Cordial smile in place, Jonas settled on the chair opposite Knox while Alethea sprawled on the sofa near the window that overlooked the combat circle.
“We heard about the problems within your lair,” Jonas told him.
Knox arched a brow. “Problems?”
“Lawrence Crow,” said Alethea, lips flat. She was a little miffed that Knox hadn’t greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.
Knox narrowed his eyes. “And just how do you know about the problems within my lair?”
“I would imagine many people know,” Jonas told him. “We were having drinks in a bar just now when one of your demons approached us. He’s walking around the Underground with a photograph of a woman; says she’s his mother and has been taken by a rogue, Lawrence Crow. He wants to know if anyone has seen her.”
Fucking Roan. “Crow is close to rogue.”
“If you need any help tracking him, I would be happy to spare some demons from my Force,” said Jonas. “A demon in such a state on the loose affects our entire species.”
“They tend to attract human attention,” added Alethea. “We can’t afford that, and we can’t afford to overlook the danger they present. Thanks to what happened to our old Prime, we know from personal experience just how devastating and long-reaching the consequences can be when a rogue is on the loose.”
Knox straightened in his seat. “As I said, he isn’t rogue.”
“He’s still dangerous,” Alethea insisted.
“I appreciate your offer of help, Jonas, but it won’t be necessary.”
Jonas inclined his head. “If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to contact me. On another subject, I’m sure you know that I’m hosting the annual meeting this year. It will take place on the last Saturday of this month at my home. I hope you will attend.”
“I always do,” said Knox. The Primes all met up once a year to address any potential issues.
Alethea pursed her lips. “I heard you’ve taken a mate since we last saw each other, Knox. That came as quite a surprise. In fact, I was fairly certain it had to be a joke.”
“No joke,” Knox told her.
“Shall I take it then that it’s also true that she’s a Wallis?” Her upper lip curled ever so slightly, but Knox noticed. His demon, who had never liked her, urged Knox to throw a pencil at her head. Maybe even the stapler.
“You should,” replied Knox. “I would have thought you saw her on the video feed of the voting poll.”
Months ago, some Primes had tried electing themselves as a US Monarch. Demons didn’t have global leaders; they answered only to their Primes. The majority of demon kind voted to keep it that way. As the elections had been recorded live, every demon in the Underground had been able to watch the event – as such, they’d also seen him kill another Prime for attacking Harper, who dealt the she-demon a soul-deep blow before Knox stepped in.
“The whole thing held no interest for me. I was in Berlin at the time anyway.” Alethea, like many of her breed, preferred to live closely with humans as they were easier for them to manipulate and control. “You didn’t notice my absence?”
“No,” replied Knox, rising to his feet. He spoke to Jonas. “Again, I thank you for your offer of aid.”
One of Alethea’s blonde brows arched. “Are you sure you don’t need it?”
“Positive,” said Knox as he began a slow walk around the desk. All he wanted to do now was find his mate. “Crow will be caught and given what medical help he needs.”
“You intend to help him?” asked Alethea.
“Demons can be brought back from the edge,” Knox pointed out.
“They can also do awful things while they’re on that edge.”
Knox couldn’t argue with that. Absentmindedly, he ran his gaze along the security monitors. And he froze. No, he could not be seeing this. But he was. Unfuckingreal.
“Knox, what is it?”
Ignoring Jonas’s question, Knox took a deep breath. It didn’t help. He strode out of his office, sure that his mate wanted to drive him insane. It was really the only explanation he could think of that would explain why the hell she would put her safety on the line this way.
Levi fell into step behind him. Knox, what’s wrong?
I’ll kill her. He would. He’d ring her pretty little neck.
“Knox, wait!” shouted Alethea from somewhere behind him.
Knox didn’t wait. He kept moving. Something about his expression must have given away his anger, because people scrambled to avoid him as he prowled down the strip. Finally, he reached the small rodeo showground, where he was immediately assaulted by the scents of dust, hay, rodeo fare, and animal dung. The loud audience was avidly watching a tall male trying to mount a huge bull.
Knox caught sight of Keenan, Larkin, and Harper’s friends near the seven-foot high fence guarding the arena… and they were all looking through the fence right at Harper, who was standing with Khloë near the bull pen. Slipping on a leather, protective glove, Harper patted her protective vest. She’d obviously borrowed both, along with the spurs and the cowboy boots.
“Not good,” muttered Levi.
Charging at his sentinels, Knox growled. He’d trusted them with her safety. This wasn’t safe. This was fucking crazy.
Keenan’s head whipped around and his eyes widened. “Knox…”
“Why is my mate in there?” Knox ground out, fisting his hands against the urge to grab the incubus by his shirt and shove him against the fence. Losing control would be a mistake that could get a whole lot of people hurt. His demon wasn’t so pissed; it liked a thrill just as much as the next demon and it respected her wish to pursue one.
Keenan scratched the back of his head. “Well, she wanted to ride a bull —”
“And you didn’t think to stop her?”
“I would have done, but she snuck off!”
Not a surprise. “And you didn’t save her from herself because…?”
“The event is safer than it looks.” Keenan winced as a demon bashed his face on the bucking bull’s horns just before he hit the ground hard.
“If it makes you feel any better, it’s not her first rodeo,” said Devon. “No pun intended.”
Levi turned to the hellcat. “She’s done this before?”
“Imps love bull riding,” said Devon. “Especially when they’re drunk.”
“When they’re drunk?” repeated Knox. “They take part in this undeniably dangerous sport when they’re drunk?”
Devon raised a brow. “You’re really that surprised?”
Having spent a lot of time around imps recently… “Actually, no.” Knox looked to see his mate being led toward the chute, where a white stomping bull waited. Harper, do not get on that damn bull.
Her head shot up, her eyes found his, and she waved with a huge smile. She. Waved.
Harper, I’m serious, he clipped.
Relax, I’ll be fine, she assured him, like he was being melodramatic and this was merely a pony ride.
I will not allow you to put your safety at risk, Harper. They didn’t call bull riding “the most dangerous eight seconds in sport” for nothing.
No one “allows” me to do anything, Knox.
His blood boiled. He wanted to yell at her, demand she come to him, forbid her from doing this… but the reality was that he could order her around all he liked and it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. In fact, it would make her even more determined to go through with this just to be contrary.
He’d known when he took her as his mate that he would never control her; that she had a mind of her own – a mind that didn’t always operate the way he’d like it to. He’d known and accepted this. But bull riding… yeah, he had a major fucking issue with that.
Trying a different approach, he softened his voice and said, Baby, don’t do this.
Her shoulders stiffened and she looked at him, conflicted.
Come over here to me, he coaxed.
Alethea sidled up to him and put a hand o
n his arm. “She’s really going to ride that bull?”
Harper’s eyes cut to the female and narrowed slightly; then a blank mask settled over her face.
Fuck it all. He moved away from Alethea, but it was too late. Harper, she’s no one to me.
Nothing.
“Look, all she has to do is hang on tight for eight seconds or more,” said Devon.
Knox ground his teeth. “Yes, but she has to hold on to a two-thousand-pound bull.” And as his mate looked the monstrously big, huffing, pissed-off bull right in the eye, Knox couldn’t understand why she hadn’t thought that, hey, maybe this wasn’t the best idea.
“Honestly, I’ve never seen the imps suffer any major injuries,” said Devon. “Sometimes they walked away with a concussion, a broken arm from an awkward fall, or a broken foot after being stomped on. But, really, that’s it.”
“That’s it?” echoed Knox.
Devon pursed her lips. “Nothing I say is going to make you feel better, is it?”
“Not a thing.” Knox looked back at his mate just in time to see her start to mount the bull. “Fuck.”
Harper held onto each side of the chute as she slowly eased onto the bull’s back. Beneath her, the bull snorted, no doubt angry and uncomfortable at the rope wrapped around its flank. Her demon was excited. It had always enjoyed the sport. Each pump of adrenalin increased the entity’s excitement.
“The rules are pretty simple,” the rodeo clown told Harper. “You’ve got to hang on for eight seconds. If you touch the bull, yourself, or the rope with your free hand, you’ll be disqualified.”
She nodded, already well aware of that.
“When you fall, get up and run because trust me when I say he’ll come after you.”
“Got it.” With her gloved hand, she got a firm, solid grip on the flat, braided rope.
The rodeo clown sighed. “You sure about this? I have a feeling your mate won’t be pleased.”
Yeah, well, her mate was currently standing with an ex… whatever she was. And the bitch touched him. Not in the mood to be nice, she said, “You’re in my way. Move.”
He chuckled and stepped aside with an expression that said, ‘It’s your funeral.’
“You’ll be fine,” Khloë told her. “You always were the best at this.”
“See you in about eight seconds.” Harper nodded to signal she was ready, and then the bucking chute opened.
The bull stormed into the arena, and Knox’s heart slammed against his ribs. There was no gentle build up, no moment of reprieve. The bull bucked. Kicked. Reared. Twisted. Spun in fast, tight circles. All the while, his mate clung on with her thighs – one arm in the air. The crowd hooted and hollered and cheered her on, including her friends and the sentinels.
He wanted to telepathically call out to her, but she didn’t need a distraction right now. So all he could do was watch… and then it was over. It seemed like she’d no sooner shot into the arena than she deliberately threw herself to the ground and a loud whistle was blown.
The rodeo clown distracted the bull while Harper ran flat out for the exit, glancing up at the huge screen blazing “TEN SECONDS.” She skidded to a stop near Khloë, threw her hands up high and yelled a battle cry worthy of any warrior. Everyone cheered with her, chanting her name, but she didn’t seem to care about the attention. She was chatting excitedly with Khloë as the imp helped her remove the protective gear.
Levi sidled up to Knox. You know why she did this, don’t you?
To give me a heart attack? Knox was pretty sure the organ came close to collapsing.
This wasn’t about you. Before she became your mate, she had a completely different life. It was simple, but fun. Imps are wild and bold. Like every Wallis, she grew up doing risky, dangerous, and highly illegal shit – not taking life too seriously.
Yeah, Harper had told him about the many different “experiences” she’d had over the years, such as engaging in high-speed car chases and breaking into bank vaults.
Now everything’s changed for her, Levi went on. Things aren’t so simple anymore. She gets to have fun, but not the same kind of fun. Instead of doing wild and dangerous things, she’s walking around with bodyguards and dealing with an overprotective mate. She has to take life seriously now because she’s a co-Prime – something, I’ll remind you, she never wanted. Jolene raised her to take over from her, but she had no interest in the position.
I know all this. He knew she probably worried she’d lose who she was. I do, but bull riding —
Is probably something she started to learn when she was a kid. Tonight, she needed fun, a distraction, something familiar that made things simple again just for a short time. She warned you at the very beginning that you’d never control her. Considering she’s accepted all of you, it would be shitty of you not to accept all of her – even the parts that drive you crazy.
I don’t want her to change. Knox wanted her exactly as she was.
Then don’t give her a bucket load of shit for this. I’m not saying you have to be okay with it. I didn’t like seeing her on the back of a bull either. But if you berate her for being who she is, you’ll hurt her. I don’t think you want that.
Knox exhaled a heavy breath, knowing Levi was right; resenting that Levi was right. He waited impatiently as she walked toward them, still talking animatedly with her cousin. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were gleaming. She looked happy. Exhilarated. Energized. And he found that he didn’t have it in him to be pissed at her.
Raini, Devon, and Larkin crossed the space to her, congratulating her and asking how the hell she’d managed to hold on for ten seconds. After a minute or so, Harper’s gaze cut to him and turned wary and unsure. He hated that. Hated that wariness. Come here, baby. And she moved right to him.
Knox smoothed his hands up her arms, feeling for any injuries, as he said, “Imagine my surprise when I saw you on the monitor in my office.”
Harper smiled at his concern. “Nothing is broken, don’t worry. You should let go of me. I’m covered in dust.” Some was even stuck in her throat. But Knox held her tighter.
A male approached them and smiled at her. “I’m Jonas. We met briefly during the elections, though I didn’t have the pleasure of speaking with you.”
She gave the Prime a polite smile and simply said, “Yeah, I remember.” Tall, dark, and charming, he was a good-looking guy. But then his kind always were.
Jonas gestured to the female that then came forward. “This is my sister, Alethea.”
Harper did her absolute best not to snarl, but it was kind of hard when her demon was urging her to pummel the little bitch. Alethea was almost painfully beautiful – a symmetrical face, perfect bone structure, exotic features, and one of those hourglass figures. Knowing that this female had touched Knox, kissed him, and had him inside her… Yeah, Harper totally despised that and her. But she loved the bitter gleam in the encantada’s eyes.
Alethea looked down her nose at her. “You’re very small.”
“But so shiny,” said Jonas. “I’ve never seen eyes that color before. They’re a sort of opal shade.”
“Now they are.” Knox breezed his thumb across her cheekbone. “Harper’s eyes change color often.”