Page 95

As they cantered nearer, Demon’s lips tugged into a frown.

The man in the lead was familiar.

Tall, lanky…dark hair, dark features…but it was the way he rode which—

Blackrose.

Instinctively, Demon’s hands fell to his side and his knees flexed, ready to throw himself at his old supervisor, the man who’d ruined so many lives for greed.

But luckily, his brain caught up and calmly pointed out the man wasn’t Blackrose…he just looked remarkably like him.

Beside him, he heard Felicity suck in a breath. “Georgia, your father…”

He felt Georgia stiffen and was already reaching for her to comfort her when he realized what he was doing. Being seen in public with him—especially by her father—would serve no benefit. But he wasn’t about to let her weather this alone.

So he slipped her hand around his arm and pressed it against his side, offering her comfort in the least improper way he could think of. Hopefully they just looked like a trio of friends, out on a stroll through the early morning frigidness of Hogmanay.

Nae one will believe that, ye dobber.

As the pair of horsemen clattered to a stop nearby, Demon had to tip his chin up to hold Bonkinbone’s gaze. The man was rude enough not to swing down from his horse as he addressed them, although from the haughty expression on his face, this wasn’t uncommon.

“Georgia.” There was no warmth in his greeting. “It was wrong of you not to alert me to your presence in London.”

She kept her expression neutral as she offered a small curtsey. “Good morning, Father. Happy New Year. My apologies for my tardiness. I had an obligation which kept me occupied until this morning.”

“Yes, I see.” The older man’s disdainful gaze snapped to the way Demon supported her, and he had to resist the urge to pull away.

Georgia must have been uncomfortable with the attention, because she tipped her head to one side. “Father, I believe you know—”

“I know who he is.” The Earl of Bonkinbone raked a disgusted glare over Demon’s scars, his lips curling. “You are uglier than I expected, sir.”

The insult was so unexpected, Demon smiled. “As are ye, sir.”

“My lord,” Bonkinbone corrected.

Well, hell. The bellicose turdweasel hadn’t yet realized Demon outranked him? His grin grew. He was going to enjoy this.

“Father—” began Georgia, but Demon squeezed her arm to keep her quiet. He wanted her father’s ire directed on him. This wasn’t her fight.

“Bonkinbone, ye’ll be delighted to ken that as of this morning, yer debt has been erased, thanks to yer daughter’s efforts on yer behalf.” He tipped his head, still smirking, when he should’ve been livid at the thought of Blackrose slipping through his fingers. “Ye ought to thank her.”

When his horse stepped sideways, the Earl controlled the animal with a hissed word, his expression screwed into a hateful scowl.

“Her efforts?” he spat. “I know all about her efforts. She is a foolish bitch if she thinks she can win my approval by spreading her legs for such a monster as you, Endymion!”

At his words, his companion sucked in a delighted breath and urged his horse closer, his eyes lighting in excitement. Felicity moaned under her breath, and from the corner of his eye, Demon saw the slight woman draw back and wrap her arms around herself.

The Earl’s riding companion clucked his tongue. “Really, Bonkinbone, your own daughter?”

Georgia’s father was still staring at her as if she were something foul he’d found on the bottom of his boot. “Indeed. She has obviously forgotten the lessons she learned after her stupid mistakes of the past. If she thinks whoring is the way back into my affections, she has learned nothing.”

Beside him, Georgia had stiffened, her breathing ragged.

Demon growled at her father, “See here—”

But the second man interrupted. “Bonkinbone, are you saying that your daughter sold her body to this man?” His tone was positively gleeful.

The Earl continued to sneer down at Georgia. “That is exactly what I am saying. The little slut thought that allowing this monster to use her and discard her like a filthy serviette would settle my debt. All it did was—”