Page 89 of Spit

“My own personal bodyguard.”

“You’re a demon. What would you possibly need with a witch once this Magicktek business is finished?” I placed the coke on the side, exasperated. “Look, Legion. Once you’ve found your missing facets, dead or alive, chances are you won’t need me anymore. I’ll go back to New Orleans, and you’ll go back to doing what you do best.”

“And whats that?” He wondered.

“Looking menacing?”

Legion shifted forward until his butt hovered on the edge of his seat and his feet were close enough to touch mine where we sat. His scent filled my nose and made my head swim. Sugar-sweet like his magic but still somehow masculine because it was all him. “Is that how you think of me?” His voice was deep and husky. I wished I could move away because it would be tempting to lean forward and meet him, buying into whatever he obviously had in mine based on how he studied me.

“I think you want to hire me; for whatever reason, a demon does anything.” I rolled my eyes. “I just became a shiny bauble because I said no.”

Legion pressed his tongue to his canine tooth, nodding appraisingly, though I couldn’t tell if it was in agreement with what I said or with whatever he was thinking about behind those midnight eyes. “What it be so bad?” He asked. “To be mine?”

Another shocked laugh burst from my lips. “You have Katalina.”

“Do I?”

“She loves you.”

“Katalina does not have my heart.” He replied cryptically.

“We’ve known each other less than a week.” I countered.

Legion made a derisive sound. “Yesterday, on the lawn, you acted so strangely. Explain.”

His demeanor had shifted, becoming more demonlike the longer we spoke. The mask came off as his word became brusquer.

I squirmed in my seat, unwilling to answer the question but sensed I had to. Legion caught my reluctance like a cat catching a mouse by the tail.

“I don’t want to.” I hated how breathless I sounded.

“Does it have anything to do with Trey's fingers inside you minutes before you came to the bar to meet with me?” Legion clicked his tongue.

“How did you—”

“You left your scent on his hands.” His dark eyes grew hooded. “Like dark summer fruits.”

“You can’t talk about things like that.” I looked away, my cheeks growing pink.

Legion sat back. “You are a world of contractions, Ms. Boudaire. One moment you are sucking the life from a group of assassins in the middle of the street. Taking a blade to the thigh and pressing on until you collapse. The next, you are a blushing virgin, unable to meet my eyes the moment you know that I want to fuck you.”

“You—”

Legion interrupted again. “I shouldn’t say it? Why? Because we have been attracted to each other from the moment we met? Because you have allowed my brother to fuck you with his hands, and all I feel is jealousy even though he is a facet. He poses no threat to me.”

“You want me to reject Trey?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

Legion shook his head. “You don’t understand. My brothers and I, we are one. We do not compete because we are in synch. We are part of each other, facets of each other. How can I feel jealous of Trey for touching you? It would mean that I was jealous of my own hand.”

“But you said—”

“I know what I said.” Legion cut in.

My fists balled up. “Stop interrupting me!” My voice rose, and my eyes flashed.

Legion was startled, his hand fluttering to his chest. “Death and darkness, what was that?”

I ignored his question, though I got the impression that he was referring to more than my outburst. “I like Trey,” I told him.

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