Embers (Dark in You 4)

“That is not a balcony. It has a pool. An infinity pool, to be more precise.”

His mouth curved. “We could take a dip in it now if you want.”

Harper recognized the roguish glint in his eyes and stilled. “Don’t you dare.” But he held her tight as flames engulfed them both again. When the fire died down, she and Knox were suddenly submerged in water. She swatted him. Bastard.

The next morning, as she watched Asher chuck his spoon on the floor for the tenth time, Harper sighed. “I can’t even be mad at him. I mean, look at that face. You can’t be mad at something that cute.”

Slicing into his omelet, Knox glanced at their son. Sitting in the highchair with his legs propped up on the tray, Asher grabbed his foot and started trying to shove it in his mouth. Everything went in the mouth. “At least he ate most of the porridge before he slung the bowl virtually across the room.”

Harper humphed. Asher did the same thing pretty much every meal time. Of course, the bowl and spoon would initially be in her hands. But Asher would at some point pyroport them to himself and then proceed to paint his face and tray with what food he had left before then tossing the plastic dishware away. He’d often then pyroport the spoon back to his hand, only to throw it again.

Bracing her elbows on the dining table, Harper spooned some of her cereal as she asked Knox, “Has Dion responded to your letter yet?”

“No, but I expect he’ll do so soon. Last time I wrote to him, he responded within a week.” Knox studied his mate over the rim of his mug. She seemed better this morning. The lines of stress had smoothed away from her face, and he suspected it was because they’d agreed on how they would proceed. Now that she knew they’d be working together and had a plan of sorts, she probably felt more in control.

“Don’t forget that the meeting with the other Primes will take place tomorrow,” Knox continued. “Keenan and Larkin will stay at the mansion with Asher, so don’t tense up and start panicking. He’ll also have Dan and Meg with him—neither are weak in power. They’ll all be under strict instructions not to allow anyone to step foot on the estate.”

“Do you think Jonas will go to the meeting?”

“No, which is probably for the best.” A grieving demon was an unstable one. “Especially since I know you’d like to—”

“Snap off his dick and shove it down his throat? Yes, I would. If he hadn’t been so intent on dealing with Alethea himself, the incorporeal might not be free right now.”

“You’re not alone in wanting to see him hurt for that, but that will have to wait. We need to take care of the Horseman and the incorporeal first.” Knox forked some of his omelet. “What are your plans for today?”

Harper snorted at his attempt to calm her by changing the subject to something mundane. Still, she went with it. “I thought about going to the studio to check how things are going.” It was something she did once every two weeks.

“Good idea. Seeing you up and around, doing normal things, will stop people from panicking about the Horseman.” Still, anxiety squeezed his heart at the idea of her off the estate while there was a threat at large. Of course, the very last thing he could do was let her see that anxiety when she’d lost a little faith in her ability to protect Asher. She needed to see only the confidence Knox had in her.

She reached for her coffee mug and took a sip. “I doubt it will stop them from panicking, but it might put some people at ease.”

Knox went to speak, but then he paused as her gaze went inward and he felt the echo of a telepathic conversation. When her eyes once more focused on him, there was a hint of exasperation there.

“A skyscraper,” said Harper. “Jolene flattened a skyscraper last night, according to Martina.”

“You’re honestly surprised?”

She sighed. “No, not really.” Hearing that Heidi was meant to be sacrificed during a dark magick ritual was obviously going to infuriate Jolene. It only enraged the woman more that Alethea was dead and, as such, couldn’t pay for her part in that plan. Jolene had a habit of demolishing buildings when she was pissed. “She sounded deceptively calm and rational last time when I told her about the incorporeal situation, but that’s something she’s good at, so I hadn’t bought it. Still … a skyscraper? Good thing it was old and empty.”

Knox gave her a pointed look. “Although you have the power to take down the incorporeal, I trust that you’ll call for me if you come across it.” The statement held a question, because he needed that assurance. It also held a warning. The past few times she was in danger, she’d called for him, but that had been when she was pregnant with Asher. Knox suspected that she never would have pulled him into a dangerous situation if it weren’t for her determination to keep their son safe.

When she didn’t respond, Knox narrowed his eyes. “You long ago made me a promise that you would call for me if you ever needed help. I know you hate the thought of drawing me into dangerous situations—I also understand it, since that works both ways.” Not that he liked or approved of her habit of dealing with things alone. He respected her need to fight her own battles and to do her part in protecting their son, but he wouldn’t agree to her going solo whenever it suited her. “We agreed to work together, remember. That means relying on each other.”

Harper exhaled a heavy sigh. “I’ll keep my promise and call out to you if I need you. But the same goes for you—if something happens, you don’t tell me later just so that I can have an enjoyable day.” It was something he’d done in the past. “You tell me instantly.”

He inclined his head, though he didn’t like it. Resting the cutlery on his empty plate, Knox pushed it aside. “What time are you leaving for the studio?”

“I’ll probably head out in a few hours. Maybe I can have lunch with the girls while I update them. They need to be warned about the incorporeal.”

“You don’t think Jolene will have already told them?”

“If she had, they’d have called me by now. She’s probably having a lair meeting later to reveal all. I’d rather the girls heard it from me.”

“Fair enough.” Knox sipped his coffee. “Keep Tanner with you at all times. The incorporeal can look like anyone. If somebody comes close who has no scent, he’ll know and he’ll pounce.”

She cocked her head. “You think it will come for me?”

“No. What it did the other day, turning up at Jolene’s house and making its move among all those demons, was arrogant. It will have known in advance that you were strong and could cause soul-deep pain. But now that it’s been on the receiving end of such pain and knows exactly what it feels like, the incorporeal won’t be so cocky. Especially since you overpowered it. Besides, it’s bound to the conditions of the bargain. You’re not the target. Still, I won’t take chances.”