to Raul, Dario doesn’t have an anchor.”
She bit her lower lip. “I see.”
Cupping her hips, he added, “That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s Crow’s puppeteer, of course.” But it didn’t look good for Dario. Knox kissed her gently, none too surprised when she didn’t react as enthusiastically as usual. “I neglected you.” He sorely regretted it now.
“To brood.” Her tone dared him to deny it.
“I had a lot of calls to make.”
Ha. “You were brooding.”
“I was trying to find out if there was a spell that could teleport people into secure places.”
“You were brooding.”
“No one was able to help with that.”
“So the brooding continued.”
Mouth twitching into an involuntary smile, he framed her face with his hands and kissed her. Hard. Long. Tasting and taking what was his and only his. Letting the feel and scent of her soothe the chaos in his head.
He slid one hand under her T-shirt and closed it possessively around her breast. “I missed you.” So had his demon. It had sulked all damn night, wanting to seek her out.
Harper stepped back, pushing his arm down and out of her shirt. “Nu-uh. I have to leave.”
He stalked her as she backed up. “The studio doesn’t open until much later.”
“Yes, but I agreed to meet the girls to go shopping. I can’t just cancel on them because my mate has decided he regrets spending so long br—”
“I wasn’t brooding.”
Harper snorted. “Whatever.”
“Before you go, you can tell me what Belinda has been saying to upset you.”
“First you have to promise that you won’t interfere.”
Grinding his teeth, he nodded.
“Yeah, I’m gonna need the words, Knox.” Because she wasn’t an idiot.
His demon chuckled. “I promise I will let you deal with this matter yourself.” Though it would gall Knox to do so. It went against the grain for him not to defend her against anything or anyone.
“Belinda has basically set out to make me feel like I don’t compare to the females in your past. Maybe she’ll eventually realize I am totally fine with not being like any of them, maybe she won’t. Who knows?” Harper shrugged. “But she likes to constantly remind me that I don’t behave like other Primes, and she feels pretty certain that we won’t last. It’s annoying, but it doesn’t hurt me.”
Knox shook his head, anger rising inside him sharp and fast. His demon wanted to track the bitch and force a ball of hellfire down her throat. “I wish you had told me, Harper. I would have fired her immediately.” And he’d do exactly that very soon, his promise be damned. His mate didn’t deserve this shit.
“That’s part of why I didn’t tell you. I don’t want you to fire her. Tell me you won’t.”
He said nothing, not prepared to lie to her.
“I mean it, Knox. You swore you’d let me deal with this in my own way.”
“I can’t sit back and allow this to happen,” he clipped. “Belinda is purposely trying to hurt you and no one has the right to do that.”
“Stop with the protective growl. You know it makes me tingly.” Harper curled her arms around his neck. “Anyway, she annoys me, but her opinion isn’t relevant to me – something I think she’s finally beginning to sense. Which is making her crazy, and that’s just awesome.”
“I hired her, baby. It was clearly a mistake on my part. Now I need to fix that mistake.”
“You don’t need to do anything. I’m handling this. It really is fun knowing I’m making her organize an event that will make her die a little inside. All those pretentious people will check out her work, see skewered steak and wedges, and gasp in the same horror that she’s dwelling in. Her reputation will take a huge hit.”