Page 86 of Live Like Legends

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t move.

My fingers flexed hard around the bars when I saw…her.

She was laying on the ground, her back to me. Those mess of curls I’d run my hands through more times than I could count were splayed out behind her. I noticed the large gashes on her exposed thigh and there was something about the way her shoulders were slumped that had my chest heaving.

I wanted to scream her name but something in my throat caught. It was like I was too pent up to speak. The already too hot prison suddenly felt like it was a million degrees. She was right there. She was rightfuckingthere.

And I couldn’t get to her. There was something in the way.

I felt like I could throw up from my array of emotions, I felt like I could fucking cry. I smelled that cinnamon scent of hers, but it was wrapped in that thick brimstone smell.

She was right there. Rightfuckingthere.

My heart thundered, wanting to claw itself out of my chest. I blinked rapidly, the bars I was holding coming back into my view. They were in my way. This wholefuckingdoor was in my way.

I didn’t know when it happened, but I tightened my hold on the bars and started to shake them. I tried with all my strength to remove them from their place in the stone. I heaved out breath after breath as I pulled against them. I punched at the stone, pressed my fingers to the cold feel of the rocks. I couldn’t focus on anything but this— but her.

“Open the door,” I said more to myself than to anyone else. Axel was clawing at the stone with me as I tried to pry my fingers into the place where it met the threshold. “Open the door.”

Reese turned away from his place a few doors down and tentatively walked towards me. “Nick.”

I wrapped my hands around the bars again, nearly straining myself to find a way in. I heard someone call for the others, but they sounded so far away. My brain was overloaded with one thought and one thought only.

“Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!” I slammed my fist against the stone, thinking I had the kind of power to tear it down. I was losing my voice with how much I was straining it.

I saw her body move a bit, her shoulders shifting as she turned over. She pushed her curls out of her face and she winced as if she was in pain. Our eyes locked and I could feel my entire world collapse at the fact that she was too far away or I wasn’t fucking close enough. It didn’tfuckingmatter.

I nearly heard the metal bend on the bars as I tugged. “Open the door! Open the door!”

Someone gripped my shoulders and pulled me back. Elise was in my view now. “Okay, Nick. Okay.”

She placed the guards severed hand against the door, pulsing out her own reddish magic. The area around the door dimly glowed a deep red, but then a click sounded. The stone pushed away from the threshold and whoever was holding me back didn’t stand a chance of keeping me in place.

I ran into the room, sliding onto my knees the moment I was in front of her. Her mouth moved slightly, but she didn’t say anything. It was at that moment that I realized she hadn’t even been gone for long, not even a full two days and she looked like she’d been in here for months. I placed both my hands at her cheeks, noticing that my hands were shaking. My thumbs started to caress her cheek but she flinched.

I took a second to blink, finally taking her in completely. My thumb hovered over the large bruise at her cheekbone. She had the beginnings of a black eye and her bottom lip was cut. Her arm had large, long cuts and I surveyed the still bleeding open wound on her thigh, but then my eyes caught onto something else.

My hands traveled from her face down to her neck. Her brown skin was red and raw, like it had been burnt. She hissed as my fingers delicately traced the outline of a handprint. I clenched my jaw, wanting to remain calm for her but inside….inside I was fuckingseething.

“Nick..” She started, her voice a little hoarse.

I brought my hands back up to her face, making sure to be gentle. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here.”

She gave me a short nod, but leaned her face into my hands. She reached her hand out and placed it at the side of my face, bringing me closer to her. My lips touched hers softly and that’s all I needed to know this was real.

The kiss was short and I would give her so many more when she was safe and away from his place. “I’m taking you home.”

I started to get up, wrapping her arm over my shoulder so I could pull her along. We were out of the cell and I reached inside my shirt to pull out my portal key. My movements were stunted by clapping.

It wasn’t a joyous clap, but one that told me whoever was on the other end of it was amused by this entire thing.

Footsteps sounded around the corner and the sight of a tattoo clad demon with only one hand had my fists curling at my sides.

“You really shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you.”

Dimitri reached his hand out for Dani, but I reared back, letting Garrett take hold of her. I pulled my sword out from behind my back and pointed it toward him. “She isn’t yours.”

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