Page 102 of Live Like Legends

“I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to use everything I’d learned about myself and stop him, make him pay. Enduring all that agony was worth it if I could just show him and Lilith that fucking with me was a mistake. Iwanteda lot of things, but what Igotwas you and everyone else doing what I’d wanted to do!”

Nick let out a deep sigh, rubbing his finger at the place between his eyebrows. “We all care about you, Dani. We were never going to leave you in that place with him.Iwas never going to leave you.”

“I know that. That’s what makes this so fucking hard. I wanted you to find me, but then again, I didn’t. There was a time before you, Nick, when I didn’t need anyone and even during thetoughest trials…I could savemyself.” I turned away from him, hoping I could head to the bathroom and lock myself in there.

He caught my wrist, causing me to stumble a bit before I righted myself. I swung my head around to face him. Before he could speak, I heard myself shouting again. “I couldn’t even be my own hero, Nick!” I felt tears wanting to leave my eyes.

Nick pulled me closer to him, his expression something I could only describe as determined. “Iknowyou can fend for yourself, Dani. Iunderstandthat you can fight and take on the worst kind of villain without me, but despite all those things Iknowabout you, there is not an evil in the realms that will stop me from getting to you. I willalwaysfind you.”

I bit my bottom lip. “I know you will. It’s who you are.” I inclined my head towards his. “Youswooped in there,youkilled Dimitri. I just…I vowed thatIwould kill him,Iwould make him hurt. Even if you were the one to open that door and save me, maybe I could at least do something that would make me feel less expendable and weak.”

He let go of my wrist, placing his hands on my waist. “I willnotapologize for beating the shit out of Dimitri.Fuck, Dani, I watched you die and I never want either of us in that position ever again. You keep saying I’m yours, well in case you need a reminder, you’re mine. I am fucking ecstatic that I get to say my girlfriend is extremely strong, she’s powerful and scary, she’s beautiful and can probably make your death look like an art form. The fact that you think you are less than what everyone in the realms knows you to be makes me want to bring Dimitri back, just so you can show him all you’ve got. I’ll stand beside you or behind you, whichever you’d prefer, but you aredonestanding alone.”

I didn’t know what to do with my hands so I tentatively placed them on his biceps. I hadn’t realized how unsteady I felt until his skin was within my grasp. “Nick, they made me feel likeyou coming made me weak. I don’twantto be weak; I can’t. That’s not who I am!”

He squeezed my waist, his brown eyes piercing into mine. “You arenotweak. I will keep telling you that for the rest of our lives if I have to. Big shows of power are great, Dani. Perfect spectacles to gloat about later.” He took one of his hands and brought it to the side of my face. I didn’t flinch this time. I leaned into his touch quicker than I expected. “You are so used to fighting first and thinking later, which for a good while was how you survived and I commend you for it. You had to steel yourself and think about other people. You had to consider the risk of what a hasty decision would do. You continuously suffered Dimitri’s…abuse” I noticed his jaw tick as he continued to speak, “and you made it out the other side. You really want to stand here and tell me that that makes you weak? You want to tell me that it doesn’t make you some kind of hero?” He placed his forehead against mine.

“I don’t know what I am,” I murmured.

“Oh, baby, you are something to be afraid of. You are something to admire.” He kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger there. “Once upon a time you told me to remember who I was, remember that I was a hero.”

“I did.”

“Despite everything I’d been through, everything I was putting myself through, I was still ahero. I’m telling you the same thing. Remember whoyouare, Dani.”

“And who is that?”

“Thestrongestperson I know.”

I reared my head back so I could look at him. His eyes were genuine and I didn’t have to think twice when I lifted up on my toes, kissing him. His lips were soft and inviting. I opened my mouth a tiny bit, hoping that he would mirror my movements which after a second, he did.

He gave me a tiny peck before we separated, but he kept a hold on my hands, his fingers intertwining with my own. My cheeks felt wet from the tears I’d let fly free.

“I know you have to believe in yourself when it comes to these things, Dani. I know just me saying all of this, as true as it is, won’t be enough, but…”

“I just haven’t felt like myself lately, that’s all. I…hmm…” I wrinkled my nose, not really knowing how to say what I wanted.

Nick gave me a look filled with intrigue.

“When I manhandled Morgan, it felt….good. Like all I wanted to do was hit something to, I don’t know, jolt the healing process.”

Nick pressed his lips together. “Mhmm. Sounds logical.”

I had let Morgan live so that said a lot about my progress.

“I’m gonna work on it, okay? I’ve had to be my own strength for a long time now. I’ve never let other people offer up their own whenever I faltered.”

His fingers tightened and flexed around mine. “Existing together. You and me.”

“You and me,” I repeated, leaning in to kiss him again, but something stopped me. My palms felt hot, but not the normal heat that I was used to. This heat burned like it had doubled in temperature, but it didn’t hurt. I looked down at my hands, noticing the light that filtered out from between our palms.

“Uh, Dani…” Nick started, pulling our hands up so that they were parallel to our bodies.

I slowly pulled one of my hands away from his, watching as the light that came between them was bright and nearly blinding. I grabbed his hand again, admitting silently to myself that what I’d seen was startling.

“What’s happening?” I asked, more to myself than to him.

“I felt this while I was in the Ethereal Bastille,” he admitted.

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