Devon tilted her head, conceding that. “Consider this, though: our lair is small and mostly contains imps. Imps live for pissing people off. If your grandmother wasn’t so damn crazy that she almost destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge when a lair in San Francisco decided to challenge ours, we would have had way more trouble. In other words, we’re always in danger. Knox would bring you less problems than more. And just think, you might learn the mystery of what breed he is.”

Harper shook her head. “I wouldn’t have access to his thoughts unless he wanted me to.” Anchoring minds was like joining two spheres where they intersected only slightly, still remaining separate entities while making each other psychically stronger. The anchor bond didn’t allow them to hear each other’s thoughts, sense each other’s feelings, or uncover each other’s secrets. It wasn’t emotionally intrusive.

“Yes, I know that,” confirmed Devon impatiently, flicking one of her long, ultraviolet ringlets over her shoulder. “But most anchors spend a lot of time together, they need it. Being around him might give you some clues as to what he is.”

“Personally, I think you should totally bond with him,” said Raini. “You’ll have serious protection, and you’ll be stronger and more powerful. He’ll probably be pushy, but you’re no pushover. So it’s all good.”

Was it? Harper wasn’t so sure. Everything in her life suddenly felt off kilter. “You can’t tell anyone, okay. Especially no one from our lair or my family. This situation is…delicate.” Raini and Devon both nodded solemnly, but Harper wasn’t reassured.

The fact that her ex then waltzed inside the studio didn’t at all improve her mood. Royce was good-looking in a rugged, cowboy kind of way. Their brief fling had ended after he cheated on her. She couldn’t say she was heartbroken, since their relationship had been rocky at best. Royce believed she was too independent, which was true. She was very headstrong, used to not needing anyone. She could admit that she was also pretty guarded and tightfisted when it came to giving her trust. Yes, she had her flaws and she knew she needed to work on them. But Royce had wanted to insultingly ‘fix’ her and mold her into someone else, which quite clearly pointed out that they weren’t what the other needed. The fact that he’d slept with someone else only supported that theory.

Still, he’d been pissed when she ended the relationship. She couldn’t figure why, nor could she figure why he’d be so spiteful as to have his sister ban Harper and the girls from entering the café across the street that his family owned.

Being around him was like remembering how she’d once studied a little quantum physics – she’d recall that she spent time out of her life on him and just have to ask herself…why?

Sighing, she turned to face him while the girls flanked her. “What are you doing in here?”

He held up his hands. “I just want to talk.”

“About the fact that you had us banned from the café?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“It totally was.”

He sifted a hand through his brown hair, making it stick up everywhere. “So yell at me.”

Harper blinked. “Huh?”

He flapped his arms. “Yell at me. Curse me to hell and back. Demand I fix the situation.”

As understanding hit her, she gaped. “You did it for a reaction?”

“I wanted to know if you still care for me.” He flushed when Raini and Devon snickered.

Unreal. “Why would you even care? You fucked someone else.”

“I’ve apologized for that a million times.” He inhaled deeply. “I miss you, all right.”

“You should. I’m fucking awesome.”

Exasperated, he insisted, “You must still feel something for me.”

“Sure.” She tilted her head. “Irritation. Anger. Disgust. Oh, and pity.” She stilled as something odd happened: another mind slid against hers. It ‘felt’ familiar, felt like—

She peered over Royce’s shoulder as the door slowly swung open and a rich, insanely hot fucker strolled into the studio. Knox’s eyes swept his surroundings before honing in on Harper like a laser. Her body melted, her inner demon instantly shot to alertness, and the pressure to bond with him once again slammed into her. She breathed through it all, doing her best to remain composed.

Royce turned and then stiffened in apprehension. Even humans recognized the danger in Knox, though they couldn’t know that he was a preternatural being. She sensed Raini and Devon not only stiffen with nervousness, but melt with arousal at the sight of him; both reactions would be instinctive.

“Harper,” Knox greeted simply, though there was a wealth of intimacy in the one word. “Time to have that talk.”

“Who are you?” demanded Royce.

Knox looked at the human male who stood a little too close to Harper than he liked. Close enough to suggest they knew each other intimately. That wasn’t something Knox liked either. His inner demon loathed the human on principle. “I’m Knox Thorne.”

“Royce Yardley.” He pointed one finger at Knox. “I’ve heard of you, you own most of the—”

“Harper and I need to talk, Mr. Yardley.” Knox moved aside to clear the doorway – an act that told Royce to leave. Looking a little befuddled, the human did.

Raini leaned into Harper as she quietly said, “I’m at risk of swooning from that dominant vibe he’s got going on.”