Page 150 of Living Legend

"Dani, we have to focus on the plan. I shouldn't have told you, I'm sorry, I just…you were upset withmeover…"

I put my hand up to stop him, black flaming ribbons peeking from each of my fingertips. Oh no, this was not going away, and I knew how to relieve myself of this feeling. "I don't care why, and I don't care about your apologies.Youdidn't betray me Nick, you just chose your blind loyalty over me. This?" I laughed like a crazy person. "This is something entirely different. I suggest you don't get in my way."

I turned away from him and flung open the door, hearing the resounding bang as it hit the wall. I saw Daya in the living room and she stumbled back a bit when she took in what I assumed was a demon in full rage mode. As I walked, clouds of smoke followed me, dispersing with every step I took. The smoke bounced off my shoulders and even threaded into my hair. Maurice was standing in front of the couch as if he had heard the commotion, his coffee mug abandoned on the coffee table. He made no move to cause me harm, but he gave me a look like he wanted me to take a few breaths and sit on the couch, spill my feelings.

It sounded nice, but in reality, fuck that. Right now, I wanted to spill blood, and I knew whose.

Nick came stumbling out of his room as I made my way to the door to the backyard.

"Nicholas–" his dad said, his voice wary.

"Dad, it's fine, we're fine." He didn't sound reassuring, as much as I knew he would like to be. "We'll be back, I promise."

Daya rushed over to Maurice, tugging on his shirt to try to get him to do something.

"Nicholas, what the hell is going on?" his father said, following us as I grabbed hold of the doorknob.

"Nothing, Dad. Just leave it, okay?"

I looked over my shoulder; I could see clear colors, which meant that my eyes weren't black holes anymore, but still I radiated dark energy, thick in the air. I could taste my need for screams and agony. Maurice looked at me, his mustache shaven nicely and his hair slicked back, and then he looked at his son, the spitting image of him but twenty years younger. He went back and forth for a minute, and I didn't have fucking time for this.

"What did you say to her, son?" Nick gaped at his father, his mouth dropping open.

"Me?" he practically shouted. I let out an obnoxious cackling laugh as I flung the door open and stomped outside, not waiting for either of them.

I listened as the wet dirt from yesterday's rain mushed underneath my boots. I cracked my neck and pushed my wings out from my back. I didn't know the exact way to Oculus, but fuck it, I would figure it out. The door banged open behind me, and a discontented Nicholas was at my back. I turned and watched as he readjusted his sword that I guess he had grabbed before he left his room. He took in my wings, as if committing every line, every arch, every skin ripping talon tip to memory.

"You can't fly there."

"You wanna bet?"

"Dani, I know you're upset, but think about this before you do anything."

I cocked my head to the side, more annoyed than I've ever felt. "Upset? That's what you think? You think I'm fuckingupset?"

He held up his hands in surrender, looking me right in the eyes.

"I'mlivid." I pulled my wings in tight. A flash of distorted color glazed over my vision, but then everything returned to normal. I was losing control of myself, and standing here talking to him would end up badly for everyone if I didn't get to Elise. I pulled my hands into fists and dug my nails into my palms.

"I shouldn't have said anything, I'm sorry." He was practically pleading now. He wanted to stick with his plan, to finish this. I had wanted to stay the course as well, but that was no longer my priority. Getting revenge and getting even are very thin lines to demons, and the only thing I wanted was her blood on my hands.

I smirked. "You planned to keep that from me, just like she kept something from me. You were gonna continue to let her keep up this charade for my fucking benefit." I stepped up to him, our noses almost touching. His eyes instinctively looked straight at my mouth. "I don't need coddling, Nicholas. I need the fucking truth. I've gotten more truth than I wanted from you today, so now it's time I got it from someone else." I ran my hands through his hair. I grabbed a handful of his dark locks and pulled, watching his face morph into sharp pain.

“Dani, what I said back there—" he started, but I cut him off by pulling his hair harder.

"You don't want me to fly to Oculus, then fine. Take me there yourself."

I watched him swallow, his neck exposed fully. He gave me a muffled okay through gritted teeth and eyed my wings as I retracted them. He pulled the portal key from inside his shirt and stepped around me, pointing it towards the trees in front of us.

I could feel Maurice and Daya watching us from the window, but I didn't turn around to look. Nick had a good home here, with his manicured backyard and blooming flower beds. I should focus on ending this and getting back to whatever life I'll have when Lilith is taken care of, but my clenched fists, tense shoulders, and rhythmic heartbeat said otherwise. Those things seek bones to crack for the betrayal I felt.

Jonah and Lilith would have to wait.

The light from the portal Nick made had me squinting my eyes and I huffed out a breath. I pushed past him, noticing the way the smoke misted around him, as if inviting him in. Fucking darkness, always wanting more than it needed. I felt him grab my hand before I barreled through the portal. I bit my bottom lip so hard, I could taste blood.

"You are wrong, you know." I shot a look at him over my shoulder. "What you said to me in there," he continued. "There is no part of me that thinks you're the villain, but thereisa part of me that thinksyoumight think you are."

I ripped my hand away from his and shook it, as if I could remove the way his skin felt against mine. "Thanks for your input, but you can stop caring about me. You won't have to do it once this is all over, so please, spare us both."

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