Ashes (Dark in You 3)

“I don’t know… maybe I’m still a little too fragile for you.”

He snorted, rising to his feet. “Fragile is never a word I would use to describe you.” He kept possession of her hand as he guided her out of the parlor. Levi and Tanner fell into step with them as they walked down the long hallway, toward the exit.

Up ahead of them, the door to the hotel’s restaurant opened and a bunch of people filed out. Harper recognized three of them: Thatcher, Jonas, and good ole Alethea. The males were both Primes, and Alethea was Jonas’ sister. She also happened to be a pain in Harper’s ass and liked to flirt with Knox – as if shaking the sheets with him in the distant past gave Alethea some rights to him.

For a while, a whole lot of females had flirted with Knox, but the majority had recently stopped. They’d seen the black diamond he gave Harper and had accepted that it meant there was nothing at all temporary about her place in his life. She suspected they’d ceased to be bitches to her as they’d rather not make an enemy of Knox. Smart move on their part.

Alethea… well, she didn’t demonstrate the same wisdom. In fact, at that very moment, she shot him a sultry smile and said, “Evening, Knox.” Her gaze then cut to Harper, and her smile fell. “Sphinx.”

“Dolphin.” Yeah, Harper liked to call her that since, as an encantada, Alethea could shift into the form of a dolphin. It was kind of a random ability for the ultimate sex demon, in Harper’s opinion, but whatever.

“Knox, good to see you,” said Thatcher, bushy eyebrows lifting slightly. It was probably wrong just how badly Harper wanted to pluck them. “How are you?” he asked.

Knox inclined his head. “I’m well, thank you.”

Thatcher nodded at Harper – it wasn’t so much a nod of respect from one Prime to another as it was a simple acknowledgement of her presence, but she let it go. She wondered how long it would take the Primes to realize she just really didn’t give a shit if they accepted her or not. The fact that she was a Wallis would always be held against her to some degree.

Jonas’ smiling eyes danced from Knox to Harper. “It’s a pleasure to see you both. We haven’t spoken since the celebration of the Underground’s anniversary, have we?”

“No, we haven’t,” said Harper. She didn’t mind Jonas. He was an okay guy, and he did his best to control his dumbass sister.

“Did the Showcase agree to sell?” Jonas asked Knox.

As the boys started talking business, Alethea examined Harper from head to toe and smiled smugly. Yeah, Harper was quite aware that she resembled the living dead and she hated that the dolphin was standing there looking the image of perfection. Alethea’s smug smirk only rubbed salt in the wound. And because Harper could be a bitch too, she said, “So, how’s life in the Red Light District?”

Behind her, Tanner snickered.

Alethea’s eyes tightened. “You overstep far too often, sphinx. I have to say, you look rather weary.”

“And you look rather bitter,” said Harper. “Still pissed about the rings, huh?”

Alethea licked her teeth. “I won’t lie, I don’t think you’re the right person for Knox. But my brother is right – Knox is our ally, we should support his choices.”

Like Harper would ever believe that. She smiled. “That’s good to hear, even if it is complete tripe.”

Alethea’s mouth curled. “I said we should support his choices. I never said that I did.”

And that was why Harper still believed that Alethea could be one of the Horsemen. On the one hand, it could be said that surely she wouldn’t draw so much of Knox’s attention to herself if she was secretly conspiring against him. But Alethea was a she-demon scorned, and scorned she-demons were malicious creatures – especially when they had an ego as wide as hers.

“And I’m not the only one who’ll never support his choice to have a Wallis for a mate,” clipped Alethea.

“Ooh, I cared for about a ninth of a second. Then I remembered how stupid and insignificant it is.”

Alethea leaned forward. “Did you know that in the dictionary, your name is under the word ‘bitch’?”

“Not sure why you’re smiling. I’m not the one who had to look up the word.”

Alethea sucked in a breath and went to bark something else, but then the boys ended their little conversation.

Knox put a hand on Harper’s back. “Ready to leave?”

“Totally.” Harper gave Alethea a winning smile. “Well, it’s been great talking to you. You know how much I enjoy these little chats we have.”

Slipping his arm around Harper’s waist, Knox nodded at the other three demons. “Enjoy your evening.” Leading her out of the hotel, he said, “It’s hard not to intervene when she speaks to you that way.”

“I appreciate that you don’t. She needs to understand that I can defend myself just fine. Also, it’s really fun to toy with her.”

Knox’s mouth quirked. “Yes, I’ve noticed you enjoy it. My demon finds it just as amusing. But we’re going to push her and the others out of our minds now.”

“I have no issues with that plan, just so you know.”

My plan also involves you. Naked. In our bed.

Still have no issues with the plan.

Good to know.

Harper smiled. The anticipation crept up on her and taunted her the entire journey home. But when they finally walked into their bedroom, he looked at her just as he had this morning – like he was afraid he’d break her. She frowned. “You’re not going to tuck me into bed, are you?”

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” Knox thrust his hands into her hair, growling. “Open for me.” He kissed her, drinking her in. She tasted like Harper and caramel and honeycomb. And he couldn’t get enough. He tilted her head, licking deeper, taking more. Taking everything.

Her hands delved into his hair, nails digging into his scalp. Groaning, he shoved his hand under her shirt and bra and closed it around her breast. It was soft, round, and plump. Perfect. Her hard nipple brushed against his palm; he wanted it in his mouth.

Bunching the bottom of her shirt in his hands, Knox slid it up and over her head and then whipped off her bra. The sight of the tattoo-like brand of thorns circling her breast made masculine satisfaction whip through him. She was his. Every single inch of her belonged to him. Only he could touch her, taste her, drive deep inside her. No other male would ever have her. He’d kill anyone who tried.

Taking a fistful of her hair, Knox pulled hard, arching her back. He latched on tight to her pierced nipple, flicking the ring with his tongue and tugging it with his teeth. He breezed his thumb over the white ink ‘So it goes’ tattoo beneath her breast – her own personal reminder not to dwell on things that were out of her control.

“Undo your jeans,” he rumbled. “I want them off.” He needed to fuck her hard and deep.

Harper’s shaky fingers fumbled as she awkwardly snapped open her fly. He helped her shove down her jeans and panties, and then tossed her on the bed. Breathing hard, she watched as he quickly shed his own clothes, eyes drifting over her with sheer unadulterated possession. Naked, he truly was a sight to behold. Not an ounce of fat there. His body was all solid muscle, controlled strength, and sleek skin that hummed with power. Then there was his long, thick cock that was currently standing to attention.

She was just thinking of rearing up to touch him when psychic hands grabbed her thighs and spread them. She shivered. The hands were so icy cold, yet they somehow gave off pure heat – a heat that snaked up her inner thighs all the way to her centre, making her tingle and burn. He reached out and skimmed the tip of his fingers over her folds. The light touch fired the need already taunting her.

Knox crawled on the bed, eyes on her pussy. He wanted her taste in his mouth when he took her. “I want you to be quiet for me.”

She blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Harper almost gaped. She was noisy and they both knew it. “You can’t be serious.” But his expression said that he was.

“I don’t want you to make a single sound until I tell you that you can.”