“What possible motivation could Drew have for wanting to see the US Primes fall?” she challenged.

“He wants me dead, Harper. In his mind, I stole you from him.”

“Yes, and you know that because you’ve literally been in his mind. If he was the Horseman, you’d already know.”

“That’s not how it works, Harper. The mind is a vast space. Trillions of webs of memories, thoughts, views, wants, likes, dislikes, regrets, goals, et cetera. I didn’t root through his mind as a whole, I only explored the web of thoughts and memories he had that were related to you. Still, I’d like to think that I’d have seen some indication of him being the Horseman if he truly was.”

“But you didn’t, did you?”

“No, but why else would he have been with Alethea? What other reason could he have had for being in that house? He wasn’t killed there, Harper. He wasn’t used to feed the incorporeal. Either he was working with her, or he had some other reason for going to that house. Whatever the case, he was with her. I picked up how badly he wants me dead—”

“It’s one thing to want to see you dead. But why take all the other Primes down too?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s bitter that Jolene wouldn’t make him Prime—I called her a few minutes ago; she said he told her long ago that he wanted to take her place one day, and he’d seemed upset when she made it clear that she wanted you to replace her.”

It had made Knox wonder if just maybe that was part of why Drew had wanted Harper for himself so badly—as her mate, he would have then also been her co-Prime if she’d taken Jolene’s place. It could even be that the reason he’d waited to claim Harper was that he’d been waiting for her to be declared Prime first. But Knox decided not to say that, since she was hurting enough.

Shooting him a look of impatience, she snorted. “Knox, practically all demons want to be a Prime. We’re typically power-hungry creatures.”

“I’m simply saying that maybe we failed to see that Drew is as power-hungry as Isla, Nora, and Roan were.”

Harper jutted out her chin. “I won’t believe it.”

“You don’t want to believe it,” he corrected.

“No, I don’t.” Because it would kill Devon, and Harper didn’t want to see her friend hurt. Regardless, it just seemed wrong to her. It didn’t add up. “You have to admit there are some holes in this theory. Did Drew ever seem power-hungry to you?” Harper had never sensed that quality in him.

“No, but Tanner scented him in that basement, baby. Why else would he have been there?”

“I don’t fucking know.” Slamming the suitcase shut, she sharply yanked on the zip as she secured it shut. “But I just can’t accept that Drew is the freaking Horseman. I can’t.”

Knox crossed to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “There are a lot of people trying to track Drew right now. He can’t hide for long. We’ll find him, and we’ll get our answers. For now, we have to operate on the assumption that he was—at the very least—involved with Alethea somehow.”

Sighing, Harper raked a hand through her hair. “I only just got Devon back, Knox,” she said, voice small. “If you’re right, the whole thing will shred her, especially if we have to kill him.”

“I know. I wish that wasn’t the case.” Killing Drew wouldn’t bother Knox, but causing a divide between Harper and her friend would. Still, there was no way he would—or even could—let the male live if he was the Horseman. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “You packed?” At her nod, he gave her shoulders a little squeeze and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “Good. The jet’s ready. Let’s go get Asher.”

Minutes later, they were walking to the clearing where the private jet waited. Levi led the way, using a machete to clear a path through the thick vegetation. The pilot, Davis, and his mate, Noelle—who was also the flight attendant—were already there. The sentinels got settled in the front cabin while Knox, Harper, and Asher seated themselves in the rear cabin for some privacy.

She sat Asher on her lap, who was busy poking Hound’s eyes. God, she hated that she was taking him back to a place where danger awaited him. She’d considered leaving him on the island with Tanner, but she couldn’t. Maybe it was selfish, but she wouldn’t cope with having so much distance between them. She also couldn’t bring herself to leave Knox to deal with the Horseman situation alone, even though he was fully capable of doing so. They were a team, and that need to be proactive in eliminating the threat to her son wouldn’t be satisfied with leaving it to Knox. No way.

Before the jet took off, Noelle came to offer drinks and snacks. Knox ordered a gin and tonic, but Harper declined—her churning stomach wouldn’t handle food or drink very well. Soon enough, they were in the sky.

Sitting opposite her, his thighs bracketing hers, Knox squeezed her knee. “It’ll be okay, baby.”

She kissed Asher’s head, inhaling his scent. “No, I don’t think it will.” Because there was a very good chance that Drew was going to die. “If we kill him, it will always sit smack bam between me and Devon, no matter how justified the kill is.”

“Which is why I’ll be the one to kill him, if it needs to be done. I’m fine with Devon hating me, but not with her hating you. Have you spoken with her about his scent being present at the house?”

“Not yet.” But she suspected that Jolene, as Devon’s Prime, might have already done so—her grandmother wouldn’t want the female hellcat to find out from someone else.

“You don’t want to speak with her about it because you’re still searching for a reason that might excuse why he was there—something innocent,” Knox gently accused.

“Is that so wrong?”

“No, but perhaps you should consider that the Drew you thought you knew doesn’t truly exist. Or maybe he did once exist but has long since changed. You’re right that some things don’t make sense, but that’s only because you have a certain impression of him in your head. Plenty of people wear masks, baby.”

Harper felt her brow furrow. “Yes, but Devon would have seen right through it.”

“Are you sure? She rarely sees him these days. He’s been gone six years now, and she wasn’t frequently in contact with him. People change—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Drew likes a rush. What better rush than to be a Prime? And how much bigger would that rush be if you got the position by dominating the other Primes, making yourself the only ruler?”

Closing her eyes for a moment, she rubbed her forehead. “Okay, it would be a huge rush, but it doesn’t automatically follow that you’re right.”

Knox took a sip of his drink. “Would the Drew you thought you knew have been so disobedient? Several times he’s ignored warnings from Jolene. He’s even lied to her. She was under the impression that he was in Cuba right now. She escorted him to the airport herself a few weeks ago—even walked him to the departure gate and watched the plane take off. He either got off the aircraft somehow before it left, or he took a flight back to Las Vegas.”

Harper thought on that for a moment. “He’s never been rebellious, no. He always seemed to respect her authority.”

“His recent actions would suggest otherwise, baby.”

She scrubbed a hand down her face. “It doesn’t even make sense that he’d work with Alethea. You’ve been in his head; you say he wants me. Why would he have ever worked with someone who would have loved to see me dead?”

“I don’t believe he was working with her, I believe he was using her. We agreed that the Horseman probably lied to Alethea about his plans. Maybe Drew told her that he wanted you dead. That would have gained him her cooperation. In using her, he also kept her away from you.”

“What about Heidi, Knox? The Horseman arranged to have her kidnapped so that she could be used in a damn ritual. No matter how much Drew wants to be a Prime, he would never hurt Heidi. I firmly believe that.”