She came fast, her orgasm sweeping him under. It was as he exploded inside her that the temperature dropped as her demon surged forward. It shoved a hand beneath his tee and slapped it on his chest. The flesh beneath its hand quickly began to burn like a mother, telling him he was being branded.
His demon smiled, smug.
Soon enough, the pain faded and her entity finally lowered its hand. Its dark gaze empty, it gave an unapologetic shrug and said, “Turnabout is fair play. Hurt her, and I will destroy you.”
His own demon chuckled at that, finding the entity delightful.
Piper’s eyes returned to normal as she resurfaced. “Well that took me by surprise.” She lifted his tee, and her lips parted slightly. “Oh.”
Oh? He glanced down and felt his brows lift. Right above his heart was a very distinctive anchor, its rope forming the shape of an infinity symbol behind it.
He got the message loud and clear. Her demon was letting him know that Piper now had a solid claim to his heart as well as his psyche. That wasn’t a claim he had any intention of ever fighting.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Shifting nervously on the chic leather seating a week later, Piper wished she could be as excited as everyone else in the VIP box. Ordinarily, she would have eagerly accepted Harper’s invitation to join her at the hellhorse racing stadium. Piper was a big fan of the sport. But, worried there’d be a repeat of what happened at the amusement park, she’d turned down Harper’s offer. Three times, in fact. Certain she would be safe here, Levi had eventually talked Piper into changing her mind, assuring her that they’d take every precaution necessary.
He’d wanted her to have a break from being surrounded by the same four walls. It turned out that she didn’t mentally deal very well with remaining indoors. She’d been as edgy and restless as a damn junkie over the past week.
Not that she’d only had Levi’s company during that time. Khloë’s twin brother, Ciaran, had teleported the girls to the apartment occasionally. Also, Devon and Larkin often came to say hi after work. Harper and Raini regularly called too.
Basically, they’d all done their best to ensure that Piper didn’t feel alone or without support. She adored them for it.
They’d all been delighted on hearing that she and Levi had “gotten their acts together,” in Larkin’s words. Knox and the other sentinels seemed equally pleased, particularly that Levi was no longer alone.
She’d been worried that her mom and Joe would react badly, given they were well aware that Celeste would blow a fuse. But after Piper gave the couple the news when they came over for dinner, Whitney had grinned at her mate and said, “You owe me fifty dollars. Pay up.” He’d only smiled and rolled his eyes.
Apparently her mother had sensed that something was brewing between Piper and Levi and, feeling that her daughter was ‘easy to love,’ had been sure he’d fall hard for her. Joe hadn’t been so certain it would happen, given that Levi appeared to avoid serious relationships, but he hadn’t been upset to be wrong.
Neither Whitney nor Joe had mentioned the inevitable fact that Celeste would lose her mind, but they all knew it to be true. Joe probably broke the news to his daughter before she had the chance to learn of it through the grapevine. Whatever the case, the banshee would be aware of it by now. Still, she hadn’t contacted either Piper or Levi to rip them a new one. Maybe she’d finally decided to heed Levi’s warnings. Stranger things had happened.
Hearing a low chuckle, Piper glanced at him. Sitting beside her on the incredibly chic and comfortable seats while munching on a hotdog, he was watching in amusement as Raini argued with her father, Lachlan. The male imp was a blast, much like the brother he’d brought along, Bram.
Piper had been to the stadium several times, but she’d never before watched a race from the luxury of a VIP box. She’d be enjoying the experience a lot more if she wasn’t so worried that danger would strike again. Especially since Asher was here.
Silently cursing the fucker who’d apparently decided her life should be forfeit, Piper inhaled deeply and then blew out a breath.
Done with his hotdog, Levi put his lips to her ear. “Relax, all is good.”
“Yeah, for now.” Piper rolled her shoulders. “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this.”
He hooked his arm around her neck. “I get why you’re worried, but no one who isn’t part of our circle knows you’re here. The glass wall is tinted. No one outside can see you. Ciaran teleported us into the VIP box, so no one saw you enter. He’ll also teleport us back to my place, so you won’t have to worry that anyone will spot you leaving.”