“Reality…That can be different things to different people. For a very long time, Isla’s ‘reality’ has been that you’re her anchor but you just wouldn’t accept it. I saw her face the day she left all those years ago. There was a lot of rage there. Rage, resentment, and spite. To her, you were rejecting her. ‘Are you saying I’m not good enough for you?’ she asked. Remember?”
Knox drummed his fingers on the desk as he thought back on that day. “I remember.”
“I can’t help but wonder if Isla became a Prime, took over all those businesses, enlarged her lair, and made herself into something unique all in an effort to be your equal. I think she thought that being your equal would make you want her as an anchor. Only it hasn’t, has it?”
Knox considered that for a minute. “It’s possible that was her plan. But if that’s true, I think she long ago abandoned that plan. She does the things she does now because she’s become obsessed with gaining power. Anyone can see that.”
“Yes, because power corrupts. The more power Isla got, the more she got a taste for it. But I don’t think she wants to be Monarch of the U.S. out of greed. I think she wants to have control over you. Either to force you to accept the anchor bond or to punish you for not accepting it. She may not know why, but she knows that the one thing you can’t tolerate is anyone controlling you. This would hit you where it really fucking hurts, just like you hit her where it really fucking hurts.”
It made some sense, but…“I don’t know, Levi. There are a lot simpler ways to let someone know you’re pissed at them.”
“Demons hold grudges, Knox – especially she-demons. Isla’s got a big one. Not only did you deny her, you then declared another she-demon is your anchor. That would have sent Isla into a rage.” Levi shrugged. “I could be wrong. Isla could be telling the truth. But I still believe her motivation behind becoming a Monarch is to punish you for turning your back on her. After all, wasn’t that what her mother did when she killed herself? We know how much hatred she harbors for her mother.”
Knox thought on how Harper had been abandoned by both parents, yet she wasn’t filled with hate and bitterness. Oh, there was some righteous anger in her system, thanks to what she called with a roll of her eyes ‘textbook abandonment issues,’ but nothing corrosive. She still had the inner strength to bond with him and trust that he wouldn’t do what her parents had done. Hell, she was stronger than most people he knew. And he wouldn’t let her down. “Then it looks like Isla’s our prime suspect, doesn’t it?”
As he exploded inside Harper, Knox sank his teeth so hard into her nape it was a wonder he didn’t taste blood. She slumped on the bed beneath him, tremoring with little aftershocks. She’d just gotten out of the shower when he entered the hotel suite, and he hadn’t been able to resist bending her over the bed and fucking her into oblivion.
Knox licked over the fresh bite. His demon wasn’t the only one who liked to mark what was his. It had been two weeks since the first time he’d had Harper in his bed, and boredom hadn’t even begun to set in for either him or his demon. How could Knox possibly get bored of her? He liked her company. Liked having someone who was capable of surprising him, who didn’t fear speaking their mind to him, and who wouldn’t obey his every order.
When she’d dressed in Jolene’s suite the previous night instead of coming straight to him on arriving at the hotel, it technically should have pissed him off a little. Instead, although he hadn’t liked that she hadn’t come to him, he’d found himself smiling. Even his demon found it amusing. Their little sphinx had her own mind and no one – not even him, except for maybe in bed – would ever control her. The frustration she caused him actually invigorated him.
“Now I’ll have to get another shower,” she grumbled.
Slipping out of her, he stood upright. “You can shower with me.”
“If I do that, we’ll end up fucking again.”
“Of course we will.”
“Which means we’ll be late for dinner.”
“Not if we get dressed quickly.” He spanked her ass, making her shoot to her feet and whirl on him. “Shower. Now.”
“Bastard.”
His gaze roamed over her naked body, and his demon rumbled its satisfaction at the sight of the brands. “You’ll still let me fuck you.”
She snorted as she strode past him, chin up. “Don’t be so sure.” But she did, in fact, let him take her again.
Half an hour later, they were both ready to leave. And the sapphire strapless dress that had a slit which ran from knee to mid-thigh made all sorts of fantasies swirl around his head. “I’m not sure what I want most – to flip up the dress or to whip it off altogether while I fuck you fast and deep.”
“Well, I might let you do one of those things. Later.”
“Before we leave…” He dipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a square, velvet jewelry box that made her tense.
Harper’s eyes widened when he opened it, revealing a white gold necklace that had diamonds hanging from it like raindrops. She’d never seen anything that beautiful. “Holy fuck. Are those real diamonds?” His expression said ‘Don’t insult me.’ She blew out a breath. “I can’t accept his.”
“Of course you can.”
“I told you I didn’t want you buying me expensive things.”