Page 2 of Live Like Legends

Death.

Experiencing it was one thing, but having livedthroughit was something entirely different. I had seen it firsthand, watched the light leave creatures’ eyes as they took their final piece of my torture and then succumbed to their wounds. It always seemed to happen so fast even when I was trying to make it last and give the crowds something to salivate over. My own death—the thing that still haunted me daily—was a constant slow-motion rendition of everything playing in my head. I wondered if this happened to every single entity that ever got resurrected.

Did they also have memories of their deaths?

Was the last visual they saw a person they loved? That’s how it was for me and despite a dagger to the stomach being a painful way to go, seeing the angel that owned your heart crying over you was worse. Much, much worse.

I’d had that same thought pass through my mind right before I passed out in Nicholas’s bed. I’d been staying in his room eversince I got discharged from the infirmary, well, more like Nicktoldme I was staying with him, and I wasn’t about to argue if I could have him all to myself. It had been nearly two weeks now and Nicholas Cassial had doted on me continuously, but my answers to him were always the same.

I felt fine. No, I was better than fine. I feltbalanced.

It was an odd thing to admit, but it was the truth. I wasn’t about to go into details about something I didn’t quite understand yet. I hadn’t really had enough time to process it since getting swept away and, yet again, being on lockdown at The Skies. Elise had chosen to stay at Oculus with Natalia and Xander, stating in the nicest way possible that ‘she would rather gouge out both her eyeballs with one of Reese’s arrows than be stuck in this fortress of ineptitude again.’ Garrett and Beetee had remained in Oculus with her, even though Beetee herself didn’t have any choice in the matter if Elise had anything to say about it. I hadn’t seen much of them if I really thought about it; everything had moved so fast once the dust seemed to settle.

Nick had sat me down the night we settled into his room and told me about Beetee. I had let him speak without interruption, but I knew that he was looking for some kind of reaction out of me. I had simply nodded and told him that I wasn’t all that surprised. I had a feeling her snake shifting abilities weren't the only thing intriguing about her. I knew Nick assumed Beetee and I would have some sort of weird connection since we were both hybrids, but things were a big, jumbled mess now. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how that conversation would even begin.

I loved Nick with all my heart, but he wasn’t the person I wanted to talk to about what I was feeling. I needed to speak to someone who understood magic, dark or light, the way he couldn’t. I had no idea if his newfound powers, his whole necromancy moment, was the reason my insides felt the way they did. My dagger had always been my main source ofeverything and now that was gone. I wanted to talk to Natalia, but I learned she only ever came to The Skies for short periods, likely trying to avoid Ariel at all costs. I didn’t blame her. My insides didn’t seem to be battling for dominance any longer, so I wouldn’t ponder on this odd sense of peace in my…soul? For now, I was the best I could be.

The minute the word,fine, left my lips, Nick would look at me with that raised eyebrow expression of his that screamed skepticism, but he’d eventually concede because arguing with me never ended well for him. Okay, arguing with medidend well for him during our little fight in the training room, but that was much different. I had dealt with his many, many versions of “I’m fine” while we were in Purgatory so he could deal with mine.

He had stomped past my room in the infirmary after I’d told him to go talk to Natalia about what had happened in Purgatory and what he had done, but somewhere in between, leaving my room and whisking me away to his, something threw him off. Nicholas was so set in his ways that getting anything out of him was like cutting through thigh muscle. That shit was thick and tough, no matter how sharp the blade.

I wasn’t a complete idiot and could figure out that it had something to do with how he came to have resurrection powers. I was cuddled up against his chest, when he leaned into me, speaking right into my hair and told me everything. What I was not prepared for was for him to tell me that it had anything to do with his mother. My heart nearly broke the moment he uttered the words that she had died, his voice cracking just a tiny bit.

There were times when his voice was tight like he was holding in anger and times when it was soft like he was trying not to cry. He’d told me how he was surprised about Natalia’s mother, but that Natalia herself would be more upset about that part than he was. The air felt different when he was donespeaking and I realized I had been holding my breath for too long when my chest felt tight.

I figured he hadn’t wanted me to say anything about his confession, but I did say the only thing that mattered. I said I was sorry. There was so much he knew and still so much he didn’t. Even the smallest missing details could seem major for a revelation like that.

His response was just to hold me tighter and kiss my hair, leaning further towards me and angling my chin so that I was looking at him. Even in the darkness of his room, his features were always something I could make out. His lips met mine and it was quick and chaste, but it was enough. He’d put on a good front pretending to act like the information didn’t affect him, but the realization that after all that time in Purgatory, he hadn’t once decided to go home and see his father. It had me concerned for lack of a better word. Maurice Cassial was clearly giving his son space, which was fair, but at some point, someone would have to cave. I had a much better chance of convincing the younger Cassial.

At least that’s what I’d thought. I hadn’t anticipated him being so fucking good at redirecting the conversation to more physical pursuits or finding some reason to leave and dodge talking, which is exactly what he’d done early this morning before the sun came up. His excuse: sentry angel stuff—whatever the fuck that meant. That was also what he’d said yesterday, but today I had been too fucking tired to argue with him. It was as if he had said what was needed and was moving on, which included leaving his father behind.

The moment the topic was brought up, he would look annoyed and claim there was nothing left to say. That was true, there was nothing left to say—tome—but to his father, there was still so much more. When Nick and I were so close, snuggled up together, whether it be day or night, I felt warmer, like his lightand whatever light I had mingled and coexisted together. I could feel at times that his light would waver like something that used to light it up just a little brighter was gone, same as the light in his eyes would dim when any mention of his father was brought up. There was some darkness there, always letting me know that he wasn’t cured of his internal pain, but I would honestly be more concerned if it didn’t linger just a bit. It was a part of him now, but he was working through it, and I had never been prouder of him.

He was hurt, but I’d told him so many times in Purgatory that letting it out was a lot better than keeping it in. I couldn’t help him throughthisconversation like I’d done before. What Icoulddo was incessantly annoy him about it to the point that maybe he would rather go home than stay quiet, not that my plan was working out well for me.

My overworked mind was rivaling what should have been restful sleep when I felt a surprising but not unpleasant feeling between my legs. My panties were being moved to the side and a cloud of warm breath hit my pussy. I felt my stomach tighten but I kept my eyes closed. I felt kisses being placed along my inner thighs and then one kiss right at my clit. Something wet that felt like a tongue flicked against the sensitive bundle and I clenched the comforter in my hand. I hadn’t had a dream like this in a minute and with everything going on, I severely needed it. The tongue took one long lick and then another, eventually hyper focusing on my clit like it was on a mission to give me the best fucking orgasm. I reached up and held onto the pillow behind my head, letting out a moan into what I assumed was an empty room.

I felt hands wrap around my thighs and push my legs up and apart a little more. One of the hands glided towards the inside of my thigh, between my legs and a finger slid down my wet slit. That finger gently circled my entrance and then slid inside. Mybody responded in this way like I knew the hand those fingers were attached to. The finger curled, massaging that part of me that made my toes curl, and matched with the way it moved in time with the skilled tongue had me wanting to scream.

I pressed my lips together before parting them, blowing out a breath and whimpering, “more.”

I heard a groan, and it sounded familiar, like I’d heard it muffled against my ear recently. I still had my eyes closed and my mind was foggy from sleep, but I turned my head seeing the tiny bits of light from behind my eyelids. I slowly started to open my eyes, slightly disappointed that this dream was over, when I felt two fingers slide inside of me and a mouth clamp around my clit. I bit my bottom lip as my eyes flew open, the window in the bedroom shining light on the large lump that was shrouded in covers as I looked down the bed.

This wasn’t a dream at all, and I knew exactly whose fingers those were. I must have been in a deep sleep to not be aware of that tongue and who it belonged to. His other hand worked its way up my body, pushing the t-shirt of his I wore further up. The warmth of his skin sent tingles throughout my own. I slipped my hand under the covers and down my stomach until I felt his mess of hair. I grasped as many of the strands as I could, pressing his face further between my thighs. His growl of approval had me thrusting my pelvis up against him, wanting more of what he could give me. He pressed a third finger inside, keeping up the rhythm his tongue created along my clit.

“Fuck, Nick. That’s so good, so fucking good,” I felt my thighs tighten as his fingertips kept rubbing that perfect spot over and over again. My heart thundered in my chest from the way he sucked my clit into his mouth and then flicked his tongue over it, just to bring it back into his mouth again. I pushed my body into the comforter trying to hold out and make this last, butfuck, he was good at this. My orgasm slammed into me so hardI had to close my eyes again, so I could hopefully regain some composure. His mouth and fingers left me, not before he planted a soft kiss to my pussy while both his hands trailed their way up my body.

He tickled me as he traveled towards my face. I giggled, searching for him under the covers, but he swerved out of the way, continuing to torment me. He eventually let up, shoving the covers away from his head with a smirk on his face. His hair was a mess and his mouth glistened slightly, still coated in my arousal. His smirk melted into an adoring expression that was only reserved for me when he nuzzled his nose alongside my own. “There she is.”

“Hi,” I answered, leaning up to kiss him. I tasted myself and it caused me to wiggle the lower half of my body against him. Nick pulled away, burying his face into my neck, planting kisses that heated my skin to an unhealthy temperature. His hand toyed with the hem of my shirt and dragged it up, so that he could touch more of my skin, eventually palming one of my breasts. As if on instinct, I lifted my legs so that my knees were bent near his sides. “Nick, we need to talk.”

He removed his hand from my chest and back down to where my panties were. Hooking his fingers into them, he deftly slid them down, removing them from one of my legs but not bothering with the other. “Mmhmm.” His voice was muffled as he continued to move in a way that we both knew so well. Before I could blink, he had his pants down enough to slide his cock against me.

“Nick,” I said, trying to sound stern, but it only came out like a desperate plea when a moan escaped right after it as he pushed inside of me with ease. “Oh, god.”

He continued to rock into me, his rhythm almost lazy, but it was still meticulous like he knew exactly what I liked and what felt good for both of us. He pressed his forehead to mine, hisbreath mingling with mine as he grabbed the side of my face gently, grazing his thumb along my cheek. He pushed his hips against me, and I swallowed hard, trying to remember myself and get my shit together.

“Nick.”

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