Page 93 of Legendary

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes, it is. I’ve been here plenty of times, Dimitri. I think I would remember a giant fucking screen.”

He laughed softly waving toward the screen. One of the other demons pulled on the tapestries and they instantly draped themselves over the frame, making it look like it wasn’t there and just a simple, elegant fabric piece hung in its place. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. “You were watching us the other night? You knew I was there the entire time, yet you decided to make me wait?”

“The other night? I knew whenever you were in this club from the very beginning. I knew your every move, what drink you ordered and whose attention you’d caught. I not only watched you from a couch, Dani, but I kept an eye on you all the time as I was instructed to do.”

“Well, that’s not creepy at all.”

Dimitri sat back in his chair. “Hm, I do recall you had a liking for being watched.”

Nick reached out for the back of one of the chairs in front of us and dughis fingers into the velvet material. I let out a loud, bored sigh and grabbed the other chair and swung it out. I plopped down on the cushion, silently cursing from how comfortable it was. “We didn’t come here for you to go down memory lane, Dimitri.”

Dimitri waved his hand around. “Of course, of course, no need to make your friend uncomfortable.” He nodded for Nick to sit down as well. He hesitated but eventually sat down, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

I eyed the demon henchmen that casually leaned against the walls watching us. They were all so unbothered by my presence, which didn’t surprise me since I’m pretty sure most of them were used to me being around their boss.

“So, your meeting with Lilith happened today?” Nick started, bending one of his legs and placing it over his other one, the side of his calf resting right above his knee.

“Yes, it did. And well, she is very eager to have you back, Soul Seether.”

I rolled my eyes. “So, I’ve been told by everyone.”

“She only wants what’s best for you.”

Nick let out a small laugh next to me and the look on his face afterwards told me that he hadn’t meant for the laugh to be public consumption. Dimitri rested his arms on the glossy wood of his desk. “Something to say?”

Nick placed his other leg back on the ground and scooted closer to the edge of the chair, remaining quiet. I cleared my throat. “Just keep talking, Dimitri. No one here wants to know what happens if I find out I came here for nothing.” I crossed my legs, noticing how he watched every one of my movements with hungry eyes.

He knocked his knuckles against his desk. “I am being honest when I say that she does want what’s best. She doesn’t like that you have this disdain for her, she misses you.”

I snorted. “Right. Missing me would mean she has feelings, which we both know she does not.”

“Not everyone shows their feelings in the most agreeable way, my dear.”

“Oh well, in that case, please elaborate to me how much her cold, cold heart aches to have me in her presence again.”

Dimitri hummed, a slight smirk on his lips from my witty remark. “Your sass has been missed.” I placed my elbow on the arm of my chair, placing my fingers through my curls. I could feel how calm, but calculated Nick was. I knew at any moment he would be ready to tear Dimitri apart, but he didn’t let that overwhelm him. He was enticingly hot when he took my advice.

“And you are still a master of stalling. It’s not appealing, so just get tothe point.”

Dimitri leaned back, sliding his tattooed hands down the arms of his chair. “She knows that Isabel thinks she has this solidified place next to her, but it’s meant for you. Yes, she used you, but she wants to make it up by letting you stand by her side when it’s all said and done. That’s so much power, Dani, and you love the feeling of power even though it looks as if you might be growing a little soft.” He tilted his head towards Nick, who kept his lips pressed into a hard line. “She thought things might be easier coming from me than if she sent Isabel to do the talking. She’ll let your friends go, live their lives and such, but she wants you here.”

“So, you’re her errand boy, now?”

Dimitri sighed. “Oh, come on now, you and I are both aware that you are going to try to avoid anything happening to your little posse.”

“Lilith is also a notorious liar.”

“Perhaps. I, on the other hand, am not. I do feel that she is being sincere.”

“Sincerity has no place down here. Sincerity gets used and abused here, left to hang and dry. You think I’m that naive, Dimitri?”

He shook his head. “I would never, but she’s willing to give you an option, that’s the last time she will do that. She didn’t want to seem so harsh with you, so your freedom of choice is restored for now.”

“Restored?” I shot him an incredulous look.

“As I said before, you gallivant around here thinking none of this is a big game to her. She would like to cease playing when you decide to cooperate. She stopped experimenting on the demons, she’ll let the Enchanters that are still locked away go, so they are no longer held up in her castle. She just wants you to conclude that this is the only correct choice.”

I pretended to think this over. “Let me get this straight, so I decide to choose Lilith and she just lets everyone go, full freedom, perfect ending. But, then oh, I do some realm ending bidding of hers and all those people get slaughtered anyway. What does she even want, Dimitri, besides me?!”

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