“I know. I wish that wasn’t the case.” Killing Drew wouldn’t bother Knox, but causing a divide between Harper and her friend would. Still, there was no way he would—or even could—let the male live if he was the Horseman. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “You packed?” At her nod, he gave her shoulders a little squeeze and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “Good. The jet’s ready. Let’s go get Asher.”
Minutes later, they were walking to the clearing where the private jet waited. Levi led the way, using a machete to clear a path through the thick vegetation. The pilot, Davis, and his mate, Noelle—who was also the flight attendant—were already there. The sentinels got settled in the front cabin while Knox, Harper, and Asher seated themselves in the rear cabin for some privacy.
She sat Asher on her lap, who was busy poking Hound’s eyes. God, she hated that she was taking him back to a place where danger awaited him. She’d considered leaving him on the island with Tanner, but she couldn’t. Maybe it was selfish, but she wouldn’t cope with having so much distance between them. She also couldn’t bring herself to leave Knox to deal with the Horseman situation alone, even though he was fully capable of doing so. They were a team, and that need to be proactive in eliminating the threat to her son wouldn’t be satisfied with leaving it to Knox. No way.
Before the jet took off, Noelle came to offer drinks and snacks. Knox ordered a gin and tonic, but Harper declined—her churning stomach wouldn’t handle food or drink very well. Soon enough, they were in the sky.
Sitting opposite her, his thighs bracketing hers, Knox squeezed her knee. “It’ll be okay, baby.”
She kissed Asher’s head, inhaling his scent. “No, I don’t think it will.” Because there was a very good chance that Drew was going to die. “If we kill him, it will always sit smack bam between me and Devon, no matter how justified the kill is.”
“Which is why I’ll be the one to kill him, if it needs to be done. I’m fine with Devon hating me, but not with her hating you. Have you spoken with her about his scent being present at the house?”
“Not yet.” But she suspected that Jolene, as Devon’s Prime, might have already done so—her grandmother wouldn’t want the female hellcat to find out from someone else.
“You don’t want to speak with her about it because you’re still searching for a reason that might excuse why he was there—something innocent,” Knox gently accused.
“Is that so wrong?”
“No, but perhaps you should consider that the Drew you thought you knew doesn’t truly exist. Or maybe he did once exist but has long since changed. You’re right that some things don’t make sense, but that’s only because you have a certain impression of him in your head. Plenty of people wear masks, baby.”
Harper felt her brow furrow. “Yes, but Devon would have seen righ
t through it.”
“Are you sure? She rarely sees him these days. He’s been gone six years now, and she wasn’t frequently in contact with him. People change—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Drew likes a rush. What better rush than to be a Prime? And how much bigger would that rush be if you got the position by dominating the other Primes, making yourself the only ruler?”
Closing her eyes for a moment, she rubbed her forehead. “Okay, it would be a huge rush, but it doesn’t automatically follow that you’re right.”
Knox took a sip of his drink. “Would the Drew you thought you knew have been so disobedient? Several times he’s ignored warnings from Jolene. He’s even lied to her. She was under the impression that he was in Cuba right now. She escorted him to the airport herself a few weeks ago—even walked him to the departure gate and watched the plane take off. He either got off the aircraft somehow before it left, or he took a flight back to Las Vegas.”
Harper thought on that for a moment. “He’s never been rebellious, no. He always seemed to respect her authority.”
“His recent actions would suggest otherwise, baby.”
She scrubbed a hand down her face. “It doesn’t even make sense that he’d work with Alethea. You’ve been in his head; you say he wants me. Why would he have ever worked with someone who would have loved to see me dead?”
“I don’t believe he was working with her, I believe he was using her. We agreed that the Horseman probably lied to Alethea about his plans. Maybe Drew told her that he wanted you dead. That would have gained him her cooperation. In using her, he also kept her away from you.”
“What about Heidi, Knox? The Horseman arranged to have her kidnapped so that she could be used in a damn ritual. No matter how much Drew wants to be a Prime, he would never hurt Heidi. I firmly believe that.”
“So maybe, unknown to him, it was Alethea who chose Heidi. Maybe the reason that there wasn’t another attempt to snatch her was that he disapproved of Alethea’s choice. But don’t be so sure he wouldn’t harm Heidi. You said Drew was a decent person who would never try to break up a family, but he did. He tried to turn you against me. Tried to convince you to leave me. And he spoke of our son as if Asher were a thing, not a person. Does that really sound like the Drew you thought you knew?”
She swallowed. “No. No, it doesn’t. I just wish that—” The jet jerked to the side, struck by something hard. “What the—?” She cuddled Asher tight, eyes wide, mentally fumbling as the jet shook. Swayed. Tipped to the side. And then they were falling.
Jaw hard, Knox let out a wave of raw power that punched a hole through the jet. “I’ll get the others. Go!”
Harper called to her wings, tightened her arms around an alarmed Asher and—hating that she had to leave Knox behind but trusting him to get himself to safety—shot out of the aircraft like a bullet out of a gun. The air whipped at her hair and face, almost taking her breath away. They were above an island that neighbored theirs, she realized, and—
Something slammed into her wing, sending her dipping into the trees. Her wing got caught on a branch, yanking her backwards so sharply that it felt like someone was trying to pluck the wing stem right out of her back. Grinding her teeth through the blinding pain, she wrenched free, wincing as the branch tore a long, wide strip through her wing.
Panicked, Harper flexed her back muscles hard. Yet more pain assaulted the stem, and her injured wing failed her. Knox, we’re going down! All she could do was helplessly and shakily glide her way down, navigating her way through the tight clusters of trees.
As they neared the ground, she curled herself even tighter around Asher and snapped her wings around them to cushion their fall. It helped, but her head still connected hard with the spongy moss ground. Stars burst behind her eyelids and fiery pain knifed through the stem of her injured wing, making the breath explode out of her lungs.
She heard a sob build in Asher’s chest, but the sound seemed so very far away. “Shh, baby,” she whispered, voice lacking in strength, head spinning. “We’re fine. Let me get a good look at you.” But even as she said it, she could do no more than loosen her hold on him before the darkness pulled at her. She fought it, she really did, she fought it so fucking hard … but it was mere moments before it swallowed her whole.
Knox felt it the moment that Harper lost consciousness—his own vision darkened around the edges, making him almost lose his footing on the moss-covered earth. His heart leaped, and his ribs suddenly felt too tight as panic tore through him.