Page 10 of Legendary

Natalia brought her hands together in front of her. “Well then I think it’s time we really talk about this plan.”

“Youmight be ready, but is Blondie over here going to last in Purgatory?” Elise joked, glancing quickly over to Reese.

Reese rolled his eyes. “Oh, how sweet, you almost sound like you care.”

Elise laughed. “I don’t. Don’t get it twisted. I just want to make sure we aren’t bringing dead weight with us. I’m not carrying your ass around if you get hurt. Useless angels automatically become demon food.” She gave him a smug smile, snapping her teeth together.

“Funny. What makes you think the halfling here won’t just feed you to the other demons herself?” Reese countered, nodding over to Dani. “I wouldn’t blame her.”

I shook my head, realizing that some things were never going to change. I watched as Dani snuck a glance over to Elise and rolled her eyes. Well, they hadn’t made up, which told me that Elise was still playing the ‘I don’t care about Dani or her wellbeing’ game.

“We can head to my house.” I peeked over to Dani who moved her eyes over to me, that same skepticism in her eyes. “My dad and Daya would be happy to see you, you know, before we go.”

Our eyes locked in this way that had me believing we were the only two people in the entire realm. I heard a throat clearing and Elise’s voice rang out, “You portaling us, lover boy?”

Everyone else came back into my line of sight and I realized I was being addressed. “What?”

Dani let out a small laugh under her breath. “She asked you if you were portaling us there,Nicholas.” She pointed to my chest, where my tiger’s eye portal key hung around my neck. She had a way of saying my full name as if she was making a point. A clear point, that meant we weren’t at that place we had been months ago, and I was afraid that we would never get back there.

“I think it’s best if I just take us there,” Natalia offered, giving me a soft smile. “I think it’s been a minute since you used your portal key, and your emotions might be a little high.”

I nodded in agreement. Natalia created that circle of light and magic leading towards my house and knowing I was able to lay back on my couch with a sense of normalcy before I dived into an unknown experience where yet again my life could be on the line sounded like Heaven.

My dad gave Dani one of his hugs he only reserved for people he really cared about, so watching it happen right in front of me had me letting out a smile. She reciprocated it with just as much caring and let him give her a quick once over before sending her over to Daya for the same treatment. Alex was settled on the couch, her dark hair highlighted with neon pink streaks piled high on her head in a messy bun with a pencil stuck in it. She had a sketchpad in her lap and was hunched over it like she could give a fuck who was in the living room. She gave Dani and Elise a nonchalant nod before returning to her work.

Elise hopped up on the kitchen counter, clearly making herself at home since she had grabbed a container of ice cream from my freezer and was already digging into it. Dani fell back into the couch cushions next to Alex, while Reese perched himself on the arm. I leaned against the mantle of the fireplace, taking the drink my father handed me as he made his rounds being a good host. I took a long drink of my beer before getting hit with a memory.

Beer. Living room. Dani.

I pressed the tip of the beer bottle to my temple, but that didn’t help the memory fade. It likely only made it stronger. The way she had kissed me and left me a fucking mess unable to sleep at all that night. The way she had pressed me to admit what I wanted.

I looked over my shoulder towards my bedroom and I quickly closed my eyes, but it was too late. Every single fucking moment from that night flashed across my mind. Every position I ever put her in wormed its way into my subconscious.

We really did defile my entire bedroom,fuck.

I blinked a few times, trying to simmer down my brain and my dick. I looked back over to where everyone had congregated and knew her eyes were on me. I met her gaze, and she looked as if she knew where my mind had wandered. She let her tongue slip out and lick at her top lip and I couldn’t help following that movement. Dani looked away from me when my father caught her attention, causing her to turn and slightly lean over the back of the couch.

I saw a figure move around the window at the front of my house. I couldn’t make out much, besides wide shoulders and large biceps. I pointed towards the glass. “Did anyone see that?”

Everyone collectively followed the direction of my finger, and I heard Natalia’s lyrical chuckle. “Oh, don’t mind Zane. He’s been on me like this since the whole catastrophe. I told him he couldn’t come to the meeting, butI did tell him he could meet me here.” As if he knew we were talking about him, he turned and peered through the window. Natalia wiggled her fingers in a wave, and he nodded gruffly.

“He got here a little bit before you all did. It was nice to catch up,” my father stated, tapping on the window to get Zane’s attention, giving him a wave.

Elise let out a snort. “Can someone explain to me why we aren’t taking the giant brute of an Enchanter with us to Purgatory? Like isn’t that a better option than…” she looked over to my best friend and I, unimpressed, “this.”

Alex covered her mouth as a loud laugh left her throat. Daya smacked her daughter lightly on the shoulder, which caused Alex to swat her mother’s hands away as if her laugh was completely valid.

“I actually vote for that plan. Let the very large man outside go in my place,” Reese offered, his face waiting for us to agree with him.

“We already said we were going. There is no going back now,” I reminded him, earning a disgruntled sigh.

Daya took the cup of coffee that my father handed her before speaking, “So, explain to me again what happened?” She perched herself on the arm of the couch next to her daughter.

I started to open my mouth and release the entire contents of what I thought was going to be a task to prove myself to Jonah, but really ended up being a life altering experience I didn’t ask for. I didn’t get the chance because Dani beat me to it. Without faltering she perfectly explained everything to Daya. Markus losing the women he loved, Isaac Zuriel’s self-righteous nature, and how Dani was simply used to complete a plan that had been in dormancy for so long. She made sure to emphasize that Isabel was a raging traitor bitch, getting a collective nod from everyone around her, especially Natalia who despite being upset with her former lovers’ actions, had a small hint of sadness in her eyes.

Isabel wasn’t innocent by any means, but at least she was alive to pay for her actions. Once we found her, of course. My mind went to that place that I hated, immediately thinking about how Markus wouldn’t pay for his. As much shit as Isabel caused with her collected Enchanter powers, Markus was Lilith’s initial game master. Lilith pulled the strings, but she gave him enough free reign that he was able to pull the wool over all our eyes.

Markusgot Keegan to Purgatory and killed him.Markuscoaxed Jonah into bringing Dani here.Markushelped unleash those demons on us during that meeting.Markussat back and let Isabel invade my fellow angels’ minds and let them destroy themselves.Markuswanted Jonah dead. And he got his wish. Markus, Markus, fuckingMarkus.

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