Page 73 of Live Like Legends

I knitted my eyebrows together but then relaxed them. I had no need to try to expel away whatever was invading my magic because I knew the intruder. I’d been burned by it.

Her light did like me after all. I understood as much as I could about how light magic worked, but even after so many years of studying and reading…some things were still an anomaly. I didn’t have the mental capacity to dig any deeper, but in an odd way, I knew Dani was at least alive.

My father’s words came back to me.

The love that lets you know that she is worth everything you’ve put yourself through— that is how you know you’ll find her.

I had told Morgan that I was in love with Dani and that she wasitfor me. And even though it didn’tneedto be proven, I think it just was.

Islid my hands down to my neck, being delicate as I touched the raw skin there. I licked my lips, opening my hand flat in front of me, palm up. I felt my skin warm as my light flickered to life, making this dank, brimstone smelling room palpable.

I watched as the light danced across my palm, little pieces of it falling around my wrist and arm. My shadows couldn’t heal my pain, but they came out and wrapped themselves around me in thin wisps, somehow trying to shield me from my problems. The wisps intertwined themselves with my light as well, almost as if it wanted to preserve the golden light I held.

My shadows didn’t want my light to go out and neither did I. This room had no windows and it was made with a force so strong that no one would hear me scream if I felt so inclined, yet, I felt something pull at my light as if it was on the other side of these stone walls. Almost like something in another realm wanted to connect with it. My light never reared back from it, itjust molded itself toward the pull. I didn’t know what it meant but I wanted more of it.

My light felt protective of this pull. And I did too. That pull was familiar, like I’d felt it once upon a time in a secret pathway to a certain angelic library, or while in bed with probably the most handsome man I’d ever met. That pull wasfamiliarbecause it felt a lot like Nick’s light. I wasn’t going to think too hard about it, but Nick’s light andlovefelt a lot like the same thing.

Natalia’s house was all chatter and nonsense the moment we all plowed inside. Elise, the little psycho that she was, was the loudest of them all. Well, she rivaled Maurice, that was for sure. I wasn’t surprised by the visceral reaction everyone was having becausewhat the fuckeven just happened. The leather bound notebook I had taken back from Nick was burning a hole in my back pocket. I didn’t know what it was, since I’d never bothered to open it. The moment he’d hid it from Ariel’s sight told me that it was of importance.

What kind of importance and to whom, I wasn’t sure.

I heard Beetee crying, but when I looked over to her, her face wasn’t one of immense sadness. No, her body was shaking and her tears streamed down her golden brown skin in anger. I noticed her eyes shift over to a yellow color and then back to their normal lilac. They did it again and again, faster with each shift. She held her head in her hands and kept mumbling, “I c-can’t.”

“You can’t what, sweetheart?” Garrett asked, reaching for her arms.

“She is trying really fucking hard not to be an enormous snake right now, so I suggest that if you enjoy the interior of this room, you take her out back,” Elise crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’ll take her,” Zane offered, walking up to her, attempting to place a hand on her elbow.

Beetee shuffled away, her skin starting to flake away in tiny pieces and her eyes now permanently in their yellow color.

Zane huffed. “Yeah, not in this house, you aren’t.” He bent down and placed his arms behind her thighs, hoisting her over his shoulder. She was still shaking, small hisses releasing from her mouth.

As we watched him go, Maurice spoke, “Ariel has no right to put him there! I’m going to get him out.”

“As much as I love your spirit, Mr. Cassial, Ariel isn’t going to just hand him over because you tell him how much you care for your love struck son. If you go, it will only make things worse, since from how that looked, the guy can’t fucking stand you,” Elise pointed out.

“Can you have a fucking heart for like two minutes?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s the truth. How else would you like me to put it?”

Natalia cleared her throat. “ Please, before you both start, none of this bickering will get us anywhere. Instead of using your minds to think up insults for each other, how about you start thinking of ways to get your friend back.”

Elise opened her mouth in what looked like a protest towards the wordfriend, but Natalia gave her a pointed look. “You could have decided to find a way to Purgatory since the last time you threatened to go, yet here you stand.” Elise narrowed her grayeyes at the High Priestess but remained quiet. “Whether you admit it or not, you are content being a part of this little family we’ve all created so stop resisting it and start working together.”

I wanted to say something snarky but a rumble came from outside and I noticed a set of black scales lined in pink through the window.

“Is she going to be able to change back in the emotional state she’s in?” Garrett asked, concerned.

Elise nodded. “Yeah, super heavy emotions tend to overtake her. She can control it for the most part, but sometimes, it’s just too much.” Her voice had lost its attitude as she worried her bottom lip.

I looked over their heads to see Maurice sitting on one of the steps of the grand staircase. I moved around everyone else and came over to him, plopping down next to him. “He’s going to be fine, you know. Ariel isn’t going to do anything to him.”

“Ariel doesn’t have to, Reese.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to understand.

He sighed. There was a tiny second of silence before he sighed again and turned his face to look at me. “You know he loves that girl, right?”

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