“They’re more likely to listen to her,” finished Keenan.

“Exactly.” Demons didn’t have a global leader, they simply existed in lairs which were ruled by a Prime. The lairs weren’t organized into any kind of hierarchical structure. Demons only answered to their Primes. Isla, however, had suggested electing one of the Primes – more specifically, her – to rule above all the lairs of the U.S. For a long time, no one had listened to her. But now some demons were supporting her idea, and she’d found a true voice.

“Considering it’s rumored that she rents out her own demons to dark practitioners to use in their spells, I doubt she’ll have any qualms with plucking strays off the street,” said Larkin, toying with her long, brown braid.

“Why would Isla bother appealing for this?” Keenan shook his head. “We had a structure like that once, and it resulted in fucking chaos. Why ask to bring that back?”

“Power,” Larkin answered simply.

She was right. And there was always someone looking for power, control, and money. After so many years of being surrounded by such greed and calculation, everything had started to feel predictable, boring, and cold for Knox. Now a numbness was beginning to settle in for both him and his demon. “I had a call from Raul,” Knox told his sentinels. “He’s holding a conference on Saturday in Manhattan for every Prime of the U.S. to discuss the matter.” Raul’s lair spanned most of New York. “Personally, I think it’s best to have a formal discussion about it.”

“Do you think Isla has a chance of implementing any changes?” Keenan’s tone said that he didn’t believe so.

“I think she’s very cunning and calculated, and we shouldn’t underestimate her,” Knox told the incubus. “She-demons can be pretty ruthless.”

A grin played around the edges of Tanner’s mouth. “Speaking of ruthless she-demons, you might want to know that Kendra has got herself a boyfriend. She’s flaunting him like crazy, obviously hoping it will get a jealous reaction out of you.” And the hellhound seemed to find far too much enjoyment in that.

Inwardly, Knox groaned. “Last time we spoke, she promised me I’d regret letting her leave me and I would beg her to come back.”

Tanner laughed. “She sensed your demon lose interest?”

“Yes.” Story of Knox’s life. His demon could be very obsessive when fixated on a female, but it got bored so easily that the infatuation was always short-lived, leaving Knox to deal with a pissed-off female nursing a bruised ego.

Their inner demons couldn’t ‘care’ for others, but they could form attachments to people. When that happened, those attachments were incredibly intense, because every ounce of a demon’s natural intensity and focus was channeled into them. The only people his demon was attached to were his four sentinels. It obsessed over women it wanted, but it didn’t wish to ‘keep’ them, despite that it experienced the same loneliness that all inner demons were plagued by.

Knox snapped out of his thoughts as another knock was followed by the entrance of Levi; he’d clearly washed and changed. “You fought dirty, as always.”

Levi grinned. “There’s no other way to fight.”

“I think Mona’s up next,” said Larkin, looking out of the window. “Here comes the umpire.”

Speaking into a microphone which was wired to the speakerphones in Knox’s office, the gray-haired male announced, “There has been a change in the program. Due to Miss Wallis’ poor physical state at this time, she has been substituted—”

“Hold on, that’s not allowed!” insisted Mona as she suddenly stomped into the combat circle. “If a contender decides to pull out, it means their opponent automatically wins.”

“In many cases, yes, but Miss Wallis hasn’t decided to pull out. She’s been rendered unfit to duel. Miss Wallis is within her rights to select someone to replace her.”

The rage that flashed across Mona’s face told Knox that there was something very personal about this. But that wasn’t what had him stepping closer to the window. No, it was the sight of the dark-haired female now making her way into the circle. She was a petite thing. Five foot four inches tall at most. But there wasn’t anything delicate about her. Even through her neon orange t-shirt and jeans, he could tell that her body was sinuous and toned. She had a sinful flare to her hips – perfect for a guy to hold onto while he thrust in and out of her. “Who is that?”

“I’ve seen her around,” said Tanner. “But I’ve never seen her fight before. She’s a Wallis.”

“And a teensy little thing. I think Mona’s got this.” Larkin sounded disappointed, which was most likely because the harpy wasn’t a fan of Mona. Larkin wasn’t a fan of many people.

While it was true that Mona seemed to have the advantage in the duel, being that she was taller and quite powerful…“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” said Knox. There was just something about the other she-demon; about the way she cocked her head as she ran her gaze over Mona. She was a predator searching for a weakness. No easy target. And he suddenly found himself…interested. Not much truly interested Knox anymore. It was a refreshing feeling.

“You think the little one has a chance of winning this?” asked Levi.

Yes, he did. The bell suddenly rang. “We’re about to find out.”