Burn

Knox kissed her again. He would have done a whole lot more if Levi wasn’t in the car. Knox had been hard since the moment her eyes met his in the studio. Although he’d had fleeting moments with her over the past few days, it hadn’t been enough for him. He’d learned that he wasn’t just addicted to her body, but her mind, her laugh, her unpredictability, her ever-changing eyes, and the way she teased him. Every time someone had jumped to obey him in the past few days, he’d thought of the way Harper snorted at his orders. He’d…missed her.

His demon, too, had missed her. She probably had no idea just how deeply attached the demon was to her. She was its sole source of satisfaction; the only person that entertained, impressed, and delighted it. It had been bored out of its mind without her, which had made it intolerant of everyone around it.

“Yeah? Wind down how?” she asked.

“You’ll see. And you’ll get to see Tanner run, too.”

Her brow crinkled. “I don’t know what that means.”

“You will soon.”

A little while later, Harper was gaping through the protective glass of a VIP box in a hound racing stadium in the Underground. And Knox’s words made sense. She spun to face him. “Please tell me Tanner isn’t going to race here.”

Knox arched a brow. “You didn’t know hellhounds liked to race?”

Well, yes, she’d known about it. The tracks were located near the casinos, and as Harper wasn’t much into gambling, she hadn’t visited them. It looked like any normal dog racing stadium. There was a spectator area, grandstands, and private boxes that all gave a perfect view of the oval track. “I’ve heard it can be pretty brutal.”

“It can be,” he confirmed. “Almost as brutal as the hellhorses.”

That was bad, Harper knew. Normal horses could be sweet and placid. Hellhorses? Not so much. They were not only as predatory as every other demon, they were fucking wild. You didn’t ride a hellhorse unless you were crazy. “How often does Tanner do this?”

“Pretty often. Just as Levi likes the combat circle, Tanner likes the track.”

She was about to ask what Larkin and Keenan liked to do when a bell rang and eight hellhounds slowly prowled onto the track. The crowd cheered, their excitement evident. She was a little too nervous for Tanner’s demon to share in their excitement. Yes, it was most likely ironic that she was protective of the demon who protected her.

She recognized Tanner’s hound by the scar on its muzzle. It was more powerfully built than the others, but she was worried all that bulkiness would slow it down. Each of the hellhounds got into position, growling and snarling at each other…and then things turned fucking weird. Oily pits, small fires, and puddles of bubbling, boiling water abruptly appeared in random places on the track. “Well, fuck.”

Knox chuckled. “Don’t be so nervous. He’ll be fine.”

A bell rang a second time, and the hellhounds bolted – Tanner’s hound instantly fell into sixth place. Damn, they were fast as they leaped over the obstacles. Tanner’s hound was totally focused, and its pace was steady and swift, but she had the feeling it was holding back a little.

It was no shock to discover that the hounds had no problem with cheating. They liked biting, clawing, and body slamming their competitors in an effort to take the lead. One locked its jaws around the back leg of another hound and spun it off the track – a move that lost it time as other hounds raced ahead of it. One howled as it was knocked into a puddle of boiling water by another hound.

Within fifty seconds, Tanner’s demon was in third place. A competitor bit it into its flank – bad decision. Tanner’s hound slammed it into a pit; the oil kept the hound stuck in place.

The crowd was going crazy – yelling names, words of encouragement, and also some threats. Every time a hound was taken out of the equation, people who’d clearly bet on them began stamping and cursing and even turned on their friends.

Tanner’s hound soon shot into second place. All was looking good until…“Someone just shot him with a fucking orb of hellfire!”

Knox locked his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. “The spectators are allowed to do that in the last section of the track.”

“What?”

“That’s why the race is pretty much anyone’s race. It doesn’t matter how fast a hound is, they can be hurt and slowed down in the last section if they’re hit too many times.”

“Tanner’s hound must be pissed.” She worried her lower lip as another hound came close. “Come on, faster!” Hearing Knox chuckle again, she glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m aware that it can’t hear me. That doesn’t mean I can’t offer moral support.”

“Of course it doesn’t.”

“Shit, it’s slowing down…and that fucker just raced ahead of it.” She cursed. “And now it’s been hit again.” This time on the leg. “Oh God, they’re nearly at the finish line. Well, third place is pretty—” She gasped as Tanner’s hound put on an impressive burst of speed. It shot straight into first place and right over the finish line. She found herself bouncing up and down in Knox’s arms. “Tanner’s hound won!”

“I see that.”

“Okay, it’s a little exciting,” she allowed. “And I might have enjoyed it. Can we eat now? I’m starving.”