Page 109 of Live Like Legends

“What do you mean?” Nick stepped closer to his best friend.

“Earlier today, I got an invitation to his ceremony. The date was for tomorrow.” Natalia gave us a sympathetic look.

I looked over at Nick. “I thought you said it was in a few days?”

Nick ran a hand through his hair roughly. “That’s the last I heard. Like I said, the man hasn’t really spoken to me much.”

“Better to keep you out of the loop.” Maurice ran a finger over his mustache, letting out a humorless laugh.

“So are we ambushing this thing or…” Reese offered, glancing around the room.

“Get a grip, Blondie. You’re starting to sound like me.” Elise blew him a kiss before jumping off the arm of the couch. Her grey eyes scanned me and before I knew it, she was grabbing my arm and yanking me out of the room, shouting, “I’ll bring her right back!”

She looked behind her to make sure no one followed us out before she spoke in a low voice, “are you completely sure Dimitri is no longer a problem?”

I blinked at her, immediately thrown off guard. “You saw him, Elise.”

She gave me an incredulous look. “I know what I saw. I’m not asking you what Ifuckingsaw. I’m asking you what you know and how you feel. I’m asking what you fucking think.”

I reached up and ran the pads of my fingertips over my scars. “Nick killed him. That’s what happened.”

Elise pinched the bridge of her nose as if she was annoyed. “The entire reason I’m asking you andnotyour boyfriend is because he would tell me exactly that. He got to throw down and beat the shit out of Dimitri, which great, good for fucking him, but just because the entitled piece of shit is unmoving doesn’t mean he’s dead. He looked it and I’d be really fucking surprised if he wasn’t, but…”

“But what?”

“Ugh, pretty boy should have cut off hisfuckinghead, that’s what.”

“Elise…ah!” I felt a sting in my arm. I thought I might have accidentally scratched myself, but my hand wasn’t anywhere near my scars anymore. We both looked at the raised skin on my bicep and noticed that nothing was red, the scar tissue wasn’t pulsing, it all looked so normal. I placed my palm against my arm and felt heat there as if it was simmering on the inside.

“Dani, what is going on?” Elise questioned.

“Nothing, it’s probably just remnants of what he did. Case closed.”

“You are fucking delusional if you think—” I gripped her arm, harder than I intended but I didn’t let up.

“It’s fucking nothing, so for the love of Satan can you just shut up.”

She opened her mouth to argue with me, but the door opened. Zane stepped out, walking past us in a rush.

Elise shrugged away from me. “I really don’t like playing the good guy Dani, but I shouldn’t be the one to tell you to be honest here.”

“Iam. We both know that Nick and everyone else would dive straight back into Hell, so no, Dimitri is dead. This isover.”

I heard stomping behind me, looking back and seeing Zane walking by. I looked down seeing that he was holding the leather-bound notebook that belonged to Jonah. I brushed past Elise to follow him back inside the room.

“Dani, we aren’t done,” Elise argued, but I shushed her, watching Zane walk over to Natalia and hand the book to her.

Nick looked me over when I stood next to him, silently asking me if I was alright. I gave him a small smile focusing back on Natalia.

“Nicholas, I’ve been doing some thinking about this book and I’ve replayed what I know about Jonah over and over again in my head.” The High Priestess ran her fingertips gently down the front of the notebook.

Maurice came up next to this son, bumping shoulders with him as if he was curious about where this conversation would go.

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Did you figure out a way to release the magic? I know you had said you didn’t want to mess with what this book held…”

Natalia shook her head. “My decision still stands true. I will not involve my magic with something that I am fully aware is set in its own ways. There is some magic that likes to be seen when it’s ready.” She peeked over at me but then focused back on Nick.

“Nicholas, what is this all about?” Maurice asked his son.

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