Embers (Dark in You 4)

Tanner put a hand to his chest. “Is that any way to speak to someone who bought you a present?”

Devon snarled. “If it’s more cat litter, I’m going to punch you right in the muzzle.” The hellcat turned to Harper. “Where’s my gorgeous little dude?”

Harper snickered. “Well, hello to you, too. I’m great, thanks.”

Devon rolled her eyes. “Look who I brought with me.”

Harper felt her brows rise at the sight of the lean, tattooed male heading their way. “Drew. I had no idea you were in Vegas.” It shouldn’t have been awkward. She’d known him since they were kids, he was Devon’s older brother, and Harper hadn’t seen him in three years. Maybe if their last meeting hadn’t ended in a drunken make-out session, she wouldn’t have found herself fighting a blush.

Like his sister, he had cat-green eyes and dark ultraviolet hair. Whereas Devon’s hair fell in ringlets down her back, his was short and tousled. He was indeed incredibly hot and had a powerful magnetic energy about him. Like most females of Jolene’s lair, Harper once had a mad crush on Drew—he’d broken many hearts when he moved to Cuba six years ago, only paying their lair the occasional visit.

If there was one person she might have broken her no-dating-demons rule for back before Knox came into her life, it was Drew. But he’d shown no interest in her. As an adrenalin junkie who lived for finding the next high, he focused all his energy into his own life. Their make-out session had been nothing more than a farewell kiss that went too far. He’d returned to Cuba the next day, and she hadn’t heard from him since.

“Only got here last night.” Grinning, he pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

As a menacing growl rumbled out of Tanner, Harper stepped back to see that both sentinels were glaring at Drew. She forced a smile. “Guys, this is Devon’s brother, Drew.” But the glaring continued. Not that it seemed to bother Drew. But then, he lived for the thrill of danger and wasn’t easily intimidated.

Having gratefully accepted a beer from Jolene, Drew gestured at Harper with his bottle. “I heard you’re mated,” he said, tone strangely flat. “That was … a surprise. And then I heard you’re a mom, too. That was even more surprising.”

“That’s my little guy right there with Khloë.”

Drew’s mouth curled. “He’s cute. Like his mom.” Ignoring Tanner’s growl, Drew asked, “What’s it like to be a Prime? You always said you didn’t want to be one.”

That was true. It had never been her dream to rule a lair, but she’d become a co-Prime on mating with Knox. Running a lair that spanned most of Nevada and much of California was no easy thing, but … “It’s not as bad as I’d expected it would be, since I have Knox to share the burden.”

“I’ll bet the Primes are mortified that he claimed a Wallis.”

“They’ve gone from ‘mortified’ to ‘disapproving’. They’ve accepted I’m a permanent fixture, though. It’s surprising what a difference it made that I’ve taken Knox’s surname.”

Drew’s brows lifted and he swallowed. “You’ve taken his surname?”

“And she’s wearing his rings,” Keenan interrupted, still glaring at Drew. “One of which is a black diamond,” he added meaningfully. As it was a sign of the ultimate commitment, demons only gave a black diamond to the person they intended to take permanently as their mate.

Drew gave her a wan smile. “Congratulations. But I gotta wonder what happened to your ‘no-dating-demons’ rule.”

Harper shrugged. “I guess I broke it.” A hard weight slammed into her leg. She looked down to see her younger cousin. “Hey, Heidi-ho.” Harper stroked a hand over the little girl’s bright blonde hair. “What you up to?”

“Helping Ciaran set up the dining room for the clown,” she said.

“There’s a clown?” Harper turned to see Ciaran, Khloë’s twin, heading their way … with the freakiest-looking clown she’d ever seen in her life.

Raini gasped. “Oh, my God. He’ll terrify the kids.”

He skipped past them and planted himself in front of the bouncy castle. “Hey little people, ready for your magic show?”

“Yeah!” they shouted in delight. They then followed the creepy clown into the house like he was the damn Pied Piper.

Ciaran was at the back of the line with Asher in his arms, who was chewing his thumb. “I’ll take him inside, so he can watch the show.”

Tanner’s brows drew together. “You don’t find that clown even the slightest bit creepy?”

Ciaran blinked. “In what sense?”

Tanner shook his head. “Never mind.”

Mouth twitching, Harper followed Ciaran into the house, who then headed into the dining room and sat on the floor with Asher between his legs. Standing just outside the doorway, Harper spoke quietly to Jolene. “About Heidi … Any news on who hired the demon to snatch her?” It had happened when Harper was pregnant, but they’d had no luck tracking the culprit.

Jolene’s lips tightened. “No. If anyone knows anything, they’re not talking.”