Ashes(11)

"It was nothing personal. Just business."



"Business?" Knox rumbled.



Levi gave a dramatic wince. "Damn, hunter, you're just digging a deeper hole for yourself here."



"I just mean that -"



"There's really nothing you could say that would excuse what you did." Knox took a step closer to him. "As I said earlier, I won't be making any deals with you. You won't die faster if you tell me the truth straight away. I won't spare you any pain – not after what you did to my mate. But it is in your best interests to be truthful."



He swallowed. "Why?"



"Because my demon wants to play with you too," Knox said softly, "and I've decided to let it."



The hunter's face went devoid of all color. Well, who'd want to deal with an entity as dark and psychopathic as Knox's?



"It often gets carried away when it comes to torture," Knox went on. "But there's a possibility that it will get bored quicker if it has the answers it needs. I say ‘possibility' because there's really no knowing for sure. If you'd prefer to take your chances, that's fine too. Either way, you'll be in pain and you'll die – this is a win-win situation for me. So, you can tell me what I wish to know immediately, suffer horribly for a little while and then die …  or you can tell me what I wish to know eventually, suffer horribly a hell of a lot longer, and then die." Knox twirled the ball of hellfire. "Now, I'll ask again. Who hired you?"



The hunter opened his mouth and talked.


      ///
       
         
       
        





CHAPTER THREE





Harper woke to the smells of coffee, bagel, and cream cheese. She didn't move or open her eyes, but Knox must have sensed that she was awake because the tapping on his laptop keyboard stopped. Fingers then brushed her hair aside and he pressed a kiss to her temple.



"Morning, baby."



"Morning," she mumbled into the plump pillow. "What time is it?"



"Seven. You had a good, long sleep. It was a relief. You haven't been sleeping well lately."



Taking stock of herself, she realized that her wings had melted into her back, which meant they were healed. She also realized that someone – most likely Knox – had slipped a T-shirt on her while she slept.



Opening her eyes, she found him propped up against his pillows on his side of the massive bed, laptop resting on the legs that were stretched out in front of him. "What did the hunter have to say?"



"I'll tell you all about it while you eat. Sit up."



But she was just so comfortable. The deluxe mattress and super-soft bedding made her feel like she was wrapped in a cloud. The hedonistic luxury wasn't confined to the bed. The whole room was lavish with the high-quality furnishings, rare imported flooring, a huge-ass closet, and the balcony, which was more like a patio with a small pool. Knox did like his comforts.



His finger traced the shell of her ear. "Up."



"Do I really have to?" she whined.



His lips twitched. "Yes, or your breakfast will go cold." He closed his laptop and set it on the nightstand. "Then Meg will lecture you again for not eating well."



It was understandable, Knox thought, that her sleep cycle and appetite was off. Almost dying at the hands of dark practitioners and then again at the hands of a near-rogue demon would shake up anyone. To be responsible for your half-brother's death, even if he did completely deserve to die, would tug on the strings of a heart that felt as deeply as Harper's did. "Come on, baby, sit up."



"Okay," she mumbled, struggling into an upright position. He kissed her. Softly. Gently. Carefully. Harper shot him a scowl. "I'm not a spun-glass princess."



He smiled. "No, you're definitely not that." He placed a tray of food over her lap. "Eat."



Just to annoy him, she sipped at her coffee first. Her demon grinned when his eyes narrowed. It didn't like being treated like it was fragile either. "So, what did the hunter say?" 



Knox waited until she bit into her bagel before he spoke. "They were sent an anonymous, encrypted email with a substantial offer if they could get their hands on your wings."



"So we can't trace the email?"



"No. It self-deleted a short time after it was opened."



"Clever." And terribly inconvenient, she thought with a frown. "How were they supposed to contact this person once they had my wings?"