Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Tanner blinked. “A demon? One of ours?”
Larkin shook her head. “She’s one of Thatcher’s demons. I ran her picture through facial recognition software. Her name is Sherryl Malloy.”
Brow furrowing, Harper tilted her head. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
Larkin hesitated. “Because she’s dating your cousin, Ciaran.”
Knox had performed several interrogations in the boathouse on the grounds of their estate, but he was wary of having any strangers near his home and son right now—even if those strangers wouldn’t live long. As such, he would have asked Levi to grab Sherryl Malloy and take her straight to the Chamber … if Harper weren’t insisting on being part of the interrogation. Nothing he’d said had made her change her mind, and that meant he’d have to conduct it at the boathouse, because there was no way he was taking her to the Chamber.
He didn’t want her to ever step foot inside there. Didn’t want her to see the torturous implements and devices, or to be stained by the grim and hopeless air of the place. Of course, she knew Knox had a specific place where he punished those who deserved it. She was also well-aware that none of those punishments were even remotely merciful. But she never asked for details. Never even asked where the punishments took place. And that suited Knox just fine.
It would suit him just as much if she’d leave the interrogation up to him, but she’d point-blank refused. So, at that moment, his mate was walking between him and Larkin as they made their way to the boathouse. Tanner and Keenan had agreed to remain with Asher, but Knox suspected they would join them at some point out of sheer nosiness, if nothing else. They didn’t like to miss anything.
Knox briefly glanced at his mate. Harper looked composed, but her fiery anger brushed the edges of his mind. His demon wanted to nuzzle and calm her, even as it also fairly vibrated with its own fury.
Technically, since Malloy was one of Thatcher’s demons, Knox should contact the Prime about the situation before performing any interrogation. It was Thatcher’s right to deal with it himself and to take care of any punishments that needed to be dealt out. But since Knox hadn’t been able to cross Thatcher off his suspect list, he had no intention whatsoever of involving him in this.
Harper gave Knox a sideways look and said, “Let me lead this time. This bitch may well have been using Ciaran to get an in with my family and spy on them somehow for Alethea. She might have even recommended that Heidi be the perfect kid to use for the ritual to free the incorporeal. You can have your turn when I’m done.”
“You’re all heart,” Knox said dryly. She just snorted.
“I don’t think Malloy had anything to do with what happened to Heidi,” said Larkin, frowning. “From what I could gather, she’s only been dating Ciaran for a few months, off and on.”
“Yes, but I called Khloë a few minutes ago,” Harper told her. “She said that Ciaran and Sherryl have been working together at a retail store for a few years now. They were friends well before they started sharing a bed. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sherryl pushed for more so that she could get closer to him and get more info.”
“How much did you tell Khloë when you asked about Malloy?” Larkin asked.
“Not much. I assured her that I’d answer her questions later, once I had the answers I needed.” And Harper would do whatever it took to get them from this bitch who’d endangered her family. Anticipation filled her inner demon, who was anxious to vent some of the rage it had been forced to contain for far too long.
“Does Ciaran care about Malloy?” asked Larkin.
Harper considered it for a moment. “I doubt it, or he’d have brought her to family gatherings. He’s never once mentioned her to me. It was Khloë who talked about her, saying she didn’t like Ciaran’s new girlfriend.”
Harper also knew from Khloë that Sherryl was a familiar—a breed of demon that could change into small animals such as cats, dogs, birds, and ferrets. As such, Harper had been able to warn Levi that the bitch might try to escape him by shifting into an animal. She had indeed tried it, but Levi had bound her quickly with the preternatural rope he’d been given by his incantor friend—a demonic witch. It not only trapped a person, it blocked them from being able to use their gifts. Only a very powerful demon could escape it.
Generally, familiars were rarely powerful. However, they were often annoyingly immune to the compelling tone that all sphinxes were gifted with, which meant that Harper probably wouldn’t be able to force the she-demon to confess all. But that was okay. There were other much more fun ways of extracting information from people.