“She’s trapped in a dream right now. She doesn’t even know we’re here or where she is.”
This was her chance, Harper thought. If nothing else, she could hurt one of the bastards who was hurting her. She didn’t move when he slowly lifted her third finger. She remained still, quiet. As she felt him try to tug off her rings, she did nothing more than poke his hand. The dark power prickling the pad of her finger forced its way inside him.
His mouth opened in a silent scream as pain scorched his nerve endings, punctured his organs, sawed through his bones, and battered his soul. He stumbled back and fell, knocking piles of paper down with him. And there were her keys. Grabbing them, she infused hellfire into them and – bracing herself for yet more pain – swung back her arm and slashed at the male behind her.
There was a cry of pain, and then his weight left her. Twisting, Harper spun to face the bastard, breaths sawing in and out of her. Stocky. Dirty blond hair. Scruffy beard. Leather jacket. He also had a saw in his hand that dripped with blood. Not good.
He was glaring at the sizzling slash across his chest as his skin blistered and peeled away, thanks to the hellfire eating at it. Her demon smiled at the sight. His gaze snapped to hers just as Harper tugged down the gag, and he lifted his saw threateningly.
Well, shit.
She thought about snatching the stiletto blade from her boot and infusing it with hellfire, but it was really no match for the saw, was it? Still, if she could touch him just once, he’d be a soul-deep wreck just like his friend. He shifted from foot to foot, and she knew he was preparing to charge at her. Her breathing quick and shallow, she braced herself. But he didn’t move.
Eyes cold, mouth set into a sneer, he spoke. “You burned me.”
Using the back of her trembling hand to wipe at the sweat beading her forehead, she snarled, “And you almost cut off my fucking wings.” She wanted to bludgeon the son of a bitch with his own weapon. But not before sawing off his arms and mangling him.
Her demon shoved its way to the surface and hissed at him. “I warned you that you would pay. You should have heeded me.” Harper forced her demon to retreat and abruptly lashed out with the blazing keys. He jerked back, but they still scored his cheek. His skin sizzled as the hellfire ate at it. Her demon grinned.
“You bitch!” He lifted his saw again, ready to attack.
KNOX!
With a battle cry, he lunged.
She sidestepped him, barely avoiding the saw. He crashed into her desk with a grunt, slashing at thin air and —
Fire thundered to life outside the office doorway. He whirled around to watch as the fire spat and crackled. The flames then faded, and there was Knox. Relief flooded Harper so fast, her legs shook.
Deep-set ebony eyes swept over her, and his perfectly sculpted face set into a mask of savage anger. Her attacker took a cautious step away as those dark eyes slammed on him with lethal intent, glittering with a fury that began to pulse around them.
Her attacker made a gurgling sound and dropped his bloody saw, clawing at an invisible hand that lifted him off his feet. Knox’s psychic hands had touched her more than once and always given her nothing but pleasure. That had made it so easy for her to forget that they could also deliver a shit load of pain.
Knox stalked to him. Slowly. Casually. Utterly composed. Yet, every step was both predatory and threatening. She shivered a little. It always spooked her when he was so unnaturally calm.
His eyes flicked to the other demon, who was still sobbing in the corner, but his gaze quickly snapped back to the male in his psychic grip. Knox halted in front of him and cocked his head. “Your little friend over there can answer my questions,” he rumbled. “Which is a very good thing because there isn’t the slightest chance that I could let you live even a moment longer.”
Knox’s eyes bled to black and the room temperature plummeted as his demon rose to the surface. Harper tensed. It would never harm her, she knew that. But it would be dumb to ever let herself forget how cold, menacing, and old the entity was. It could destroy them all so very easily. And it wasn’t particularly interested in the right or wrong of wreaking havoc when it was in a rage. Right then, it was incalculably pissed.
The demon glared at its captive. “You hurt what’s mine,” it said in a chilling, disembodied voice. “Cut her. Made her bleed. Caused her pain.” It leaned forward slightly. “Now I will do the same to you.”
Straightening, the demon held up its hand. The male’s body arched toward it; legs kicking, arms flailing, eyes bulging. His face was red and contorted with an agony that he’d undoubtedly cry out with if his larynx wasn’t being crushed. His body violently bucked, and there was a nauseating crack as his ribs broke and his chest somehow burst open. His heart flew into the demon’s open hand, still beating.
Harper didn’t know whether to be impressed or revolted. Her bloodthirsty demon was most certainly impressed, grinning with a wicked satisfaction.
The corpse dropped to the floor like a sack of spuds. Hellfire erupted out of the demon’s hand, devouring the organ it held until even the blood was completely gone.
Harper’s brows rose. Now that was definitely impressive. Her inner demon wholeheartedly agreed.
The entity turned to face Harper, and its black eyes raked over her. Then those eyes changed, and she was once more looking at Knox. But then they bled to black again, and she realized that he and his demon were battling for dominance. She stayed rigid as she waited to see who would win.
Finally, the entity seemed to have agreed to retreat, and suddenly Knox’s dark eyes were focused solely on her. Despite that danger clung to him, that his demon was so pitiless and cruel, and that he was every inch the most lethal predator she’d ever met, Harper felt nothing but safe when he stalked to her and cradled her face with his hands.
“Ah, baby, what did they do to you?” Even though his voice vibrated with a rage that was thickening the air, there was a gentle note to it that almost undid her.
“They tried to saw off my wings,” she told him, struggling to ease the tremble in her limbs. Now that the adrenaline rush was fading, the pain was like nothing she’d ever felt and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay conscious.
Knox viciously swore. “Let me see.”