Page 50 of Legendary

“If I would’ve told you the truth, you would’ve acted just like your angelic boyfriend and tried to fix it, tried to be what you were meant to be, and she would have killed you. Thrown you away like you didn’t fucking matter and moved on to the next. So no, I’m not sorry. I would do it again if given the opportunity.”

That answer didn’t make me angry, and it didn’t boil my blood. That answer actually made me happy. To know that she would go to such lengths to keep me right where I was nearly brought a smile to my face. Elise didn’t show emotion like everybody else. She was never going to look me in the eye and tell me she cared, but she would do whatever it took to keep me alive even if that meant lying to my face and keeping me at a distance that I didn’t know was such an incredible amount. There were things I didn’t know about her, but little by little I would and maybe there were some things I would never know.

“Oh fuck, don’t think that this means I’m going to hug you or some shit. I already had that kid wanting to hug me, thanking me for saving him. Disgusting,” she scoffed.

I drank the rest of my drink and nodded, holding in my chuckle. I knew she didn’t regret stepping in front of my dagger and taking the hit. That kind of pain was probably a turn on for her. “I’m at least sorry for saying you didn’t deserve friends.”

She raised one of her brows. “You’re probably right, though, so it is what it is. Not many people can tolerate my attitude as Beetee likes to say, so hey maybe you are right. Friendship is exhausting and like I’ve always said, a distraction.”

“Hmm, but it can also provide you with a place to stay if you ever need it and a confidant or two.” I pointed to myself, hoping she would catch the hint. “We could have had this conversation months ago; do you plan to always be this stubborn?”

“Depends on my mood.”

I reached for the bottle, but she kept it out of my reach as she poured some more into her cup. “Are you gonna tell me about Axel?”

“What about Axel?”

“Not many demons have hellhounds of his caliber, Elise. Did Lilith give him to you?”

She licked the side of her glass where some of the vodka had spilled over. “Nope.”

I gave her an incredulous look, stopping before I poured the rest of what was in the vodka bottle into my glass. She started drinking and looked as if she was planning on keeping that information to herself.

“But he was a gift?”

“Yup.”

“Lilith knows about him.”

She nodded.

“And she hasn’t tried to keep him for herself. He’s quite a sight.”

Elise laughed a little under her breath. “I’m sure she would love him, but she has no intention of taking him from me. I let Beetee watch him when I’m not around, he…keeps her safe.” She said those last words like a whisper as if she wanted the realms to swallow them up for no one else to hear.

I clucked my tongue, curious. “Does Beetee know who gifted him?”

Elise let out a groan. “Yes, she does.” She got up from her chair, grasping the neck of the empty bottle and stepping out of the room. I waited as she came back in with another bottle of vodka, already unscrewing the top. “I’m really not interested in talking about Axel’s origin story, but if you want to still sit here with me and talk then let’s talk about how I’m pretty sure your angelic lover boy comes in his pants every time you enter a room.” She started pouring more liquid into our glasses.

“So…we’re friends now?”

Elise sucked in a sharp breath and pursed her lips. “I don’t want to see you dead, alright.”

I narrowed my eyes, taking a sip of my drink, the vodka getting to my head a small bit. “You did try to kill me in Oculus that day with your tail, so I don’t follow.”

Elise’s face melted into a laugh and then she hiccupped. A sign that the vodka was getting to her as well. “Dani, I was never going to actually kill you. I will fuck you up, but I would never kill you.” Her face was serious now and I understood what she was saying. “I was never going to let you come to Heaven’s Gate by yourself, dipshit,” she added, as if she knew it might be something I’d want to hear.

“Because we’re friends?”

Elise rolled her eyes, smirking as she tilted her glass up to her lips, swallowing some more vodka before setting it down with a small thud. “Yeah, that.”

NICK

I’d been able to get to sleep just fine last night, give or take the few times I’d woken up in a cold sweat. I’d remained in my bed and hadn’t slept on the bathroom floor, even though I felt suffocated in this room. Reese had been snoring and never stirred each time I sat up, brought my knees to my chest and took several deep breaths. He stepped out of the shower, shirtless with just his underwear on and his hair dripping wet. I sat back on my hands as I watched him shake his hair out and tie it up in an unruly knot.

He hadn’t really questioned me when I’d said I wanted to stay with Dani while she was unconscious last night, and he hadn’t mentioned it at all this morning. He had simply given me a look of confusion and had continued to give me that same look of confusion when I had closed Dani’s door behind me as I stepped inside her room, but he had just let it be. It wasn’t like I could have talked to him about it, since he had passed out by the time I went to bed. Despite the chair not being the most comfortable sleeping arrangement, I didn’t have one fit, or nightmare during the time I’d spent in her room. Something about it didn’t surprise me. Reese sauntered overto the dresser, pulling out a pair of pants and stepping into them. I brought my hands around to rest on my thighs, feeling them start to get sweaty as I rubbed them against my pants.

“Are you still with me, Nick?” Reese asked, chucking a pillow at my face. The pillow landed at my feet as I ran a hand down my face, bringing him back into my view. I didn’t know when I had zoned out, but apparently, I had.

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