The Darkest Passion

her.”

Or Olivia would lose her head. Warning received. Time to distract his little darling. “Want to play a game?”

Jumping up, grinning, she wound herself around his neck, slithering like a snake. “Yesss, yesss, yesss.”

Always ready to play, his Legion. Despite her improved speech, she hadn’t lost her childlike needs. “Pick something. Whatever you want.” He reached up to pet her, and his gaze fell to his arm. There was a single patch of bare skin on his wrist. He should have a snake tattooed there, to remind him of Legion. A tattoo to remind him of the good in his life, rather than the bad.

Yes, he liked that idea.

“I want to play…Clothes Optional.”

Also known as Shred Everything Aeron Wore. “Maybe pick something else. What about Beauty Shop, like we played a week ago? You can paint my nails.”

“Yeah!” Legion clapped, her excitement palpable. “I’ll go get Gilly’ssss polisssh.” Off she raced, disappearing around the corner.

“Gilly’s room is the last one on the right,” he called. He would spend an hour or two indulging her and then he would patrol the city for any sign of Hunters, as well as Shadow Girl. After what Legion had endured in hell, he owed her a little recreation, damn his duties.

Owed. The single word blasted through his head, and he cursed. He also owed Paris.

Even though he’d claimed he wouldn’t return to the fortress until Olivia was gone, he had to take care of Paris. That wasn’t a duty he would relinquish for any reason, yet he’d already allowed Lucien to see to Paris’s needs for the last three days. He sighed, disappointed in himself. Just because Lucien had taken the warrior into town didn’t mean Paris had picked anyone.

And while Paris might have slept with Kaia the other night, the strength he’d derived from it wouldn’t last long. Despite his smiles, he’d looked fatigued at breakfast. As Aeron had learned, fatigue was the first sign of trouble.

Aeron was willing to bet the warrior hadn’t been with anyone since Kaia. And that just wouldn’t do.

Legion skipped back into the living room, holding a plastic purple case and grinning widely. “Your nails will look like rainbowsss when I’m done.”

Rainbow. He supposed that was better than the bright pink flares she’d made them last time. “I’m sorry, baby, but our game will have to wait. I need to go back to the fortress and take care of something, which means I need you to stay here.”

The case fell to the floor with a crash. “No!”

“I won’t be gone long.”

“No! You ssssumoned me. You sssaid you’d play.”

“But if Gilly returns before I do,” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken, “please, please, please don’t try and play with her. All right?” The human wouldn’t survive. “I just have to grab something.” Or rather, someone. “Be a good girl and wait for me.”

Legion stalked to him. She flattened her hands on his chest, her claws slicing past his skin, drawing beads of blood. “I’ll go, too.”

“You can’t, baby. Remember?” He reached up and scratched her behind the ears. “The angel is there. She’s lost her wings and is now visible, but that doesn’t make her any less dangerous to you. She—”

The little demon jumped up and perched in his lap, staring up at him. Already big eyes widened. “Ssshe doesssn’t have wingsss no more?”

“No. She doesn’t.”

“Ssshe’sss fallen, then?”

“Yes.”

Once again, Legion clapped happily. “I heard an angel had fallen, but I didn’t know it wasss her. I could have helped them hurt her! But I can fix that. I can snatch my home from her now. I can kill her.”

“No,” he said, more fiercely than he’d intended.

Even Wrath reacted fiercely, growling inside his head, snapping at Legion for the first time.

Because his demon wanted to be the one to destroy the angel? No. Aeron shook his head. That made no sense, considering Wrath’s earlier desire for “more.” Perhaps the demon didn’t want her destroyed by anyone. A suspicion that still made no sense, but was a better fit.

Why did the demon like her?

Later. Aeron cupped Legion’s chin and forced her to keep her attention on him so that he would know she was not already daydreaming about the killing. “Focus on me, baby. Good. Now. You can’t hurt the angel.”

Legion blinked up at him. “I can! I’m ssstrong enough, I promissse.”

“I know you can, but I don’t want you to. She was supposed to hurt me but didn’t.” Instead, she’d given up everything for him.

Why? he wondered for the thousandth time. What kind of person did that? He’d scoffed at her earlier when she’d reminded him of her sacrifice, but truly, he was fascinated and confused. And humbled.

She didn’t know him. Or maybe she did, since she’d followed him for weeks—but that made her decision all the more bizarre. More than that, he wasn’t worth saving. Not to an angel, all that was good and right and perfect. And certainly not to a woman whom he would never allow himself to have.

“Ssso?” Legion persisted.

“So. In return, we’re going to be nice to her.”

“What? No! No, no, no.” If she’d been standing, she would have been stomping her feet. “I can hurt her if I want.”

“Legion,” he said, using his most authoritative tone. “This isn’t a negotiation. You will leave her alone. Promise me.”

Scowling, she sprang from his lap and paced the length of carpet in front of him. “You only want me to be nice to your friendsss. Ssso ssshe hasss to be your friend. But you can’t be friendsss with a disssgusssting angel.”

The words didn’t seem to be directed at him, so he didn’t reply. He let her continue to rant, hopefully getting it out of her system.

“Isss ssshe pretty? I bet ssshe’sss pretty.”

Again, Aeron remained silent. Legion, he knew, was protective of him and liked to be the center of his world. As was not uncommon among children of single fathers, she didn’t like him turning his attentions elsewhere.

“You like her,” she accused.

Finally he spoke up. “No. I don’t.” But even he could detect the uncertainty in his voice. He’d liked holding Olivia in his arms the last few nights. Liked it way too much. He’d liked her sitting in his lap at breakfast. He’d liked having her wild-sky scent in his nose. He’d liked the softness of her skin and the purity of her eyes. He’d liked her gentleness and her determination.

He’d liked the way she’d looked at him, as if he were part savior, part temptation.

“You like her,” Legion repeated, and this time there was so much fury in her words, they nearly scorched his skin.

“Legion,” he said. “Even if I like another woman, that doesn’t mean I’ll love you any less. You are my baby, and that will never change.”

Poison dripped from her too-sharp teeth—teeth she bared in a snarl. “I’m not a baby! And you can’t like her. You jussst can’t. I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her right now!” With that, Legion disappeared.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

Olivia twirled clumsily in front of the full-length mirror, taking in the knee-high black boots, the so-short-it- barely-covered-her-bottom skirt and the cerulean-blue tank top she wore. The matching blue thong she had shimmied into even came up over the waist of the skirt. Talk about naugh-ty. She’d never revealed this much skin before. Not even to herself. There’d never been a need.