Page 84 of Living Legend

“Nick.”

I let out a defeated groan, but I knew he was right. A hot shower would do me good, as long as I removed any thoughts of a bratty, petite, curly-haired demon whose tight pussy gripped my cock like she owned it.No, nope. That thoughtdefinitelydidn’t help.

Reese walked over to me and laid a hand on my shoulder. “Do you remember when things were normal?”

I let out a laugh that was meant to be small but ended up being loud, and Reese let out one of his own. I glanced at him, noticing the way his eyebrows were so blonde, they almost disappeared into his face. There was no spoken rule about fucking demons, but it was a rule that never needed to be expressed fully— until now. If it was a rule, I’d already broken it and I…didn’t regret it?

I might regret the way I went about it. I didn’t mean to be as relentless as I was with her. She hadn’t seemed to mind and there was a small part of me that knew she wouldn’t. There was an even smaller part of me that wanted to take my time with her.

“Nick, can you give me an honest answer to what I’m about to ask?”

I blinked, bringing myself back into the conversation. He looked serious now. “I’ll always give you an honest answer.”

Reese chewed at his bottom lip for a moment before opening his mouth. “Are you still suspicious of Jonah?” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he narrowed his gaze at me.

I wasn’t expecting that. I never really knew what would come from Reese’s mouth, but that was not one of them. Reese had never once shown doubt about Jonah. He, like all of us, was indifferent towards any other executive, but Jonah was different. I had placed all my faith in the man since I moved here. When my father came back to The Skies after being away, he had a meeting with Jonah. I had been twelve and overly curious. I remember having the most erratic heartbeat knowing I was going to the place I’d dreamed about since I was old enough to hold a sword. Granted, I could hardly hold the blade over my head, but my father would smile at me each time I tried.

My father told me he had a meeting with the high executive and if I could behave, I could come along. I didn’t do anything wrong, but I didn’t know non-members of The Skies were not allowed to be involved with weapons anywhere near the building. My father had gone inside, telling me to stay put and that he would be right back. He’d been gone a total of two minutes and I was already getting anxious. The sentries stared down at me with watchful eyes.

They didn’t unnerve me exactly, but they still caused me to walk away from that area and over to the lush green of the front courtyard. I knew I shouldn’t have done it. I knew I should have just turned back and waited patiently for my father. The swords against the stone fixtures surrounding the courtyard instantly caught my eye, and Reese’s voice peeked into my thoughts. He would pick one of the weapons up with no hesitation, no questions asked. I looked around and didn’t see an angel that could likely claim them or stop my steps over to the shiny blades. I wrapped my fingers around one of the silver hilts and tried to pick it up. It was cold against my palms as I tried to lift it, realizing it was heavy as fuck.

I finally lifted it and wobbled a bit as I tried to find a good stance. Once I was settled, I felt a smile creep along my face and started slashing. The movements were slow, a bit off beat due to my swaying. I spun around and made a “hiyah” sound as I slashed, then again the other way. I was in my own world. I laughed at my imaginary opponent when I heard a familiar voice.

“Nicholas!” my father shouted from the other side of the courtyard. He had two sentries beside him, and one snatched the sword from my hand. My body instantly missed the weight and the feel of the metal. The other one grabbed me by the shoulder and almost dragged me to my father. “I told you to wait. What in the hell were you thinking?”

I opened my mouth a little and then closed it in a straight line. I didn’t have an answer. So, I shrugged.My father let out a huff and pulled me to the gates, telling me everything I currently know about the rules of The Skies. Soon after, I had come face to face with Jonah, sayingI’m sorry, sirin the smallest of voices. I didn’t really think much of the tension I felt when they were in a room together.

Ever since I got accepted into The Skies, I thought it would be smooth sailing. Jonah had always smiled at me with fondness as I trained. He had even taken the time to teach me other techniques my father hadn’t. How could I not place my trust in this man? My father did…well, he did once upon a time.

I cleared my throat, realizing I had replayed a whole memory while Reese waited for an answer. I looked over at my best friend, who waited patiently for my response. He had one of his legs bent sideways and placed over his other knee, tapping his finger on this thigh.

I needed to answer honestly. That memory had a special place in my head, but it was starting to get clouded by doubts. If Reese was asking me this, any special memories he had were starting to get overcrowded with his own doubts, too.

I took a long breath. “I have suspicions.”

Reese didn’t make any sort of weird face or surprised noises. “Me too.” Those two words almost came out pained as he tried to keep his face neutral.

I narrowed my eyes. “You?”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m allowed to change my damn mind.”

“Alright, fair, but you have fought for this idea that Jonah and everyone around him is innocent. You don’t flip switches without a good reason.”

Reese chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “It doesn’t mean I won’t flip back, but something is bothering me. Do you remember when we snuck into the Divine Library and almost got caught?” I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. “Do you remember what they said? Jonah and Markus?”

I racked my brain for the words. Before I could think any further, Reese continued. “Jonah talked about explaining something to you eventually. Markus mentioned his favoritism.”

I remembered that.“And you finally have thoughts on it, now?” I asked.

“I’ve always had thoughts on it, just not ones I wanted to discuss. Executives don’t need to tell us lowly angels anything, but he sounded like it was something specific.”

“That’s a large assumption.”

“Let’s not insult my intelligence. We both know Jonah has had his eye on you since we got here. I may have defended him, but that doesn’t mean I can’t put two and two together.”

I lifted my hands up in defeat and ran a hand through my hair. I stared at my palm, surprised my hair hadn't started falling out from all the stress.

“Nick, what if everything is a set-up?”

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