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)
Levi crossed to Harper. “I’m curious about your brand-new cuff.”
Drew’s brows snapped together. “Cuff? What cuff?”
“It’s a temporary gift from Asher,” said Harper as she lifted her arm so that Knox and Levi could study the cuff. “Asher has an identical one on his own wrist.”
Touching her psychic cuff and feeling the hum of power, Knox pursed his lips. “Hmm. It’s strong.” His demon was quite proud of Asher’s show of power. It was also completely unsurprised. “Very strong, actually.”
She frowned. “You can’t take it off?”
“I could,” said Knox. “But I’d much rather see how long the link lasts without interference. If the cuffs aren’t gone by tonight, I’ll take them off. Unless you’re absolutely desperate to have them gone …?”
Harper chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I’ll wait till later. It would be handy to know how long they last, just in case he does it again.”
“Wait a minute, your kid bound you to him?” asked Drew, casting Asher a wary look.
Before Harper could answer, Knox interlinked their fingers and squeezed her hand. “You done here, baby?”
“Yep.”
“Good.” Knox tugged her to her feet. “I’ll walk you outside to the Audi before I head to my next meeting.” Because there was no fucking way he was leaving her with Drew. Not after what Knox had discovered.
Slinging Asher’s bag over her shoulder, Harper said her goodbyes to everyone, adding, “Take care, and be alert.”
“Be alert about what?” asked Drew, brow creased.
“I’ll explain in a minute,” Devon told him.
Drew waved at Asher, who frowned at him, expression once again sober.
Asher doesn’t like him much, apparently, Harper told Knox, unable to hide her amusement.
Knox shrugged. Kids can sense evil.
Snorting, Harper let Knox lead her out of the studio. Tanner, Keenan, Levi, and Ciaran surrounded them protectively as they walked down the strip. Still in Knox’s arms, Asher babbled to himself.
“I take it you fully warned the girls,” Knox said to Harper.
She nodded. “I don’t think the incorporeal will turn its attention their way, but it’s best that they’re warned just in case.” The rest of demonkind would be warned after the Primes met and discussed the issue. Her demon’s upper lip curled at the thought of the meeting. It had no time or patience for politics. Imps didn’t take politics whatsoever seriously, but Jolene never missed a meeting.
On the subject of her grandmother … “I should probably give Grams a call and check she’s okay,” said Harper. “She was pretty mad when I first told her about the incorporeal. I’m worried she’ll do something dumb.”
“She seemed fine when I visited her just now.”
Harper glanced at him. “Are you going to tell me just why you went to see her?”
“We’ll talk about it later. We don’t have enough time to cover it right now.”
“Ma!” Asher pointed toward the rodeo, where a guy was struggling to hold tight to a wild bucking bull.
Harper smiled. “I see it.”
Recalling the time Harper had engaged in such a sport and nearly took a hundred years off his life, Knox warned, “You’d better not try putting Asher on the back of a bull.” Having been raised by imps, his mate had engaged in lots of dangerous and often highly illegal activities since a very young age—including breaking into bank vaults and indulging in high-speed car racing. He didn’t want Asher doing the same.
Her mouth kicked up into a smile. “Not even once?”
“No.”
“But it’s fun.”
Knox looked at her, incredulous. “It’s the most dangerous eight seconds of sport.” A sport that imps especially loved to do when drunk.
“What’s your point?”
Knox shook his head. “Never mind.”
His mate just chuckled.
“Ooh.” Fire erupted out of Asher’s hand, and then he was holding a little truck. Smiling, he showed it to Harper. “Ma!”
“I see it, but that’s not yours.” Gently prying the truck from him, Harper shook her head in reprimand. “We don’t take people’s things.” She glanced around in search of the owner. A little boy in a stroller was hanging over the side, his teary gaze sweeping the floor like he was looking for something. Harper walked over and gave the little boy the truck, and he instantly calmed.
The kid’s mother, who’d been gossiping with another woman, completely oblivious, turned.
“I was just handing him back his toy,” said Harper, knowing the woman would assume he’d simply dropped it.
“Th-thank you,” she stuttered, recognizing Harper and seeming a little intimidated.
“No problem.” Harper returned to her son, whose eyes bled to black as his demon surfaced. It touched her mind, communicating its displeasure. “Don’t be a brat,” she told it. She cut her gaze to Knox. “It’s not funny.”
“I’m not laughing.”
“You are in your head.”
Yes, he was. Outside, Knox buckled Asher into the car seat of the Audi and then gave her a lingering kiss. “Unfortunately, I can’t go home with you. I won’t be long.”