Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Envy spiced the internal rant, which would have made Knox smile if there wasn’t also a possessive edge to the hellcat’s thoughts. Knox didn’t fucking like that at all. In fact, he felt the grip on his anger loosen just a little, which was very, very dangerous. His inner demon snarled, deciding the hellcat needed a ball of hellfire lodged up his rectum.
As Knox possessively shackled Harper’s wrist, the male boldly met his gaze and said, “We haven’t met before. I’m Drew Clarke.”
“Devon’s brother,” Keenan added, shifting in front of the male so that he effectively cut Drew out of the main circle of people. Apparently, thought Knox, the sentinel didn’t like him either.
“Do you think you can help?” Martina asked Knox, gesturing at the frosted doorway. “We’ve been hitting it with orbs of hellfire for what feels like hours. It’s not melting.”
Knox examined it closely. “This isn’t real ice. It won’t melt.”
“But it can be destroyed, right?” asked Harper. She watched as he lifted his hand and released a wave of raw, undiluted power that buzzed in the air like a swarm of bees. The frost didn’t crack. It dissipated, becoming pure mist. Going by the boom of silence, people were too awed by his show of strength to be relieved that the barrier was gone.
She kept pace with Knox as he prowled into the room—each step was slow, deliberate, casual. Again, a wave of raw power swept out of his hand, making the air buzz and shimmer. The frost on the walls dissolved, and the kids and creepy clown immediately resumed what they were doing, as if nothing had occurred. While some imps rushed inside to fuss over the kids, others followed Harper and Knox to the rear of the room.
Studying the wall, Knox felt the waves of violence and the residue of his mate’s rage. She’d been blinded by it. So blinded that she hadn’t even thought to call for help, and he wondered if her attacker had counted on that. “You fought her here.”
Even though it wasn’t a question, she nodded. “I kind of slammed her against the wall a few times before I stabbed her with my knife after I infused it with hellfire. She faded until she was like vapor, and then she was just … gone.” Feeling the prick of her nails in her palms, Harper realized she’d clenched her fists so tight that her knuckles turned white. “I should have bitten her fucking face off.”
Knox gave her nape a gentle squeeze. “I’d say she walked out of that fight in more pain than you did. Tanner, do you have her scent?”
The hellhound turned to them, jaw hard. “No. There’s not even a hint of one that doesn’t fit the people already in the room.”
Harper’s lips parted. “How can she not have a scent?”
Tanner shrugged. “There’s no scent of death either.”
Harper swore. “Not only is she still alive, you can’t track her.” Groaning, she rubbed a hand down her face. “None of this makes sense. All I can be sure of is that she’s pretty powerful. Most people are so overwhelmed by the soul-deep pain that they can’t think through it, let alone find the will to defend themselves or try to escape. They just turn into a ball of misery. The pain distracted and weakened her, but it didn’t disable her.” And that was frightening, because Harper relied on that power to protect her.
Keenan held out her stiletto blade. “This is yours, right? Found it on the floor.”
“Thanks. I must have dropped it.” Harper frowned. “There’s no blood on it. I stabbed her with this right in the heart, but there’s no blood.”
A baffled silence met that statement.
“It was probably an ice demon,” said Drew, glancing around.
“No,” said Knox. “None of it was real ice.”
Drew jutted out his chin. “So, what was it?”
“Glacial energy that immobilized whatever it touched,” Knox said simply. “If it had been molten energy, it would have presented itself as fire. But it wouldn’t have been real fire, just like that wasn’t real ice.”
Drew stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Does that help work out what she is?”
“No,” replied Knox.
“Then I don’t see that it matters.”
“It matters. Every piece of the puzzle matters.”
Harper nodded. “She’s able to shapeshift, leave no trace of herself behind, transform into vapor, and emit glacial energy to form ice or wind. Knowing these things may not lead us to her, but they do help us know how to combat her if she makes a reappearance. Asher was sitting over there,” she added, pointing to the center of the room. “He’d popped up his shield. She didn’t seem able to get past it. He didn’t even cry.”
“Of course he didn’t,” said Jolene. “He’s a Wallis.”
Knox’s jaw clenched. “He’s a Thorne.”
Jolene waved that away. “You know what I mean.”