Page 163 of Living Legend

"Mmhmm, yet you still hope she'll want to rid herself of the darkness and be your angelic sweetheart."

I ran my hand down my face in frustration. "I know it's complicated. Yes, I should have thought about all this before I slept with a demon. Granted, I didn't know all the other details, but I won't apologize for wanting her to explore another side of life."

Elise pushed her bangs out of her face. She walked over to me and patted my chest with her palm. "Wanting her to exploreyourside of life is almost like putting her in a box, you idiot. She is so much more than that now, and what you're asking will only ever get you half of her."

I opened my mouth to argue but she pressed her finger to my lips and shook her head. "Dani is never going to choose what you want. She is always going to choose herself, which I honestly applaud. That doesn't make her selfish, butyou, wanting her to choose at all, now that does makeyouselfish."

I decided to let the subject rest before Elise could stop trying to rip my heart out. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was protective of Dani in what seemed like all aspects. As much as she didn't want them to be friends, she seemed to know her "friend" on a much deeper level than she would ever admit. As much asIhated to admit it, but she might actually be right.

She grabbed my sword off the table and grazed her hand along the hilt. Elise with my sword was unsettling to say the least. "I mean come on, think about it you could have her pussy all the time if you just let her be." She tossed my sword at me which I caught swiftly. A laugh rumbled out of me, which she just rolled her eyes at as she reached for the door.

Elise pulled it open to meet the eyes of the two healers from earlier, plus Isabel. The Enchanter gave me a warm smile then cast her smile on Elise, who raised a distinct eyebrow at her.

"Nicholas, I didn't know you'd be here."

I shrugged, nodding towards Elise. "I just came to get the town menace."

Isabel gave a small laugh, which Elise wrinkled her nose at. "I help maintain this building and the apothecary. I was told there were some err…issues." She peeked over at Elise.

"Umm, yeah. It's taken care of. We are just heading out now."

"You help run the apothecary as well?" Elise asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Yes, Natalia let me oversee things two or three years ago."

Elise raised both her dark eyebrows now. "That's why you look familiar. I saw you when I went to see Nicholas there with Natalia."

I looked at Elise confused. "Before you showed up and eavesdropped?"

Elise rolled her eyes. "I saw her by the door; she had her hand on it like…"

"Oh that! I do that with every room both over there and here. It's an Enchanter's blessing. It's a calming spell for each room," Isabel explained articulately. The bracelets she wore on her wrist jingled as she rubbed her palms together. "The mint aroma can only do so much."

"Ah! So you're the reason it smells like shit." Elise craned her neck up to look at me. "I'm guessing there wasn't that fucking smell in your room when you found out Dani—."

"Okay, Elise, we don't need to bore her with all your blunt thoughts and emotions." I kept my voice light but clipped. Despite Isabel being so close with Natalia, I didn't need everyone knowing about Dani. It just made things more complicated.

"Ugh whatever, I'm bored now anyway. Can we go?"

I swiped my tongue over the front of my teeth, the awkwardness settling in.

"Ah, alright, I'll have the ladies just clean up if you've resolved the issue."

I hummed. "I think we have an understanding." I looked at Elise, who gave me a very fake, very large, closed mouth smile. "We can stay and help if you need."

Elise let out a choking sound of disgust. "You can stay. I'm going so we can make some heads roll."

Isabel blinked from me to Elise and then waved her hands. "Don't worry about it. Go on ladies." She ushered the healers into the room as they carried brooms and dustpans inside. "I heard what happened; is everyone alright?"

"Just some hurt pride, I'm sure, but nothing serious," I assured her.

"Natalia is doing a lot to make sure this all gets finished with as few lives lost as possible. She's told me whatever is happening seems to be contained at The Skies, but I just worry about her, you know?" Isabel's eyes brimmed with tears, but she held them back. She shook her head, hoping to regain her composure.

I grabbed her hand and squeezed. "We'll get to the bottom of this, and I'll make sure she comes back alright. I didn't know for sure that she was coming with us."

She sniffed and nodded. "Of course, she is. She feels a bit responsible since the portals were of her making in the first place."

"It's nobody's fault. Lilith has help, so there was really only so much she could do."

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