Blaze (Dark in You 2)
Harper halted. “What? What don’t I know?” And who the hell was Alethea? Since it was pretty much impossible for any female to be around Knox without wanting him, Harper had to ask, “Is she an ex of his?”
“Ex?” Keenan stretched out the word.
“Ex-bed buddy,” Harper amended.
“I wouldn’t describe her as that,” said Keenan. “More like they had the occasional one-night stand over the centuries.”
“Centuries. Right.” Harper’s stomach rolled. She hated jealousy. It was a wasteful, pointless emotion. “What is she?”
Larkin bit her bottom lip. “She’s an encantada.”
Gut twisting, Harper blew out a breath. “He shook the sheets with the ultimate sex demon. Good to know.” Encantadas and their male equivalent, encantados, were all exceptionally beautiful and well-known for their powers of seduction. They could also shapeshift into dolphins, which she thought was pretty random.
“Encantadas might be powerful, but they can only enchant humans. Succubae and incubi – we can enchant anyone.” Keenan lowered his voice as he added, “Almost anyone.”
That didn’t make her feel better. Harper tried to shove the matter out of her mind but, dammit, it was hard not to be bothered by it. Just like it was hard not to be bothered by having two bodyguards; both of whom were now crowding her. And just like it was hard not to be bothered by her life suddenly changing in dozens of ways and how she was now co-running a freaking lair.
She didn’t regret or resent any of it, but adjusting wasn’t easy. What she’d love right then was a distraction. Something. Anything.
Hearing a loud, ‘Yee-ha!’ in the near distance, Harper looked to see a small rodeo arena. She looked at Khloë. And they both smiled.
Fingers steepled, Knox said, “Jonas, Alethea, what business brings you here?” His tone wasn’t the least bit welcoming. He’d come to the Underground with the intention of finding his mate and taking her home. He wasn’t in the mood for meetings, but Jonas was one of his business associates, so Knox had agreed.
He had no idea why Alethea was there, considering she didn’t usually accompany her brother anywhere and she wasn’t involved in any of Jonas’s businesses. Knox didn’t particularly care so long as the meeting was over with quickly.
Cordial smile in place, Jonas settled on the chair opposite Knox while Alethea sprawled on the sofa near the window that overlooked the combat circle.
“We heard about the problems within your lair,” Jonas told him.
Knox arched a brow. “Problems?”
“Lawrence Crow,” said Alethea, lips flat. She was a little miffed that Knox hadn’t greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.
Knox narrowed his eyes. “And just how do you know about the problems within my lair?”
“I would imagine many people know,” Jonas told him. “We were having drinks in a bar just now when one of your demons approached us. He’s walking around the Underground with a photograph of a woman; says she’s his mother and has been taken by a rogue, Lawrence Crow. He wants to know if anyone has seen her.”
Fucking Roan. “Crow is close to rogue.”
“If you need any help tracking him, I would be happy to spare some demons from my Force,” said Jonas. “A demon in such a state on the loose affects our entire species.”
“They tend to attract human attention,” added Alethea. “We can’t afford that, and we can’t afford to overlook the danger they present. Thanks to what happened to our old Prime, we know from personal experience just how devastating and long-reaching the consequences can be when a rogue is on the loose.”
Knox straightened in his seat. “As I said, he isn’t rogue.”
“He’s still dangerous,” Alethea insisted.
“I appreciate your offer of help, Jonas, but it won’t be necessary.”
Jonas inclined his head. “If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to contact me. On another subject, I’m sure you know that I’m hosting the annual meeting this year. It will take place on the last Saturday of this month at my home. I hope you will attend.”
“I always do,” said Knox. The Primes all met up once a year to address any potential issues.
Alethea pursed her lips. “I heard you’ve taken a mate since we last saw each other, Knox. That came as quite a surprise. In fact, I was fairly certain it had to be a joke.”
“No joke,” Knox told her.
“Shall I take it then that it’s also true that she’s a Wallis?” Her upper lip curled ever so slightly, but Knox noticed. His demon, who had never liked her, urged Knox to throw a pencil at her head. Maybe even the stapler.
“You should,” replied Knox. “I would have thought you saw her on the video feed of the voting poll.”
Months ago, some Primes had tried electing themselves as a US Monarch. Demons didn’t have global leaders; they answered only to their Primes. The majority of demon kind voted to keep it that way. As the elections had been recorded live, every demon in the Underground had been able to watch the event – as such, they’d also seen him kill another Prime for attacking Harper, who dealt the she-demon a soul-deep blow before Knox stepped in.
“The whole thing held no interest for me. I was in Berlin at the time anyway.” Alethea, like many of her breed, preferred to live closely with humans as they were easier for them to manipulate and control. “You didn’t notice my absence?”