“I wasn’t sure it would listen to me.”
“You’re the only person it would ever have listened to.” Nora had been right: only Knox could have helped her and her demon throughout their “trial.” “Thank you for bringing me back.” Harper kissed him, curling her arms around his neck and hooking one leg over his. “Come inside me.”
He should ignore that sensual whisper, he thought. Should remind her that she’d almost died. Should make her take the next few hours easy, especially since she’d need her rest for the event. But he needed her. Needed to be in her, assuring himself that she was alive and well in the most basic way. So Knox took her right there, thrusting in and out of her soft and slow; pouring everything he felt and everything he was into it. She came with a scream of his name, and that sent him tumbling right over the edge with her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Knox hadn’t taken more than four steps into the walk-in closet when he stopped dead. His mate was standing in front of the mirror, looking like every male’s wet dream. That satin dark-red dress begged to be peeled up while he took her against the wall. The shade went perfectly against her ivory skin, seeming to emphasize how smooth and unblemished it was. The combination made him think of raspberries and cream. With the crystal gemstones that matched the ones on her red stilettos, the dress was as shiny as his mate. It also flashed some of the brand on her breast, which his demon liked a hell of a lot.
Slipping on her white diamond earrings, now that her ear was completely healed, Harper smiled at him. “Looking pretty dashing over there in that tuxedo, Thorne.” Edible, actually. It made her want to crawl all over him like a kitten.
He prowled toward her, feeling every inch the predator that he was. His demon wanted to see what she looked like in that dress while bent over and begging to come. One track mind. But Knox wasn’t in a position to judge, given he was wondering the exact same thing. “You look stunning.”
She gave him a mock look of reprimand. “You really shouldn’t say things like that.”
He raised a brow. “Oh? Why is that?”
“I’m taken,” she stage-whispered, “and my mate is crazy possessive.”
Cupping her hips, Knox pulled her flush against him. “So he should be.”
“He definitely won’t like you touching me.”
Knox kissed her neck, inhaling her honeyed scent. “If he lets another male get this close to you, he doesn’t deserve to keep you.”
Harper smoothed her hands over his shoulders. “He deserves me just fine.”
Smiling, he nipped at the fleshy part of her lower lip. “Are you sure you want to go out tonight? It would be normal to want a little time to assimilate what happened.”
“It probably would be normal to need time to process and stuff,” she agreed, “but I’m not normal. We both know that.”
Knox splayed his hand over her breast, wishing he could tug at the nipple ring he could feel against his palm through her dress. “You’re not weird.” She simply didn’t like to dwell or stew. She moved on from things fairly quickly. He admired that. “You’re positive you want to go? I have absolutely no issue with spending the night fucking you while that dress is hiked around your waist.”
The latter sounded rather tempting, but Harper was happy for that to come later. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you didn’t want me to go out.”
“Maybe my protective streak is on hyper-drive and I’d like to keep you here where I know you’re safe,” he admitted.
He could be so cute sometimes. “But that would be letting those assholes win, wouldn’t it? It would be giving them the power over us that they want. I’m not down with that.”
His mouth curved. “All right, let’s go.”
Harper grabbed her purse and linked her arm through his. “Lead the way.”
As they walked down the staircase, he said, “If someone would have told me just yesterday that you’d be smiling as we left for the event, I would never have believed them.”
She was actually looking forward to the shindig. Okay, she was looking forward to flashing her rings at Alethea. “I like surprising you. It keeps you on your toes.”
“It does,” Knox allowed. He led her down the hallway and into the foyer, where the sentinels were waiting.
Harper smiled at them. “Well, don’t you all look pretty.” The guys were all in tuxedos, and Larkin was wearing a seriously cute black dress.
Keenan grinned, but it was slightly forced. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” He flinched when she punched his arm. “Ow! What was that for?”
“You’re still blaming yourself for not checking the driver’s seat. It’s not your fault that I was taken. I’ve been meaning to ask, did you deliver the news to Carla and Bray?” she asked Larkin.
The harpy nodded. “We did it a few hours ago.”
Harper bit her lip. “Just how badly did they take it?”
“About as badly as any parent would take the death of their child,” replied Larkin. “I did worry they might come to the shindig —”
Knox sighed. “It’s not a shindig.”
“— to kick up a fuss and lash out at you in anger, but they seem to just want to be left alone. In any case, I have people keeping watch over them.”
Harper wasn’t looking forward to finally coming face to face with Carla and Bray again. If Carla truly hadn’t hated Harper before, she would sure do now that her oldest son had died at Harper’s hands. Well, at her demon’s hands – there wasn’t much difference.
Turning to Knox, Harper asked, “Do you think we made the right decision in not telling them ourselves?”
“Yes, it was the best thing for all concerned.” As their Primes, Knox and Harper should have been the ones to break the news to Carla and Bray. But since Harper’s demon had been the one to end their son’s life, she thought it would be a little insensitive for her to deliver the news personally. Knox could have visited them alone, but he wasn’t going to leave Harper’s side until he could finally breathe without tasting fear and remembering how it had felt to hear she’d been taken. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight for a while.
“Do you think Kellen will hate me for it?” Harper asked.
“No,” replied Knox. “He saw Roan for what he was.” But if the kid froze her out again, Knox would ensure Kellen didn’t walk back into her life. She wasn’t a toy he could put down when he felt like. She was a person. A good person who didn’t deserve to be messed around. “You sure you don’t want to spend the night at home?”
Harper straightened her shoulders. “I’m sure. Let’s do this.”
The Underground’s dome looked nothing at all like it usually did. With the artistic flower arrangements, ice sculptures, the soft music from the live brand, and the scent of citruses and lavender, you could easily forget the space was usually a combat zone. Harper was impressed. Bitch or not, Belinda was good at what she did.
Chatter, laughter, and the clinking of glasses filled the air. Waiters circulated, serving drinks and easy-to-eat appetizers to the mingling crowd – most of which was Primes. Some demons were swirling along the man-made dance floor. Martina was working the crowd, no doubt doing some pickpocketing. As long as she didn’t set anything on fire, Harper was good with that.
Knox took two glasses of champagne from a waiter and handed one to Harper. “Hold this with your left hand.”
Knowing he wanted everyone to get a good look at her rings, she said, “See, I told you my mate was possessive.”
Mouth curved, he spoke against her temple. “Sorry, baby, but we’ll have to do what drives you and your demon crazy.”
She couldn’t help that her upper lip curled a little. “Mingle.”
He chuckled. “Yes, mingle.”
Her shoes clacked along the floor as they moved. Thankfully she’d walked around the mansion in them to break them in, so they weren’t chafing the back of her ankles. “Fine, but can we start with Jolene?” Harper gestured to the corner, w
here her grandmother was studying a sculpture of a naked male with Raini, Devon, Beck, and Ciaran.
“Of course,” said Knox.
But, to Harper’s annoyance, it didn’t prove to be as simple as that. They headed for Jolene but got waylaid several times by people who wanted to chat, including Thatcher and Mila. As Harper smiled at each and every person, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was looking right at one of the Horsemen. Some commented on the rings, others didn’t, but they all seemed shocked – no surprise there.
The sentinels stayed close, all prepared for action. Just because Roan and Crow were dead didn’t mean the other two Horsemen wouldn’t strike at the event, though she seriously doubted they would. They’d have to come up with a whole new plan now that they’d lost yet another key player. She wondered if they even knew that Roan was dead yet. Well, if they didn’t, they would find out when Knox made his announcement.
To Harper’s extreme disappointment, Alethea wasn’t one of the people who approached them. But Harper did catch a glimpse of her chatting with Jonas, Raul, and a few others on the other side of the dome.
Having Knox at her side should have made the mingling bearable. But every touch was sensual, possessive, and teasing. Really, it was like being subjected to a sensory overload. His fingers combed through her hair, trailed along her spine, and massaged her inner wrist. His hand kneaded her nape, cupped her hip, “accidentally” brushed her breast, or splayed on her lower back, taking up as much skin as he could and ensuring the heel of his hand rested just above her ass.
When he wasn’t talking to the others, he was breezing his lips against her temple or whispering in her ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. And he knew exactly what all the flirty touches were doing. Knew she was wet and flushed. The only reason she didn’t reprimand him was that she worried he’d send those psychic fingers wandering – it wasn’t something he hadn’t done in public before.
As they broke away from yet another crowd, he whispered into her ear, “Tell me the truth. Just how wet are you?”
“You know my body well enough to know exactly how wet it will be.”
He smiled against her ear, liking that answer. “You’re right.”
And then another group of demons came over. It was at least an hour later that she and Knox finally reached Jolene. And Harper felt like she’d just come up for air out of the sea. “Hey, Grams.”
Jolene, looking as smart as ever, gave her a one-armed hug. “You’re happy. I’m glad. I was worried that I’d find you sulking.”
“I was worried we wouldn’t find you at all,” said Raini, mouth twitching.
Devon chuckled and took a sip of her champagne. “Honestly, I had that same worry.”
Snorting, Harper turned to Beck and gave him a quick hug. She hadn’t yet told anyone about what happened with Crow and Roan, not trusting that her grandmother wouldn’t blow up Carla’s home out of anger. Besides, Harper knew her family and friends had been looking forward to the shindig and she wanted them to be able to enjoy it. She also knew she’d need to soon warn them that Knox would be making an unpleasant announcement so they weren’t taken off-guard.
“I like the rings,” said Jolene. “Maybe Knox’s demon will stop leaving brands all over you now.”
Harper kind of doubted it. “Maybe.”
Knox lightly tapped the black diamond. I didn’t think that the sight of them on your finger would make me hard.
Smiling, she said, I don’t think it takes much to make you hard.
Devon looked at the rings the way someone would gaze down at a cute little baby. “I think they’re beautiful. So shiny and – stop sniffing me!” She glared at Tanner over her shoulder. “I mean it, pooch, stop.”
Grinning, Tanner said, “But you smell like candy. How can I resist candy?”
Devon inhaled deeply, ready to give the hellhound… well, hell. But then she smiled at someone over his shoulder. The smile had a devious curve to it. “Hey there, Belinda.”
Oh, how wonderful.
The image of “well-groomed,” Belinda appeared at Harper’s side in an emerald silk gown, her hair styled in an elegant updo that must have taken hours. Her courteous smile was all for Knox. “Is everything to your satisfaction?”
Knox nodded. “It is. I’m impressed.”
Belinda beamed and clasped her hands together. “I’m so very glad. My team will also be pleased to hear that our hard work paid off.”
At that moment, Khloë sidled up to Raini, a skewer in hand. “This steak is cooked to perfection.”
Belinda’s smile faltered slightly. “I’m glad to hear it. Will you be making your speech soon, Mr Thorne?”
Snaking a hand around Harper’s waist, Knox opened his mouth to reply when he heard a familiar voice to his right.
“I sure do like this sculpture.”
Jolene smiled at the newcomer. “Well, hello, Lou.”
The Devil sent her a narrow-eyed look. “Hello, vile woman.”
“You buttoned up your shirt wrong,” Jolene told him.
“What?” he squeaked, peeking down at the shirt. Realizing she was kidding, he flattened his lips. “See, vile.”
Jolene rolled her eyes. “Let it go, Lou.”
Sensing there was more to this than the shirt comment, Harper asked, “Let what go? What did you do, Grams?”
Jolene tipped her chin at Lou. “He was in a bad mood, so thought I’d take him to a nice, calming atmosphere to cheer him up. Only there is no cheering him up.”
Harper wasn’t buying that innocent act for a single second. “Where did you take him?”
“To a poetry recital.”
Lou’s face hardened. “The words hardly ever rhymed! How is that poetry?” And it clearly drove his OCD streak crazy.
Harper clamped her lips tightly closed to contain her laugh, but her shoulders shook. She didn’t dare look at the girls, knowing she would burst out laughing if she saw them doing the same. “Will you never learn to ignore my grandmother’s seemingly well-meaning gestures?”
Lou folded his arms, the image of petulance. “I’m done talking about it.”
Skimming through a wallet, Martina hummed to herself as she came to Jolene’s side. A gasp flew out of Belinda, making Martina’s head snap up. The imp took in Belinda’s emerald dress – the exact one that Martina herself was wearing – and grinned. “Ooh, snap! You have great taste.”
Belinda gaped in horror, wringing her hands. “You – I – Where did you get that dress? Mine was specially made! It was supposed to be the only one!” She whirled on Harper with a scowl. “You set that up!”
Well, of course she had. And Harper had no intention of denying it. “Come on, Belinda, you didn’t really think I’d just overlook all that stuff you said to me, did you? As you often pointed out, I’m a Wallis. We don’t let crap like that go.” She cocked her head. “Out of a simple yet admittedly weird curiosity, just how much do you hate me right now?”
Red faced, Belinda stomped off.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I thought.”
Knox couldn’t help but chuckle. “She will despise you for life.”