Page 77 of Living Legend

I shrugged. “Perhaps.”

“Nicholas does understand that your dagger will need to make an appearance?”

“Yeah.”

“And he hasn’t told anyone that he has it or that you brought it with you?”

“No.”

“Well, I may not want to put my entire trust in him or his little blonde lap dog, but I commend him on that.” Elise lifted her hands behind her head, pressing her head into her palms. “I’m jealous you at least got laid before shit hits the fan here.”I let myself fall face first onto the mattress, laying prone against the bed, my sigh muffled. “I can’t say whether or not you fought like you say you did, but I’ll choose to believe you had some sort of push back, maybe a few swift punches at that sharp jaw of his.”

I turned my face, my cheek pressed against the cool crisp sheets. Her eyes were closed, but she opened one when she felt me looking at her. “You’re insufferable.” I joked.

She shrugged her shoulder. “So, 8 to 10?”

I pulled my eyebrows together, pushing myself off the bed and climbing in the middle to sit. “8 to 10?”

Elise stretched her arm out between her legs and wiggled it. “Inches.”

“Ugh, Elise I don’t know. I didn’t happen to have a ruler with me to get an accurate measurement.”

“Damn. Well, bigger than you thought? Bigger than the number in my head?”

I pondered this for a moment. I hadn’t really let my mind wander into that territory. I mean I had thought about it, but now, Ithought about it. “I would say bigger, if you must know.”

“It’s not that Imustknow, it’s that youwilltell me. Simple.”

“Is that how it works?” I answered, sarcastically.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Was it what you imagined?”

“Imagined?”

“Don’t fucking pretend like you didn’t fantasize about him fucking you until you couldn’t move. You do it in your sleep, you do it when you’re awake, and you literally do it when he’s around so much, I wonder why you don’t just orgasm at the sound of his voice.”

I lifted my eyes to the ceiling. “That’s fucking ridiculous. You make me sound like I’m a love-struck freak.”

She started making gagging noises. “Love? Yeah no, but youweresomeone who needed to get some dick and you did, so for that, I should give him a high five.”

“I don’t think he wants anyone to know, which I’m not shocked about. He seemed almost surprised after it was over.”

“Surprised that he made someone orgasm?” It was my turn to reach behind for a pillow to chuck at her.Elise pushed out her bottom lip in a pout “So, I can’t tell Blondie about your naked encounter? The look on his stupid fucking face would really make my year. I could honestly die the happiest demon.”

I shook my head and pushed my legs underneath the covers. I let my head softly hit my pillow and watched as the light from Elise’s lamp clicked off. “Thanks for being a solid friend.”

Suddenly, it was like the air had been sucked out of the room, the silence growing. The sky was pretty much completely dark, so I couldn’t make out her silhouette in her bed. All I could hear was her steady and solid breathing.

One long inhale in.

One long inhale out.

In. Out. In. Out.

“Elise?” I started to call out, but she cut me off so quickly, it made me suck in a breath.

“We aren’t friends Dani. I made that clear a long time ago. In a game of survival, if it ever came down to just you and me, I’ll always pick myself and have no regrets about my choice. I wouldn’t mourn your loss, nor would I hold onto your memory. Friends are for pathetic fuckwits who think that being together is better than being apart. I don’t need you. Don’t call me that again.”

I was on the verge of saying something, but I bit my tongue. Why had she come with me to Heaven's Gate in the first place then? I knew if I asked, she would send a whole new wave of rage at me, so I remained silent, wrapping the covers tighter around my shoulders. There were things I didn’t know about her and maybe never would.

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