Page 9 of Living Legend

“Shove it up your ethereal hole,” Elise shot back so quickly, it caught everyone’s attention.

Reese sharply turned his head, two seconds from pouncing, when I pressed my foot on top of his, hard. He looked at me and then Jonah, who seemed to be waiting for us to either continue or let him speak. Reese nodded and settled back in his chair.

Jonah explained everything to them: the portals and how Oculus was the first place to find answers. They took in the information but said nothing. For a short while, we sat in silence, waiting for some type of response.

We finally got one.

“You got an Oculus Enchanter to create your portals?” Dani asked. “They actually helped you build a portal?”

“Yes.”

Elise burst out laughing, bouncing up and down in her seat. Once she settled down, it looked like a few tears had left her eyes. “That was your first mistake, youfuckingidiots.”

“Oculus Enchanters are serious old magic. They don’t take kindly to men in obnoxious suits asking them for favors,” Dani added. “The ones I’ve met don’t speak highly of your kind.”

I jumped in, on the defensive. “Oculus is truly the only magic that can create that kind of portal.” I’d heard rumors angels used to be able to create their own portals, but that was before my time. It was a forbidden art, mostly used by messengers and guardians, one no one really spoke about. Portal keys had been implemented by Jonah when he came into power, and I wasn’t one to question it. There had been no issues until now.

Dani shifted her eyes to me. “You would be correct, but putting that much faith in them? Oh, come on. You’re too pretty to be so deluded.”

Reese stifled a laugh.

Markus let out an exhausted sigh. “Regardless, that’s in the past. We need to go back to the source. Jonah would go himself, but there matters here to attend to.”

Reese clapped his hands onto his knees. “If no one is going to ask, I will. You want us to go to Oculus, alright. So, why aretheyhere?”

Elise answered before Jonah could open his mouth. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure we’re here to make sure nothing goes wrong, or I don’t know, be your scapegoats?”

Reese wasn’t about to take that. “I can handle myself just fine around a bunch of Enchanters.”

Elise snorted. “I bet you’ve never met an Enchanter in your entire existence. You’d piss yourself the moment one even came within ten feet of you, Blondie.” Elise stuck her tongue between her teeth and smiled. She wasn’t wrong. We’d never actually met one before.

Reese’s shoulders tensed as he seethed. I broke the tension with a question. “Is that the plan, sir?”

Jonah waved his hand through the air nonchalantly. “More or less.”

“Don’t worry,Nicholas, I’ll take good care of you.” Dani raised an eyebrow and settled back in her seat. She bit her lower lip, causing me to look away quickly before I blushed.

“You leave tomorrow. As for your stay—” Jonah fixated on Dani and Elise. “The guards will show you to your room. The South Wing, second floor, where we’ve blocked off access. Same floor as Nick and Reese.”

Elise scoffed. “Reese, huh? I think I’ll stick with Blondie for now.”

Reese scoffed right back. “You’re actually letting them stay here?”

“I can’t just let them go back and then send someone to find them again, can I?” Jonah challenged, catching Reese off guard.

“No need to make Daddy mad,” Dani snarked, earning a genuine smile from Elise. Her brown eyes caught Jonah’s amber ones. “What happens when this is all over, huh?”

Jonah placed his hands in his lap. “We’ll send you home, no questions asked.”

I asked a much-needed follow-up question. “How do we make sure they don’t make any moves?”

Jonah smirked. “The South Wing is heavily guarded, and I have little doubt they will do anything. You are a sentry yourself, Nicholas, You can protect yourself.”

“A sentry?” Dani asked, a hint of intrigue in her voice. “Do you plan to sleep with one eye open tonight?”

“I might.”

“Such a good little soldier.”

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