Page 121 of Legion
Whispers came from the clerics surrounding her.She ignored them as she scanned the temple yet again on the off chance that she’d missed a clue as to her precise location.
Among the religious symbols on the walls was theLemures’ emblem, so she had to be at the monastery.That was all she knew.
She mentally crossed her fingers that Konstantin was all right.She tried thinking back to what had happened.She remembered the rush attack, remembered blasts of hellfire, remembered sensing more such blasts, as if other demons had arrived—likely alerted by how the unnatural darkness had fallen.She’d heard cries of sheer agony, and she hoped like hell that none had come from Konstantin.
She was pissed that she’d passed out.More, she was pissed that these bastards had managed to take her off guard—as was her entity.That anger seemed to feed the warped fiery power within her.It was already heating and rising in response to the danger.
The crowd stirred, and then the clerics directly in front of her started shuffling aside, making way for a tall figure.He had a real Jesus vibe going on with his beard, shoulder-length hair, and full-body aura of light.
The clerics bowed, but he paid them no attention.He took purposeful, elegant strides toward Naomi, his pale-blue eyes fixed on her intently.
Reaching her chair, he loomed over her in a clear attempt to intimidate her—his chin high, his back straight, his chest puffed out.There was an air of serenity to him.It was fake as fuck, of course, but very good.
“You must be the one who calls himself Kushiel,” she said.Her demon was very still, watching him carefully; observing its target, biding its time as the heat of her inner fire built and built.
He gave her a placid smile.“IamKushiel,” he lied, so convincingly that it was almost impressive.
“Now that’s not exactly true, is it?”she challenged with a chastising smirk.
He flapped a hand.“I do not expect you to recognize me.My kind do not consort with yours, after all.Feel free to telepathically call out to whoever you want, by the way,” he added.“They won’t understand much of what you say.”
Yeah, she’d figuredthatmuch, considering she’d struggled to understand both Luka and Tobe when they’d telepathed her.It wouldn’t have mattered if she did have a clear mind-to-mind connection to them—there was absolutely nothing around her that would clue her in as to where they could find her.Not that she needed saving, but still.
“It was quite arrogant of you to have onlyonebodyguard when you knew a divine force would come for you,” he reprimanded condescendingly.“His soul will be in hell now, along with those of the other two demons.”
She stiffened.He’d killed Konstantin?This motherfucker.
Anger and vengefulness swirled in her bloodstream.But not defeat.Not hopelessness.Not fear.Because these people had no real fucking clue what they were dealing with.
“Why am I here?”she bit out.Why hadn’t he just killed her already?Heshouldhave.Which he’d learn soon enough.
“Three times my clerics made an attempt on your life.None ever came back to us.”Kushiel tilted his head.“I got curious.Curious as to how a siren could be so easily defeating them time and time again.”
“I would have thought that an angel would be grieving their deaths, not merely feel curious as to how they came about.”
He ignored that.“You must be far more powerful than you seem.Divine power is quite lethal for demons.”He crouched in front of her.“But not for you, apparently.”
She forced herself not to flinch as he touched her cheek—another attempt to intimidate her, no doubt.Her entity hissed at him, preparing itself to pounce early if necessary.Naomi’s psychic strength was returning, but it was a slow process.
He studied her closely, inhaling through his nose.“As I suspected, there is holy blood in you.You have a celestial somewhere in your family line.”
Murmurs traveled through the crowd, coated in alarm and agitation.Oh, “the holy” did loathe it when demons possessed angelic DNA.
“Is that why Lucifer chose you to be the mother of his child?I would expect so.”
Funny, he truly did seem to believe that she would birth Lou’s kid.Maybe he put stock in the prophecy as a whole, not merely the part predicting his demise.
“You know what’s interesting?”Naomi asked as the red-hot power within her pushed upward and started pooling beneath her skin, awaiting release.
“What?”
“That holy blood you mentioned?It hums when I’m around another who possesses it —angels and such.Not sure why, but it always has.It isn’t humming right now.Which tells me that you’re no celestial.But then I already suspected that.The clerics’ swords all scented of dark magick.Swords thatyougave them.”
He didn’t look fazed by her words.“If you are seeking to turn these clerics against me, it will not work,” he claimed, the image of confidence.
“Don’t be so sure of that.I overheard the last group of ‘brothers’ talking.One—think his name was Henry—claimed that you aren’t quite as angelic as you first appeared.”
His jaw tightened at that.
