Jolene smiled from her spot on the couch, one leg crossed over the other. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
Harper took a sip of the tea. She’d asked for coffee, but Jolene had insisted that she needed something to help her “relax”. Really, she didn’t need the tea to relax – not when she was at Jolene’s house, even though her head was pounding. It was a place she loved; a place where she’d always felt safe; a place that always seemed to smell of coffee, cookies, and lavender.
If the scent of Jolene’s infamous cookies wasn’t enough to make a person feel welcome, they’d certainly feel put at ease by the homey feel to the place. The earthy colors, throw cushions, fleecy blankets, cherished keepsakes, and framed photos – it was a home, not just a house, and that was no doubt what often drew so many of their family and lair there.
Ironically, part of what made it feel so safe for Harper was that it was a constant hub of activity. Her relatives were always coming and going, and it had always made Harper feel protected and secure. It wasn’t something she could explain – it just was.
Jolene studied her closely. “You seem better today.”
“I feel it.” She was still tired, but not weary. If the headache would just fuck off, she’d feel even better.
“Stress has a powerful impact on the body.”
“I’m not stressed.”
“I would be in your shoes,” said Martina, who was beside Jolene with her legs curled under her. “You’ve been surrounded by danger since Knox walked into your life.”
“You blame him?”
“Not at all,” said Martina. “He’s not at fault for the actions of others. You know better than to think I’d judge him like that.”
Smiling, Harper teased, “You mean because you, the wondrous firestarter, isn’t in a position to judge anyone for anything?”
Martina grinned. “Maybe.”
“Did you find out anything that may help us work out who hired the hunters?” asked Tanner, who was sprawled on the recliner.
“No, none of the people we know who work on the black market seem to have any idea of who it could be,” said Jolene. “But you can be sure that no others will come for you, Harper. The word has been spread among the black market that you survived the attack and that Knox killed both hunters.”
Many imps obtained and sold things on the black market, so her family had some contacts there. The imps didn’t sell people or wings or anything like that, but they sold rare objects and antiques. Mostly, they sold information. Imps were great at acquiring information.
“Where is Knox anyway?” asked Jolene.
“On his way back from paying Dion Boughton a visit,” said Harper. She’d already told Jolene about his meeting with Francisco and that Knox had written to Dion. “He received a letter from Dion yesterday with an invite to his island.”
Martina picked up her cup of coffee. “Dion’s the one with the museum inside his home, right?”
“That’s right. He likes to collect the unique – objects, people, animals.”
“You’re unique in many ways,” said Martina. “That makes him a likely suspect.”
“And a convenient person to pin the blame on,” Jolene pointed out.
Martina nodded. “That too.” She looked about to say something else, but then the front door burst open and a group of kids entered.
“Hi, Grams!” they shouted in unison. They ran down the hallway and into the kitchen. Moments later, they were dashing back down the hallway with cookies in hand, shouting, “Bye, Grams!”
Martina chuckled at their antics and then turned back to Harper, smile fading. “I heard that Carla caused a fuss at the coffeehouse.”
Harper shrugged, going for blasé. “Doesn’t matter. She’ll be gone soon.”
“It does fucking matter,” insisted Tanner. “The sooner she leaves, the better.”
Jolene made an “I’ll second that” humph. “Harper, you should know that Lucian’s coming to visit next month.”
Harper carefully placed her mug on a square coaster. “Yeah, he told me.”
“Have you told Knox?” asked Jolene.
“No. I’m not looking forward to them being in the same room again.” To say that there was tension between Knox and Lucian would be the understatement of the century. Knox despised Lucian for not being a real father to her, and Lucian wanted “that psychopathic bastard” completely gone from her life. “Maybe one day they’ll —” Harper cut off as the front door once again burst open.
Robbie came dashing into the living room with a spooked-looking Heidi in his arms. He was breathing hard, his eyes wild. Like that, everyone was on their feet.
“What happened?” Jolene demanded.
Robbie growled, “Some creep just tried to snatch Heidi.”
Harper gaped. “You are shitting me.”
“I wish I was.”
Martina took Heidi into her arms and cuddled her. “It’s okay, sweetie.”
Jolene clenched her fists. “Who?” The word was like a whip. “Who tried to take her?”
Shrugging, Robbie shook his head. “I don’t know, Grams, I wasn’t watching her properly. I’m sorry.” He looked miserably at his sister. “Sorry, H.”
Martina sighed. “Your mom and dad are gonna freak, especially your dad.”
Yep, thought Harper, Richie would indeed lose his shit. Harper stroked a hand over Heidi’s hair. “Did the man say anything to you?”
“He said that you told him about me,” she said in her tinkle-like voice.
Bastard. Harper kept her tone soft and calm. “Yeah? What else did he say?”
“That he was Knox’s new sentinel, and that he was supposed to bring me here because hunters had tried to hurt you again.”
The hairs on Harper’s nape rose as a menacing growl rattled out of Tanner. “Did he say anything else?”
“He tried to get me to go with him, but I didn’t want to.” Heidi looked at Jolene. “I screamed at him, and I shouted all those things you told me to shout if any stranger tried to hurt me, like ‘gun’ and ‘fire’ because you said it makes people listen. But he still grabbed me, so I… I used the scream. I know I’m not supposed to, and I didn’t mean to scare the other kids, but —”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Jolene kissed her forehead. “You did what you had to do. You did exactly what you should have done.”
Harper nodded. “Nobody is upset with you, Heidi. We’re all very proud of you.”
“You definitely deserve some cookies.” Martina carried Heidi into the kitchen, talking softly to her.
Harper shoved a hand through her hair. “I can’t fucking believe this,” she hissed quietly.
Seeing Robbie stick a finger in his ear, Jolene asked, “Does it hurt?”
“I can still hear the ringing a little,” said Robbie. “But it’s not bad. She screamed right at the guy, so it only hurt him. Don’t get me wrong, it was still loud, but it was directed at him so no one else was hurt.”
Well, that was good. Hearing a knock on the front door, Harper said, “That’ll be Knox.” And, shit, she had to tell him before he came inside or his anger would spook Heidi. “Don’t shout for him to come straight in, Grams. I need a minute to talk with him.”
“Good idea,” said Tanner.
Harper walked out of the room and down the hallway with Tanner close behind. She opened the front door, and they both stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind them. At Knox’s frown, she held up her hands. “I need you to stay calm.”
Knox stilled. “I hate it when you start a conversation with that sentence.”
“Me, too. It’s about Heidi.” She told him and Levi everything that Heidi and Robbie had said.
Knox’s face turned into a mask of savage fury. “Someone tried to take a five-year-old child, posing as my sentinel?”
She slowly smoothed her hands up and down his chest. “I need you to stay completely calm, Knox. Calmer than you’ve ever been. She’s a little shaken. You don’t want to make it worse, so please suck your rage in.”