Page 95 of Live Like Legends

“It means a lot actually.” I bit at my bottom lip. “Dimitri, he just…he held a lot over my head and I just…” I held myhand at my stomach, feeling the nausea wanting to build. The overwhelming thoughts of what had happened occasionally had me feeling sick, but nothing I’d bothered anyone about. I’d taken soothing breaths whenever it came about and it subsided. I swallowed before speaking again. “I couldn’t do anything and I wanted to do more, I wanted to do it all.”

Reese ran his head through his hair. “It sounds like your decisions played a role in keeping others alive, which personally I think sounds like you did a whole hell of a lot.” He took a deep breath in and sighed. “Coming from someone who probably does too much all the time, likely at the wrong time,maybeyou should look at it like doing nothing was the strongest move you could have made.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I pressed my lips together, letting his words settle but also wanting to laugh for some odd reason.

There were things I still needed to discuss with Nick, things I knew Reese couldn’t talk me down about. It was nice though, having someone who loved Nick just as much as I did, but who could also move that love aside to see my views—or at least try to.

The conversation was heavy, but it didn’t feel like it when he spoke to me.

Reese tucked his fingers into one of his jean pockets, plucking something out and holding it tight in his fist. “Before we jump into the Beetee-is-a-reptile-so-how-is-Daya-going-to-handle-that-without-passing-out talk, I want to say I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” I was stunned he was saying that to me, but also confused on where this was coming from.

“Yeah, I…” He looked down at the ground as if he was trying to get his words right. The way his body language morphed from something casual and languid to nervous and slightly uncomfortable was a little shocking.

I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting. My eyes kept glancing towards whatever he had bundled in his fist.

“Dimitri wouldn’t have had an opening to get you or Nick would have at least been there as a buffer if I didn’t ask him to go to my room for me.”

I blinked at him, my mind rummaging around in my memories to understand what he was talking about. Then it hit me. Nick had told me he had to go to Reese’s room to grab something for him and that he’d be back. Dimitri had come and whisked me away to one of the worst experiences of my existence.

I hadn’t ever added Reese into the equation. The only person I was deeply pissed at was Dimitri. I would have said I was equally enraged at Lilith, but she didn’t deserve any of my emotions. “Reese, it’s okay. It’s not like you knew.”

He nodded, solemnly. “Yeah, well, I may or may not have been beating myself up about it, but that’s besides the point.” He opened his hand and in the middle of his palm sat an arrowhead that looked old, but like it had been taken care of at least. “This is what he went to get.”

I leaned in a bit to inspect it. “An arrowhead?”

He used his other hand to pick it up and held it out to me. “It’s a long story that isn’t important at the moment, but the only actual important part is that it’s lucky for me or well, I don’t falter quite so much when I have it. Yes, I know it’s stupid because it's a random object but we all have our things, okay. Maybe, it isn’t so lucky because of what happened, but I’d like to believe that it still has all the luck in the realms.” He grabbed my hand, moving my wrist around so I could display my open palm to him.

I felt the arrowhead drop and I had no idea why but it felt like something so small weighed so much. “Wait, you want me to have it?”

He furrowed his brows, shaking his head. “Oh, fuck no. That is mine and mine alone, but I think maybe I could spread the luck a little.”

I stuck my tongue in my cheek to stop myself from smiling as I closed my palm around the lucky charm. “That’s surprisingly nice of you.”

“Pretty sure I said in Purgatory that we were going to start a friendship and you just so happen to make my best friend the happiest he’s ever been.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “Also, before there is any confusion, you don’t need luck but having just a tiny bit, even if it’s in your own head, can make a shit ton of difference. I am actually really fucking good at what I do Dani, I know I’m that good, but sometimes you just need that extra push.”

“I think Axel is making you a softie.” I poked his stomach.

He waved me off. “I’m hard where it counts, ask any of my previous girlfriends.”

I wrinkled my nose up and started to joke back with him when a voice caught my attention from beyond the door. My ears perked up at the feminine voice that made my spine stiffen.

“What’s wrong?” Reese sounded like he was suddenly on high alert.

I shushed him, turning towards the door and placing the arrowhead gently on top of the dresser. I pulled the door open a crack so I could attempt to listen better, slightly hoping my ears were playing tricks on me.

Her voice filtered into the room, almost as if she was standing right in front of the open door.

“He has to learn his lesson, that’s why Ariel is working him so hard. It does kind of suck seeing him this upset, but I mean Nicholas Cassial is the type to deal with the consequences,” Morgan said, a nonchalant tone in her voice. “He does look really good doing all that hard labor though. The more heunderstands that she’s the culprit of all his bad luck, the faster he’ll be back in my bed and we’ll be back to being the perfect couple we were always meant to be.”

I heard her and another person giggle as if that statement was the funniest and most truthful thing to ever come out of someone’s mouth. My eyes narrowed and I felt my body start to shake with this kind of overwhelming anger. It was her attitude about everything that made my blood boil. It was her lack of respect.

I wasverygood at making people give me a little respect. It was time I made that clear.

“Uh, Dani…” I heard Reese say as I swung the door open, feeling the cool stones underneath my feet as I headed towards her voice. “Dani, where are you going?”

Morgan wasn’t that far down the hall, having stopped midway as she chatted with other angelic females. I heard hushed tones and whispers as I approached. One of the females pointed to me and Morgan turned around, her brown eyes widening when she finally took me in.

She quickly gave me a once over, but before she could say anything, I had my hand around her throat. Gasps surrounded me as I shoved her body against the wall. Before I’d grabbed her, I’d noticed the bruising around her neck, remembering Nick telling me that Elise had been less than gentle with her when they broke him out of the Ethereal Bastille.

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