Blaze (Dark in You 2)

“Snap a picture of it with your phone.” He did, and Harper was surprised to see that it wasn’t as conspicuous as the others. It was a black, thin choker that looked much like a branch of thorns.

“You like it.”

“Well yeah, but… it would be really nice if it wasn’t wrapped around my throat. Seriously, your demon might as well have just put ‘All Rights Reserved’ on my neck. It’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“Not out loud.”

“I think, compared to the others, it’s understated. Much like the tattoos Raini did for you.” He cocked his head. “Why do you keep all your tattoos hidden?”

“People tend to ask what tattoos mean.”

And his sphinx was an extremely private person who gave very few people peeks of her soul. “Will you tell me what yours mean?”

“I got ‘So it Goes’ from Slaughterhouse Five to remind myself not to dwell on anything I can’t control – bad shit happens; it’s part of life. I got the little raven on my hipbone because I can relate to ravens; they’re tricksters, they think and strategize.”

Like her family, Knox thought. “What about the dragonfly on the nape of your neck?”

“They have a short lifespan and they’re very delicate, but neither of those things hold them back. I admire that. They’re master fliers, which I also fully admire.” And something she’d also envied until her own wings came to her. “What am I supposed to say when people ask why I have a thorny choker tattooed around my throat?”

“Only humans would need to ask. Demons will already know what it means.” They would see the thorns and know immediately that it was his brand of possession.

“And you totally like that idea, don’t you?” She gasped as he flexed his cock. “How are you still hard?”

“How can I be buried deep inside my mate and not be hard?”

Well, when he put it like that…

CHAPTER NINE

The next day, Harper found herself in the Underground, standing outside a plain and clearly vacant building. “I can see why you chose this spot for the studio,” she said to Knox. “As locations go, I will admit it’s perfect.” It was close to the mall and the best restaurants, and it even had a cute little coffeehouse next door. It also had top-notch security and, due to being a hotspot within the Underground, would get a lot of foot traffic.

“As a bonus, it’s reasonably close to my main office,” said Knox. He unlocked the door, but he didn’t usher her inside. It had to be her choice. He’d pushed her far enough on the subject, and he knew his mate well enough to know that if he pushed any further she could object to moving here just to be contrary.

Promising herself that she would keep an open mind and try to imagine truly working there, Harper opened the glass door and stepped inside. The walls were a bright white, much like the walls in her studio. That was good. She’d need to get rid of the beige carpet if she took the place, though. A hardwood floor would be better.

“Take a look around,” said Knox. “I’ll wait here with Levi and Tanner.”

Nodding, Harper took a turn around the reception area. It was bigger than her current one, and she was sure that Khloë would love that she could fit a large desk in here. Behind the reception area were a row of two office cubicles on either side of the space.

She walked behind the cubicles and over to the door on her left, which turned out to be an empty, nondescript room. It would be perfect space for Devon to do piercings, she thought.

Exiting the room, she went to the one adjacent to it that had a small metallic “Office” sign. Even with a large desk and filing cabinet, it was pretty spacious, unlike her current office.

There was one final door, which was against the back wall. Opening it, she found a very large space that contained a small kitchen and led to two other rooms; one door was labelled “restrooms” and the other had no label. Taking a quick peek at the latter space, she thought it would make a good stockroom.

“So many things would be simpler for you if you relocated here,” said Knox.

Spinning, she found he’d followed her into the room. “Like what?”

He crossed to her. “Small things, like you wouldn’t have to wear contact lenses. Big things, like you’re close to all the places you often go and you wouldn’t be restricted to daytime hours. But I’d ask that you leave at least most of your evenings free. I like spending them with you.”

“Would you want Tanner sitting outside?” She didn’t like that the hellhound had to do it, even though he claimed not to mind. He was a sentinel. He was made for better things.

“Only until Crow has been captured. After that, it wouldn’t be necessary for Tanner to hang around. The reason I worry so much about you working among humans is that you and your friends have to be careful not to use your gifts against anyone who does you harm. Here, that wouldn’t be an issue.”

Valid point, and a good answer.

“There is much better security here.” Knox combed his fingers through her hair. “And did you notice there’s a coffeehouse next door?”

“I did.” The smells of coffee and fresh donuts coming from the place were heavenly.

“We also have a penthouse suite in the hotel across the strip. That means if you ever feel like taking a long break or changing clothes before you go to a bar after work, you wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the mansion.”