Embers (Dark in You 4)

“And?” prodded Knox.

“She said she stole it from a private collector. And that she meant to free it.”

Levi swore under his breath.

“I insisted that she return the display case to wherever it came from,” Jonas went on, “but she said that it was for protection. Said that she suspected you or Harper could be the fourth Horseman and that she thought one of you would come for her.”

“But you didn’t believe her,” Knox sensed.

“No.” Jonas rubbed his temple, as if a headache was building. “I knew that, whatever the case, I needed to somehow get rid of it. I also knew she would protest, so I pretended that I understood her motives, and I promised that I wouldn’t say a word about it. But at the meeting, when you revealed that I wanted to make a deal with Lucifer, she became suspicious that I’d sought his help to destroy the incorporeal. That was why she disappeared—she ran from me, because she didn’t trust me.”

“And, knowing the type of destruction an incorporeal can cause, you didn’t think to say something to someone?” clipped Knox, wanting to shake the other demon. So much could have been avoided if Jonas had just spoken up about it.

Jonas’s eyes flared. “She was my sister. I knew people would come for the incorporeal, and I knew she’d never give it up easily—even if it meant risking her life. I thought if I could just get rid of it before anyone got hurt, no one would ever know. Besides, I didn’t think she would truly be able to free it. She just wasn’t strong enough for something like that. I spoke with an incantor about it—the same incantor people mistakenly believed I was dating—and she said it would take several things to free an incorporeal, including the sacrifice of a demonic child.”

Levi looked at Knox. “Harper’s younger cousin, Heidi, could have been Alethea’s chosen target.”

Jonas’s gaze snapped to the sentinel. “No. Alethea would never have done something like that. She may have thought about it, yes, but she wouldn’t have gone through with it. She was vindictive, but she wasn’t evil. Someone was using her. She was seeing someone else, but she wouldn’t tell me who. Wouldn’t even tell me if I knew them. The two must have worked together to free the incorporeal.”

And now it was targeting Knox’s son. His demon growled. “You should have told someone that she had one in her possession.”

“I’d planned to destroy it,” Jonas defended. “The incantor I spoke to said that nothing of the Earth could kill an incorporeal. Everyone knows that nothing is impervious to the flames of hell. Archdemons are the flames of hell. I wanted Lucifer to either banish the incorporeal back to hell or give me the brief use of an archdemon, but he wouldn’t even speak with me. I was determined to undo what she’d done before it got her killed.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “But I failed. I should have looked harder for her. I tried to find her, I really did, but it was like she didn’t want to be found.”

“Or she didn’t want the incorporeal to be found,” said Knox. “If she freed it, she would have given it an order; made a bargain with it. There would have been no other point in freeing one, especially since it could have turned on her. What do you think she asked it to do?”

A weary exhale shuddered out of Jonas. “I don’t know.”

“If you had to guess … ?”

“I don’t know. Truly. I suspect that whatever order the incorporeal was given came from the Horseman, not from her. And I believe deep down to my bones that she didn’t know they were the fourth Horseman—the bastard wants to see the fall of the US Primes. I am a Prime. Alethea wouldn’t have been party to anything that would harm me.”

Knox could agree with the latter. “But she would have been party to something that brought harm to me, my mate, or my son, wouldn’t she?”

Jonas looked about to deny the accusation, but then he sighed. “The temptation would have been there, but I don’t believe she would truly have gone through with it. No, I think the Horseman lied to her about what his intentions were for the incorporeal. They told her whatever would gain them her cooperation.”

“Yes, because Alethea was so naïve and easily manipulated,” Knox said, sarcasm heavy in his tone. “Be real, Jonas. Your sister was cunning and devious; she would have recognized if someone was trying to play her.”

“Then they were damn convincing or someone she trusted, because there is no way I will believe she would have knowingly worked with the Horseman. She obviously discovered who they were and wanted out, so they killed her to protect their identity. And now they’re coming for you. Or, as it would appear, they’re coming for your son. And if they really have an incorporeal in their arsenal, I?

?m sorry to say that he’s doomed.” Jonas turned back to the fireplace. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone. There’s truly nothing more I can tell you anyway.”

Believing the latter, Knox decided to back off. But it was hard when anger still ravaged his insides. If Jonas hadn’t kept the incorporeal a secret, the entity wouldn’t now be targeting his son. If Harper had been here, she probably would have flown at the other Prime and gripped him by the throat. Knox was highly tempted to do that very thing, but it was possible that Jonas would later think of something else that could help. And considering Jonas wanted the Horseman as badly as Knox did, killing the Prime would mean there was one less person searching for the bastard. Knox would deal with Jonas at a later date.

“I’m holding a meeting with the other Primes,” said Knox.

“Well, I do hope you enjoy it. I have no interest in going.”

Knox had thought as much. “That’s up to you. But a discussion about the Horseman needs to be had.”

Jonas’s gaze went inward. “I wasn’t entirely convinced they were real.”

“Many weren’t.”

“I should have looked harder for her.”

“She didn’t want to be found; you said so yourself.” Too angry to have any interest in comforting the other Prime, Knox turned and left the mansion.

As he and Levi slid back into the Bentley, Levi said, “Well, that answered a lot of our questions. For instance, we now know that it was highly likely that Alethea was the one who went after Heidi—she needed a demonic child to sacrifice, and it would have given her a kick to kill a relative of Harper. It must have pissed Alethea off big time when her plan failed.”