Burn (Dark in You 1)

It sounded so simple, yet Knox knew it would be far from it. His past was as dark as the truth of what he was. She was strong enough to handle both, but he didn’t want her to have to – and he didn’t want to run the risk that she’d leave. Still, she was right; there had to be honesty between them. “I’ll try sharing if you try accepting things from me.”

“Compromise,” she drawled. “All right, I’ll try.”

“Good girl.”

Knox, began Keenan, we’re here.

I’ll meet you in the boathouse.

“Levi again?” she asked, sensing a telepathic exchange. “Has the incantor arrived to undo the spell?”

“No, it was Keenan.” With one last kiss, Knox released her. “Enjoy your bath, I’ll be back soon.”

“Remember that little conversation we just had about secrets and compromises?”

His demon chuckled, oddly delighted by her astuteness as opposed to irritated by the fact that they’d never get anything past her. Knox sighed. “I asked him to bring Kendra here. They’re in the boathouse.”

“You’re going to question her.”

“Of course.”

“But you don’t want me to be there.”

“Once Jolene pointed out that Kendra was probably your half-sister, did you feel bad that you’d caused her soul-deep pain?” He already knew the answer. Harper had a tough exterior, but she was soft on the inside.

“A little,” she admitted. “We’re not emotionally sisters, we don’t have a bond. But…”

“I might have to hurt her, Harper. I don’t want you to see that.”

Harper ran a hand through her hair. “I really don’t think she’s behind all this.”

“You might be right.” But he wasn’t willing to risk it.

“Okay, I’ll stay.” She was too damn tired emotionally to deal with Kendra in the same day she’d dealt with Carla and yet more dark magick bullshit.

Knox kissed her. “I won’t be long.”

Strolling into the boathouse, he found Keenan leaning against the wall as he stared at the she-demon squirming in a chair. She haughtily lifted her chin as Knox moved to stand in front of her. Despite her efforts to appear cool and collected, her nervousness was easy to sense. But…was she nervous because she was the culprit they were looking for? Or was she nervous because being brought in front of her Prime was never a good thing?

“What’s this about?” she finally asked.

“I’d start with the question, ‘Where were you tonight?’ But I already know the answer to that. And I find it confusing.”

The squirming stopped, but she didn’t speak.

“You knew people were watching you, didn’t you, Kendra? You slipped away so they wouldn’t know where you were going. Why would you do that? More to the point, what reason could you have for being in North Las Vegas?”

“There’s no law against going there.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” He took a single step forward, letting his rage show in his expression. She blanched. “My patience has been tested too many times tonight, Kendra.” The words came out a dark rumble. “You don’t want to push me. Or did you enjoy your last punishment so much that you want a repeat?”

Fear glimmered in her eyes; she was no doubt recalling being forced to swallow a ball of hellfire for confronting Harper in the restrooms – it had burned her mouth, throat, windpipe, lungs, stomach, and intestines before fizzling away. Merciless, sure, but he’d been through worse at five years old.

“I was meeting someone at a bar there,” she admitted.

“Why?”

“It’s personal.” She jolted when he conjured an orb of hellfire. “They know the location of a demon I’m trying to find,” she said in a rush.

“By any chance, would Lucian Wallis be the person you’re trying to locate?”

Her face went slack. “You know…?”

“That he’s your biological father? Yes. That you hate him for having no part in your life? Yes. That you hate Harper for having what you didn’t? Yes.” Casually, Knox repeatedly bounced the orb of hellfire in his hand. “Do you hate her so much that you want her dead? That you would use dark practitioners to help achieve that little dream?”

She gasped in sheer horror. “What? No! I won’t lie and say I have any pleasant feelings for Harper Wallis. I don’t. Never will. And since I value my life, I wouldn’t risk it for someone who means nothing to me – attempting to kill your anchor would indeed put my life at risk. And I find the idea that you believe I would ever associate with dark practitioners very offensive.” The woman was haughty through and through.

“You do? I find the fact that someone tried to kill Harper very offensive.”

“You should have thought of that before you declared she was your anchor. In doing that, you put a target on her back. It’s true that it keeps her safe from the majority of the demon population. But you have many enemies. They see her as a way to get to you. Most of them will never act on that out of their fear of you. But some will be too stupid or simply too hungry for vengeance to care.”

He knew that. It was why he’d assigned Harper a bodyguard. In a world so brutal, she was still far safer being known as his anchor than as a she-demon of a small lair.

“If she’s in danger, it’s because of you.”