Burn

“No,” she denied. “Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a fun moment. But I know that if it was the other way around, I’d smack the shit out of whoever I believed let you down.”

The protectiveness in her tone made him smile. “I couldn’t help but notice that Khloë enjoyed the dispute.”

Harper shrugged. “She’s never liked Lucian.”

Knox’s phone beeped, halting what he would have said next.

“Is everything ready for the voting poll tomorrow?” she asked, watching his fingers adeptly flying over the screen of his cell.

“Almost,” he replied.

“Which way do you think the wind will blow?”

“It’s hard to say. Each of the three candidates made appealing proposals. One thing in our favor is that demons, as a rule, aren’t fond of great changes. The whisper campaigns also did a lot of damage.”

“The question is: Just how much damage did they do?”

There would be no knowing the answer until tomorrow.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Knox arranged for the polling station to be open from 6am to 10pm in the same Underground hotel that held the speeches. Demons voted using an electronic polling system that had been used in the past. In short, each demon entered a polling booth and voted using the computer inside – one that was designed to ensure the demon couldn’t place more than one vote.

According to Larkin, many demons claimed they wouldn’t be voting, since they were undecided. Still, it seemed that the entire U.S. public had come to the Underground to witness the result of the election. As such, everybody was no doubt waiting impatiently for the Primes to finish their five course meal.

The restaurant’s table seating arrangement was the same as it had been for the speeches. Beside him, Harper was as stunning as always in a fuchsia halter-neck dress that dipped near her cleavage enough to flash some of his demon’s brand. The sight was enough to make him hard, despite that he’d exploded inside her only an hour ago. He thought about the brand he now wore on his nape and felt masculine satisfaction rise in him. His mate had marked him, made it clear that he was taken. His inner demon was pretty smug about it.

Knox watched, totally rapt, as Harper licked chocolate sauce from her spoon. She was such a sensual creature, and so very unaware of it. He put his mouth to her ear, speaking quietly. “Every time your tongue flicks out to catch that sauce, I remember how it feels to have your tongue lapping at my cock.”

“You should get that put in a Hallmark card or something.”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest.

She pushed aside her plate and spoon. “Looks like almost everyone is done with dessert. How long until you announce the result of the poll?”

“A few minutes.” Sweeping his gaze around the room, he studied each of the candidates. Isla looked smug, seemingly confident that she would be elected. Dario seemed composed, but he was chugging down wine like a man dying of thirst. Malden’s expression and posture betrayed nothing.

Neither Knox nor his inner demon was comfortable having Isla in the same room as Harper. So far, Isla had done nothing more than greet him from a distance with a simple nod. It was difficult to imagine that the cool, collected she-demon was the same one that enjoyed sexually assaulting and torturing the women within her lair.

When Harper informed him of Khloë’s findings, his initial reaction had been shock. Dismay had quickly followed – dismay at the fact that the vulnerable, abused child he once knew had grown into an abuser herself. That such cruelty existed within her only gave him more reason to suspect she was responsible for the things that had happened to and around Harper. If so, the Prime was living on borrowed time.

“Why do you look like you’ve just swallowed something bitter?” Harper asked him. Her eyes were presently a bright gold that fairly mesmerized him.

Knox lightly touched one of the two jeweled, metal hair sticks she’d inserted into her bun. “I don’t like you being in close proximity to Isla.”

Harper wasn’t so keen on it either. Although she didn’t share Knox’s belief that Isla was the guilty party, it didn’t mean that Harper was comfortable around such a twisted bitch. “Any news on the mysterious Kendra impersonator?”

Knox shook his head. “We still haven’t been able to find out her location or her true identity.”

“In terms of whether she’s a likely suspect, it doesn’t look good for her that she’s disappeared.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he allowed.

“You’ve crossed Carla off the list of suspects, haven’t you?”

“I don’t believe she wants you dead.”

Neither did Harper. “Lucian’s pissed that I found out the whole Carla story. He thought it was best that I just believed the woman was an evil heifer, nothing more.”

“Can we not talk about that negligent, childish, self-absorbed bastard?”

“Can’t you come up with a pet name for him that’s a little less offensive?”

“How about I shorten it to just ‘bastard’?”

Harper sighed heavily. “Forget it.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Jolene.

“I don’t like to admit defeat, but it’s possible that I’ll never get Knox and Lucian to like each other,” replied Harper.

Her grandmother shook her head. “Lucian will never like any male in your life. And Knox will never stop imagining new ways to kill him. It’s a hopeless case.” Jolene patted her hand. “But I’m sure Knox wishes he could put his dislike of Lucian aside for your sake. I’m sure he wishes your feelings on this matter could come before his. I’m sure he—”