Burn (Dark in You 1)

Knox cut her off. “Don’t try to manipulate me, Jolene. It won’t work.” He kissed Harper’s cheek. “It’s time. If the result causes any kind of uproar, Tanner will get you out of here.” Before she could bristle and tell him she could take care of herself, Knox pushed away from the table and walked onto the dais.

Harper frowned, confused, as Isla moved to stand beside the dais…as if she was expecting to be called up there. Dario and Malden followed her lead.

“Have you noticed all the scowls that Isla has received tonight?” Jolene asked her. “There are many unhappy bunnies in this room, and they seem to hold her responsible for their misery.”

Yes, Harper had noticed. “I don’t know what she’s done, but whatever it is has pissed off a lot of people.”

Knox spoke then, filling the silence that his mere presence had commanded. “As you all know, the polling station closed two hours ago. The votes have all been entered into the polling computer software, and in just a few minutes the software will count the votes. Before we get to that, I want to make it clear that if a Monarch is elected, it will not give them any power over me or this place. As such, do not think to issue any orders at the moment of your election. Your authority and your position means nothing here.”

“Isla didn’t like that remark,” commented Jolene as Knox moved to the side of the white screen that was hanging behind him.

Knox nodded at Levi, who was near the laptop situated on a small table in front of the dais. Instantly, the laptop screen was projected onto the large white screen, showing the image of a box that said, ‘Count Votes.’ After another nod from Knox, Levi clicked it. The words ‘Please wait’ replaced the box, and under it was a bar that showed the percentage of time left to go.

The silence now seemed weighty, somber. The air fairly hummed with a suspense that brought goosebumps to Harper’s arms.

Eighty percent.

She licked her lips, anxious. If the demon public chose to have a Monarch, it would impact everyone, whether each demon accepted that Monarch or not. It didn’t matter that Harper would never answer to them. Others would have to answer to them. The change would affect so many, alter so much.

Sixty percent.

Harper glanced at the candidates. All three were admirably composed. Isla’s gaze shone with an unsettling amount of self-satisfaction. Did she know something they didn’t?

Forty percent.

Taking a sip of her champagne, Harper looked at Knox. In spite of her current tension, she couldn’t help but note that he was the epitome of self-assurance and untamed sexuality. He was also staring at her.

Twenty percent.

Leave with Tanner if necessary, he reminded her. Take your family with you.

She didn’t assure him she would leave, unwilling to lie. If things went tits up, she’d be at his side. And he should know better than to think that Jolene would ever walk away from a riot. Hell, the woman was more likely to be in the middle of it.

‘Done!’ popped up on the screen, along with a box marked ‘See Result.’

That was when Harper finally understood the term ‘bated breath.’ For a single moment, she didn’t breathe at all. Then her breathing turned shallow and rapid as she couldn’t seem to get the air she needed. So much could fuck up if the wrong decision was made.

“Levi,” was all Knox said. After one click on the box from the sentinel, an image of scales appeared. One was labelled ‘Yes’, and the other was labelled ‘No.’ Mere seconds later, percentages popped up beneath each scale.

Only forty-three percent of the votes said ‘Yes’ to a Monarch.

Relief rushed through Harper like a tidal wave. Glancing around, she saw that her relief was shared by almost everyone. Almost everyone. Disappointment shadowed Malden’s features, but there was no anger; she got the feeling he could take the public’s rejection providing no Monarch was elected at all. Dario bit out a few harsh expletives, every line of his body tense. Still, he took the rejection with a little dignity. Isla, however…

Her spine snapped straight, her hands balled into fists, and her beautiful face became a mask of anger. “No!” she shouted. “I refuse to accept this!”

Knox shrugged at her, dismissive of her outburst. “It is what it is.”

“I demand a recount!” Isla fairly barked, not so composed now.

A deathly quiet descended as Knox’s eyes bled to black for a moment. “And who are you to demand anything of me?” he asked silkily, malevolence dripping from every syllable.

To her credit – or utter stupidity, whichever – Isla stood her ground. “I have many supporters, Knox. It makes no sense to me that this is the result of the poll.”

“Maybe they weren’t as loyal to you as you thought.”

“They wouldn’t have betrayed me!” she insisted. “The results were fixed! They have to be fixed!” Here was the paranoid streak Khloë had mentioned.

Knox arched a reproachful brow. “That’s an offensive claim you’re making, Isla. Be careful.” The latter words were like blades.

Levi spoke then, overriding what Isla would have said next. “Don’t you have enough power, Isla? Why push so hard for more? What is this really about?” No answer. “Is it power you want? Or is it power over Knox?”

Isla’s mouth tightened around the edges.

“You had to know that Knox would never answer to anyone,” continued Levi. “Being Monarch wouldn’t enable you to control him. But it could have put you in a position to take him out. I think you thought that if you ruled over the other Primes, you could force them all to unite against him. Was that your plan? You must be pissed that it didn’t work out.”