Page 94 of Living Legend

“You and Jonah had a falling out?” his dad asked, laying his forearms over each other on top of the table. He had two small cuts on his throat, as if he had cut himself shaving, and there were a few faded scars next to them. They had a story behind them, but I could guess he probably wouldn’t be up to sharing it.

“Something like that. It was nothing.”

I rolled my eyes. “You are way too modest for your own good. Your son basically accused Jonah of orchestrating this whole thing and hiding a bunch of shit, basically calling out his shady ass. Jonah got his ass handed to him.”

His father arched a thick eyebrow at his son as if to say,is thistrue?

“He didn’t get his ass handed to him.” Nicholas shook his head at me, but a small smile played along the corner of his lips.

“I was there for the whole thing. You handed him his ass on the shiniest plate you could find.” I brought my shoulders up and did a little shimmy in my seat. “It was glorious.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” he said, tilting his head to the side and shifting one of his feet to knock against one of mine playfully. I scoffed but let my foot hit his back. Flattery gets me somewhere, by the looks of it.

His father let out a hmm, scratching his neck. “You think he sent these killer demons?”

“I think I’m done trying to rule anything out at this point,” Nicholas stated. “Maybe I’m completely wrong, but heishiding something. I’m just too exhausted to figure it out right now.”

Mr. Cassial looked off to the side. His father’s face was serene but there was a thin line that lay across his forehead, as if he was in thought. His eyes were fixated on the mantle, on the photos there, like he was remembering something. A crack of thunder made him blink out of it.

I leaned slightly closer to him. “What is Ariel’s deal when it comes to you?” Nicholas’s father gave me a confused look.

Nicholas cleared his throat. “Ariel may have said some things that I didn’t take well.”

Mr. Cassial’s soothing dark eyes lit up with a childish delight. “That man has never liked me, ever since we entered The Skies together as trainees. I was wide-eyed and dead set on being a sentry and he didn’t make the final cut. I think I always rubbed him the wrong way or something. He came from a decently high up family, like Jonah, but he always had his nose turned up at anything or anyone that was a little bit off key.” He shook his head, as if he was thinking back to irritating the smirk right off Ariel’s stupid face. “I’m not surprised he never changed. He’s always been—”

“A little shit,” I offered. I could have guessed Nicholas’s father was a former sentry.

His father pressed his lips together to keep his laugh in. “More or less. I can’t say I wasn’t a little shit myself, but I made up for it.”

“I thinkhethinks your son is a little shit.”

“Well, Nickcanbe a little shit, believe me.” He winked over at his son.

Nicholas let out a laugh, but immediately hissed and pressed a hand to his stomach. His muscles tightened, and I looked at his defined abs, watching as small wisps of dark hair trailed a line under his belly button and disappeared beneath his pants. His father jumped around the table to tend to him, but Nicholas waved him off, breathing through the sharp pain, the sound of his breathing catching my attention back again.

“I didn’t know demons played with weapons like ours,” his father said, concern etched all over his face.

“We don’t. I mean, not real ones at least. We know how to use them, but they’re not particularly necessary. We can simply make a replica, without the issue of weight in the way.” I brought my hand up and let dark shadow strings rise from my palm and curl around each other. They twirled and braided together, slowly forming a small dagger, the shadowy hilt lying in my hand.

Mr. Cassial looked at me almost stunned, but then something that could be amazement dawned over his face. “And they can do physical damage?”

“They are as lethal as any silver blade.” I tilted the black, wispy weapon downward and carved a small line into the table, watching as the wood split apart easily.

I cocked my head towards Nicholas’ father. “You don’t seem fazed by all this.” I let the dagger disperse into the air.

“All this?” He looked genuinely confused.

I shrugged, swinging one of my arms over the back of the wooden chair. “Oh, I don’t know, demons, for starters.”

“You would be surprised by the things I’ve seen and can deal with. You aren’t the first demon I’ve met.”

My eyebrows shot up a bit. “Oh really? You can tolerate being in the same room as me?” I was more surprised he wasn’t like Reese. His reaction was more like the ones I was used to, but this nonchalant attitude towards me was something that sent an unknowing heat creeping up my neck. That voice that always seemed to push its way into my head while I slept, the one that always seemed to be trying to tell me something, started to come to the surface, trying to expel the heat as I shoved them both down. I twisted one of my curls with my finger tight, so tight that I felt my finger starting to lose circulation.

Mr. Cassial slapped his hand on the table and looked at me with a stare that I swallowed nervously, letting my hair untwist from my finger. “My son claims he trusts you and it looks as if you are part of his team. I know what you are and who you are to Lilith. I’m not so old that I don’t hear gossip and stories.” He rubbed one of his fingers over his stubbled chin. “He wouldn’t have brought you here if you weren’t someone worth bringing, so if you are important enough for my son to want to keep you safe from Lilith or even from Jonah himself, then I don’t ask questions.” I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The way he spoke was so fervent and commanding. His words were laced with everything I knew made him a good father.

He continued. “I would love it if next time, you don’t come tumbling in here on a shit night full of thunderstorms, bleeding all over my clean floor, but all I can say is—” He looked over at his son. “Did you make your father proud with that sword?”

Before Nicholas could answer, I spoke for him. “He did, Mr. Cassial,” Sword skills ran in the family, it would seem.

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