“Sometimes I think I already have.”
She still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. A part of her wanted him to lose it because, hello, he knew his way around a woman’s body for sure—no one had ever fucked her like that before or made her come so hard so many times. But the sensible part of her—which rarely spoke up—knew that no good could come of it and thought it was best to go cold turkey.
“I don’t have anything against him as a person,” Teague went on. “But he’s a guy who goes through women like they’re a dying breed and watches you with too much territorialism. I don’t want you getting hurt. He would hurt you. Then I’d have to kill him.”
“I’ve got bigger things to worry about than whether some guy wants to get in my panties. Anyway, Mr. Hit-and-Run, you’re not much different from him.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you spread yourself around and leave broken hearts wherever you go, which is why I forbade you from making moves on my friends.”
“Do they all know you made me take a blood oath that I wouldn’t try to date any of them without first asking you?”
“Yes.”
He drained his glass. “You know, for the record, I think making me take a blood oath was a little dramatic.”
Khloé shrugged. “Aunt Mildred told me it was best to insist on one if I expected someone to keep their word.”
His brows dipped. “You have an Aunt Mildred?”
“I can’t believe no one remembers her.”
*
Leaning against the wall, Keenan watched as Thea gingerly took a seat opposite his Primes. With a stilted smile, she crossed one leg over the other and tucked her hands under her thighs—probably to stop herself from fidgeting. She looked as nervous as a knocked-up teenager.
She glanced at Keenan, as if seeking reassurance. That was something he couldn’t give her. How this meeting went would depend solely on her willingness to be truthful.
Her gaze slid back to his Primes, who sat behind Knox’s desk. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.” She peered over her shoulder at the closed office door, a worried look on her face.
“Your son will be fine with Larkin,” Harper assured her. “Now, why don’t you tell us what happened with your ex-mate?”
Turning back to face the Primes, she looked the sphinx dead in the eye. “I didn’t kill him.”
“He cheated on you,” said Harper.
“Yes, he did,” confirmed Thea, her expression hard. “Which was why, when he came to collect his stuff, he found that I’d shredded his clothes and wrecked his other belongings. I wouldn’t have killed him for cheating. I didn’t. Gavril did.”
“Why?” asked Knox, drumming his fingers on his desk.
“Lee-Roy … opposed him,” Thea replied vaguely. “Gavril doesn’t like anyone opposing him. And he wants me out of the picture.”
“Explain,” said Knox.
Instead, she closed her eyes.
Swift impatience flickered across Knox’s face. “You don’t have to tell us your secrets, Thea. Keep them if you wish. But then you’ll have to seek sanctuary from another lair. We won’t provide protection for someone who isn’t being honest with us.”
Thea’s eyes met his. “It’s just hard to trust others with this. If I make a mistake, if I take a chance on the wrong person, I could lose my son.” Her gaze slid to Harper. “You’re a mother. If you needed to keep a secret for your child’s sake, you would, wouldn’t you?”
Harper nodded. “I would.”
Hell, she was keeping secrets to protect Asher. Keenan was one of the very few people who knew of those secrets.
“But that doesn’t erase the issue—we can’t offer you protection unless we’re fully aware of the situation,” added Harper.
Thea leaned forward slightly. “Will you promise me that, no matter what I tell you, you won’t take Lane from me?”
Knox twisted his mouth. “I can promise you that, yes … providing he isn’t in any danger from you.”
“He’s not.”
“Then tell us your story. Or leave—one or the other.”
Thea shifted in her seat and squared her shoulders. “Lane has a rare and substantial gift. One that Gavril wants to exploit. He called for a meeting with me and Lee-Roy after we first separated. Gavril convinced him that it would be a good idea to ‘rent’ Lane to demons who’ll pay enough money to utilize his gift in some way; he promised to give us a percentage of whatever money Lane earned.”
Keenan exchanged a look with Levi, who was lounging on the sofa, looking deceptively relaxed. It wasn’t uncommon for Primes to rent out their demons, but that only happened with adults, and those adults had to consent to such a thing.
“I went ballistic,” Thea continued. “I made it abundantly clear that I would never allow anyone to use my son. Jesus, he’s four.” She raked a hand through her hair.
“What happened next?” prodded Harper.