Chapter 9
I collapse against Legion's chest, my breathing still ragged, my body limp with satisfaction. The sun plays hide-and-seek behind the banded claystone walls of our canyon hideaway, casting shifting patterns across our tangled bodies.
This little alcove has been my secret place since childhood—a natural fortress of rock where even my mother's camera couldn't find me.
Now it's ours.
Legion's heartbeat thumps steady beneath my ear. His fingers thread through my hair, separating the strands with gentle precision. Neither of us speaks. We don't need to.
I trace the edge of his brand with my fingertip.
The infection has receded, leaving behind a mess of scar tissue—angry and red, but healing.
Ten days of antibiotics and around-the-clock care have pulled him back from the edge.
The memory of his fever-bright eyes and incoherent mumbling still wakes me at night, cold sweat prickling my skin.
I want this silence to last forever. I want this peace we find ourselves in, to be real.
But it’s not and so… eventually… the words come.
And they come from him, not me.
Because this can't last.
"So…" Legion starts, his voice vibrating through his chest and into my ear. "What's the plan?"
What's the plan. I could ask what he means, but why? I know what he's asking. What's the plan for us? Because it sure as hell isn't living on my family ranch like the Ashby's and Kanes are just some big happy family.
I don't want to talk about this. Not now. Not when his skin is still warm against mine, not when I can still feel the phantom thickness of his cock inside me.
Instead of answering, I turn over and hook my leg across his hip. I press my lips to the side of his neck, just below his jaw where his pulse beats strong and steady. My fingertips trace down his stomach, barely touching, following the trail of blonde hair that disappears beneath the blanket.
I find him. Not fully hard again, but getting there.
Legion chuckles, but puts a hand on mine to stop the intervention.
"What’s wrong?" I murmur, my words low and soft as they touch his ear. "Did I wear you out? Is the Little Ashby Princess too much for big bad Demon Kane?"
Legion smiles. He knows I'm changing the subject, but if he cares, he doesn't show it. Instead, he places his hands behind his head and lets me play with him. I wrap my fingers around his shaft, stroking him casually—not trying to have sex again, just enjoying the feel of him growing harder under my touch. Just enjoying the fact that he’s mine.
For the first time in my life, I’ve got Legion Kane all to myself.
Is it a crime that I want to enjoy it?
"I love you," I whisper against his collarbone, the words muffled but unmistakable.
His fingers begin a gentle exploration of my hair, separating the strands, twisting them around his fingers before letting them fall.
"I feel so much better," Legion says, breaking the spell I’m tryin’ to put him under.
His hand slides from my hair to my bare shoulder, tracing lazy patterns on my skin.
"Thank you for everything you've done, Savannah.
The medical team, bringing me here, taking care of Mercy.
I don't know what would've happened if—"
Something cold slips into my stomach despite the warmth of the sun on my back.
He's better now.
He can leave.
I've been so focused on getting him well that I haven't let myself think about what happens after. But the truth crashes down on me all at once.
Legion never had any plans to stay at the ranch.
It was only ever a necessity—for his health, for Mercy's safety.
A temporary solution to an immediate problem.
Neither of us says anything, at least, not out loud.
But Legion's eyes shift from mine to some point over my shoulder, and that's all the confirmation I need.
There's nowhere for him to go but the new trailer and the club.
I'm probably welcome at the club, seeing as I did get claimed—the fresh tattoo on my wrist healed now.
But Mercy isn't. It's not a place for children.
Even if Legion and I leave together, Mercy isn't going anywhere. The court gave temporary custody to Cash.
Legion knows this.
I don't want to bring it up. None of this was Legion's fault. It was all Cash's doing, his twisted idea of getting even with... well, with the world probably. With Legion specifically. With me for choosing Legion. With Colt for getting Destiny pregnant.
Cash and I haven't talked about baby Marigold yet. We've been circling each other in the house like wary animals, both of us pretending the other doesn't exist. But that baby is a huge factor in why Mercy is living at the ranch now.
Cash's ideas about revenge run deep, and this situation is the perfect storm for his particular brand of vindictiveness.
First, his little sister gets swept off her feet by an outlaw biker.
Then his brother goes and has an illegitimate child with the outlaw's middle sister.
The symmetry must drive Cash absolutely insane.
The Ashby and Kane families are good and twisted up now.
And that's only the beginning. The birth of baby Marigold changes the line of inheritance in ways none of us understand yet.
Cash has called in a whole team of lawyers trying to figure out the complicated legalese in Eleanor's will, but there are several interpretations as to what the addition of a female grandbaby means.
Legion's eyes drift back to mine, something changing in his expression. He sighs, reading my thoughts like they're printed across my forehead.
"I know what you're thinking," he says, voice dropping lower.
"And you're right. I've got nothing to offer you except my love and my loyalty.
I know that's not much compared to all this.
" He gestures vaguely at the walls of our little canyon, but is really talkin’ about the ranch itself.
"But I'm rising up in the club. I've earned my place there. I've paid for it in blood and time."
He sits up straighter, warming to his topic, conviction building with each word.
"We could stay at the trailer. It's not much, but it's mine. It's clean. It's safe. I know it's beneath you—"
"Stop." I cut him off, feeling a flush of heat that isn't entirely desire. "That's insulting, Legion."
His eyebrows shoot up.
"I'm more than happy to live at the trailer," I continue, sitting up and reaching for my dress. "It's beautiful. And it's yours. That's what matters to me."
The tension in his shoulders ease, and a smile—small but genuine—touches his lips.
"So that's settled then." He nods once, like we've just signed a contract.
But nothing's settled. Not really.
"Legion, you don't understand what's happening with Mercy. This custody thing is real. Cash isn't just letting her stay with us temporarily. He's filing for permanent custody."
Legion stares at me, his face hardening.
"He's secured a place for her at Rimrock Academy," I add. "My old day school."
"What the fuck?" Legion pushes me off him, standing abruptly. Immediately, he is pulling his jeans up over his hips. "He's got no right—"
"He thinks he does," I say, rising to stand beside him.
I pick up my dress, pull it over my head.
"And the courts might agree." I place my hand on his cheek, feeling the muscles tense beneath my palm.
"Why is Rimrock such a bad idea? It's a good school.
She'd get opportunities there she'd never have otherwise. "
"That's not the point."
"I know. But Cash is never going to forgive you. Not for stealing my heart. Not for losing Colt to Destiny. Not for baby Marigold, who might very well end up inheriting everything."
A thought flickers through my mind—did Colt do this on purpose? Get Destiny pregnant to secure a claim on the Ashby fortune?
But I brush it away. That's too calculated, and the last thing Colt is, is calculating.
"Cash wants you to fight him for Mercy," I explain, my hand sliding down to his chest. "He knows he'll win. He's paying off judges to rule in his favor."
Legion's jaw clenches, but his eyes soften as my fingers trace the outline of his scar.
"Let Cash think he won," I whisper, my hand drifting lower, over his ribs. "Let Mercy get all the perks of being part of the Ashby dynasty. Let her go to Rimrock and get a first-class education. Let her keep the puppy, and the pony, and the clothes."
My fingers tease at the waistband of his jeans.
"Let someone else take care of her, you mean?" Legion asks, his voice sharp despite the way his body responds to my touch.
I don't say what we're both thinking—that he's always let other people take care of Mercy. I don't have to. The truth hangs between us, unspoken but also undeniable.
Legion's shoulders slump slightly. "I've never been there for Mercy. Or for Destiny. But I'm back now."
"I know you are." I step closer, pressing myself against him. "But being back doesn't mean you have to fight every battle the hard way."
His hands find my waist, grip tightening. "You're saying I should just give up. Let Cash win."
"I'm saying pick your battles." I tilt my head back to meet his eyes. "You can't win this one, Legion. Not through the courts. Not with your record and your... lifestyle."
"My lifestyle." He says it flat, emotionless.
My heart aches for him. Legion isn’t a demon. He’s not. He’s a good man. He tries hard. And he’s loyal as fuck. I place my hands on his face, pull his gaze down to mine. Make him look me in the eyes.
“In the flesh, Legion Kane, you are perfect just the way you are. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “But…”
“But… on paper, you’re Demon, member of one Badlands MC. Ex-con. Felon. And the courts, Legion, that’s all they see. That’s all they’ll ever see.”
"Right. Because I'm trash." His grip loosens. "Trailer trash with prison ink."
"Don’t put words in my mouth. I chose you. I got your name tattooed on my wrist. I let you claim me in front of your entire club. I'm just tryin’ to figure out how we survive this without losing everything that matters."
Legion's jaw works. He's angry, but not at me. Not really.
"Let her live here. Let Cash spoil her. She’s never gonna love him. Like him, maybe. But he’s not you, Legion. And you’re the one she loves. You’re the one she’ll fight for. Let her stay. Let her go to school at Rimrock. And then… you’ll feel like you belong.”
He side-eyes me. “Like I belong… where?”
“Here.” I point to the ground. “With me. And Mercy.”
He looks off into the distance for a moment, thinking. I give him time. It’s a good two minutes before he finds my gaze again. “What about work?”
“Work?” And again, I am reminded that I don’t actually know what he does for work. “Well… yeah. You can work. Of course. You could help me.”
“Help you do what, Savannah?” For a moment, I think he’s angry. But then, he picks up my hand and kisses my knuckles. Eyes locked on mine. “Is making you scream my name while I fuck you blind something I can apply for?”
I chuckle. “It goes without sayin’ that’s your number one job here. But seriously, Legion. There’s lots of things you could do on the ranch.”
His eyes narrow at me. “Like what?”
“Like… ranch handin’. We could do it together.
I like ranch handin’. Or… business stuff.
That’s mostly what I do. Social media, stuff like that.
” Sensing this is not the answer he was lookin’ for, I improvise.
“Or… rebuild cars. Bikes. Do you do stuff like that? I feel like your clothes often have the scent of cars on them. Is that your job at the club? Do you work with Ratchet? Speaking of the club, June has called several times over the past two weeks asking about you. I think we’re friends now.
How do you like that? I’ve got myself a biker-woman friend. ”
He smiles. Kisses my knuckles again. Squeezes my hand. “I love you, Savannah. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
“And you’re all I’ve ever wanted too.” My heart swells with warmth and I let out a breath.
This might work.
We gather our stuff up and walk back to the Jeep.
And I can’t remember a time when I felt this happy.