Page 101 of Demon Found

“Well. Maybe they checked.”

Naeve scrunches her nose and cocks her head.

“Hear me out. My dad and stepmom died when I was four. This government lady told Seth and me the news with all the sympathy of a block of granite. She wanted a blood sample. That’s plain weird. We were going into the care system, not signing up for organ transplant.

It was only a finger prick test, but I was so scared I couldn’t stop screaming. Seth did the only unselfish thing he’s ever done. He told the lady he’d get it from me, took me to the next room, and did the test on himself instead.”

Stop crying and I’ll not let her hurt you.We’ll be fine, we’ll look after each other.His words still reverberate in my head, making me long for the brother that might have been. What happened to Seth?

“I was all he had left. He was eight, just a kid too.”

“So, you think you’d have been killed if that blood test proved you were Levi’s daughter?” Farrell sounds dubious. Now he says it like that, it sounds like a crackpot conspiracy theory.

“Well, whatever the reason, we’re glad you’re alive. Now your true genus has manifested, and with the bracelet off . . . all our grades are going up,” Naeve says ecstatically.

“I am sorry, guys. I know my shit has been dragging your grades down.”

“It’s fine. It’s what allegiance is for—to make sure every one of us makes it through.” Zephyr jerks his chin at Chano. “Even him.”

“I’ll still be in the ten percent battle. Especially now I have a year of demon shit to catch up on.”

Farrell rounds on Chano. “You’ll help with that, surely? You can’t still be pissed at her? Seth killed that kid, not her.”

Chano smirks, but I rush to interrupt before he opens his mouth.

“No. No, he’s not pissed. But I also flunked Potions, remember? Camille’s little trick . . .”

“How could any of us forgetthebest night of our lives?” Zephyr grins and a blush creeps up my neck. I hear a low rumble at my back.Are you shitting me? Chano can’t be jealous. He was freaking there. He was part of it.

“Ignore them.” Naeve squeezes my arm and grins. “The allegiance is saved. Without multiple layers of suppression, our bond can form properly.”

I ride a wave of pure happiness. We’re a team. We can do this.

Chano clears his throat.

Fuck.

I back slowly out of Naeve’s grip, fidgeting with the hem of my top, eyes darting everywhere.

“Aren’t you pleased?” Zephyr sounds hurt.

Shit shit shit. What have I done?It didn’t matter so much when the allegiance bond was pretty screwy anyway. Now I know we might actually have a had a decent chance . . .

Chano’s arm snakes possessively around my waist and he pulls me into his side.

“You’re not alone, chica. Stop those thoughts. This is not your fault.”

My thumb tingles where the Aeternum band is branded into me. He’s right. And having him standing here, holding onto me, makes it better. But dammit, this is still so difficult. I blow out a breath and do the simplest thing I can.

I lift Chano’s hand up and hold mine next to it. For a long beat, there’s silence.

Naeve breaks it first, with an ear-piercing shriek.

“Oh, my gosh! You’re mates?” She flings herself at me, leaping in the air, wrapping arms and legs around me so quickly I stagger under the unexpected weight. Dragging in a deep breath of her hideous perfume I muffle a sob in her hair.

Naeve pulls away, eyes bright with tears and pats my cheek. “We’ll work this out. All of us, together.” She glares at Zephyr and Farrell and only then do I dare to glance at them.

Zephyr looks stricken. He stands with the knife drooping out of his grasp, looking back and forth between my hand and Chano’s. He shakes his head, muttering under his breath. He sits suddenly on the bed, staring blankly into space. Off in his own world.

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