don’t let Khloë mess with them either.”
The imp blinked. “What makes you think I would?”
Tanner just snorted and then tugged on one of Devon’s curls. “Be good.” He said his goodbyes and then headed out.
Khloë exhaled a mockingly dreamy sigh. “You guys would make such a cute couple.”
Devon glowered at her. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
Khloë shrugged innocently. “Hey, I did some digging on Maddox Quentin. None of the things I heard were good.”
“By the sounds of it, he isn’t good.” Devon relayed to her what Tanner told her about the descendant’s abilities.
“My hackles are rising just thinking of you in the same room as the guy,” said Khloë. “You have tough mental shields, but they’re not impenetrable. Do you think he’ll try getting in your head?”
“Not while Tanner and Jolene are right there—they’d fuck his shit up. Jolene could bring the whole building tumbling down around him—and she wouldn’t hesitate to do it, since she could shield me, her, and Tanner at the same time.”
“He doesn’t sound like a guy who’d let a little thing like danger stop him from doing anything he wanted to do,” said Harper.
Yeah, that was what worried Devon.
CHAPTER FIVE
Knox’s main office within the Underground was quite close to Urban Ink, so it was mere minutes before Tanner arrived. The space was sleek and modern with a large window that overlooked the combat circle. There was ample seating with the desk chair, sofa, and cozy chairs—all of which were upholstered in rich Italian leather.
Tanner tipped his chin at Larkin. Sitting near the window with her cell phone wedged between her ear and shoulder, the harpy raised her brows at him in greeting as she chatted to whoever was on the other end of the line.
Looking up from where he was seated behind the executive desk, Knox gave Tanner a short nod. Papers, memos, and stationery cluttered the surface. There was also a top-of-the-range computer, printer, and copier machine.
Tanner took the chair opposite Knox. “Where’s Levi and Keenan?”
“They’re on their way. How did things go with Finn?” After Tanner gave him a rundown of the meeting, Knox added, “He might not be a father to Devon, but he cares for her in his way. If Asa is hiding anything, Finn will find out.”
Finally ending her call, Larkin gave Tanner a half-smile. “Morning.” She took a sip from her takeout coffee cup. “I heard about what happened to Devon. Knox said you took her home last night. How is she?”
“A pain in my ass, same as always.” Tanner leaned back in his seat, making the leather creak slightly. “She’s also alert, which is good, because there’s a possibility that whoever hired the incantor might make another try for her. I’ve stationed Enzo and Lex outside the studio.”
Larkin’s eyes widened a little. “I’m sure Jolene already has people watching it.”
“She does, but they’re hanging near the hotel opposite the building, out of sight.” Tanner had spotted them easily enough, though. “In other words, they’re happy to use Devon as bait. I’m not. Moving onto lair matters … Any issues last night?”
Knox shook his head. “Not one.”
Tanner blinked. “Seriously?”
“Not even a case of vandalism or drunken teens,” said Knox.
Well that was new. Despite that Knox ran a very tight ship and showed no mercy to any who crossed him, such peace among lair members was rare—they were demons, after all. It was in their nature to push, rebel, and take risks. Still, they were usually careful not to do anything that would require the sentinels to intervene, since that often meant the punishment would be severe. As such, the Force managed to resolve those small issues just fine.
“I have a feeling our lair is going to be on its best behavior for a while,” said Larkin. “News of what happened to Devon will travel very fast, and people will figure Harper is seething about it; they won’t want to do anything that would attract her attention while she’s in a violent frame of mind. With any luck, it will also discourage whoever hired the incantor to back off from Devon.”
“It would be the smart thing for them to do,” said Tanner. “Especially since she now wears my mark.”
Larkin’s brows flew up. “How the hell did you get her to agree to that?”
“It wasn’t easy. Nothing with Devon ever is.”
Knox’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t mention this last night.”
“Mention what?” asked Levi as he and Keenan strode into the office.
Knox waited until the two sentinels were seated before he explained, “It