"Don't be sweet. You'll make me cry."
He curled a hand around her chin. "Don't cry. I hate seeing you cry, even when I know it's just hormones at work."
"Then get back to the current matter and distract me."
"Okay. The parade itself won't take long. We'll do a quick lap of the Underground -"
"Tell me we're not riding in a sparkly float," she begged.
He chuckled. "Not a sparkly float. After we've finished the lap, we'll go to the Ice Lounge and relax there for the rest of the celebration. I've no doubt that people will come talk to you, but at least you'll be sitting comfortably and be well-guarded when they do."
"Can Jolene, my family, and the girls meet us there?"
"Yes, I've already put them on the VIP guest list. They should already be in the VIP section by the time we get there."
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. You're mine. I'll always give you what you need." He felt the baby move again. This time, it was as if it rolled beneath his hand. "This little one sure is active tonight."
"Like I said, it wants out."
"In five weeks, it will get its wish." He kissed her and spoke against her mouth, "Love you, baby."
"And I love you." Hearing a ping, Harper twisted to look at the private elevator that was a direct entrance into the suite. The doors slid open, revealing all four sentinels looking smart and alert.
"Everything's in place," Levi told them. "Time to go."
"We're ready." Knox threaded his fingers through hers and led her through the spacious entryway and into the elevator. The sentinels backed against the four walls to make room, all giving them brief nods.
As the shiny metal doors closed behind them, Harper let out a breath. "Looking good, guys." The sentinels each shot her an impatient glance. "Sorry, sorry, you're concentrating on looking scary and unapproachable. Don't worry; you've got that down."
The elevator hummed as they descended. It came to a very smooth halt with a chime, and the doors then slid open once again. Without a word, two sentinels took the lead while the others took up the rear as they all walked through the reception area and out of the automatic doors.
Harper gave a low whistle at the sight she found. Many people were waiting, all dressed up in glitzy costumes. There were acrobats, cheerleaders, stilt walkers, dance troops, and baton and flag twirlers. Even better, there were a bunch of demons on Harley Davidsons. Harper was totally jealous that she couldn't ride one of those … right up until she realized that Knox was leading her to a beautiful carriage that was pulled by two white, fine-boned horses.
"Wow," she breathed. Harper inhaled. She loved the smell of horses – hay, wood chips, sunshine, dust, and a hint of leather.
Tanner opened the carriage door and held out his hand. "I'll give you a boost, since you're size-challenged."
"Hey," she playfully whined, allowing him to help her into the carriage. She wasn't at all surprised by the lavish cream-leather interior; Knox always traveled in style.
Knox slid in beside her and arched a brow. "Well?"
"This is pretty awesome," she told him. "I've never been in a horse-drawn carriage before."
///
"Really? Good. I like to introduce you to new things."
"Well, you massively succeeded." She noticed that the four sentinels flanked the carriage; Levi and Larkin stood on the right while Tanner and Keenan stood on the left. "I'm guessing they'll be guarding us the entire time."
"You guessed correctly. I won't ever take chances with your safety, Harper. The performers are part of our lair, but that doesn't mean I trust them so close to you. Throughout the parade, some of the performers will precede us; the others will follow. That means that, essentially, we're boxed in if there's a threat, which is why the sentinels are here and members of the Force are on patrol."
She wasn't the least bit surprised by how tight his security measures were. "Then you've done all you can do. Let's get this done."
Knox nodded to someone, and then a voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing the beginning of the parade. A big applause rang through the Underground. Then everyone around them began to move.
Harper almost jumped as the marching band roared to life. The drumbeat seemed to vibrate in her chest as the carriage smoothly pulled onto the strip. There was hooting, whistling, shouting, and laughing. Some threw confetti while others threw candy, snapping pictures with their cell phones.