Lounging in his leather chair, Knox tapped his fingers on the office desk as he looked at the angry male in front of him. “What brings you all the way here? I’m assuming it’s extremely important.” Ordinarily, any demons from his lair with an issue came to him in the Underground. This particular demon had sought Knox out at one of his luxury hotels on the Las Vegas strip, risking interrupting his business day.
“The Wallis imps set my car on fire!” claimed Roan, face red.
Knox arched a brow. “Really?”
“I suppose they think there’ll be no repercussions because they’re related to your mate,” he clipped tartly. “They seem to believe that gives them a free pass to do what they want.”
Sliding his chair closer to the table, Knox leaned forward. “You saw them set the fire?”
“No, but it has to be them.”
“Why?”
His brow furrowed. “Harper probably told them what I said when we were in Crow’s house yesterday.”
“You don’t believe what you said was uncalled for?”
“Even if I did, the imps should have gone to you about it.” He drew a line in the air as he added, “They had no right to do what they did.”
Knox’s mouth curved. “Since when do imps do what anyone thinks they should? They’re protective of their families.”
“It’s not like I hurt Harper.”
“That’s true.”
“So you’ll deal with this?”
“I will.” Knox slowly got to his feet. “I’m glad you came here today, Roan.”
The male lifted his chin, seeming pleased by the comment.
Rounding the table, Knox said, “See, it has come to my attention that you’ve been making outlandish claims about my mate. I was about to have you escorted here when, as luck would have it, you appeared at the reception desk. Thank you for that.”
It was taking everything Knox had not to wrap his hands around the fucker’s neck. His demon bared his teeth, wanting to lunge and draw blood. The guy had some fucking nerve to come here whining about imps after what he’d done.
Roan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t…” But he trailed off, obviously conscious that to deny it would simply make the matter worse. If the male had assumed the lair wouldn’t report his behavior to Knox, he had to be dumb. They were loyal to their Primes.
“I would have thought you were smarter than this, Roan.” After all, Knox thought, the guy was allegedly a sharp and meticulous lawyer who ran a very successful private practice. “What’s your true problem with Harper?”
“I don’t have a problem with her. But I have a problem with my mother being kidnapped for doing nothing more than giving birth to her.”
“Nothing more,” Knox repeated. “Yes, it’s true that Carla did nothing for Harper other than that.”
Roan’s mouth flattened. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It doesn’t bother you whatsoever that your mother did what she did to Harper?” Because it bothered Knox a fuck of a lot. “You look down on my Harper, don’t you?”
“She’s a Wallis,” Roan simply stated, as if that in itself was an explanation.
A lot of people looked down on Harper’s family, though Knox didn’t believe it bothered the imps much. They took a perverse delight in annoying people. “And you think you’re so much better than her? Really? I suppose then that it must be eating at you that you now answer to her as you do me.”
Roan’s nostrils flared. “My mother made a mistake when she was young and depressed. She doesn’t deserve to have that mistake paraded around her every day.”
“I’m not so sure this is about Carla. I think you don’t like that you have to face your mother’s mistake every day. After all, the lair turned against Carla when they discovered what she did to Harper. I’m sure that has affected you. Maybe the lair treats you differently now. Maybe it’s even affecting your business. If their hatred was redirected to Harper, your life would be easy once again.”
Roan’s eyelids flickered.
“If your aim is to cause dissension and turn the lair against Harper, I have to wonder…” Knox cocked his head. “What kind of person does it make you that you would capitalize on your mother’s disappearance that way? I will tell you, Roan, you may look down on Harper but that is something she would never do.”
“I don’t get it,” Roan abruptly declared. “Women throw themselves at you all the time. I’ve seen them do it. You could have anyone.”
“That’s the life you want?” Knox sighed, disappointed in the male. “It’s an empty life.” Harper had taught Knox and his demon that.
“You never looked unhappy to me. You always had a gorgeous woman on your arm. You’re successful and rich. Our lair worships you. Everyone always does their best to please you.” Roan gestured to his surroundings. “You have everything you could ever want.”
And living such a lifestyle meant that Knox was forever attracting the wrong type of people. Users. Manipulators. Gold diggers. The list went on. Harper was none of those things. But Knox had no wish to share his personal thoughts with this demon. “Are you purposely trying to redirect the topic of conversation?”
“I’m just saying she seems like an odd choice for you.”
“The Wallis imps set my car on fire!” claimed Roan, face red.
Knox arched a brow. “Really?”
“I suppose they think there’ll be no repercussions because they’re related to your mate,” he clipped tartly. “They seem to believe that gives them a free pass to do what they want.”
Sliding his chair closer to the table, Knox leaned forward. “You saw them set the fire?”
“No, but it has to be them.”
“Why?”
His brow furrowed. “Harper probably told them what I said when we were in Crow’s house yesterday.”
“You don’t believe what you said was uncalled for?”
“Even if I did, the imps should have gone to you about it.” He drew a line in the air as he added, “They had no right to do what they did.”
Knox’s mouth curved. “Since when do imps do what anyone thinks they should? They’re protective of their families.”
“It’s not like I hurt Harper.”
“That’s true.”
“So you’ll deal with this?”
“I will.” Knox slowly got to his feet. “I’m glad you came here today, Roan.”
The male lifted his chin, seeming pleased by the comment.
Rounding the table, Knox said, “See, it has come to my attention that you’ve been making outlandish claims about my mate. I was about to have you escorted here when, as luck would have it, you appeared at the reception desk. Thank you for that.”
It was taking everything Knox had not to wrap his hands around the fucker’s neck. His demon bared his teeth, wanting to lunge and draw blood. The guy had some fucking nerve to come here whining about imps after what he’d done.
Roan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t…” But he trailed off, obviously conscious that to deny it would simply make the matter worse. If the male had assumed the lair wouldn’t report his behavior to Knox, he had to be dumb. They were loyal to their Primes.
“I would have thought you were smarter than this, Roan.” After all, Knox thought, the guy was allegedly a sharp and meticulous lawyer who ran a very successful private practice. “What’s your true problem with Harper?”
“I don’t have a problem with her. But I have a problem with my mother being kidnapped for doing nothing more than giving birth to her.”
“Nothing more,” Knox repeated. “Yes, it’s true that Carla did nothing for Harper other than that.”
Roan’s mouth flattened. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It doesn’t bother you whatsoever that your mother did what she did to Harper?” Because it bothered Knox a fuck of a lot. “You look down on my Harper, don’t you?”
“She’s a Wallis,” Roan simply stated, as if that in itself was an explanation.
A lot of people looked down on Harper’s family, though Knox didn’t believe it bothered the imps much. They took a perverse delight in annoying people. “And you think you’re so much better than her? Really? I suppose then that it must be eating at you that you now answer to her as you do me.”
Roan’s nostrils flared. “My mother made a mistake when she was young and depressed. She doesn’t deserve to have that mistake paraded around her every day.”
“I’m not so sure this is about Carla. I think you don’t like that you have to face your mother’s mistake every day. After all, the lair turned against Carla when they discovered what she did to Harper. I’m sure that has affected you. Maybe the lair treats you differently now. Maybe it’s even affecting your business. If their hatred was redirected to Harper, your life would be easy once again.”
Roan’s eyelids flickered.
“If your aim is to cause dissension and turn the lair against Harper, I have to wonder…” Knox cocked his head. “What kind of person does it make you that you would capitalize on your mother’s disappearance that way? I will tell you, Roan, you may look down on Harper but that is something she would never do.”
“I don’t get it,” Roan abruptly declared. “Women throw themselves at you all the time. I’ve seen them do it. You could have anyone.”
“That’s the life you want?” Knox sighed, disappointed in the male. “It’s an empty life.” Harper had taught Knox and his demon that.
“You never looked unhappy to me. You always had a gorgeous woman on your arm. You’re successful and rich. Our lair worships you. Everyone always does their best to please you.” Roan gestured to his surroundings. “You have everything you could ever want.”
And living such a lifestyle meant that Knox was forever attracting the wrong type of people. Users. Manipulators. Gold diggers. The list went on. Harper was none of those things. But Knox had no wish to share his personal thoughts with this demon. “Are you purposely trying to redirect the topic of conversation?”
“I’m just saying she seems like an odd choice for you.”
