Page 126 of Legendary

I took her hand gently in mine and then placed my other hand over it. “I know. She called me a hero you know. I just don’t know what that means if I do this.”

“It means you are doing what you have to do to save people, to save her. Even if it’s from herself.” I thought back to when I had Dani in my arms and how shaken she was after the nightmare, how that must have been the last straw in her decision making. Dani could be alright, and a little shaken, if I stabbed her with her own dagger flooded with my angelic light or she could succumb to the wound, and I could lose her. I already had so many scars from this mission and I knew that would leave the biggest one.

If anyone was going to help her remember who she was, it was me. I would be her light.

NICK

“What the fuck did you just say?”

I knew the conversation with the others wouldn’t go over well. I was still trying to process things myself. I had understood what Natalia said, but that didn’t mean I had to like it or go through with it, even if I knew she wouldn’t tell me something just for the hell of it. I knew I’d stuttered through my explanation of what happened and by the looks Elise had given me, I’d taken too long to get to the point but when I’d finally finished, all I’d gotten back was a few blank stares and some confused expressions.

I blinked over to Elise who stepped away from the wall in my room and stood in front of me. “I don’t know how else you want me to put it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Any way but that. You can’t honestly have me believe that Natalia told you to do any of that.”

I stood up from the bed and squared my shoulders. “Well, she did and that’s what we have to work with. I don’t like it any more than you do.”

Garrett cleared his throat. “From what I heard it soundedlike she said that it was a possibility. We don’t really know how far gone your Soul Seether is, so he might not have to go that route at all.”

I pointed over to Garrett, grateful that someone heard anything other thanstab her with her own dagger. Elise scoffed, not paying him any mind. “Lilith wouldn’t make it so that Dani has a way out of this. That’s too easy if you’re just able to sweet talk her out of being this vicious little devil. The minute I realized that she was possessing you herself, I knew that was it.”

“That can’t be the only thing that has you set on this idea.”

Elise wagged her finger at me. “I think you highly underestimate her feelings for you, pretty boy. She would have fought hard to not do that, to for some reason keep you unharmed, but that didn’t happen. What happened downstairs told me all I needed to know.” She pushed her finger into my chest. “And now you’re telling me that killing her is the only way to solve this.”

“That’s not at all what I said.”

“He said killing her is a potential outcome. It’s an outcome none of us want to see but there is a fifty-fifty chance,” Reese explained, getting a cold look from Elise as she crossed his arms over near the dresser. “My main question is, can you even do it?”

“The guy holds a sword; I think he can handle a fucking dagger.” Elise gave him a dumb look.

Reese presented her with his middle finger and continued. “No, I mean if worse comes to worst can you do what needs to be done. I don’t need you wandering back to that dark lonely shell of yours all because you had to make the decision to possibly kill the girl you lo—”

“I’ll be okay.” I cut him off quickly. I didn’t want those words out in the open unless I was the first one saying them. It seemed like everyone could see my own feelings but me, but that wasn’t new in any regard. I gave him the most honest answer I had. “Worse comes to worse, I'll make the decision that I have to make, but I won’t know what that means until that moment comes.”

Leah and Beetee came through the door, anxious looks on each of their faces. Beetee nodded towards the door behind her. “My parents think it’s probably the best time for us to leave, unless you aren’t up for it, you know after everything.” She gestured towards me.

I shook my head, walking over to where I’d left the dagger sitting on the bedside table. “No, I’m ready. I just want to make sure everyone else is ready as well.”

“Of course we are,” Leah said at the same time as Beetee, who said. “One hundred percent.”

“Woah, woah, I’m sorry but you’re not going.” Elise swung her head around to Beetee. Her short dark hair swinging near her earlobes. I could feel us all go slightly on edge, thinking that Elise would give her an earful, but Beetee just smiled the most tender smile anyone could imagine and walked over to her friend. “Ellie, you are very sweet, but let’s not pretend like you intimidate me in any way. I’m going.”

“And your moms are alright with that?” Reese said.

Beetee placed her hands in the pockets of her hot pink overalls, running her top teeth over her bottom lip. “I don’t think they have much say in what I do at the moment.” She said it with such finality that no one moved to say anything more. “Besides like I said before, this is about Dani. I can go on believing that my life is super freaking normal until this is over and then I can spiral into a million and one thoughts.”

“Oh, you and lover boy here will have so much in common. He loves to spiral,” Elise laughed, turning on her heels away from us. “I’ll go get Axel ready.”

Leah stepped up to me, watching, as I slowly placed the dagger in my waistband at the back of my pants. “Garrett and I thought it would be best if I stayed here with the kids. I was what Lilith taunted him with for so many years and I don’t want to give her reason to do it all over again.” She looked like she was about to cry, but she held back her tears. She eyed the portal key around my neck and then looked up at me. “How is the High Priestess?”

“Good, doing way more than her job description specifies but that’s just how she is.”

Leah nodded in understanding as she dug in her back pocket for something. She brought out two bracelets, each one had intricate weaving with different colored thread and small opal orbs within each braiding. “I picked up glamouring quite well while I was in Oculus, but with glamouring can come a knack for shielding as well. It’s, of course, a stronger glamour meant to keep things out and protect. Creating large mental battle shields takes a lot out of me and I’ve hardly ever touched that power of mine in forever, but there are minuscule ways to keep it alive. Like this.” She held the bracelet up to me and I tilted my head to get a better look at it. “The bracelet itself is a shield. Or at least it has the power I’ve given it to provide that for you.”

“What’s it shielding me from exactly?”

“Enchanter magic,” Garrett explained. “She used to make them for us while we were in Lilith’s castle. It wouldn’t stop us from using our own magic, but while we were around, Enchanters in that castle were very unpredictable, especially when everything was so fresh and new. I don’tknow how many Enchanters are truly left in that place, but better safe than sorry.” He gave me an encouraging smile which I offered him back. Mine probably seemed a bit forced, but it was all I could give him at the moment.

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