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)
Incredulous, Thatcher shook his head. “It makes no sense that Sherryl would have placed your family in danger. She was dating your cousin.” Watching as Harper slowly lifted a brow, realization seemed to dawn on Thatcher. He sighed. “She was using him to get information.” His eyes flicked to Knox. “I suppose the reason you didn’t call me until now is that you suspect me of being the Horseman. I would have taken care of her punishment.”
A low hiss came out of Harper. “That kill was ours,” she told Thatcher, jabbing her finger in the corpse’s direction. “That creature—or what’s left of her—endangered our son. The Horseman wanted us to know what happened to people who got in the way of his plans. Well, that is what happens to anyone who even plays a part in any harm that befalls my family. And when I get my hands on the Horseman—and I will—he won’t get off so lightly.”
“You call that lightly?” asked Mila, tone mild.
“Her pain is over, isn’t it?” Harper retorted. “His will never be over.”
The Primes studied Harper as if they’d never seen her before. There was a newfound respect in their gazes and, in many cases, a healthy dose of apprehension. Knox suspected the Primes would also be both unnerved and irritated to learn they had totally underestimated her. Though she was strong, they’d never really considered her a threat in her own right—only in the sense that she was mated to Knox and, thus, they made each other stronger.
“I am assuming you interrogated the she-demon,” said Dario, flicking a look at the corpse. “Did she know anything useful that will lead us to the Horseman?”
“Nothing that would lead us directly to him,” said Knox. “But she gave us information that would help—information I’m quite sure the Horseman didn’t know she possessed.”
Jolene gave a slow nod. “He would have killed her if he’d thought she had anything on him, but he apparently didn’t consider her a loose end.”
“Will you not share with us the information she gave you?” Raul asked Knox.
“No, just as I’m quite sure none of you will share anything that you uncover.” Knox was unsurprised when none of them denied it. “Sad as it is, we do not know who we can trust. If the Horseman should learn what I now know, it would give him the opportunity to wipe away any evidence. I won’t risk that.”
Dario sighed. “Very well.”
Exhaling heavily, Thatcher rubbed at his brow. “I’ll send some of my sentinels to collect Sherryl’s body. It is custom in my lair to give each demon a proper burial, no matter their crime.”
“Is it?” drawled Harper, eyes narrowing. “Levi.”
At the one-word summons, Levi stepped out of the shadows and into the camera’s line of sight. He then clicked his fingers, and the corpse burst into cinders that quickly faded away. It was an ability that came with being a reaper. And it made Harper’s inner demon smirk. Now that the entity had vented some of its rage, it was much mellower.
Glaring at Thatcher, Harper said, “There’s no such custom about burials in my lair. Even if there were, that bitch would get no courtesies from me.”
“Nor from me, in your position,” Mila said to Harper. Others murmured their agreement.
Knox ran his gaze over each of the Primes, who—except for Jolene, who looked at her granddaughter with pride—were once again eyeing Harper warily. He didn’t blame them. “I think my mate and I have made our standpoint blindingly clear. I hope you convey this message to the demons within your lairs. We wouldn’t want anyone else getting ideas about targeting Asher, would we?” He nodded at Larkin, who cut the link for the video conference and then closed the laptop.
Harper’s shoulders lowered slightly, and she let out a long breath. “I need a drink.” Or a bottle. Maybe then her nerves would finally fully settle.
Keenan pulled his flask out of his pocket and offered it to her. “Here.”
She didn’t even take a cautious sniff. Just chugged it down. And nearly choked as her throat and the roof of her mouth started to burn like holy hell. She coughed. “Jesus, what is that? Battery acid?”
The incubus smirked. “Everclear vodka with a little something mixed in.”
Deciding she didn’t want to know what that little something was, Harper handed him the flask, still coughing. Knox rested his hand on her nape and gave it a comforting squeeze.
Staring down at her, Tanner said, “You weren’t kidding.”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“You can in fact be terrifying. And no, I’m not teasing you.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to ever again deal with shit from the Primes, Harper.” Levi moved the chair back to its spot near the wall and hooked the rope over it. “It’s fucked up that this gained their respect, but if that respect and fear keeps them from messing with you, that can only be a good thing.”