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)
“You’re definitely not weak—I’ve never once thought you were anything but strong.” Her expression dared him to prove it, and Knox sighed inwardly. He wasn’t going to be able to talk her out of this. If their situations were reversed, she’d have no more success talking him out of it. So, going against every protective instinct he had, Knox said, “All right, we work together.” His demon snarled, though it also understood and respected her need to hunt the fuckers presenting a threat to their family.
Letting out a long breath, she said, “Good. So what’s the plan?”
“I have the feeling that the best chance we have of identifying the Horseman is if we find out what Alethea was up to before she disappeared. Larkin’s working on that. We also need to find out where Alethea got the incorporeal. I’ll write to Dion tomorrow and request a meeting with him. If he’s not the collector we’re looking for, he may know who is. While we wait for Larkin to gather information and for Dion to contact me, I plan to do the very thing that the Horseman won’t expect—continue as normal and go about my daily business as if he’s not on my radar.”
“You’d be delivering the ultimate insult to him.” Which Harper liked a fuck of a lot. “I’ll do the same.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “But we need to leave Asher at home whenever either of us leaves the house. People would understand that—they’d see it as us being protective parents, not as us being afraid of the Horseman.”
“You’re only suggesting that Asher remain at home because you don’t feel confident that you can fully protect him,” Knox accused. She didn’t deny it. He framed her face with his hands. “You didn’t fail him the other day, Harper. You protected him.” Knox needed her to believe that. Needed her to let go of her senseless guilt and remember just how strong she truly was. If his faith in her didn’t do that, he wasn’t sure what would.
“He protected himself.”
“He shielded himself,” Knox corrected. “He didn’t get rid of the incorporeal. You did that. And I am absolutely certain that you could do it again if need be. You’re strong. Powerful. You can call on the flames of hell, which means you can destroy the incorporeal. It doesn’t know that, which gives you a major advantage.”
Harper swallowed. “That incorporeal is damn powerful.”
“But not invincible,” Knox reminded her.
“If I’m forced to call on the flames in front of other demons, it could cause us a whole other set of problems, couldn’t it?”
“Potentially, yes. We’ll deal with that bridge if and when we come to it. There’s no sense dwelling on something that may never happen—that’s just borrowing trouble.”
Harper inhaled deeply, taking in the comforting scents of clean linen, fragrant oils, and Knox’s dark sensual cologne. “Can we talk about something else now? My head feels close to exploding.”
“How about we go spend some time on the balcony and get some air?” His mate didn’t do well with being cooped up indoors when stressed.
“That is not a balcony. It has a pool. An infinity pool, to be more precise.”
His mouth curved. “We could take a dip in it now if you want.”
Harper recognized the roguish glint in his eyes and stilled. “Don’t you dare.” But he held her tight as flames engulfed them both again. When the fire died down, she and Knox were suddenly submerged in water. She swatted him. Bastard.
The next morning, as she watched Asher chuck his spoon on the floor for the tenth time, Harper sighed. “I can’t even be mad at him. I mean, look at that face. You can’t be mad at something that cute.”
Slicing into his omelet, Knox glanced at their son. Sitting in the highchair with his legs propped up on the tray, Asher grabbed his foot and started trying to shove it in his mouth. Everything went in the mouth. “At least he ate most of the porridge before he slung the bowl virtually across the room.”
Harper humphed. Asher did the same thing pretty much every meal time. Of course, the bowl and spoon would initially be in her hands. But Asher would at some point pyroport them to himself and then proceed to paint his face and tray with what food he had left before then tossing the plastic dishware away. He’d often then pyroport the spoon back to his hand, only to throw it again.
Bracing her elbows on the dining table, Harper spooned some of her cereal as she asked Knox, “Has Dion responded to your letter yet?”
“No, but I expect he’ll do so soon. Last time I wrote to him, he responded within a week.” Knox studied his mate over the rim of his mug. She seemed better this morning. The lines of stress had smoothed away from her face, and he suspected it was because they’d agreed on how they would proceed. Now that she knew they’d be working together and had a plan of sorts, she probably felt more in control.