“Which I’d say is understandable, considering I expended a whole lot of psychic energy tonight. But I can take a few more hours to sleep it off. But only if you promise to wake me in time to get ready.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “A couple of months ago, you’d be doing a happy dance – at least in your head – if I said I’d cancel the event.”

“Because I didn’t realize how important this was to you at first. Now I do. And almost dying makes a girl realize a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Like celebrating an important event with your mate isn’t really all that awful, especially when he looks seriously hot in a suit.”

Chuckling, Knox brushed his mouth over hers. “All right, we’ll stick to the schedule.”

“And we’ll make an announcement about the Horsemen, warn the other two that they’ll be identified at some point, one way or another.”

He nodded. “We’ll incorporate the announcement into my speech, since that will be recorded and played around the Underground.” Then there was no way the Horsemen wouldn’t hear it.

“Sounds good.” She fisted a hand in the sheets as she forced herself to ask the question taunting her. “How did I call on the flames, Knox? I don’t get it. You said it yourself: I’m not built to handle your level of power.” She didn’t want to handle it. She didn’t like how it had practically drugged her demon.

He gently weaved his hand through her hair, rubbing the silky strands between the pads of his fingers. “I’ve spent hours puzzling over it.”

“And?”

“When did the flames appear? What happened at that moment?”

“I was a mess; I was pissed and scared. My demon took over and unleased my wings. They were on fire.” Which had never happened before.

That supported his theory – a theory he’d telepathically ran past Levi earlier, who agreed it was the most likely explanation. “Your wings share the same colors of the flames of hell – wings that didn’t appear until a little of my power poured into you. I’m an archdemon; that means I don’t just call on the flames; I am the flames. As such, you could say that your wings were born from the flames of hell, like I was.” And that meant they would come to her as they came to him.

Her brows flew up. “You mean that could happen again?” Oh the hell no. Her demon actually smiled, the freak.

“Yes, it could. I know you probably don’t like the idea of that because your demon’s loss of control unsettled you, but I’ll admit it brings me comfort to know you could call on them.” She had the ultimate weapon at her disposal.

“I didn’t do it intentionally.”

“I know, but I’ll teach you how to call them and how to send them away without even involving your demon in the process.” He kissed her again, comforting her this time. “Just like I taught you how to control your wings.”

“It was a good thing you made me practice so much. It meant I could call them easy, even when I was scared and drugged. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have escaped that rope. They burned right through it. Oh, about my demon… convincing it to retreat wasn’t at all easy. It was furious and blitzed on power, and it hadn’t wanted to give it up. You did good. No, not good. Amazing. Totally freaking amazing.”

“I wasn’t sure it would listen to me.”

“You’re the only person it would ever have listened to.” Nora had been right: only Knox could have helped her and her demon throughout their “trial.” “Thank you for bringing me back.” Harper kissed him, curling her arms around his neck and hooking one leg over his. “Come inside me.”

He should ignore that sensual whisper, he thought. Should remind her that she’d almost died. Should make her take the next few hours easy, especially since she’d need her rest for the event. But he needed her. Needed to be in her, assuring himself that she was alive and well in the most basic way. So Knox took her right there, thrusting in and out of her soft and slow; pouring everything he felt and everything he was into it. She came with a scream of his name, and that sent him tumbling right over the edge with her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Knox hadn’t taken more than four steps into the walk-in closet when he stopped dead. His mate was standing in front of the mirror, looking like every male’s wet dream. That satin dark-red dress begged to be peeled up while he took her against the wall. The shade went perfectly against her ivory skin, seeming to emphasize how smooth and unblemished it was. The combination made him think of raspberries and cream. With the crystal gemstones that matched the ones on her red stilettos, the dress was as shiny as his mate. It also flashed some of the brand on her breast, which his demon liked a hell of a lot.

Slipping on her white diamond earrings, now that her ear was completely healed, Harper smiled at him. “Looking pretty dashing over there in that tuxedo, Thorne.” Edible, actually. It made her want to crawl all over him like a kitten.

He prowled toward her, feeling every inch the predator that he was. His demon wanted to see what she looked like in that dress while bent over and begging to come. One track mind. But Knox wasn’t in a position to judge, given he was wondering the exact same thing. “You look stunning.”

She gave him a mock look of reprimand. “You really shouldn’t say things like that.”

He raised a brow. “Oh? Why is that?”