Page 110 of Legion
“I guess, what with the activities your lair gets up to, your family’s not all that fazed by Luka’s ...position, shall we say.”
“No, they’re not.Nor is the rest of the lair, so all is good on that front.”
Ella skimmed her fingers over the sleeve of a jacket.“I suppose they also like knowing that if those weird clerics strike again, he’ll be able to help.”She checked the price tag, frowned, and moved on.“Not that you’ll need much help against a bunch of humans ordinarily.But those who can channel divine power and are prepared to work with explosives?That’s a whole other matter.”
Yeah, due to the public nature of the attack, there had been no way to keep it quiet.All Naomi could do was control the narrative.She’d been unable to leave out the detail of the monkhood, since two of them had been caught on CCTV hovering near her and Konstantin’s vehicles outside the entrance to the Underground.
She’d played it off as an idiotic bunch of religious fanatics insisting that she would birth the Antichrist by quoting some “apparent human prophecy that may or may not exist”.Everyone thought it dumb and pitiful, since Satan lived deep in the bowels of hell, so there was no chance of the Antichrist being born here on earth.
Of course, if anyone got curious enough about the prophecy to go searching for it and translated it correctly, they’d realize that there was no use of the word “Antichrist”; that it had instead stated “the progeny of the devil”.Such people might find it a little too coincidental that the prophecy also mentioned a legion, so they might wonder if Lou was in fact her father.
As such, she could only hope that no one tried digging it up.Given how hard it had been for Khloë to find it, though, Naomi didn’t suppose she needed to betooconcerned.
Dodging an oddly angled hanger, she refocused on the conversation at hand.“Konstantin checks both our cars for explosives every time we intend to drive anywhere now.”
“The clerics probably won’t make such a move again,” Ella hedged.“It would be too predictable.But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Naomi inwardly grimaced, feeling a little shitty about misleading her mate’s anchor.She couldn’t tell her the truth, though.She had initially worried that it would upset Luka to have to lie to Ella, but he’d insisted that no exceptions could be made; that Naomi’s safety took priority.
While it didn’t surprise her that he’d be resolute about keeping her secrets, it did surprise her that he would so easily lie for her—even by omission—to his own psi-mate.What surprised her even more was that he hadn’t again brought up her “dietary quirk”.As if it just wasn’t anything important.
He’d asked about the whole ghost-artistry situation, though.While he had admitted that the risks it presented to her bothered him, he hadn’t tried telling her to give up her job.And when she’d showed him one of her paintings, he’d said, “Exquisite.Like you.”
Hesogot lucky later on.
Wincing at the loud screech of a metal hanger grinding along a rack, Naomi looked over at Ella.“So, since you clearly feel I pass muster, when do I get to meet Lilibeth?”
The redhead grinned.“Any time you want.But beware, she’s very advanced mentally and psychically.So no cooing or baby babble—she finds it condescending and tends to then dish out telekinetic slaps.Which I think is why Lou does it to her so much.He finds it amusing.”Pausing, Ella moved aside so that a salesperson sporting a headset could squeeze past her.“Have you ever met him, Naomi?The devil, I mean?”
Naomi hid a smile.“Yes, I have.He gatecrashes a lot of our lair’s parties.Much as he complains about imps, he likes that they’re as shrewd and conniving as he is.”
Ella chuckled.“I can imagine.He finds Lily fascinating.”
Naomi knew that, because her father liked to talk about both Lilibeth and Asher—Harper and Knox’s son.They amused him something fierce.He insisted on viewing himself as their honorary uncle.
Ella let out a smalloofas her bulkiest plastic bag was knocked by a passing shopper and banged into her knee.
Naomi winced in sympathy.“Need help carrying anything?”
Ella’s shopping bag crinkled as she readjusted its position.“I’m good, but thanks.Well, aside from these pants”—she touched the pair still hanging over her shoulder—“I can’t find anything I like.”She twisted her mouth.“I’m gonna check out the discount area.What about you?”
Naomi flicked a look at the tees draped over her arm.“I’m fine with just these.I’ll need to try them on, though.”
“Go ahead; I’ll keep hunting.”
While Ella headed to the discount area, Naomi strode into the unmanned changing rooms.She slowed her pace as she searched for an unoccupied cubicle.Hooks scraped a rail up ahead as a curtain was shoved aside, and then out walked Draya.
Oh, how awesome.
The blonde went still, tension creeping into her muscles and turning her jaw into a hard line.An ugly gleam in her eyes, she clung tight to a hanger she held and presented Naomi with a fake smile.“I heard about you and Luka,” she said, an edge to her voice.“Congrats.”
“Thanks,” said Naomi, her demon liking the banshee’s obvious annoyance.
“You know, I never would have predicted that he would fall victim to a siren’s song.I thought he’d be tougher than that.Stronger than people like Iain.Life continues to surprise me.”
Naomi almost rolled her eyes.“If you need to tell yourself that’s what happened ...”
“It’s the only thing thatcouldhave happened,” Draya snapped.“Nothing else would explain Luka claiming you.He has never once spoken of taking a mate.When his lair members at the casino sensed that I was interested in him, they all warned me that he didn’t do permanence.”
