Page 45 of Legendary

I turned my head, looking over my shoulder at the small child that was huddled underneath his father’s body. The hellhound wasn’t enough. No, no not enough. I wanted more.

Do it.The voice was smooth but demanding. Like the tone of an overly confident mother.

I fingered my dagger as I whirled around and tilted my head. I saw Garrett look up at me not understanding.

“Dani.” I heard a deep familiar voice, one that pulled at my chest, but it was cast out by the sobbing of the child in front of me. I liked the sobbing. This part of me loved it.

You crave it. So do it.

I stalked over to Yuri while Garrett started to rise and get in my way. “What are you doing? You stop right—” I didn’t give him a chance to finish when I wrapped my hand around his throat and squeezed hard, chucking him to the side. Feet started moving behind me, readying to stop me, but they were halted. My shadow magic claimed their ankles and yanked them to the ground, slithering up their bodies and wrapping around their arms. A bigger shadow began enveloping all around us. Yuri’s eyes widened as he took in what I had let take over me, what I seemed to welcome. Black eyes, smoky exterior, the need for ruin and torture oozing out of me at every turn. His fear was so sweet, it was truly delectable. I reached my hand out and gripped his little body with my magic, lifting him up, but keeping him flat against the tree trunk.

I pressed my dagger to the tip of his nose. “You want your daddy?”

Yuri gave me a nod before blubbering out another cry.

“He can’t save you. No one can,” I whispered, giving him a mischievous grin that made him cry out for his father and mother even more. I heard more footsteps, but I cloaked us further in the shadows. I dragged my dagger down his body and landed on his chest. I let the sharp hooked tip of my weapon tear at his shirt, missing the skin. “I promise this is going to hurt so much.”

Do it, Soul Seether.

Before I could dig my blade into his skin, I felt a bolt of reddish black hit my back, dispersing around me and I turned my head to see a very baffled and annoyed Elise. “Put him down, Dani.”

Remove the soul.Kill.

I shook my head, remnants of her shadows still lost in my hair. “I want this.” I said through my teeth. There was a small, small part of me I could feel that didn’t want this though, butthatpart didn’t matter. That part didn’t have a voice. It had no tether; it had no leg to stand on.

It felt right.

It feltwrong.

But it felt so damn good.

“Well, that’s too fucking bad,” Elise said, angrily as she shot out her stream of inky black venom in my direction which I evaded, but not before Axel’s tail hit me right in the stomach. The fog started to disappear, after the hit, and I knew I was losing my upper hand. I saw some of my shadows start to retreat. As I was knocked back, I threw my dagger out aiming for Yuri,still pushed up against the tree.

My body forcefully hit the ground when I heard, “God, youfuckingbitch.” I smiled as I pulled myself off the ground and saw Elise with my dagger in her shoulder, standing in front of a struggling Yuri. Her breathing was heavy and if I could just get back over to her and create more holes in her body, it would be a beautiful sight to see. Axel seemed to look at me with discontent in his red eyes as if he didn’t know if he should charge me or stand down. I honestly didn’t fucking care.

I started fast walking over to Elise, beginning to summon my dagger back towards me when a body got in my way. Large hands wrapped around my arms and halted me. I would kill whoever thought they could simply stop me with this sort of maneuver. “Dani. Stop.”

There was that voice again. It reminded me of that voice inside of me that I didn’t understand. My head started to throb from the mental whiplash I was involved in. I looked up at Nicholas who gave my body one hard shake as he said my name again, trying to jolt me back to whatever his reality may be. “Let me go!” I yelled.

“I’m not going to let you go, Dani. Just stop! Come back.” He shook me again, but this time his hands started to glow just a little bit. It was odd the feeling it gave me.

I used all the force I had to push him away. I heard Reese notch his bow, but that didn’t matter to me. They didn’t scare me. I made a quick move to get around him, but he was nearly just as fast, stopping me before I could get to Elise. My shadows were angry, my magic was furious, and I wanted to shove every dark shadow down his throat. “Remember who you are, Dani.” He gripped my arms and whirled me around, but the light in his hands wasn’t just for show now. That light shot through my body as if I was being electrocuted and my darkness fled, trying to hold on but seeking shelter in the place it dwelled when I wasn’t in need of it.

The feeling was sharp and quick. It felt warm but had a slight burn that I didn’t understand. My shadows hissed and I heard a thud from behind me as Yuri fell from his position against the tree. My vision wasn’t as hazy as I blinked up at him, knowing my eyes were no longer black orbs. I took a few breaths in, but then everything was shaky, and the vertigo was starting to make an appearance. “Dani, woah. Are you okay?”

He let me go but I lost my footing, and I felt his arms catch me and pull me close to his chest. I blinked and looked up at the sky that always looked like it was on fire this time of day. A face came into my view when I blinked again, but I was too out of it to do anything. It was a face that I knew was only meant for me to see and no one else.

“So easily manipulated by her maker. Poor Soul Seether, what is it gonna take for you to understand that you don’tsavepeople. You corrupt them,” Isabel’s blonde hair swished around her face as she sized me up. She blew me a kiss and backed away, surveying the damage I knew she had caused. “Lilith sends her love and to tell you that your necromancer is safe for now. She knows you’ll make the right decision soon enough. All good monsters do.” She let out a laugh before she disappeared from my vision.

I heard Yuri crying and Leah scurrying over to him, picking him up in her arms. I watched them through my foggy vision as Jasmine was cuddled with Axel, blood still dripping down the side of his face. Reese hovered over me with his arms crossed. His expression was hard to read, but I was too tired to try. I felt sorry. Iwassorry. I felt a solid, powerful warmth as I was pulled towards a broad chest. Everything became clouded and I passed out thinking one thing.

Monster. Monster. Monster.

I woke up to a very, very dark room. I felt around my body and was met with the soft feeling of a plush comforter. It felt like my bed at the hostel if I wasn’t mistaken. I was surprised that I was in my room and not in the recovery room we had taken Nicholas to. I wondered what time it was and how long I’d been out. I remembered the few minutes before my mind went numb and then nothing. I knew whatever had happened wasn’t good and I didn’t know how much damage control I would have to do. I reached up and scrubbed a hand down my face.

It took me a moment to realize I wasn’t simply put on the bed and left to make myself comfortable, but I was tucked under the covers. My body was snuggled well enough that I probably could have passed out again. I was about to do that very thing when I heard soft breathing from across the room. I ceased my own breathing for a moment so I could try to make out whoever it was. The room was so dark I couldn’t make out a silhouette, but when I racked my brain for choices on who it could be, only one came to mind. I reached behind me and grabbed one of the pillows that was keeping me propped up. A small snort came from across the room, but then the soft, meticulous breathing started again. I listened hard and then when I felt like it was the perfect time, I launched the pillow across the room.

The desk chair got shoved back and the sound of a body hitting the wooden floor echoed around the room. “What the fuck.” Nicholas’s voice whispered, confused. His tone wasn’t angry, but it was sleepy which mademe laugh.

---