Reaper

“You wanted it as much as I did.”

“Yes, but I didn’t mean for it to happen. It was an accident.”

He smiled, amused. “What, you fell on my cock?”

“I need you to do something a little different this time.”

“What?” she asked, wary.

“Take my surname.” He palmed the side of her face. “I know it’s not always done. I know you might not think it necessary. But we’ll be starting a family at some point.” The more he saw her cuddling and fussing over Anaïs, the more he imagined her with their baby

Levi himself had said that if anyone could handle Larkin’s demon, it would be Teague. “Her entity’s level of crazy would be nothing to him,” Levi had added. “Hell, he and his demon are psychotic enough to like it.”

Devon made a speculative sound. “I think it might have something to do with how you keep waking Anaïs to play with her—despite us reminding you over and over to never wake a sleeping baby—and then scrambling out of here when you can’t get her to stop bawling. Oh, and there’s the whole you drawing a you-know-what on Tanner’s face while he was napping.”

Khloë huffed. “I’m never gonna understand what you all have against baby hippos.”

“It wasn’t a—” Devon cut herself off and took a deep breath. “You know what, I’m not going to let you get me all worked up. I’m not. I’m going to stay calm. Serene. Placid—”

“Constipated.”

“Khloë.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did the log finally leave the clogged pipe after all?”

Devon’s face flushed. “Stop it.”

“Wait, it hasn’t? Damn. I was hoping the right pooportunity would come along for you.”

A hiss slid through the hellcat’s teeth. “Woman, stop.”

Khloë wagged her finger. “Now, now, Miss Hissy, there’s no need to get all constipangry.”

“And it’s time we left.” Keenan hauled the imp off the sofa, ignoring her chuckles. “Come on, let’s leave them in peace before someone throttles you.”

“Yes, take her,” Devon urged, baring her teeth. “Take. Her.”

Feeling his lips quirk, Levi looked down at his mate. “Now are you ready?”

“Yup.” Piper stood, nuzzling Anaïs once more, and then handed the baby to Tanner. “Thank you for letting me come visit. Again.”

Sitting beside Khloë, Piper gazed down at the baby, her mouth curving. Only two weeks old, Anaïs was spoiled rotten. An endless amount of people from both their lair and Devon’s old lair had dropped by to visit, bearing numerous gifts. Raini in particular regularly went on shopping sprees and came back with clothes and toys. Hence why Khloë often accused her of jockeying for the position of best aunt—a position that Khloë felt should be hers.

Tanner tended to shoo everyone off fairly quickly, wanting Devon to get her rest. He was a super-proud father, and he’d allegedly been a terrific birthing partner … albeit a little bossy and impatient, as if pushing out a child should be simple enough. Still, Devon only tried to kill him twice.

Levi’s mind stroked over Piper’s. You ready to leave?

Just give me one minute. Smoothing her fingers over the pink blanket wrapped around Anaïs, Piper said, “I wanna have a hold.”

Khloë cast her an annoyed look. “Not yet.”

“You’re hogging her,” Piper complained.

“I don’t care.”

Levi smiled as his mate crossed her eyes. The most tolerant of the females, Piper seemed to have more patience for Khloë than the others, which he and Tanner outright admired.

Asher giggled. “Koey’s a meanie.”

Piper nodded, her lips curling. “She’s a total meanie.”

“Among other things,” grumbled Tanner, shooting the imp a narrow-eyed look. Well Khloë had been driving him and Devon nuts, put-out that they wouldn’t let the imp take Anaïs home for overnight stays so she and the baby could ‘bond without interference.’

Tanner seemed a little terrified at the idea of his child bonding too closely with a woman who appeared to have made it her life’s vocation to irritate as many people as possible on a daily basis.

Anaïs stirred, making a fussy sound, but then settled again.

“Aw, she snuffled,” said Khloë. “Like a little piglet.”

Tanner’s eyelid twitched. “No, not like a piglet.”

“Like a big, bad hellpup,” said Khloë with an eyeroll. “Better?”

Tanner grunted and crossed to the sofa. “Hand her over to me.”

The imp frowned. “Why?”

“She’s my daughter. I don’t need a reason.”

“Can I have a teensy, weensy hold first?” Piper begged him. “Please? I’m leaving in, like, five minutes.”

Tanner took Anaïs from a whining Khloë and carefully settled her in Piper’s arms.

Piper grinned. “Yay, thank you.” Cuddling the hellpup close, she nuzzled her soft dark hair. The sight made Levi’s chest squeeze.

“Where are you heading off to?” Khloë asked her.

“The Underground,” Piper replied. “Levi’s fighting in the combat circle tonight. Larkin and I will be among the spectators.”

“Ooh, I’m so there,” said Khloë.

“Yes, please take her with you,” Tanner said to Piper. “I need a break.”

Khloë frowned at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“My God, she is such the cutest.” Khloë smiled down at the baby in her arms. “I want to eat her.”

“No, no eating,” bossed Asher, hurrying over to the sofa.

Khloë chuckled. “I was just kidding, little man. No eating Anaïs, I promise.”

He narrowed his eyes, apparently unconvinced.

“My boy already knows better than to take the word of an imp,” said Harper.

Larkin snickered. “Like it’s not something you make him recite as if it’s a mantra.”

“Well it’s pure truth,” Harper defended.

Piper would really have to agree with that. So it didn’t surprise her that Asher, who had enough Wallis in him to know his mother was right, watched Khloë closely as she cooed over Anaïs.

He seemed to have appointed himself as the hellpup’s protector—probably because, for him, it was the norm for people to have a personal bodyguard. Although his protectiveness was utterly adorable, they were all a little worried that he’d start pyroporting Anaïs into his arms whenever he pleased.

“How’s your demon doing?”

“It’s sort of sulking right now.”

“Why?”

“It didn’t get to kill anyone.”

He snorted. “I see.”

“It might not be so annoyed if I’d gotten to kill either Frick or Frack—it’s often content to live vicariously through me.”

“Will the entity feel better if I buy it lots and lots of diamonds?”

Piper found it almost pathetic that her demon’s mood immediately switched to gleeful. Like all such entities, it liked pretty, shiny things. “To my disgust, yes. Yes, it really will.”

“Diamonds it is.” His mouth curving, he rested his forehead against hers. “I fucking love you, you know.”

Levi licked his front teeth. I have a plan. It’ll only work if we act fast. And I mean fast.

Knox’s eyes sharpened. Tell me.

Even as Piper kept the two arguing assholes in sight, she again strained to shove off the mental weight, concentrating so hard she wouldn’t be surprised if she burst a blood vessel in her eye or something. But it did no good. The weight didn’t budge in the slightest.

Still, she didn’t give up. She kept fighting, feeling sweat dot her upper lip and bead her forehead, making the cut there sting like a mother. Her demon egged her on, a mass of fury and resentment. If this didn’t—

Telekinetic power rippled through the doorway and crashed into Clyde’s skull, sending his head whipping to the side. A mere millisecond later, flaming walls burst to life around her and a hand gripped her arm. The fire eased away, and she realized she was now in the master bedroom with Knox.

Taking in her wounds, Knox growled. “Does he still have hold of your mind?”

“Yes,” she replied, inwardly frowning as she heard sounds of a minor battle coming from within the apartment. “Where’s Levi?”

“Dealing with the problem at hand.” Knox turned to Keenan. “Hold her here.” With that, he disappeared in a roar of fire.

Keenan locked his arms around her from behind, careful not to touch any of her injuries. “Sorry, Piper, but we can’t chance that you won’t be forced to hurt yourself by the bastard controlling you.”

“He wants Levi to kill him,” she said.

“That isn’t your mate’s intention.”

“Then, yeah, we should worry about what will happen if … God, what’s the asshole’s name again?”

“See you soon. Love you, baby.” He turned and headed for the door, smiling at her squawk of surprise.

“Wait, what?” she called after him.

“Enjoy your bath,” he said.

Once more clinging to his father’s leg, Asher tapped it hard. “Daddy!”

Knox looked down. “What?”

Asher smiled. “Sniff up.” He giggled like a loon when Knox’s face scrunched up in distaste. “I farted.”

“Ah, the Wallis blood is strong in this one,” said Levi.

Knox met his gaze. “Don’t I know it.”