It was true that Knox liked control. A long time ago, every minute of his waking time had been controlled. He'd been told what to wear, what to eat, where and when to sleep, and even how long he was permitted to sleep. He hadn't been allowed any individual possessions, hadn't been allowed to make any decisions for himself. When he'd finally gotten free, he'd seized control of his life and taken everything he'd been deprived of: power, control, possessions, independence, knowledge, and freedom.
He needed to keep those things – particularly control. Especially since without it he might not keep his abilities and demon in check.
"I'm controlling," he conceded. "And I won't deny that I'll interfere in your life in an effort to make it better, and you naturally won't like that. You'll push back. It'll be hard, so it means we just have to learn to compromise and find a balance."
Why did he have to sound all calm, mature, and reasonable? It made her complaints and reluctance seem dumb. The reality was, though, that this wasn't dumb, because there was something else.
Halting, she said, "There's another thing that would make this hard."
"What's that?"
"You're protective of your demons, you're loyal to them and would choose them over an outsider. Right?"
Knox narrowed his eyes. "Where are you going with this?"
"My mother is part of your lair."
That had definitely been unexpected. The background check he'd done on Harper hadn't found the identity of her mother. "I'm sensing you believe this is a bad thing."
"She and I don't have a relationship. She won't want me anywhere near a single demon in her lair. As her Prime, you have a certain loyalty to her. You're responsible for the emotional and physical well-being of each and every one of your demons."
It took only a moment of recalling the few sphinxes in his lair to guess who she was referring to. "Carla Hayden is your mother?"
Harper simply nodded.
The depth of anger he suddenly harbored for Carla Hayden, someone who had clearly hurt his anchor, was shared by his demon. "I'm not sure what's happened between you and Carla – we'll get to that later. I am loyal to my demons and I take my responsibilities to them seriously. Ordinarily, they come before outsiders. But this isn't an ordinary situation, and you're not an outsider. You're my anchor, and I have a certain loyalty to you as well. If, as you believe, she won't like that, it's her issue to deal with. No one makes my decisions for me." Not anymore.
"You're a tenacious fucker, aren't you," she grumbled.
Silence fell as he studied her with those bottomless pools of dark silk. She'd never met anyone who had such a bold, unapologetically direct stare. She still couldn't get a read on what he was, nor could she get a read on his state of mind. This was someone whose emotions were very tightly controlled. Someone who could also wrench a viciously sexual response from her body that was pissing her off.
"Know what I think, Harper? I think some of your hesitation comes from the fact that anchors tend to rely on each other and you don't want to – maybe don't even know how to – rely on anybody."
Her eyelids flickered. Bingo.
"I understand that." He really did, because he was just as opposed to depending on others. "But being anchored doesn't mean losing your independence. I don't intend to take over your life."
But he'd interfere in it to the point of making her crazy, she was right about that.
Seeing the resolve on his face, she sighed. "Do you always get your way?"
"Yes." He approached her cautiously, like he would a skittish animal. "You need to accept the situation, Harper. You're my anchor. That means you belong to me, I'll always have rights to you, and I'll always be in your life."
Feeling his mind coaxingly stroke hers, she scowled. "Stop it." That sounded petulant even to her. He looked amused rather than irritated.
"Tell me the idea of me backing off doesn't bother you, Harper." He ate up the space left between them in one stride, curling a lock of her hair around his finger. He wasn't above using the attraction that hummed between them to weaken her defenses. "Tell me it doesn't send your demon insane."
Swamped by his forceful presence and raw sexuality, it took everything she had not to back up. Unfortunately, she couldn't deny that the idea of him staying away from her disturbed both her and her demon.
"Even if I was prepared to walk away from you, which I'm not, I wouldn't manage to stay away for long. Our demons wouldn't allow us to ignore this. Mine is already extremely possessive of you. Are you going to tell me that's a one-way street?"
"No," she admitted in a low voice.
Her honesty pleased his demon, who was extremely impatient to bond and was rearing to do it right then. But Knox knew it wouldn't be that simple. Harper still wasn't fully convinced it was a wise idea, and he had the distinct feeling that pressing her any further would make her object just to be contrary.
"I have plans for dinner. You're coming with me."
When one of her brows imperiously slid up, his cock twitched – it made him want to bend her over that desk and fuck that attitude right out of her.
"I am?"
Knox almost smiled at her soft yet dangerous tone. A lesser demon might have cowered. "I'll rephrase. Come with me."
Knowing that was as close to a request as he was capable of delivering, Harper asked, "Where? Why?"
"We need to get to know each other better." He'd use the opportunity to make her more comfortable around him. The sooner that happened, the sooner she'd be comfortable with their situation and agree to bond.
Curling a hand around her wrist, he led Harper out of the office and through the studio – passing her colleagues, who were shooting her enthusiastic, supportive looks as they said their goodbyes. Once she'd slipped on her jacket, he put a hand on the small of her back and urged her outside.
At the sight of the gorgeous, sleek, black Bentley that was totally out of place in this area, Harper halted abruptly. "Holy fuck."
Knox gestured to the two males guarding the vehicle. "Harper, this is Tanner and Levi, two of my sentinels. Tanner, Levi – this is Harper Wallis, my anchor."
Harper exchanged nods with the two seriously hot demons, one of whom she recognized as the male sentinel that had escorted her to Knox's office in the Underground. Both sentinels regarded her with a respect that took her by surprise, considering that lairs weren't quick to accept strangers. Apparently their respect for their Prime automatically extended to her now.
As Tanner opened the rear passenger door, Harper and Knox slid inside. She pretty much sank into the buttery-smooth leather, inwardly groaning in pleasure. It was good to be off her feet.
Once Tanner hopped into the front passenger seat, Levi threw the car into gear and pulled out of the parking space.
She looked at Knox, who was currently focused on his cell phone.
"You didn't tell me where we're going."
"Patience, little sphinx."
"It's not a trait I possess."
Still consulting his phone, he said, "Patient isn't something I can claim to be either. Relax, you're safe with me. It's just dinner, Harper."
She snorted. "No, it's not. This is you making sure I'm seen with you. You want it known that I'm under your protection."
"You're partly right," he admitted, liking how astute she was. "After all, if anyone harmed you, I'd have to kill them. They should know that in advance. Call it a preemptive measure. But I also want to know you."
He wanted to unravel the mystery of her. His anchor was a complex creature. She had a tough, almost aggressive exterior, but he had the feeling that there lay a lot of softness under that hard shell. He wanted to know what had formed that hard shell; wanted to know her better than anybody else did. It was an unexpected urge, but he didn't care to overthink it.
"I have to warn you that once you know a little about me, you'll change your mind about bonding."
"You sound very sure of that."
"Look, I might biologically be a sphinx, but I'm an imp in every other way that counts. That means I'm unmanageable, stubborn, secretive, I don't like rules, and I make people tired and irritated – and I take pride in it."
Knox caught Levi's amused smile in the rearview mirror. "I consider myself warned."
Stubborn-assed motherfucker.