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“No amount of cleansing could completely wipe away so much violence and pain,” said Ella. “The containment spell kept everything in that little area from reaching your senses. The glamor helped reinforce the illusion. They were strong spells. The practitioner was talented.”
“But you’re better,” said Harper with a smile that Ella returned.
“I’m better,” agreed Ella.
Tanner stalked over to the prison door, nostrils flaring. “None of the blood in there belonged to anyone we know.” Moving away from the prison, he patrolled the area around it that had also been concealed by the spell. And then he tensed, cursing a blue streak.
“What is it?” asked Knox, voice sharp. “What do you scent?”
Tanner turned to face them. “I can smell Alethea here plain as fucking day.”
“It’s hardly surprising, since she was the one nursing the incorporeal,” said Knox.
Tanner gave a curt nod. “Yeah, but it’s not just her I smell. Someone else we know was here—their blood isn’t here, just their scent. And the scent isn’t heavy with pain or death. They weren’t a victim. They were with her.”
Knox took a step toward him. “Who?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Back at the villa, Harper slapped her clothes into the suitcase. “I won’t believe it’s him, Knox,” she clipped. “I will not believe he’s the Horseman. How could he be? He’s been in Cuba for fucking years.”
“Or so we thought,” said Knox, voice soft. He stood a few feet away, giving her space, letting her reason it through. If he was honest, he was just as surprised as Harper to hear that Drew’s scent was in the basement, so he couldn’t blame her for finding it so difficult to absorb. Knox didn’t like the hellcat whatsoever, but he wouldn’t have suspected him of being the Horseman or party to anything that would harm Harper.
“What possible motivation could Drew have for wanting to see the US Primes fall?” she challenged.
“He wants me dead, Harper. In his mind, I stole you from him.”
“Yes, and you know that because you’ve literally been in his mind. If he was the Horseman, you’d already know.”
“That’s not how it works, Harper. The mind is a vast space. Trillions of webs of memories, thoughts, views, wants, likes, dislikes, regrets, goals, et cetera. I didn’t root through his mind as a whole, I only explored the web of thoughts and memories he had that were related to you. Still, I’d like to think that I’d have seen some indication of him being the Horseman if he truly was.”
“But you didn’t, did you?”
“No, but why else would he have been with Alethea? What other reason could he have had for being in that house? He wasn’t killed there, Harper. He wasn’t used to feed the incorporeal. Either he was working with her, or he had some other reason for going to that house. Whatever the case, he was with her. I picked up how badly he wants me dead—”
“It’s one thing to want to see you dead. But why take all the other Primes down too?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s bitter that Jolene wouldn’t make him Prime—I called her a few minutes ago; she said he told her long ago that he wanted to take her place one day, and he’d seemed upset when she made it clear that she wanted you to replace her.”
It had made Knox wonder if just maybe that was part of why Drew had wanted Harper for himself so badly—as her mate, he would have then also been her co-Prime if she’d taken Jolene’s place. It could even be that the reason he’d waited to claim Harper was that he’d been waiting for her to be declared Prime first. But Knox decided not to say that, since she was hurting enough.
Shooting him a look of impatience, she snorted. “Knox, practically all demons want to be a Prime. We’re typically power-hungry creatures.”
“I’m simply saying that maybe we failed to see that Drew is as power-hungry as Isla, Nora, and Roan were.”
Harper jutted out her chin. “I won’t believe it.”
“You don’t want to believe it,” he corrected.
“No, I don’t.” Because it would kill Devon, and Harper didn’t want to see her friend hurt. Regardless, it just seemed wrong to her. It didn’t add up. “You have to admit there are some holes in this theory. Did Drew ever seem power-hungry to you?” Harper had never sensed that quality in him.
“No, but Tanner scented him in that basement, baby. Why else would he have been there?”
“I don’t fucking know.” Slamming the suitcase shut, she sharply yanked on the zip as she secured it shut. “But I just can’t accept that Drew is the freaking Horseman. I can’t.”
Knox crossed to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “There are a lot of people trying to track Drew right now. He can’t hide for long. We’ll find him, and we’ll get our answers. For now, we have to operate on the assumption that he was—at the very least—involved with Alethea somehow.”
Sighing, Harper raked a hand through her hair. “I only just got Devon back, Knox,” she said, voice small. “If you’re right, the whole thing will shred her, especially if we have to kill him.”
