Burn

She smiled, knowing that her face was heating. And they say romance is dead. “Knox,” she greeted in return.

Raul went to speak, but his anchor beat him to it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Thorne. I’m Tanya.” Going by the respectful way she spoke to him, Harper figured that Tanya considered Knox an equal. She also seemed to consider him fair game, if the sultry smile she gave him was anything to go by. Harper’s inner demon hissed.

The woman was waiting for a reaction, Knox realized. She was used to males admiring and wanting her, and she was waiting for him to cast an appreciate eye over her. She was a female who knew how to play the seduction game – a game he hadn’t realized he was so weary of until Harper came along. She outshone Tanya by far, and he wondered if either of the females knew it. Knox simply said, “Ah, you’re Raul’s anchor.”

Tanya’s face tightened, her cheeks turning pink. It probably made her more annoyed that Knox greeted the others by name.

No sooner had they sat down than the starters were brought out. Between each delicious course, various Primes came to their table and talked briefly with him. They wanted him to know that they fully agreed that electing a Monarch would be a bad move, and they were interested in his opinion on whether or not the demon public would feel the same.

All of them had heard that the missing strays were found, and it seemed that most of them suspected Isla had kidnapped them as part of a campaign tactic. The woman wasn’t fooling these people; they knew her too well. They confirmed that she was the source of the rumors that Harper wasn’t Knox’s true anchor, and they were clearly hoping he would explain why Isla seemed to have such an issue with Harper. He didn’t, though. His private business wasn’t theirs to know.

Isla’s very unhappy, Levi told Knox. She’s been watching you and Harper closely. Every time you introduce Harper to people as your anchor and they give her the respect and acknowledgment that she’s due, Isla snarls at them.

Watch her. Warn me if she approaches.

Quick question: Are you so on edge because Isla’s nearby or because a lot of males are sending Harper admiring glances?

Both. The males were subtle about it, as if fearing it would trigger Knox’s possessiveness as her anchor, but it still pissed off Knox and his demon. Tanya didn’t appear to like it either, obviously feeling that all male attention should be focused on her. Whenever his anchor caught Tanya glaring at her, she’d glare right back until Tanya looked away. Then Jolene would cackle.

“The Primes are like a bunch of old women looking for gossip,” Harper whispered when there was a lull in the visits to their table.

“Yes,” he agreed, discretely placing his hand on her knee beneath the table. For a moment, she froze. But then she relaxed under his hand, and his inner demon smiled in satisfaction.

There weren’t many people who were relaxed around Knox. They were always on their guard to some extent, and it was wise of them to be wary. But the one person he’d never harm was Harper, and it pleased him and his demon that she believed that. No one could have blamed her for fearing him after witnessing what he could do, but she still trusted him with her safety. She probably had no idea what that meant to him.

“They’re also looking for a weak spot in Isla,” he told her, admiring the sapphire color of Harper’s eyes. “We wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t pushed for it. They don’t want her to succeed.”

“Why don’t you just tell them that she’s suffering from delusions?”

“I don’t explain myself to people.” He drew circles on her inner knee with his thumb, loving the velvety feel of her skin. “They seem to be drawing their own conclusions anyway. And no one appears to believe her lies about you.”

She sipped at her champagne. “I got a call from Lucian earlier.”

“He’s heard about all this?”

“No, he’s in Australia right now. He doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in the U.S. He probably wouldn’t care anyway. Being a nomad, he doesn’t consider himself to be a U.S. citizen.”

“Did you tell him?”

“Nah.”

“You didn’t tell him about me either, did you?” Knox involuntarily clenched his hand on her knee. “That’s why you didn’t mention the election. You don’t want him to come here.”

Harper sighed. “I didn’t tell him because I’m not yet sure if having him near Kendra is wise. If she is behind what happened to me, then I’ve no doubt she could target him too. And, I admit, I’m really not looking forward to him having a shouting match with you.”

“He’ll be that opposed to me being your anchor?”

“He’s protective in his own way. He’ll think I’m not safe with you.”

Like Lucian was a stable presence in her life. “But you know differently. You know I’d never harm you.”

“I know,” she confirmed, watching as his eyes warmed.

“Good evening, Knox,” said a familiar voice that made Harper inwardly roll her eyes. Dear ole Malden. He nodded at Harper before smiling at her grandmother. “Jolene, it’s good to see you.”

Jolene smiled, twisting in her seat to face him. “Oh, hello…um…”

Harper leaned into her grandmother. “It’s Malc—”

“Malden,” he stressed, a tick in his cheek going crazy again.