Page 126 of Spit

“I think we can break the bond. At least, your bond to us.” Legion continued. “Camio’s existence was tied to the bond in a way that yours isn’t. He was at the bond's conception. I believe that if we requested that you be freed from the bond, the Balance might grant the request.”

“The Balance?” I echoed.

“The god of all things, Pinkie Pie,” Sev said softly. “She is why we are no longer trapped in Legion’s body. She is the reason we have bodies when we are in the red city.”

“If you chose to leave the red city while bonded, I don’t know what would happen.” Legion cut in. “You may be fine. After all, you submitted to the bond willingly, and you very much still have a body.”

“But what happens to all of you if I leave?” I asked.

Legion looked away. “We don’t know.”

No one was looking me in the eye.

My skin felt too tight. “Is that it then?” My voice was thick with unshed tears that I wouldn’t let fall. “Are you kicking me out of your club? Out of the seven?”

“Lexi,” Trey stood up, ducking past Legion; he put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “It’s not about what we want. It's about what you need. We can’t ask you to give up your life. You were forced to come here by Beezelbub, and though your contact with him is done, you will always be his daughter. You can live a human life if you want. You don’t have to be trapped here, like us, in the red city.”

“We only want what’s best for you.” Legion closed his eyes as if he was in pain.

I was angry.

Legion’s ramblings and decrees about what was best for me were a wound he kept digging his fingers into. I should have been happy. The Seven offered me to go back to my old life, to NOLA and Dare Security…back to my lonely apartment and my fat cat.

Arlo watched me, silently gauging my mood, as the voices of the others faded out—a drone in the background.

I didn’t want to go back to New Orleans.

I had tasted what life would be like with my demons, and I didn’t want to go back.

I stomped my foot to get their attention, feeling like a toddler throwing a tantrum as I finally dared to voice my deepest desire. What I truly wanted.

“I want all of you!” I shouted, closing my eyes, so I didn’t have to see their faces as I made the declaration. “I don’t care that I’m stuck here. I don’t care that I’m bonded to all of you. You’re mine, and I’m yours. I knew what I was doing when I saved Legion’s life.”

It felt like the cork had gone flying off the champagne bottle of my anger, but it was good to finally admit it. My chest heaved as all six of the demons stared at me, frozen.

Oh shit.

I’d just made a fool of myself.

The room went silent in the wake of my confession.

I was so used to hiding from others, from never opening myself up to the possibility of a relationship, that I was going about it all wrong.

Staring at all the wide-eyed faces of the stewards, without a word leaving their mouths, I realized that I might have miscalculated. Embarrassment rose inside me, filling my body like a faucet pouring directly into my skull.

“Pinkie Pie…” Sev’s eyes crinkled at the edges.

Frantically, I stepped back, ready to escape. “I meant—”

Arlo pressed his hand against the small of my back; I was startled when I realized I had walked right into him. “How long have you felt this way?” Arlo asked gently.

I shrugged, unable to lift my eyes from the floor. I felt my cheeks burn, and I cursed the blood vessels in my face for giving away my thoughts. It was hard to be mysterious and play off my declaration as something else when my blush was visible from space. Needing to keep my hands busy, I fussed with the lapels of my leather jacket. A hand stilled mine as Legion wrapped his fingers around mine. He had moved so quickly that I hadn’t heard him make a step.

“Ms. Boudaire, youcanleave.” Legion urged. “You don’t have to be trapped with us because you decided to save us in a moment of darkness.”

My nostrils flared. “You think I’m still here because of a savior complex?”

Legion smiled, his lips disappearing into a thin light. “I know more than anyone—”

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