Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 119942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Keenan flopped on the sofa next to Larkin. “You know all the missing strays? They’ve been found.”
“Found?” echoed Levi. “Alive?”
“Yes.”
Tanner leaned forward. “When?”
“A few hours ago,” replied Keenan. “They were all in a warehouse in some kind of induced coma.”
“Are they awake now?” asked Larkin.
Keenan nodded. “But it seems that they don’t remember a single moment of their capture. The last memory each of them have is of what they were doing just before they were taken.”
Harper spoke then. “Wait, who found them?”
Keenan’s smile had a cynical edge to it. “Isla.” He looked at Knox. “And you can imagine just how grateful and indebted the strays now feel toward their savior, who managed to find them when no one else could.”
“If you ask me, she was the one to take them in the first place,” said Larkin. “She’s not dumb; she knew that no Prime would wish to give up power. She knew that to get what she wanted, she’d have to include every demon in America in the voting. Finding the missing strays will certainly earn her some votes.”
Levi nodded. “I agree. Isla planned this. It’s part of her scheme to win the favor of the demon community.”
“How successful have Isla, Malden, and Dario’s campaigns been so far?” Harper asked, suspecting the sentinels would have kept a close eye on things.
“People are dubious,” replied Tanner. “But that could change when the three Primes present their cases this weekend.”
Larkin looked at Knox. “What’s the itinerary for the weekend?”
Knox took the seat beside Harper. “Malden will present his case on Friday. Isla will present hers on Saturday. And Dario will give his on Sunday. Each statement will be recorded live so that the demons outside the hotel can watch it on various big screens around the Underground.”
“What promises do you think they’ll make to the public?” Harper asked Knox.
“Plenty of very appealing ones. But I strongly doubt they would intend to keep any of those promises. Let’s hope the public see that.”
CHAPTER TEN
Glancing around the reception area, Harper saw that the Underground hotel hosting the gathering was just as ritzy and luxurious as Knox’s hotels on the Vegas strip. The only difference was that the demons didn’t have to hide their true natures here. It was simple things, like they didn’t have to pretend they were physically struggling to carry their luggage, to big things like the doormen/sentries could be in their hellhound form.
As Jolene and the receptionist went through the check-in rigmarole, Harper noticed Beck discretely stuffing his pockets with complimentary mints. Imps never turned down freebies. Meeting Tanner’s amused gaze, she rolled her eyes. As usual, he was acting as her bodyguard.
Returning to her apartment after work, she’d found Jolene, Martina, and Beck waiting for her. They’d said they wanted to spend some ‘quality family time’ with Harper before the political games began. In truth, they had wanted to update her on their ‘findings’ on Kendra. Translation, they ripped into her life…confirming that Lucian was, in fact, Kendra’s father. Her upbringing hadn’t been great, since her mother was an alcoholic and her stepfather was quite simply a dick. If she fantasied that her life would have been a bed of roses if Lucian had taken responsibility for her, she was wrong there.
Jolene had been pissed to hear about the practitioners attacking Harper. She shared Knox’s suspicion that Isla was most likely behind all the recent problems. When Harper mentioned that Carla was a suspect, she’d expected Jolene to scoff and say that Carla wasn’t intelligent enough to pull off any of it. Instead, Jolene had said, ‘Someone who can hate a tiny little baby is capable of anything.’
Studying the hotel map, Martina excitedly said, “Oh my God, this place has a spa, fitness center, nine swimming pools, eighteen restaurants, a casino, and a shopping mall.”
Harper smiled at her aunt. “I’m glad you like it so much. Hopefully that means you won’t burn anything.”
“It’s certainly very impressive,” allowed Jolene. “Where are you staying, Harper?”
“The same floor as Knox. He has a whole floor to himself and his sentinels.”
“And he wants you to sleep on the same floor for your protection,” said Jolene with a nod. But she wasn’t dumb, she suspected something was going on between Harper and Knox. It was really only a matter of time before she brought it up.
Harper hadn’t seen him since the previous night. He’d had a business meeting that morning with his human colleagues. After that, he’d been busy ensuring everything was in place for the gathering.
“Here you go.” The receptionist handed Jolene several keycards before flashing Harper a shaky smile.
A bellboy appeared. “Can I take your luggage?”
Beck raised a hand. “Not necessary, we can carry them just fine. I don’t see the point in bellboys,” he told Harper as they made their way to the elevator, luggage in hand. “We’ve got arms, we’ve got a map, and why would we want to tip someone for something we can do ourselves? It’s just laziness.”