“Tell me we’re not riding in a sparkly float,” she begged.
He chuckled. “Not a sparkly float. After we’ve finished the lap, we’ll go to the Ice Lounge and relax there for the rest of the celebration. I’ve no doubt that people will come talk to you, but at least you’ll be sitting comfortably and be well-guarded when they do.”
“Can Jolene, my family, and the girls meet us there?”
“Yes, I’ve already put them on the VIP guest list. They should already be in the VIP section by the time we get there.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You’re mine. I’ll always give you what you need.” He felt the baby move again. This time, it was as if it rolled beneath his hand. “This little one sure is active tonight.”
“Like I said, it wants out.”
“In five weeks, it will get its wish.” He kissed her and spoke against her mouth, “Love you, baby.”
“And I love you.” Hearing a ping, Harper twisted to look at the private elevator that was a direct entrance into the suite. The doors slid open, revealing all four sentinels looking smart and alert.
“Everything’s in place,” Levi told them. “Time to go.”
“We’re ready.” Knox threaded his fingers through hers and led her through the spacious entryway and into the elevator. The sentinels backed against the four walls to make room, all giving them brief nods.
As the shiny metal doors closed behind them, Harper let out a breath. “Looking good, guys.” The sentinels each shot her an impatient glance. “Sorry, sorry, you’re concentrating on looking scary and unapproachable. Don’t worry; you’ve got that down.”
The elevator hummed as they descended. It came to a very smooth halt with a chime, and the doors then slid open once again. Without a word, two sentinels took the lead while the others took up the rear as they all walked through the reception area and out of the automatic doors.
Harper gave a low whistle at the sight she found. Many people were waiting, all dressed up in glitzy costumes. There were acrobats, cheerleaders, stilt walkers, dance troops, and baton and flag twirlers. Even better, there were a bunch of demons on Harley Davidsons. Harper was totally jealous that she couldn’t ride one of those… right up until she realized that Knox was leading her to a beautiful carriage that was pulled by two white, fine-boned horses.
“Wow,” she breathed. Harper inhaled. She loved the smell of horses – hay, wood chips, sunshine, dust, and a hint of leather.
Tanner opened the carriage door and held out his hand. “I’ll give you a boost, since you’re size-challenged.”
“Hey,” she playfully whined, allowing him to help her into the carriage. She wasn’t at all surprised by the lavish cream-leather interior; Knox always traveled in style.
Knox slid in beside her and arched a brow. “Well?”
“This is pretty awesome,” she told him. “I’ve never been in a horse-drawn carriage before.”
“Really? Good. I like to introduce you to new things.”
“Well, you massively succeeded.” She noticed that the four sentinels flanked the carriage; Levi and Larkin stood on the right while Tanner and Keenan stood on the left. “I’m guessing they’ll be guarding us the entire time.”
“You guessed correctly. I won’t ever take chances with your safety, Harper. The performers are part of our lair, but that doesn’t mean I trust them so close to you. Throughout the parade, some of the performers will precede us; the others will follow. That means that, essentially, we’re boxed in if there’s a threat, which is why the sentinels are here and members of the Force are on patrol.”
She wasn’t the least bit surprised by how tight his security measures were. “Then you’ve done all you can do. Let’s get this done.”
Knox nodded to someone, and then a voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing the beginning of the parade. A big applause rang through the Underground. Then everyone around them began to move.
Harper almost jumped as the marching band roared to life. The drumbeat seemed to vibrate in her chest as the carriage smoothly pulled onto the strip. There was hooting, whistling, shouting, and laughing. Some threw confetti while others threw candy, snapping pictures with their cell phones.
When the carriage neared the studio, Harper beamed as she caught sight of the girls and her family. Hooting and jumping, they waved like crazy people. Jolene did a very regal wave that made Harper’s demon smile.
As the performers and carriage continued down the strip, the members of the Force worked to keep the spectators behind the ropes and ensure that all the performers moved in a timely fashion. All the while, their eyes searched for potential threats.
She leaned into Knox. “Considering I’m nervous, the smells of popcorn, frying onions, and grilled meat shouldn’t be making me feel hungry.” Her words were almost drowned out by the shouting, the marching band, the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves, and the rumble of the Harley engines.
Knox brushed confetti out of her hair. “We’ll eat once this is over.”
Satisfied by that, Harper carried on waving as the parade went on. Her face actually hurt from fixing a smile on it as they passed what seemed like a never-ending row of bars, restaurants, stores, coffeehouses, hotels, and casinos. People waved from their hotel balconies, and some even dangled cotton “congratulations” banners. Harper waved back, which felt totally weird but it would have been rude not to.
With all the noise, the sparkly costumes, and the delicious scents of vender food, it was a sensory overload – her demon was impatient to get it over and done with. Harper suspected that she might collapse in relief when it was over.
She tried to make eye contact with the kids, amused by how excited they looked. One particular child caught her attention, because he wasn’t jumping or waving. Taking a closer look, she realized it was McCauley. He stared right at her, his eyes as blank as always. It gave her the chills, and she shivered.
Knox put his mouth to her ear. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just saw McCauley.”
“Elena must have brought him.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Shaking off her discomfort, Harper went back to waving and smiling at the crowd. It was a further half an hour before the parade was finally over, and she was so happy to be able to lower her aching hand and drop that Barbie smile.
At Knox’s request, the demon steering the horses dropped them off at the Ice Lounge. It was an upscale bar that Harper hadn’t actually been to before. When she entered, she could only gasp. It was like walking into a giant Alaskan cave, only the ice was completely synthetic and the temperature was warm.