Stomach hardening, Devon swallowed. Devastation, anger, and shock pumped through her blood, fighting for supremacy. Someone had not only broken into her home, they’d wrecked her living room and probably stolen some of her things. It was just stuff; she knew that. Stuff could be replaced. And it wasn’t as if the furniture had been worth shit. But, dammit, they’d been hers.
“I called Jolene, and she sent Ciaran to me,” Raini went on. “He snapped some pictures with his cell and then teleported us both out of there. Show her, Ciaran.”
Digging his phone out of his pocket, the male imp crossed to Devon. “They’re not pretty.”
As she skimmed through the collection of photos he’d taken of her apartment, Devon ground her teeth. “Motherfucker.”
“The damage seemed personal to me,” said Ciaran. “Vindictive. It’s like someone had a brief explosion of anger and then managed to get ahold of themselves.”
“I’ll have someone clean the place, Devon,” said Jolene. “In the meantime, you can’t stay there.”
“The safest place you can be is with me,” Harper insisted.
Devon lifted her chin. “I won’t take my shit to your door. Think of Asher. Do you really want this touching your son? Because it could, and I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to my little dude. Come on, Knox, surely you’re with me on how bad of an idea this is.”
Knox shrugged. “I have extreme preternatural security measures in place. No one can penetrate my estate.”
“Stay with me and your mom, beautiful,” said Russell. “We want you with us.”
Again, Devon shook her head. She wouldn’t endanger them that way. Couldn’t.
“You could stay in the apartment that’s just become empty on the floor above mine,” said Tanner. “The tenant had a crazy, Freddie-Mercury-style party last night and got himself kicked out of the building. You could stay here with me tonight while the apartment is put to rights, and then you could move there some time tomorrow. That way, you won’t feel like you’re putting anyone at risk.”
Aside from the part where he wanted her to stay here for the night, it was a good solution, but … “You’re asking me to let someone chase me out of my home.”
“No, I’m asking you to be smart.” Tanner crossed to where she sat and stared down at her, determined to make her see reason. “You know it’s a good idea, kitten.” And if she tried leaving, well, he’d just bring her back. She’d barely got out of the kidnapping alive—he wasn’t going to allow her to risk herself yet again.
Devon narrowed her eyes at him, and then her voice flowed into his head. You’d take advantage of our time alone to coax me into your bed.
Tanner didn’t deny it—it would have been a lie. That he’d make no bones of seducing her while she was worn out made him an asshole, yeah, but he’d always been selfish and ruthless when it came to Devon. He had no limits where she was concerned.
You shouldn’t be alone when you’re not at one-hundred percent, he pointed out to her telepathically, knowing it would prick at her pride if he spoke out loud of how weak she currently was. You’d say the same thing to others if the situation applied to them.
He let his gaze roam over her. There was something oddly satisfying about seeing her in his shirt, just as there’d been something oddly satisfying about seeing her in his bed.
He’d only ever had two other females in his apartment before now—Larkin and Harper, both of whom he thought of as family. Never had a woman slept in his bed. He wouldn’t have thought he’d like it, but he had. Though that was probably quite simply because it was Devon.
“I think Tanner’s suggestion is a sound idea,” Levi said to her. “This building has all kinds of security measures—technological and preternatural. Apart from Knox’s estate, which you’re insisting you won’t stay at, this is probably the safest place for you to be that’s local to your friends, family, and work.”
“I agree,” said Jolene. “The attempt to snatch you right in front of your guards was bold, Devon. I don’t foresee the asshole behind all this backing off—which makes him stupid, but never underestimate how dangerous stupid people can be. I’d rather you were staying here. Especially since Tanner would be on the floor below you. Having marked you, he’d be alerted if something was wrong and he could get to you in under a minute.”
Devon inclined her head because, yeah, that was a good point.
“He could also give you a ride to work in the morning,” Jolene added ever so casually. “And give you a ride home afterwards—it would make sense for him to do so.”
Devon folded her arms across her chest. “I see where this is going.” Jolene wanted him to chauffeur her around. And as her gaze swept the room, she saw that everyone seemed to think that it was a good idea.
“Twice now you’ve been taken while on your way somewhere,” Jolene reminded her. “I want you to have someone dangerous at your side next time it happens. Not in a car behind you, shadowing your every move.”
“Think of having Tanner with you as carrying a loaded gun,” said Khloë. “A backup weapon, if you will. Only he’s too big to slip into a holster on your ankle. Which is good, because the damn things can rub at your skin something awful at times.”
Keenan turned to the imp. “You’re armed?”
Khloë frowned at him. “We’re not talking about me.”
“We are now,” the incubus snapped.
Khloë ignored him. “As weapons go, a hellhound is mega cool, Dev. Any girl would happily have one.”
“So, you’d be okay with someone chauffeuring you around?” Devon asked the incredibly independent female.
Khloë snorted, her brows drawing together. “Hell n—yes, yes I would.”
Devon shook her head. “God, you’re so full of shit.”
Raini sat beside Devon. “What sounds better to you—dead and proud, or alive and chafing at the bit? Because I’d go for door number two, in your shoes.”
Harper moved closer. “When I was bristling over Knox assigning me a bodyguard, you said it didn’t make me weak to have people looking out for my safety, Devon. You said it made me smart. Well, right back atcha, Clarke.”
Devon looked at the three girls carefully. “You guys haven’t ganged up on me this way since we were eleven and I refused to lie that Khloë dumped Gary Ford when it was the other way around.”
Khloë gasped. “I can’t believe you pulled that out of the vault.”
“Who’s Gary Ford?” Keenan asked, but he was ignored.
With a mock sigh, Tanner stepped forward. “Look, kitten, I know it’s a struggle for you to deal with the undying love you feel for me and the close proximity only makes it harder, but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
Devon glared at him. “Honestly, sometimes it’s like your brain takes a laxative or something.”
Tanner chuckled, and his hound let out an amused chuff. She was far too easy to rile, which he couldn’t help but enjoy. “You’re not dumb, kitten, you know you can’t go back to your apartment until it’s been cleaned. And since someone managed to get past your protective wards, you can’t claim that you’d be safe there.”