Burn (Dark in You 1)

“Just you,” the male said.

Harper inclined her head. “Wait at the Xpress bar,” she told her cousins. “I’ll be back soon.”

Without giving them a chance to object, she followed the two sentinels behind the dome and up a flight of stairs. When they finally stopped outside a door marked ‘Office’, the male rapped his knuckles on it. She could feel Knox’s power from there. It reached out, and encased the door almost protectively. When a shockingly sensual voice summoned them to enter, the male sentinel opened the door and signaled for her to enter. Then the two sentinels backed away and left her.

Inhaling deeply, Harper slipped inside…and found herself fighting the urge to stare in awe at the tall, imposing figure standing behind a glass desk. Deep-set dark eyes that matched the color of his hair locked on Harper, and the intensity there rocked her. Her body instantly responded. Molten lust licked at her, making her breasts ache, her nipples harden, and every inch of her skin suddenly feel hypersensitive. Well, shit.

All demons had natural sex appeal, and she’d heard that Knox’s effect was more potent than most, but Harper still hadn’t been prepared for the sheer impact of him. He radiated alpha energy, projected a raw sexual magnetism that would make any girl sensually starving. As she took in his bold stare, powerful stance, and air of self-possession, lots of words came to mind: Powerful. Forceful. Confident. Controlled. Dauntless. Determined.

Damn if it didn’t make him intimidating.

Refusing to buckle under the force of it all, Harper shut the door and waited. He said nothing. Didn’t greet her. Didn’t invite her to sit. Just stared at her with that dark, penetrating gaze that was sizing her up, and the atmosphere seemed to thicken with tension. But there was no chance that she would avert her eyes. This was a test of her strength, and she wasn’t prepared to fail it.

Finally, looking like he’d just stepped out of a GQ magazine, Knox slowly rounded the desk and walked towards her. No, walked wasn’t the right word. He breezed, glided – moved with an animal grace that demanded attention and could easily keep it.

Her inner demon froze, feeling threatened by this male that exuded danger. And he was dangerous – it was apparent in the way he moved, in his posture, in the tension coiled in his muscles that rippled beneath his black suit. She would bet that suit cost more than her entire wardrobe.

“I’m Knox Thorne.” He tilted his head, those dark eyes still locked on her. He was even more imposing up close. “And you are…?”

“Harper Wallis.” It worried her that he unnerved her demon, who was rarely rattled by anything. To Harper’s utter frustration, she couldn’t get a read on him, couldn’t identify what breed of demon he was. But every instinct she had told her to tread carefully; that she was in the presence of a very powerful predator.

“Harper Wallis.” He didn’t say her name, he tasted it. Tasted it with a voice that was like smoke, whiskey, and velvet. And Harper knew she’d be entertaining some seriously dirty fantasies about him later. She sure hoped he couldn’t read her thoughts – now, that would be embarrassing.

She wasn’t offended when he didn’t hold out his hand to shake hers. Demons were tactile, psychic, sexual creatures, but they were also very selective in who they gave permission to touch them. “Nice to meet you, I guess.” She didn’t sound at all genuine. And for some odd reason, that made his mouth curve into a crooked smile which caused her libido to do the fandango. Great.

Well now, this she-demon had surprised him yet again.

When she’d walked into the room, her eyes – glassy, reflective, much like that of a cat – had been the color of warm honey. But as Knox had moved to stand in front of her, the honey had begun to swirl like liquid, fading into an entrancing misty gray. He had the feeling it wouldn’t be long before the color changed again, and he was intrigued as to just what color that would be.

Intrigued.

A simple feeling, but not one he’d experienced for a while until he’d caught a glimpse of this she-demon in the combat circle. Her facial features were soft and feminine. Except for that mouth. Plush, glossy, and a tempting cherry shade, it was straight out of his fantasies. He could imagine sliding his cock between those lips while knotting his hands in that sleek, dark hair that was tipped with gold.

His inner demon had perked up the moment she entered the office, going from bored to alert in an instant. It liked pretty, shiny, unique things, and that was exactly what Harper was. “How are your injuries?”

Harper rotated her shoulder. “All right.” The wounds had mostly healed, but they still stung like a motherfucker. Demons were invulnerable to normal fire. Hellfire, however, could cause serious harm. The flames of hell, on the other hand, could turn someone into ashes on the spot. And it was just possible that the guy in the room with her could call on them. Fate was mostly likely laughing its ass off.

“If you’re a Wallis, you must be from the North Las Vegas lair.” At her nod, Knox added, “How closely related are you to Jolene?”

As he took a small yet prowling step closer, Harper’s demon tensed even further. “She’s my grandmother.” In addition to being the Prime of her lair, Jolene Wallis was a hard-assed bitch. She was also thirty levels of batshit crazy and had been known to reduce entire buildings to rubble when in a foul mood…though Jolene preferred the term ‘demolition expert.’

“I have a loose alliance with Jolene.” Knox had always liked imps. Why? Because you knew where you stood with an imp. You knew that they would rob you blind if you were dumb enough to not pay attention. You knew you would only get the right answers if you asked the right questions. And you knew that expecting obedience from them would be an exercise in frustration. But having Harper so close, filling every one of his senses, he realized…“You’re not an imp.” He wasn’t sure what she was. The Wallis family was pretty notorious, and he’d assumed they were all imps.