Page 28 of The Devil's Trials

Shaking my head, I say, “I keep my word, Harper. You’re free to go. Blake will take you home.”

“I can get there myself,” she interjects, standing from the couch.

“You have no idea where you are,” Blake points out with a grin that certainly doesn’t help the irritation on Harper’s face.

She shoots him a deadly glare. “Fine. Take me home.”

I get up to pull her attention away from Blake, wanting this interaction to end on a positive note. “Will you let me see you again?”

Her brows draw together as surprise fills her eyes faster than she can attempt to mask it. “I…don’t know.”

“Think about it,” I offer as we walk toward the door.

She exhales a sigh, briefly meeting my gaze. “Okay.” She turns her attention to Blake again. “And you—” she says, crossing the room toward him “If you try the shit you pulled today again, I will take great pleasure in cutting off your dick and shoving it down your throat.”

With that, she walks out of the house, leaving the door open.

Blake doesn’t tear his gaze away from Harper until she reaches his car, then he lets out a low whistle. When he turns to me, the hungry glimmer in his gaze has me shaking my head.

“Watch it,” I warn, caught off guard by the possessive urge filling my chest. It has zero place there, and I have absolutely no right to feel any sort of way about Harper. But that doesn’t change the strange tightness in my lungs at her leaving.

His lips curl into a grin. “Sorry, mate. I can’t help that your sister threatening my most prized asset so violently is such a fucking turn on.”

I roll my eyes and go back to the couch as Blake leaves to take Harper home, locking the door behind him.

My gaze drifts from the TV to the window in the kitchen, where the wind stirs the trees beneath an overcast sky, threatening rain. I turn up the volume on the TV as an attempted distraction, and yet I can’t stop myself from replaying Harper’s words over and over in my head.

You saved her only to leave her in the dark, driving her to flee the state.

…leave her in the dark…

…flee the state.

Harper’s presence effectively disturbed the mental block I’ve been building, and it’s my own damn fault.

No matter where my mind goes, it always circles back to Camille.

EIGHTCAMILLE

I never thought I’d be a person who goes to the gym when they can’t sleep, but after spending over an hour tossing and turning, I figure a workout can’t hurt—despite it being nearly two in the morning. Since my first training session with Noah yesterday, my muscles are a bit sore, though less so after following his advice about stretching.

My footsteps echo throughout the underground parking garage as I walk toward the private gym connected to the building. I shiver against the chill, wishing I’d grabbed a jacket on my way out, and wrap my arms tighter around myself as I pick up my pace.

I freeze and suck in a breath at the sound of a car door slamming. Whipping around, I half expect to find someone standing there, and my hand immediately goes to where the dagger Harper sent meshouldbe. Too bad I didn’t think to arm myself to walk to the gym on the property.

I exhale a steadying breath and turn to keep walking—only to come face-to-face with Blake.

“Fucking hell,” I breathe, nearly choking on nothing.

He offers me a dazzling grin. “Not quite, love.” He cocks his head to the side, surveying my face, and a bit of his blue hair falls forward.

When did he have time to change the pink?

Now issonot the time to worry about that.

Why is he here?

“Long time no see,” he says casually, as if him showing up here in the middle of the night is completely normal. “How’ve you been?” It was only two weeks ago that Xander killed his mother and became king, though it still feels like yesterday.

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