Shadows (Dark in You 5)

Khloë blinked. “Wow. That explains why I woke up snuggled into a road cone.”

Keenan gaped. “That’s all you have to say?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I feel you and your monster cock judging me. I don’t like it.”

Honestly, he looked like he wanted to grab the imp by the throat. “Would you stop commenting on my—?”

“What’s with all the yelling over here?” asked a new voice.

Knox sighed at the newcomer. “Lou,” he greeted simply.

The devil smiled down at Devon and Tanner. “So, a hellcat has mated with a hellhound. Off the top of my head, can’t think of anything weirder. But hey, I’m all for it. I like weird. Most do.”

“You are weird,” said Harper.

“And likeable, which proves my point.” Lou glanced around. “Where’s my favorite nephew?”

“Asher is at home,” said Knox. “And he’s not your nephew.”

“He is where it counts,” Lou insisted, pounding a fist over his heart. “He loves me.”

Jolene sidled up to him. “Who loves you?”

Lou jerked away from the female Prime like she’d burned him. “Asher, obviously.”

Patting her hair, Jolene made a pfft sound. “My grandson merely tolerates you like the rest of us do.”

Lou shot her a petulant look. “You’re just being bitchy because he loves me more than he does you.”

“You lie to yourself far too often,” said Jolene.

“You really think he loves you more? Oh, wake up and smell the joint in my pocket—”

“You have a joint in your pocket?” Knox cut in, his eyes hard. Lou’s eyes went wide. “Of course not,” he scoffed. “Jeez, would it kill you to trust me?”

“Kill me?” asked Knox. “No. Make me extremely naïve? Yes. Considering you’re a chronic liar, a drug addict, and the most untrustworthy person I’ve ever met.”

Lou cupped his ear. “Sorry, could you repeat that? It’s hard to hear you from all the way up here on this pedestal you’ve put me on.”

Looking at Tanner, Devon rolled her eyes. “Interesting company we keep.”

Lips twitching, Tanner inclined his head. “‘Interesting’ is one word for it.”

Tanner almost let out a sigh of relief when the party finally reached its end. He had to hold in a laugh as, with a lot of staggering and weaving, his mate dished out hugs to her friends. He kept his arm curled around her waist as he led her drunken ass out of the Underground, smiling at the mad shit she was chatting—some of which he was convinced she hadn’t meant to say out loud.

Since he hadn’t consumed any alcohol, he drove them home in his Audi. Their friends had helped put the apartment to rights after the Leticia debacle. The blackened, broken furniture had been replaced. The fallen pictures had been reframed and rehung. And the scorch marks and patches of bubbling paint on the walls courtesy of the hellfire had been taken care of.

Other things, however, hadn’t been so easy to fix. Pamela had recovered well from the attempted poisoning, but she seemed to have retreated a little more. The nurse who poisoned Pamela was eventually caught, thanks to Jolene’s sentinels. She’d admitted that Leticia paid her to do the deed, hoping that being honest would earn her a quick and painless death. It didn’t.

He and Devon had paid her mother a few visits. Pamela never remembered him, and it was unlikely that she ever would, but he still intended to go with Devon on future visits. He wanted to get to know her mother, even if her mother would never really know him.

Finn’s situation hadn’t been so easy to fix either. He’d physically recovered from his wounds, but he was emotionally shattered. It was clear he blamed himself for all the shit that had happened—even for Leticia’s actions. He’d chosen to step down from his position of Prime.

Spencer had taken over, but he hadn’t seemed excited about it. Like his siblings, he was gutted by Leticia’s death but also angry with her for almost killing their father. Reena was feeling guilty, since she’d begun to suspect her mother might have been involved but hadn’t said anything. Tanner figured she therefore should be feeling guilty, but Devon wasn’t holding her accountable for anything.

When they finally entered their apartment, Tanner steered a humming Devon into their bedroom and held her tight. She looked up at him, her face all soft, her eyes glassy and hooded. She was blitzed. He had to smile.

“You’re gonna crash hard tonight for sure,” he said, skimming his knuckles down her cheek, drinking in every feature. “So gorgeous. I remember I once came on this pretty face, didn’t I?”

“You got it in my hair—I wasn’t impressed.”

He chuckled. “You sure you’re up to taking my cock tonight?”

Her eyes darkened with a naked, sensual hunger that matched his own. She fisted his shirt and pressed herself tight against him. “Oh, I’m sure.”

“Then I guess I’ll take your word for it.” Tanner sank his tongue into her mouth, and the flare of need was instant. It blasted through him with the force of a fucking freight train. His body tightened. Nerves sparked to life. Chemicals raced through his bloodstream.