Ashes (Dark in You 3)

“And if one of ours did leave a changeling?”

“They’ll pay the price.”

CHAPTER FOUR

As Levi pulled up outside one of Knox’s upscale clubs, Harper spotted Tanner leaning against the building. As her bodyguard and chauffeur, the broad-shouldered tower of muscle often took her to work and accompanied her to the studio before going off to do… whatever sentinels did. Since the entrance to the Underground was beneath this very club, he was obviously waiting to escort her to work.

Knox curled his hand around her jaw. “My day will be pretty hectic, but I’ll meet you in the Underground when your studio’s closing.” He kissed her softly. “Remember to —”

“Stay alert, I got it. You be safe too.”

He kissed her once more, ending it with a nip to her lower lip. “Always am.”

“See you later,” she told him. As Levi opened the rear door, she hopped out of the Bentley. “Watch over him for me, Levi.” The reaper inclined his head.

Pushing away from the wall, Tanner offered her a wan smile as she approached him. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better now that both hunters are dead. Still blaming yourself like a total idiot?”

He ran a hand over his short, dark hair. “I’m your bodyguard —”

“And it was your well-deserved night off.” Hearing a car horn beep, she gave Levi and Knox a quick wave as they drove away. Turning back to Tanner, she added, “Now accept that it wasn’t your fault instead of being a dumbass. I don’t time have for dumbasses. And I already have Knox trying to blame himself – I’m done with this shit.”

Tanner snorted a laugh, his wolf-gold eyes lighting up. “Let’s get you to work.” He accompanied her inside the club and down the flight of stairs to the basement. At the back of the large space, two demons guarded a door. Recognizing her and Tanner, they parted with a respectful greeting and opened the door. She and Tanner then walked through and, after a short elevator ride, arrived at the Underground.

The place was as busy and noisy as always. Pretty much everything could be found there. Bars, restaurants, casinos, clubs, hotels, a shopping mall – the list was endless. There were also other and much wilder things there such as the rodeo, the combat circle where demons fought for money, and the dog racing stadium for hellhounds.

Stepping out of the elevator, she and Tanner walked down the strip, passing plenty of venues and stores – some were open, some were closed until the evening arrived, at which point the entire Underground came alive.

Her studio, Urban Ink, was in an ideal spot. It was close to not only Knox’s office but the best restaurants and even the shopping mall. It was also opposite a hotel wherein she and Knox had a penthouse suite – that meant she could go there to change clothes whenever she and the girls wanted to hit the bars after work.

Ordinarily, Harper met her co-workers in the coffeehouse beside the studio before they opened up, but she was running late so she headed straight to the studio. As she pushed open the glass door, the bell above it chimed. The scents of paint, ink, coffee, and disinfectant hit her, along with the heavenly smell of fresh Danishes that was coming from the coffeehouse.

Rather than leaving, Tanner followed her inside and said, “I’m going to take a quick look around.”

Her cousin and receptionist, Khloë, came from behind the desk. “Grams is stressing about something, and you look like shit warmed up. What happened?”

With a sigh, Raini bumped the small, olive-skinned imp aside and handed Harper a caramel latte. “Jeez, Khloë, did you have to jump down her throat?” Raini was a senior tattooist as well as the co-owner of Urban Ink.

Having hung her jacket on the coat rack, Harper gratefully took the latte. “Thanks.”

Even wearing a plain white vest with plain pants that hid her wicked curves, Raini was a breathing advertisement for sex – it was a succubae thing, and Raini didn’t like it. She could hide her figure, but not her flawless skin or inherent sensuality. And if she’d thought that putting pink highlights in her blonde hair might dull its appeal somehow, it did the opposite.

“Something happened,” insisted Khloë, daring Harper to deny it.

“Yes, something did happen, but I don’t want to have to tell the story more than once so let’s wait for Devon,” said Harper, referring to their apprentice who also specialized in piercings. Harper had already told the story to Jolene on the way to work. Her grandmother had predictably lost her mind, even though she’d already known some of what happened from Knox.

Raini pointed behind her. “Oh, Devon’s in the —”

A loud hissing sound was followed by a grinning Tanner strolling out of the breakroom with a furious Devon marching behind him, her long ultraviolet ringlets bouncing. Hellhounds and hellcats had an instinctive aversion to each other, and the two demons in question were engaged in a weird war that mostly involved pissing each other off for their own entertainment.

Cat-green eyes blazing with anger, Devon slung a pink ball of yarn at Tanner’s head. “You keep buying me this shit, pooch, and I’ll snap your neck!”

“But the color matches the pretty cat collar I bought you and – why do you have to hiss at me?” In the reception area, he sank into the sofa with a happy sigh, switched on the wall-mounted T.V., and put his legs up on the coffee table, almost kicking off the tattoo portfolios.

Devon frowned at him. “What are you doing?”

“Getting comfortable.”

Harper groaned. “Please tell me that Knox didn’t tell you to stand guard all day.”

“He wants me to stick by you and make sure you’re safe.”

You asked Tanner to stay with me? Knox, we talked about this. The hellhound was a sentinel – he had better and much more interesting things he could be doing than babysitting her.

I told him to repeatedly check in to make sure you’re fine.

Why would he say you told him to stick by me? But as she watched Devon go a disturbing shade of red, she understood. Knox must have understood too, because Harper felt his amusement as his mind brushed against hers. Harper sighed. One day, she’s going to kill him, you know.

I’ve had the same thought multiple times. His mind touched hers once more, and then he was gone.

“Tanner, quit riling Devon and go do sentinel stuff,” said Harper.

He rose to his feet. “I get it, I get it – she needs space because it’s hard for her to deal with her feelings for me.”

Devon gaped. “The only thing I feel for you is a boundless, blinding, glorious hatred.”

He smiled. “You know you make me hard when you get all mean, kitten.”

Harper pointed at the door. “Out.”

Chuckling to himself, Tanner left.

Khloë patted Devon’s arm, the image of sympathy. “Just so you know… your nipples are hard. Hey! Keep them claws to yourself!”

Harper threw an exasperated look at her shit-stirring cousin. Like all imps, Khloë found an immense delight in fucking with people. “Does anyone want to know what happened yesterday?” Everyone’s attention immediately snapped to her.

Eyes glinting with the typical hellcat curiosity, Devon sidled up to Harper – Tanner forgotten. “Do tell.”

Harper crossed to her tattoo station and settled in her black leather chair. “Quick warning: you’re not gonna like it.”

Once Harper had finished recounting what happened, Raini slumped against the glass checkered partition between their stations, amber eyes dull. “I’m sorry.”

Harper frowned. “For what?”

“I should have waited with you. We could have locked up together.”

“Why would you have waited for me? You never do it any other time. You hold no blame whatsoever for what happened.”

“From now on, we all leave at the same time,” declared Devon. The others nodded.

“There’s no need,” Harper assured them, but the words fell on deaf ears.

Khloë folded her arms. “Who do you think sent the hunters after you?”

Harper let her head fall back and took a moment to admire the tattoo flash on the ceiling. “No idea. Apparently, the hunters didn’t know their identity either.”