Ashes (Dark in You 3)

That sure surprised Knox. “Why not?”

Daniel seemed to choose his words carefully. “They weren’t good at parenting. They weren’t abusive or anything,” he hurried to add. “They loved us, but they didn’t discipline us or support us – they let us go our own way.”

A little like Lucian had done with Harper, Knox mused.

“Maybe they thought it would be good for us, or maybe they were just too lazy to be bothered guiding us because they had such busy social lives; I don’t know. Talia went through the typical teenage rebellion, but it’s hard to rebel against people who don’t care if you do it. She kept pushing them, wanting a reaction. All she did was mess up her life.”

“Whereas you cut your losses and moved on.”

Daniel shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. Look, I didn’t want the kid to go down Talia’s road. He’s been through enough, considering what his human mother did. So I told them they should just let him stay with Linda and Wyatt. Besides, if my parents had really wanted him, they’d have taken him when he was a baby.”

For a moment, Knox said nothing. “They knew about him?”

Daniel seemed surprised by the question. “Oh yeah. My mother was there for his birth. She pressured Talia to switch him for a human baby. It didn’t take much pressure, but it was still a shitty thing to do.”

Knox exchanged a look with Keenan. “Why do you think they wanted him now, Daniel?”

“Because they were all about appearances. It would have looked bad to others if they hadn’t tried to take him in. They wouldn’t have wanted a black mark from society.”

Knox could easily believe that. “Is there anyone who may be upset with your parents?”

“Linda Sanders, but I don’t believe she did it. Linda came to the house, trying to pay my parents to back off and let her keep McCauley. They refused, but it didn’t lead to a major row or anything.”

Frowning, Keenan spoke. “I was under the impression that things were going well.”

“They were,” said Daniel. “Everybody seemed to be working together for McCauley’s sake. But then Linda came here Thursday night and declared that she and Wyatt were taking McCauley away for the weekend to Florida, so my parents would have to miss their scheduled visit with him. My mother said she’d never begrudge McCauley a trip but that she didn’t appreciate Linda giving them such short notice. Linda seemed… disappointed by the response, as if she’d hoped to draw my mother into an argument – Pamela Winters wasn’t a woman who was easily riled.”

“When did Linda offer her money?” asked Knox.

“As she was leaving. She was almost at the front door, and then she just turned and said she’d give Pamela forty grand if she’d agree to stay away from him.”

Keenan whistled. “Linda meant business.”

“My mother was pissed, but she didn’t raise her voice. She just turned down Linda’s offer and ordered her to leave. Linda apologized for offending her, said she just wanted what was best for McCauley, and then she left.” He paused. “Like I said, I don’t think Linda hurt them. My mom was a judge and she got a lot of hate mail. It was probably someone who was either pissed at her for sentencing someone they loved or it was someone who wanted revenge because she sent them to prison.”

After a moment, Knox nodded. “Thank you for answering our questions. If you need anything, let me know. Take care, Daniel.”

“He’s right, you know,” said Keenan as they walked back to the Bentley, where Levi waited. “The attack was most likely related to one of Pamela’s cases.”

“Most likely,” agreed Knox. It made the most sense, after all. But he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe it. “Let’s get back to my mate.”

Back at the mansion, Knox found her in the living room, watching some kind of quiz show. She slowly stood and walked straight to him. He curled his arms around her. “Before I answer your questions, what did the doctor say?”

“He did the tests,” she said. “Everything came back normal. Now what happened?” Harper’s eyes widened as he told her about the murders. “Hell. Do you think it could have been McCauley?”

Knox grimaced. “I’m not sure it’s something he could have physically done.”

“He could have enhanced strength like my cousin. Or he could have somehow mind-fucked someone into doing it for him. Its seems weird that he would, though. I mean, Keenan told you earlier that his visits with Pamela and Rupert had gone just fine. I suppose the demon could have still been pissed at them for not taking McCauley in as a baby. It’s not their fault that they hadn’t known about him, but our inner demons often see things in black and white.”

Knox rubbed her back. “It turns out that they did know about him.” He relayed his conversation with Daniel.

“Well, shit. That’s definitely a reason for McCauley and his demon to be pissed at them. Are you going to at least talk to him about it?”

“Yes, but he’s in Florida right now. Linda and Wyatt took him there for the weekend. That means I can’t talk to any of them face to face until Sunday.”

“Someone will notify them about the deaths, so we can’t monitor how they react to the news,” she pointed out.

Knox arched a brow. “We?”

“Yes, we,” she insisted. “By Sunday, we’ll have announced the pregnancy, so it won’t be a problem if they see me. They won’t be there for the announcement, but they’ll still hear about it from someone.” She propped her chin on his chest. “We can’t keep it a secret any longer, Knox.”

He brushed his nose against hers. “We could if I just hid you here,” he joked. Well, it wasn’t entirely a joke.

Harper rolled her eyes. “Have you thought about where you’ll make the announcement and how you’ll go about it?”

“Yes. This is what I was thinking…”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Beneath the sounds of people talking and laughing was the hum of the ceiling fans and the clinking of flutes. Harper peeked through the black curtain to take a good, long look at the ballroom. “There’s a whole lot of people out there, Tanner.” Not the entire lair, which was unsurprising. Their lair was particularly large, so many families often sent one or two of their own to represent the family and hear whatever announcement was made. It meant that the events weren’t too hectic and crowded, which worked out best for everyone.

“You don’t need to be nervous,” Tanner assured her, like, for the tenth time. “The lair won’t respond badly to the pregnancy.”

Harper turned back to him, hiding once more behind the curtain on the small dais. “Probably not, but I’ll have to, you know… talk to people. Mingle.” Harper was dreading it. She simply didn’t have the people skills required for it. Luckily, her mate did.

She hadn’t seen Knox since breakfast, and she knew he was currently dealing with some issues within the hotel. As hiding her rounded stomach while walking through the Underground wouldn’t have been the easiest thing she’d ever done, she’d had Ciaran teleport her and Tanner from the mansion to the penthouse suite. There, she’d showered and changed into a long, white, chiffon dress that wasn’t loose-fitting yet cleverly made her baby bump a lot less distinctive.

Tanner, Keenan, and Larkin had then walked her to the dais of the ballroom. Keenan and Larkin were circling the ballroom, on guard. Everyone was ready and in place. Now, all they were waiting for was for Knox to show up.

The last time she’d telepathically spoken to him had been twenty minutes ago, when he’d informed her that he was heading to the penthouse to quickly shower and change. Since Knox was wicked fast at getting ready, she could only assume that he’d been waylaid by his staff yet again or he’d be here by now. Where are you?

Within moments, his mind brushed against hers. Dealing with a minor matter before the concierge starts to cry.

She chuckled. At Tanner’s questioning look, she waved a hand and then peeked through the curtain again. People mingled as they sipped wine and nibbled on appetizers being served by waiters that circulated the room. Other guests were gathered around the tall, high tables on which bowls of pretzels and flickering candles were placed. Keenan and Larkin were patrolling the room, their eyes sharp. “I don’t see Carla, Bray or Kellen.”