Burn (Dark in You 1)

“Then come,” he said against her lips. He closed his mouth over hers, swallowing her scream, as her pussy rippled around his cock. Her release seemed to echo through him, making him explode with an unnatural force as he drove deep.

As she lay shuddering beneath him, Knox nuzzled her neck, inhaling her warm, honeyed scent into his lungs. “Now I feel better.”

“Yeah? How’s your demon doing? Calmer?”

“It’s smirking. It got what it wanted.” He kissed her. “You.”

“Brace yourself, because I’m going to annoy you, ignore you, and surprise you for as long as we both shall live.”

He smiled. “And I’m going to spoil you, fuck you, and – of course – order you around for the rest of our lives.”

“You’re going to try,” she corrected.

Kissing her again, Knox chuckled. “You’ll definitely keep things interesting.”

“Was there ever any doubt?”

None.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“When did you tell Harper what you are?” Levi asked Knox as they stood in Jolene’s large and very crowded kitchen the next morning.

“She’s known since the day before her birthday,” Knox replied, watching his mate laugh at something Khloë said. “As proven by the fact that she’s still content to be my mate, she accepted it. In fact, she took it pretty well.”

“Looking around this room,” began Larkin, “I can understand why she didn’t find it such a big deal. To grow up in this crazy family, you’d have to become a very accepting person.”

Listening to the ongoing argument between an imp who believed he was the reincarnation of Tupac and another imp who was insisting the rapper wasn’t really dead and was actually living on an island with Elvis and Michael Jackson…“True.”

When they’d arrived at Jolene’s house, it had been to find Harper’s entire lair squished into the building. They had each hugged and made a big fuss of Harper, though none had been as dramatic about it as Lucian. He was sulking at the moment, angry that she was refusing to consider taking another male as her mate.

“Does she know that being your mate makes her a co-Prime?” Tanner asked Knox.

“She will soon.” It wasn’t often that Primes officially took a mate as it meant sharing power. Knox hadn’t been in any rush to tell her that she now wielded as much power over their lair as he did, suspecting she wouldn’t like it much. Being quite an individualistic person, she had no interest in ruling others. She had no aspirations for that kind of power, which was partly why she hadn’t wanted to take over from Jolene as Prime of her family’s lair.

“Do me a favor and tell her while I’m around,” said Tanner with a grin. “Her responses are always interesting.”

Levi spoke then. “If you haven’t told her she’s now your co-Prime, I’m guessing you also haven’t told her that you want to psychically bug her, so you’ll always know where she is and what she’s doing.”

“No, I did tell her,” said Knox. “She recommended that I shove a large object up my ass. She doesn’t want to be monitored 24/7.”

Keenan sighed. “I can understand if she’d find it uncomfortable. But she has to know that some things – for instance, the fact that she’s breathing – are more important than her privacy.”

Larkin snorted. “Not to someone as private as Harper. But I’m guessing Knox will keep working at making her change her mind.”

Knox would. Although he respected her wish to not be so closely watched, her safety was much more important to him. “Until she does, we ensure that she’s safe.” His sentinels nodded; it was a vow.

Raini took a cookie from the pile on Jolene’s kitchen table before turning to Harper. “So...who exactly were Jeanna and Jacques?”

“Just stray demons that worked as a partnership and would do anything for the right price.” Harper ate the last of her cupcake. “Even something as stupid as go after Knox Thorne.”

Devon shook her head in wonder. “Stupid is an understatement. I saw what he did to Isla. It was freaky how totally calm he looked while he did it.”

Khloë nodded. “He’s the last person I’d ever cross. And I happen to like trouble.” She turned to Harper. “I’m guessing you know the secret of what he is. I know you can’t tell me what he is, and I’m not asking. I’d just like to be sure you know exactly who – what – you’ve mated with.”

“Rest assured,” was all Harper said, not prepared to reveal anything else. Hearing a husky and very sexy laugh, Harper looked to see a grinning Keenan fairly surrounded by female imps.

“He’s hot as hell,” commented Devon.

Khloë snorted. “Yeah, if you go for alcoholics.” And Khloë had no tolerance for them. She smiled at Harper. “When are you gonna show me your wings?”

“When I learn to control them.”

“I’ll help. The first few times hurt like a bitch and they’re super hard, but it’s not so bad after that. Oh, I almost forgot to ask: When’s the party?”

“Party?” echoed Harper.

“You guys declared yourselves as mates. That means you get a mating party.”

Harper hadn’t even thought about it until that moment.

“Ooh, she hasn’t planned it yet.” Khloë rubbed her hands together as she turned to Raini and Devon. “I think this is where we step in.”