Filed To Story: Cursed Legacies Series Free PDF by Morgan B Lee
His crimson stare locks onto me. “Baelfire Finbar Decimus, if the doing something you’re suggesting involves harming Maven in any way, I will shred you to pieces, turn you into jerky, and feed you piece by piece to Everett’s pet dogs.”
Seriously, why did my quintet have to be made up almost exclusively of violently unhinged psychopaths?
I rub my face. “For being a brilliant prodigy, you really are a fucking dumbass. Why on earth would I suggest hurting my mate? I meant, what are we going to do to help her—should we tell the others all the horrible shit we just learned? How are we going to convince her to let us help her? Do we need to find a therapist she can talk to?”
Before Silas can respond, Maven returns and victoriously holds up a tiny bottle of bright reddish-pink powder, the outside of it streaked in dried blood. To me, it looks like any other random caster ingredient, but Silas is shocked.
“More nightshade root powder? How did it get that?”
“It must have talked to the same dealer I did,” Maven muses, glaring down at the changeling. “Or at least, your master did. You used this on your sword to kill Hearst, but who gave it to you?”
The changeling clacks its teeth together in a show of inhuman annoyance. “You won’t get more answers out of me. I know you’ll just kill me anyway, so why drag this on?”
Maven’s smile is chilling. “Because aside from sharing time, this has been the most fun I’ve had in weeks. So, what will it be? More fun for me, or a merciful end for you? You’ll never see a single payment from whoever hired you, so why feign loyalty?”
The monster scowls viciously. But when Maven picks up the blunt knife again and trails it up Fake Maven’s chest, settling over the creature’s heart with a ghastly smile of excitement, the changeling flinches.
“
Fine! I was hired by the Remitters.”
Maven looks over her shoulder at us curiously.
“The anti-legacy movement,” Silas offers.
“That’s just one faction of it,” I add. “I’ve heard about them. My mom’s dealt with a lot of Remitters trying to raid the Divide in huge groups to demand that legacies return to the Nether. They’re the idiots who think that if we monster spawn return to that plane of existence, it’ll stop trying to spread into this world.”
“Idiots,” Maven agrees before addressing the changeling again. “Why did you take Kenzie’s appearance? You could have mimicked anyone you came across. There had to be a reason you picked her.”
“I was told to.”
“By?”
“Carter,” it spits impatiently, angry to be answering so many questions.
“Harlow Carter?” I guess. I don’t know her well, but I met her last semester because my wolf-shifter friend Cody had a huge-ass crush on her.
Maven frowns as if she also recognizes the name, and then she picks up the sharp dagger and presses it against the side of the changeling’s neck. “Final question before I send you to the Beyond. Answer without a fight, and I’ll make it fast. Where is the petite blonde asscaster you were mimicking?”
The changeling snorts. “I took her appearance and clothes and left her passed out in a courtyard. She wasn’t worth killing—she’s so weak, she’s practically a human. Her memories would have been too bland to enjoy. Someone probably found her unconscious and finished the job, or maybe they decided to use her naked body while she was?—“
Maven’s eyes flash with revulsion, and that’s the only warning before she expertly slits the monster’s throat so that it dies in a matter of seconds. As soon as it stops gurgling and convulsing, its appearance ripples once again like thousands of minuscule scales flipping over, until suddenly we’re staring down at a hideous creature with ghastly white skin protruding with dozens of spikes, no eyes or nose, holes for ears, and a gaping mouth full of dozens of tiny, pointed teeth.
“No wonder it wanted to look like anyone but itself,” I huff. Then I glance at Maven, and the lingering horror and nausea from the emotional roller coaster starts to calm inside of me. “You know, Mayflower…you’re kind of a softie.”
“I suppose you’re right. Slitting its throat was far too kind.”
“No, I mean because you’re worried sick over Kenzie, and you asked about that other girl. You care a lot more about others than you’re willing to show. But I see what you’re really like, baby. You’re so fucking adorable.”
She looks appalled. “I am not. Take it back.”
Damn, I want to kiss her. Is that allowed with this exposure therapy thing? Cautiously, I lean down and press my lips against her temple instead. She ducks her head and clears her throat, and I can’t help melting a little bit on the inside because my mate is obviously flustered.
So. Fucking. Adorable.
Silas studies the dead changeling. “I should harvest its spikes before we go.”
So. Fucking.
Weird.
“You’re messed up,” I inform him.
To my surprise, that makes Maven fight back a laugh, her dark eyes sparkling with humor as she glances up at me. “Actually, changeling spikes make a great spell ingredient. I’ll help.”
Why did I have to end up with two casters in my quintet? Or at least one caster and…whatever Maven is now. She implied that she’s no longer human, but I don’t know what that means.
I also know that I don’t care.
Whatever she is, she’s mine. Getting used to knowing about her gods-awful past will take time, and I’m not sure I can handle learning what she swore to do with a blood oath. But whatever it is, she’s going to have to get over the idea of being a temporary keeper to us.
There’s nothing temporary about this, and I’m going to prove it to her.
MAVEN
I wake and stare at the ceiling for several dazed minutes. Gods, it is remarkably difficult to shake off deep, quality sleep. Who knew?
The totem under my pillow worked. I can’t remember ever going a night without nightmares, and it’s bizarre to wake up without my pulse pounding and terror-induced sweat drying on my forehead. Finally, I yawn and rub my face, rolling over.
A gentle knock sounds on the door of the big bedroom that is now officially mine. “Mayflower? I made breakfast if you want some, but we should go soon.”
Right. Classes.
The Immortal Quintet is breathing down all students’ necks to ensure there’s no playing hooky so they can keep a close eye on us. The universe was merciful last night, so we weren’t discovered sneaking back after curfew by the Immortal Quintet or their lackeys, but I know that missing class would result in some kind of severe punishment.
But this bed is so damn soft, it might just be worth it.
Have beds always been like this? I have only ever slept out of necessity before, but now I want to pull the covers over my head and return to that sweet, relaxing nothingness.
Then again…today is the day to see if I can break out of the wards and rescue Kenzie. Stasis spells are finicky, and I can’t be sure if the changeling’s spell will last past its death. And after I get Kenzie back, I need to prepare to take out another member of the Immortal Quintet.
Because if I take too long, Amadeus will begin threatening Lillian again.
With a sigh, I pull myself out of heaven and open the door to peer up at Baelfire.
His face breaks into a blinding smile at my sleep-rumpled appearance. “Awe. Good morning, Sleepyhead. You’re so fucking cute.”
I open my mouth to inform him that I am many things—a liar, a monster, a stone-cold killer, a convict of the Nether, possibly a sociopath—but I am definitely not cute. Except I forget to say any of that because my eyes drop to his gloriously naked upper half.
The gods might as well have chiseled him from gold.
Is it weird that I want to lick his abs? I’m entirely out of my depth.
Kenzie has way more experience with sexual attraction. She would know if that’s an unusual urge. I’ll ask her about it once I get her back.
Baelfire’s smile grows wicked. “You don’t have to limit yourself to just looking, baby. You wanna expose yourself to more touching, and my body is all yours.”
Mine.
Gods, I want that.
Part of me wants to plaster myself against this unfairly sexy dragon shifter and ignore what will follow.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.