Page 109 of Legendary

“My heart.”

I gripped his hair from behind his head and everything felt so strong as I closed my eyes and let my climax consume me. “Yes, yes, yes.” My voicecracked.

I should have told him not to say anything at all because I wasn’t the swooning kind, but those words made me swoon just a bit. Nick pressed into me over and over until I felt his body tense and shudder, a softfuckleaving his lips as he came. We stayed like that for a moment, just the feeling of each other’s presence enough to fill the silence. I rubbed my hands down his back before he settled in front of my face and kissed me. The kiss was quick, but deep, our tongues meeting. He shifted off of me and shuffled under the covers, holding them up for me to go under as well.

We faced each other, our legs touching. I didn’t know how to reply to his admission. I wasn’t sure if a response was something he wanted. I reached up and traced the scar under his eye. “How did you get this?”

He grabbed my arm and kissed the inside of the wrist. “Two best friends having the most mature of fights. I then ended up in a fight with a piece of furniture and lost. At the time it looked pretty bad, but now I hardly notice it anymore.”

“I like it. We can exist together with all our scars. Imperfectly perfect.”

He nodded as he traced the side of my face with his finger. The light that glowed from that one fingertip warmed my skin and something inside of me practically purred. There was something dark that raged inside as well, but his light made whatever kind of light that was inside of me feel comforted. I turned over on my side and I felt him at my back, wanting me as close as possible and I didn’t resist.

I sighed, pressing my cheek into the pillow. “I can’t tell you what to expect when we head to her castle, Nick. I’ve pushed back every chance I got and yet she still wants me for some reason, I’m still her plan, through and through. I enjoy the unknown, but this is too much of a mystery even for me.”

“We aren’t going to let her just have you, Dani.”

I smiled to myself, watching his glowing light orb bob back and forth. “So noble. This is still mainly my issue.”

“We’ll make itourissue then.” He was frustratingly pushy sometimes. His heart was actually way too good for me, but he would never believe that.

“Sacrifices have to be made. And I’m fine being just that.” I didn’t try to look over my shoulder at him, but he didn’t mind. His lips met my shoulder blade as he hummed.

“If sacrifices have to be made, then we’ll figure it out as a team, as a last resort. Mess or not, we’re here to help you pick up the pieces and fight the bad guys.” He kissed my shoulder again and then my temple. “You aren’t the villain in this story, remember that.”

I cuddled back into him and wanted his words to mold against me. I wanted them to soothe me as much as his words usually did. I fell asleep realizing none of that happened. I still felt like a mess and whatever steps I took with them in my stead—only a mess would follow.

DANI

The sky was dark and foggy when I opened my eyes. The fog was so thick it created a cloud in my vision that no matter how many times I blinked it would seem to just get thicker. My feet moved easily as I made my way through, but I kept looking behind me as if I was being followed, as if there were eyes on me that I couldn’t shake. I heard the subtle sounds of breathing, but I didn’t move any faster nor did I stop to rethink my direction. I just kept walking as if subconsciously I knew where I was going.

The breathing became a bit louder, telling me I was getting closer and closer. My skin started to feel hot, and my muscles became agitated with tension as I stepped forward. I heard the sound of water under my feet with my last step. I blinked down to where my foot was submerged in liquid, realizing that whatever I’d stepped in was in more places than just under my shoe. I bent down and slid my finger into whatever it was, realizing that the residue was stickier than water and much thicker. I brought my index finger to eye level and a dark red color was staringback at me.

Blood. It dripped from the pad of my finger back onto the floor. My heart started to panic in my chest as I looked around, searching for wherever the fuck I was. The smell of blood filled my nostrils as if my senses were just now realizing what was around me. As if someone just now wanted me to smell the pain and agony.

The fog started to disappear, slowly, meticulously. I pushed up from the floor and watched as the thick clouds that once impaired my vision revealed a sight that had me shuddering. My breath caught in my throat when I saw my perfectly loyal, over caring, too kind for his own good, angel kneeling on the ground. Blood leaked from his stomach, shoulders and around his neck.

I screamed for my feet to move but they felt like bricks with every step I took, but I tried my best to run towards him. I was exhausted the moment I had my hands on him, even though he had likely been two feet away. He was alive but barely, his breathing sounded like the small shallow breaths I’d heard moments ago. I lifted his head up to look at me and his once bright, curious brown eyes looked lost, pained, and just tired. There was blood coming from everywhere as if whoever did this wanted to make it hurt. I placed my hand on his cheek, my eyes burning from holding back tears I didn’t think I could muster.

“Nick.” My voice came out like a choked plea.

His lips quivered as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t. His hands held onto the deep wound in his stomach, and I knew I couldn’t save him. I knew I couldn’t do anything but watch. I was meant to watch him suffer.

“Who did this to you?” I growled, as if I expected him to be able to answer. I heard a sharp laugh. One I’d heard before, one I wouldn’t forget. I felt a hand on the back of my head, stroking my curls.

“You sound so angry.” Lilith said, almost in a soothing voice. “Isn’t this what you expected?”

“I didn’t want this.” I looked at Nick's perfect face and into his eyes that were opening and closing as if he didn’t have the strength to decide what he wanted to do with them.

“Oh, Dani, you and I both know things will never work out in your favor.” She removed her hand from my hair and stepped around me. Her long, almost white, blonde hair hung over her thin shoulders. Her eyes were dark and lined with black that tipped up when it met the edge of her eyelids. She stopped when she was behind Nick, placing her hands on his shoulders. He flinched. “Not when you keep aligning yourself with others that are less than you.”

I wanted her hands off of him. I wanted her dead. I wanted her begging me for her death. My hands were too weak right now though, my thoughtstoo preoccupied. “You’re doing this to punish me.”

Lilith sighed, ruffling my angel’s hair. “No, no. I am simply letting you see what’s to come if you keep making the wrong choices. I don’t want to see you upset, my love, but I can only be patient with you for so long. Whatever happens after you make your decisions is on you.”

“You really think killing him—threateningto kill him—is going to make me want to be at your side?” I cocked my head to the side, genuinely wanting to know her answer.

Lilith shook her head and smiled, clearly amused by me. “I know you’ll never like it. You’ll never like the things I’ve done, but you will soon understand that he will never truly be what you need. He can try, pretty thing that he is, but he won’t win. He wants to fight for you my Soul Seether, and you should know that I know how to fight for what I want as well.”

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