Page 104 of Legendary

“What I’m trying to say is my chest does ache over you. Seeing you hurt, seeing you cry, I don’t like it, it was necessary, but I wish it hadn’t been.” I’d had a feeling that resembled that perfectly when I saw her bleeding out during her death when Lilith took her away. I remember thinking I was happy she was the one holding me and telling me that my emotions were valid while I sobbed into her shoulder. I felt like there was something I should say here, but I couldn’t get my mouth to form the words, and neither could she with the way she was looking at me.

“You and I both. I wish I didn’t make you worry about me.”

“It’s only fair”, she cleared her throat. “How are you feeling?”

I looked down at my body as if I could see some sign of how I felt before. “I know something is there, but I don’t feel suffocated by it. I don’t feel like if I close my eyes, I won’t open them again.” I looked over at the glowing light from earlier and I felt closer to it again. I opened my hand, palm facing up and bits of light danced and pulsed along my fingertips. I had told her that everyone had a bit of darkness in them regardless and I was no exception, it would always be there, but it wasn’t in charge. My soul would probably always be a bit tainted, but it wouldn’t take over my entire being.

“And you’ll let me know if you feel like that again? You’ll letsomeoneknow, Nicholas.”

I closed my eyes, taking in air through my nose and letting it out from my mouth. “Yes.”

She leaned her head on my shoulder, her hair tickling my jaw. “Youshouldtalk to Reese. As much as I adore being the one you seek comfort in, I think he would like to know you can still rely on him as well.” I liked that they were getting along in some way, that I didn’t have to keep watch over them and their interactions with one another.

I nodded knowingly. I hadn’t necessarily pushed my best friend away, but I hadn’t been forthcoming either. Despite his faults he’s always just wanted the best for me. So did my father and oddly so did Jonah. I remembered something and started to thread my fingers through hers as they both rested on the ground between us. “Areyouokay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I happen to remember you taking some of the darkness from me. Wasn’t that something you were trying to avoid?” I raised one of my eyebrows.

She nuzzled her face onto my shoulder, kissing it. “Yes and no. It’s different when it's offering itself and wants me to help it break you down. I willingly took it becauseyouwere actively pushing it out as painful as it was. I would rather harbor it myself than have it try to dig its claws into someone else here.”

“That sounds dangerous. For you I mean,” I said hesitantly.

“I can handle darkness, Nick. Being dangerous is kind of the point. Despite the angelic part, I am a whole lot of darkness and adding a little more won’t change that. I won’t say sorry for wanting to fuck people up for the sake of a successful ending. I have to maintain this to be able to face Dimitri’s wrath after what happened and the fact that I might give Elise and Garrett the ambush they wanted. There isn’t much more holding us or me back. We’ve already severely angered a Son of Hell, so why not just dive right into the clusterfuck of a mess we’ve made. Screams Purgatory, doesn’t it?”

I laughed softly nodding. I squeezed her hand in understanding. “Just like you didn’t want it for me, don’t let it overtake you as well. Remember who you are, Dani.”

“And who's that? A monster?” She asked it like that was the obvious answer. She had meant it like a joke, but I knew that deep down that was probably what she thought, what her head was telling her. Unlike what she did for me, I had no idea how to fix her connection with Lilith, how to fix an eternity of Lilith’s words. She had the most innocent face, but she had seen and done terrible things. She was this powerful being that I still wanted to protect just as much as she wanted to protect me.

I could feel something warm humming underneath her skin, her body, and her soul. It was grasping at threads, but I felt it. I just hoped maybe one day she would be able to embrace it enough to feel all it had to offer. I reached my hand around and gently grabbed her face, tilting her chin up. I placed my forehead against hers. Bloody and deadly, she was still so, so beautiful. “Someone good. Someone worth saving.”

A smile graced her face, and she pressed her forehead harder into mine. “Remember who you are too, Nicholas.”

“Hmm?” I responded, letting my nose rub against hers.

“A hero.”

DANI

Iwatched as Nick and Reese grabbed some food the next morning and headed back upstairs to talk. We had gotten so many looks when we’d come downstairs and I didn’t mind them staring, I was pretty used to it by now, but Nick was different. It looked as if he wasn’t letting it get to him, but I could tell that he hadn’t been in the mood to answer anyone’s questions unless they came from his best friend. When I’d buried myself under my covers, after tucking him into the bed, he had pulled me into his body and held me there. I listened to the beats of his heart and felt his warm chest against my cheek. We didn’t clean ourselves up or even try to remove our clothes, we just fell asleep together in all the blood and dirt of what had happened. He fell asleep so easily when he was in my arms, and I watched him rest peacefully for a good half hour until I finally dozed off myself. We’d woken up and gone our separate ways to change clothes and clean up before making our way downstairs together.

Nick gave me one last look and probably the sexiest wink inthe history of Hell before disappearing. Beetee had her legs propped up on the couch, the redness and swelling still there but not as significant as I thought it would be. She had her arm thrown over her face while Elise prattled on about something while lazily sitting in one of the armchairs.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” Elise said as a way of greeting. She had on a sports bra and a large bandage was attached to her side. I took my coffee off the countertop in the small kitchen and walked over to them, shifting past some demons who hustled past me like I wasn’t one of the creatures that saved them from the demons that likely would have burnt this whole place down.

I plopped down in the chair opposite her and rolled my eyes. “I was busy.”

“Ah, yes. Having very loud, very obnoxious sex with your boyfriend,” she teased.

I took a long sip of my coffee and then placed it on the coffee table. “No. Far from it.” I scratched the top of my head, getting pieces of my hair tangled in my fingers. “And we aren’t that loud.”

Beetee snorted from her place on the couch. She moved her arm from over her eyes and her golden-brown skin started to redden with a blush. “I wouldn’t say you guys try to be quiet.” She tilted her head to look over at Elise who shrugged at how right she was. Beetee flinched a little as she tried to sit up. Her lilac eyes focused on me. “How is he?”

I tilted my head from side to side. “Um, he’s okay. As best as he can get right about now. It was a long night.”

“Did he decide he wanted to go home?” Elise asked, arching one of her dark brows.

I shook my head. “Nope. He has no desire to go home. I mean he mentioned it, but he thought that’s what I wanted I guess.”

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