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Larkin’s lips parted.
“Which means my sneaky plan worked.” Smirking, Khloë nudged Piper. “Told you it would.”
Larkin spluttered. “Plan? What plan?”
Looking rather pleased with herself, Khloë folded her arms. “Remember the oaths I made Teague take? I did that to avoid ending up in a situation where he hurt one of my friends by making them feel used or something. But I would never have minded if he was serious about them. And I could see that he was totally into you. I could also see that it wasn’t a one-way street. I wanted you guys to have a shot at building something. You suit in a way that wouldn’t be obvious to people who don’t truly know him.
“But he avoids relationships like he’s allergic to them for a few reasons. He was never going to break that habit easily. So when Piper was like ‘oh, Larkin, use Teague as your fake boyfriend’, I saw an opportunity. I figured a case of forced proximity would make him cave. When he broke his word to me, I knew then that it was more than just sex for him. That brand shows that the same applies to his demon.”
For long moments, Larkin just stared at her, shocked. “I should have seen that you were plotting something—I mean, it’s not like that’s not usual for you. But I didn’t see it.”
“Neither did I.” Frowning, Harper looked from Devon to Raini. “Did either of you?”
They shook their heads, looking equally unhappy about it.
“How come you told Piper but not us?” demanded Raini.
Khloë gave an aloof shrug, her lips pursed. “I didn’t feel like it.”
Her mouth tightening, Harper set a hand on her hip. “You didn’t feel like it?”
“No,” replied Khloë, letting her arms slip to her sides. “And it wasn’t like you needed to know or anything.”
“It would have been nice for us to have known, though,” Devon clipped.
Khloë’s forehead wrinkled. “Why would you think I care about what you’d find nice? It’s like you—stop hissing at me!”
As Raini worked to soothed Devon, Levi turned to fully face Larkin. “Knox kept telling me that you and Teague were just acting, but for a while there I thought it might be real. You played me well.”
“I was annoyed about the matchmaking,” she explained. “I wanted you all to get off my case.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I get it. So, Khloë’s plan really worked? You and Teague are an actual couple now?”
“Yes.” Larkin bit her lip. “But he doesn’t know that yet, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him.”
Levi laughed. “How can he not know that you’re a couple?”
“He thinks it’s all pretend.”
Tanner gave her a skeptical look. “I doubt it.”
Khloë snorted. “Teague has no idea what a relationship is. It’s very possible it hasn’t hit him yet that he’s smack bam in the middle of one. He’ll cotton on to it soon enough.”
Piper materialized at Larkin’s side. “How does your demon feel about all this?”
Larkin couldn’t help but smile. “It’s perfectly content.”
“Are you going to request that he join your lair?” Khloë asked her, her expression uneasy. “He might do it for you. But it would make him unhappy.”
Larkin already knew the latter. “I have no intention of asking that of him. Nor do I have any intention of leaving my lair to be a stray like him. I don’t see how either of those things could affect us. It’s not like we answer to different Primes. He doesn’t have one. He doesn’t answer to anyone. His clan has no leader.”
Pausing, she turned to Knox. “I will only ever answer to you, you’ll always have my unswerving loyalty, but . . . my loyalty will first and foremost be to Teague.”
Knox nodded. “As it should be. And it doesn’t concern me, if that’s your worry. I don’t believe that Teague would ever ask you to betray your lair. I won’t insist that he join, or that you leave. I only ask that you still keep certain things to yourself. Being loyal to someone doesn’t mean you need to share the secrets of others with them.”
She knew exactly what secrets he was most interested in keeping quiet—the majority were related to Asher. “I would never share someone else’s secrets without their expressed permission. Lair business will always be lair business, not Teague’s. By the same token, his clan business will always be clan business, not yours.”
Knox inclined his head. “Fair enough.”
Levi crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You know he might try to exit this relationship once he realizes you maneuvered him into one, right?”
Her entity snorted. “He can try. It would come to nothing. My demon won’t let him go anywhere.”
“It formed an attachment to him?” asked Raini.
“Oh, yeah.” A very strong one. It was the first time her demon had ever truly connected with anyone. “It intends to keep him. So do I. He’ll get used to it.”
