BURN by Suzanne Wright

humans totally satisfy you and your demon?” He didn’t expect her to answer that, but she surprised him – as always.
    “No,” she reluctantly admitted. “Are you really as brutal and unforgiving as everybody says?”
    “Yes.” If that answer scared her, she didn’t show it. “Are you at all afraid of me?”
    “Sometimes.” She was afraid of her body’s response to him, and she would be dumb if she wasn’t at least a little unnerved by something so dangerous. “Why are you secretive about what you are?” Because that could give her a clue as to just what he was.
    “Our kind fears me enough as it is. They don’t need an additional reason.” He drummed his fingers on the armrest. “What do you think I am?”
    “When I was coming up with a worst-case scenario, it crossed my mind that you could be one of Lucifer’s offspring.”
    He laughed. “Lucifer keeps his offspring close; you should know that.” He tilted his head. “That’s the best theory you have?” If so, he was disappointed.
    “That’s another question. I haven’t had a chance to ask mine yet. Are you a hybrid?”
    He frowned. “There are no hybrids in the demon world.” Even cambions – demons that were half-human – were still classed as a demonic breed in their own right.
    “I know, but stranger things have happened.” Like the fact that she was even answering personal questions.
    He deliberately nudged her knee with his beneath the table. “No other theories?”
    “None. Some think you’re some kind of super incubus. Don’t act like you don’t know the effect you have on people.”
    “I’m not a…super incubus.” He smiled at her irritated look. She clearly didn’t like being in the dark about anything. “Why don’t you get involved with our kind?”
    She arched a reproachful brow. “That’s a little invasive.”
    “Asking me what breed of demon I am isn’t invasive?”
    “Ah, but I didn’t ask you what breed you are. I asked questions that might hint at the answer. That’s different.”
    “Okay, I’ll rephrase. Do you avoid getting involved with demons because one once hurt you?”
    “No. How old are you?” She could tell he wanted to pursue his own line of questioning, but he didn’t push.
    “Much, much older than you.”
    She narrowed her eyes at his evasive response. “Can you really call on the flames of hell?”
    “Maybe. Do you expect me to leave you, abandon you?”
    That question demonstrated a perceptiveness she didn’t like. “Maybe.”
    “I won’t.”
    He didn’t say anything else, and she knew that was as much as both of them were prepared to reveal for now.
    The flight to Manhattan felt a lot longer than it probably was. A short drive later they arrived at a high-rise, black glass building. Tanner and Levi flanked Harper and Knox as they strolled through the foyer. Recognition flickered across the faces of the staff as they spotted Knox, quickly followed by a dose of fear.
    A demon nervously directed Knox, Harper, and the two sentinels to a room at the rear of the building. As they entered, Harper’s brows flew up at the size of the long, square boardroom table that looked like it would fit better at a wedding reception. Many demons were seated while others were standing in small groups as they chatted quietly. Every single one of them had the same reaction to Knox – their eyes flashed with respect, awe, and blind fear.
    It was easy for Harper to forget just how much of a threat to their kind he truly presented, because she felt safe with him; had that instinctual knowledge that he would never hurt her, his anchor. Oh, she still found him unnerving and she never forgot she was in the presence of a powerful predator, but she also never felt threatened by him like these demons here did.
    Her inner demon didn’t like being in the company of all these Primes, didn’t like their curious, assessing looks as they noticed Harper. Knox must not have liked it either, because his hand