Burn (Dark in You 1)

Her fire made his demon smile. “You’re free to take a guess at what I am,” said Knox.

“If I got it right, would you admit it?” Her stomach clenched at the crooked smile that curved his amazing mouth. He was so achingly hot it simply wasn’t fair.

“No.”

“Something tells me I’m best not knowing what you are.” Because whatever lived inside him was too dangerous for words.

This she-demon seemed to have a talent for surprising him. “You’re absolutely right.” At the sound of his cell phone ringing, Knox dug it out of his pocket.

Some of Harper’s tension left her as he moved away to take the call, leaving her personal space. Oddly enough, her demon had started to relax around him. It was intrigued by his supreme confidence, his dark sensuality, the power that cloaked him, and the air of the forbidden that surrounded him. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The tension returned to Harper’s muscles as he stalked toward her, his eyes on hers as he spoke into the phone, promising the caller he’d be there quickly. Good. Because she wanted to get out of there quickly.

“I have to go,” Knox told her as he opened the office door. “It was interesting meeting you, Harper Wallis.” His demon snarled at the idea of leaving her. It wanted the pretty sphinx; wanted that hot little body beneath it – or above it, or against it as it backed her into the wall and fucked her senseless. The demon wasn’t fussed.

“Likewise.” To her shock, he held out his hand. It was an invitation to touch him, permission to break the skin-to-skin barrier. But if she touched him even once, she would be returning that invitation. He’d have the same permission to touch her as and when he wished – and not just physically, but psychically. It was no little thing. But Harper had never been a coward.

Meeting his dark eyes, Harper shook his hand, unprepared for the flare of heat that assaulted her when his touch met her skin. Her heart jumped when he brushed his thumb over her inner wrist, and he no doubt felt her pulse briefly spike. But she wasn’t going to give herself a hard time about that moment of weakness. As he released her hand, his mind stroked hers, a farewell that could have come from Knox, his demon, or both of them.

And then something totally fucking weird happened.

A pressure built in her head as some kind of magnetic energy pulled at her mind…like something was tugging at her psyche, trying to fuse with hers. She was sure she stumbled, and not just from her sudden disorientation, but by the realization of just what this meant. Meeting Knox’s gaze, she saw the same recognition in his.

Ah, hell.

“Anchor,” said Knox, knowing he looked as shocked as she did. The word came out more like an accusation, a dare for her to deny it.

“Anchor,” Harper quietly conceded. Maybe a lot of demons would be jumping for joy right now. After all, having a psi-mate was good, right? Not necessarily. There were plenty of hiccups that came with having an anchor. Her inner demon, however, wasn’t concerned with those issues. It saw this male as belonging to it, and it wanted nothing more than to connect their minds.

It was strange to watch Knox’s composure crack slightly as he seemed torn between staying to discuss their little predicament and leaving to attend to whatever problem had been discussed during his phone call.

After a long moment of silence, he sighed. “I have to leave. We’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll find you.”

He was gone before she could respond to what was a half-promise, half-threat. And Harper knew that everything in her life was about to change.

Shit.

CHAPTER TWO

Locking the door of her apartment behind her, Harper puffed out a long breath as she leaned against it. Anchor, she’d found her anchor. She still wasn’t having warm, fuzzy feelings about that discovery. Oh, she knew that was odd. Just as a shifter needed their fated mate to complete their soul, a demon needed their predestined psychic mate, or ‘anchor,’ to complete their psyche. An anchor did exactly what it said on the tin – it anchored a demon and made them stronger, so that they no longer struggled to maintain dominance over their inner demon, meaning they could never turn rogue.

It was easy for a demon to lose their way, since it wasn’t possible to fully control the entity that lived within them. The entity could take over if a demon didn’t have the mental strength to be the dominant figure. It was a constant fight. Demons that didn’t turn rogue often went insane or even committed suicide due to their struggle.

Once a person was anchored, however, they no longer had to fight as they had the stability, power, and strength to maintain the dominant position. It didn’t mean their inner demon wouldn’t still surface from time to time, but it did mean that it couldn’t permanently hold the reins unless permitted to do so.

There were other good things about having an anchor. For instance, it meant having someone you could rely on, someone whose loyalty would be absolute. In most cases, anchors became tight friends and confidants. They would protect, support, and defend their anchor if necessary. It was instinctual.

However, there were downsides. Anchors could be possessive and overprotective, which often also caused them to be annoyingly meddlesome. Additionally, demons could find it mentally uncomfortable to be away from their anchors for long periods of time. There was also the fact that if a demon died, it was very psychically painful and draining for their anchor if the bond had been formed. That psychic pain could be bad and long lasting, in some cases.

When Harper had been a little girl, the idea of having an anchor – someone who would protect her and always be there for her, no matter what – had been thrilling. Of course, that could have been a lot to do with the fact that neither of her parents were anyone’s definition of ‘dependable.’ Not once in those girly daydreams had she envisioned an anchor who was anything at all like Knox Thorne.