“I won’t repeat them,” she promised.
“I know you won’t. When I was twelve and my parents died, I was placed in a sanctuary for stray demon children. That’s where I met my sentinels. Isla was also there. We all watched out for each other.”
“So, you’re all kind of close?”
“Yes.”
“Then why would she wish to harm your anchor?” At his shifty expression, she narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“Isla convinced herself I was her anchor. I knew she was wrong, but she refused to listen to me. She was angry with me because she believed I was rejecting her. So she left us and joined the lair that she was made Prime of only a decade later.” Knox shrugged. “It could be that she’s realized she was wrong. We’ve come across each other over the years and she never mentioned it. Hoping that it could be forgotten, I never raised the subject. Maybe it has been forgotten. After all, it’s been a long time.”
That made Harper wonder how old he was. Once demons reached their late twenties, the aging process slowed to a crawl. She couldn’t guess his age based on how he dressed or how he spoke. Demons adapted and changed with the world around them – it was how they blended.
“But if she does still believe I’m her anchor, she’ll have some serious anger toward the person she thinks has taken her place.”
“Then announcing I’m your anchor isn’t the wisest thing to do.”
Knox pinned her gaze with his. “I’m not going to keep you a secret just to placate one person who may or may not still be deluded about something. You’re in more danger if people don’t know who you are to me.”
“He’s right,” Levi told her.
Harper sniffed at the sentinel. “I don’t believe I asked for a glass of your unimportant opinion.”
The guy just smiled. “Knox, can I bite her?”
“No.” If anyone would take a bite of that ivory skin, it would be Knox. His demon was in full agreement with that. “Although I don’t like the idea of you being in the same room as Isla when there’s a possibility that she could resent you, I think it would be better for you both to be introduced in a safe environment while I’m at your side.”
“Otherwise Isla, if she is still convinced you’re her anchor, would track down Harper and you might not be there to intervene,” said Levi, correctly guessing where Knox’s thoughts had taken him.
“It’s best to get it over with and find out for sure,” agreed Larkin.
Keenan looked at Harper, seemingly concerned. “Unless you’d rather not go. We’d understand if you were reluctant to be in a dangerous situation like that, if you’re scared.”
Knowing full well that the incubus was using reverse psychology, Harper scowled. “Are you always such an annoying motherfucker?”
Keenan laughed. “It makes life more interesting.”
Hearing his cell phone ringing, Knox retrieved it from his pocket. Tanner. “Tell me.”
“Did you know Silas can travel using shadows?” It was a form of teleportation.
“I’m guessing this means you lost him.”
“He went down an alley, I followed him and watched him blend into the shadows. Then he just disappeared.”
Knox sighed heavily.
“I don’t think whoever sent him will risk pissing you off again. They were just testing the waters. They have their answer now, so there’s no need to do anything else.”
“Maybe so. We’ll just have to be extra vigilant about her protection.” Hanging up, Knox updated the others.
“He tested you? Some people are just fucking clueless.” Larkin flipped her braid over her shoulder. “You should have at least dismembered him.”
Keenan chuckled. “Tanner’s probably right; they won’t try it again. That would be a death sentence, and they have to know that.”
After they talked a little more about it, Knox gestured for the sentinels to leave the room. Turning to Harper, he said, “I won’t coerce you into attending the conference. You can say no.” He wanted her to understand that although he’d be interfering and controlling, he wouldn’t try to make her into a puppet. He liked that she was strong minded and stood up to him.
Feeling at a disadvantage while she was sitting and he was towering over her, she rose to her feet. “I want to go with you.” She was curious about Isla, and this would be one way to stop him from repeatedly moaning about her living situation.
“Fair enough.”
“I still think it would be better for you to walk away from me.”
He threaded his hand through her hair, marveling at how soft it was. “That won’t happen.” It was so very tempting to take advantage of the need pulsing between them and seduce her into his bed. But he wanted her to come to him, willing in body, mind, and soul. He decided not to question why that was so important to him.
“I told you, I don’t get involved with our kind.”
“This was always going to happen, Harper.” From the moment he’d first seen her in the combat circle, when she’d pierced the numbness settling over him, it had been inevitable. “It’s too late to fight it.”
Considering how much her body craved his and how badly her demon wanted him, Harper feared that he might just be right.
“Now come on, let’s eat.”
CHAPTER FIVE