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The female haughtily lifted her chin. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve been ordered by Tanner to escort you out of here,” he said.
Which meant Harper had given the pooch a telepathic heads-up about Eleanor.
“There’s no need for that,” Eleanor told the guard.
“Because you’re ready to leave, right?” It was a pressing suggestion, not a question.
Lips thinning, Eleanor spared Devon one last look as she headed for the door. “Think about what I said.”
As if Devon could do anything else.
The moment the other female was gone, the girls crowded around the desk.
“Did I hear correctly that, in a nutshell, she wants Tanner to ‘sire’ her kid?” asked Raini.
Devon sighed. “Yep.”
“And if my ears didn’t deceive me, she once turned up at your apartment,” said Harper, eyes narrowed. “That true?”
“Yep,” Devon admitted, too tired to play dumb.
Khloë put her hands on her hips. “Okay, Clarke, I think it’s time you fessed up the rest.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Later that day, Devon stood in the newly vacated apartment that Knox had offered for her to use as a temporary base. Just as Tanner suspected, it had a similar blueprint to that of his own but didn’t include a spare bedroom. The latter didn’t bother Devon. She didn’t need a spare bedroom. Hell, she didn’t need half the space, but she had no complaints about its size. She had no complaints about it at all.
The apartment was stylish and chic. It also had a very welcoming feel with the warm paint colors, soft rugs, cozy fireplace, and maple hardwood flooring. Better still, it came partly furnished, and the kitchen had every appliance she’d need. And the bathroom was to die for.
She’d sure enjoy her temporary stay there. It would be kind of like spending a few days at a luxury condo while on a city break.
Her demon had examined the place carefully. It found the apartment aesthetically pleasing and much safer than their home, so it approved of their new temporary territory.
Having taken a full turn around the place, she rejoined Tanner in the hallway. He was leaning back against the wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his mouth downturned … making her think of a sulking toddler. Though he’d been glued to her side since picking her and Harper up from work, he hadn’t insisted on accompanying Devon as she wandered around the apartment—mostly because he was too busy brooding.
He raised a brow. “Well?”
Devon inhaled deeply, drinking in the scents of citrus cleaner and wood polish. “It’ll do.”
Any other time, the pooch might have snorted at her effort to downplay her excitement. Not this time.
Thanks to the whole Eleanor-turning-up-at-Urban-Ink thing, he’d already been in a foul mood when he arrived to take Devon home. It had only made him more pissed that she’d vetoed his suggestion to stay with him until Asa’s friend was found.
Snarly and surly, he’d claimed it made sense for her to stay at his place as they’d be sharing a bed every night anyway. She’d quite rightly pointed out that their demons could protest to their fling at any given moment, so it would be better for her to have a separate living space. He hadn’t been able to argue that—hence the brooding.
“Larkin telepathed me while you were looking around,” said Tanner. “She was able to identify the men who were involved in the attempt to kidnap you.” He rattled off a bunch of names. “Recognize any of them?”
“Other than when the driver mentioned a guy called Mike and referred to Slade by his name—who in turn called the driver Len—I’d never heard of them before.” Devon slanted her head. “What lair do they belong to?”
“They’re strays.” He let his gaze wander around. “It makes more sense for you to stay with me.”
And here they were again. “You’re not getting bored of this conversation? Not even a little?” Devon sighed. “Look, I agreed to stay at your building, let that be enough.”
Tanner pushed away from the wall and crossed to her. When it came to this female, “enough” was something he never seemed to get. He wanted everything from her, even as he knew he wouldn’t get to enjoy it for long. He curled an arm around her waist and drew her to him. “Is it really such a bad thing that I want you close?”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop being a spoiled brat, Tanner. You can’t always have your way. I’m on the floor above you—that’s a damn fine concession and you know it. Learn to love it, because it’s the best you’re gonna get.”
As amused as he was frustrated, he snapped his teeth at her. His demon wasn’t quite so annoyed with her for sticking to her guns; it respected how ballsy and independent she was. It would still rather that she was staying at their domain, though. “Things would be a lot simpler if you just did what I said at all times.”
