Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 110802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Glancing out of the window, Knox saw that they were almost at the studio. Just like that, his demon’s agitation began to ease away. It had been in a bad mood all day, pissed that Crow had managed to evade the Force. Oh, the members of his Force had tracked down the cab quick enough, only to realize they had been following the wrong vehicle. There were just so many cabs around that Crow had found it simple enough to blend in and disappear.
The demon had wanted Harper; wanted to reach out to her telepathically and hear her voice. That alone would have helped both Knox and his demon calm, but Knox had resisted the urge. He hadn’t wanted to spoil her day with talk of Crow; he’d decided he would tell her face-to-face later on. Then he’d heard from Tanner that fucking Alethea had confronted Harper and the news had only served to enrage him further. He’d briefly reached out to her, wanting to be sure she was fine. That small conversation had cooled his demon’s anger a little, but not enough.
As Levi came to a stop outside the studio, he asked, “What are you going to do about Alethea?”
“That depends on Harper,” said Knox. “She’s been adamant since the beginning that it’s important for her to fight her own battles. I don’t like it. But I also know that Alethea is the type of person who finds bad attention better than no attention.”
“So if you call Alethea and threaten her, a part of her will get a kick out of it.”
“Exactly.” And Knox had no urge to please that she-demon in any way. Tanner, you can leave now. Harper’s coming with me.
Sliding out of the Bentley, Knox frowned under the weight of the dry heat. As the hellhound drove away, he pushed open the door of the studio and stepped into the air-conditioned building. He was instantly surrounded by the scents of paint, ink, coffee, and disinfectant. The receipt machine whirred as it printed a receipt for the human female standing at the desk, probing a bandage that was taped on her upper arm. Khloë gave Knox a brief salute, to which he nodded before turning his attention to his mate.
As if sensing him on some level, Harper paused over the tattoo she was working on and looked up. She smiled. “Hey, what brings you here?”
Crossing the space, he kissed her, and the stress of the day fell away. “I’ve come to take you to dinner.”
Her smile widened. “Really?”
“Yes. How long will you be?”
“I’m almost done here. Then I just have to clean up. Wait in the car with Levi if you want.”
Instead, Knox folded his arms and leaned his hip against the wall. “I’ll wait here.” He liked watching her work. And it would be best to make it blindingly clear to the human in her chair that she was taken, since the guy was looking at her with gooey eyes.
“All right.” Harper turned back to the snake tattoo on the human’s shoulder. Knox watched her, admiring her steady hand, fascinated by the sheer focus on her face. At those moments, her attention was centered solely on her work, and any red-blooded male would wonder what it would be like to be the focus of attention like that. Knox could tell them. It was heady. Arousing. Enlivening.
Finally, she was done and advised the human on aftercare as she attached a bandage to his shoulder. He nodded along, wearing an awe-filled expression that said he’d jump into the fires of hell if she told him to. Well, if the little shit continued to stare at her, he might find himself facing that problem.
When the guy headed to the reception desk, Harper said, “Now I just have to clean up.”
“Do whatever it is you need to do. I’ll wait.” As she tidied the station and cleaned her equipment, Knox studied the various sketches and photos of tattoos that she’d tacked on the wall near her framed license. Pride swelled inside him. One glance at her work was enough to show that Harper had raw talent – there was no denying it. She had a true flair for design and a talent for putting a contemporary or inventive twist on the most original tattoos.
At last, she was slipping on her jacket. “Ready to go?”
Nodding, he shackled her wrist with his hand. “Come on.”
Saying goodbye to the girls, Harper let him lead her outside. Her shoulders slumped under the baking heat as she crossed to where Levi was waiting; holding open the rear door. At his short nod, she smiled and said, “Hi, Levi.” Sinking into the buttery smooth leather seat and escaping the merciless sun, she let out a happy sigh. She was tired and stiff, which was made worse by the fact that her muscles were still sore from her last flying lesson.