Filed To Story: Cursed Legacies Series Free PDF by Morgan B Lee
Dear gods. She actually slept with that unhinged freak in there?
“He better not be messing with her head.”
“We’ll remove his if he does.”
Silas finally stands and then pauses, staring at something on my wall. I realize it’s the portrait I decided to finally hang up recently. The blood fae’s face darkens with warning.
“Who is that?”
He’s deeply annoyed at the idea of me hanging up a picture of some random girl, which makes sense. If any of the others were pining after someone who wasn’t Maven, I would be beyond irritated.
But it’s a picture of Heidi, my half-sister. Of course, Silas doesn’t know that because he’s never heard of her. No one here has. She was kept hidden away by her dad and my mom, who both deserve gold medals for being the most uncaring, negligent parents in the universe where Heidi is concerned.
Heidi turned twenty-one last summer, but I would rather sell my soul to Sachar, judge of the Beyond, before I ever see my sister set foot in this school. My parents were all for sending her here to let her sink or swim alone. They had the gall to remind me that weak legacies aren’t “
meant” to survive. It was a godsdamned miracle that I convinced them to let me be their point of contact here in exchange for keeping Heidi hidden safely away in the rural town she’s grown up in.
Because we all know she wouldn’t survive a day here. Heidi is a shifter, but she’s one of the few remaining who isn’t an apex predator of any kind. I’ve kept her at a distance all our lives for her own good, but I still know what my sister is like. She’s sunshine personified. She’d probably let a fellow legacy stab her and then apologize for spilling blood on their shoes.
“I saw how Maven looked at you yesterday,” Silas murmurs dangerously. “She doesn’t hate you, not even with the shit you pulled to hurt her at the inn. It’s possible she might even care for you. And if she does, and you’re in here drooling over some tramp?—“
I freeze his mouth shut before he can unwittingly say another word against my sister, giving him the same withering look I used to use on photographers who tried to get handsy.
“I don’t drool over anyone because, in case you forgot, my curse would fucking kill them. Now get the hell out of my office.”
Silas uses magic to unfreeze his mouth. He moves toward the door but sighs and looks over his shoulder. “I mostly came to assure you that she returned safely last night. I know I would be spiraling if I couldn’t check on her. None of us envy you.”
His expression is almost…
kind.
Which is way too fucking weird. If he and Baelfire hadn’t told me all about Maven killing the changeling, I’d be positive this wasn’t the real Silas Crane.
“If you’re even thinking about pitying me, I’m going to give your dick frostbite,” I warn. “Just get out.”
He snorts in amusement and finally leaves me alone.
The Immortal Quintet are like helicopters today, watching all legacies. They hover in the halls, check into classrooms, and in general, freak everyone the fuck out.
Their hired hands are equally annoying, and when I see one of them staring at our quintet from beside the doorway during Fiend Studies, I stare them down until they get the shivers and leave.
The only thing worse than being watched so closely?
Baelfire Decimus and Crypt fucking DeLune.
I don’t know what the fuck happened to them, but the dragon is panting after Maven even more ridiculously than he has to date—which shouldn’t even be possible. If this were a children’s cartoon, his eyes would be hearts popping out of his head every time he looks at her.
In the hallways, he tries to hold her hand. And citing “exposure therapy,” she lets him for a little bit before slipping her glove back on and returning to the careful act of being a wallflower.
Meanwhile, whenever Crypt isn’t haunting us in Limbo, he’s looking at Maven like he wants to devour her. And I mean more than usual—which, again, should not be possible.
Then there’s the dynamic between Crypt and Baelfire. It’s weird as hell. I don’t know why they seem so off around each other, but it makes me think I’ve missed something. Again.
I make the mistake of staying with them for the first time during lunch in the dining hall. When Baelfire tries to get Maven to sit on his lap during lunch so he can hand-feed her, I finally can’t take it anymore.
“That’s it. Why the hell can’t your lovesick lizard keep it in his pants today? What, did you finally decide to fuck him or something?” I snap.
Maven takes another bite of steamed carrots. “Yep.”
Oh. I’m an idiot.
Silas chokes on his water, and Baelfire looks smug as shit. Crypt’s eyebrows raise, and he tips his head. I can’t help noticing that he removed all the piercings from one of his ears. Weird, but then his fashion choices have never made sense to me.
“That explains why he popped into your dreams so damned much last night,” he drawls. “I don’t mind your sex dreams in the least, but I must say the collar and leash were an interesting addition.”
Now it’s Maven’s turn to choke on her food. Bael gives her bedroom eyes while Silas offers her his water. Crypt leans over and kisses her cheek, laughing.
They’re all getting closer to her.
And I’m not. I can’t.
I knew it would hurt to be left out, but this is fucking unbearable. I stand up and walk away quickly, ignoring how Maven’s gaze follows me as I leave the dining hall.
Combat training is less brutal today than it was the last two days. Instead of fighting in Everbound Forest, we run defensive training drills instructed by an air elemental named Agatha Angely. She’s one of the few fellow instructors I actually respect. During the training drills focused on evasive maneuvering and ways to break out of holds the Undead typically go for, the others make sure I’m never paired with Maven. I appreciate that and hate it at the same time.
But she notices.
I know she does because when the others aren’t looking, she arches a brow as if expecting me to explain why we’re all working to keep distance between her and me.
I just act like an asshole and ignore her completely.
But when combat training is over and we make our way back into the castle, Maven stops us from turning down the hall toward the quintet apartment.
“We’re not done training. Where are the private exercise rooms?”
Damn it. I forgot that she thinks we’re all sloppy and told us we needed more training.
“I have shit to do,” I mutter, turning to leave because I’m pretty sure I can’t take another few hours of watching all of them together.
It’s not jealousy, and it’s not that they’re so obsessed with her that bothers me—it’s that I can’t join them. I keep trying to find something about her to hate to delay falling for her, but there’s nothing.
Not even the fact that she’s the Entity’s weapon bothers me. It just makes my stomach clench with dread at the idea of my parents finding out.
But before I can leave, Maven’s gloved hand slips around mine, and she pulls me back.
Immediately, my heart begins pounding with erratic excitement, the traitorous little bastard. I pull away with a scowl.
“I don’t need more training.”
“Tell that to your hands.”
Damn it. As they usually are when I’m struggling to control my emotions, they’re covered in frost. I can’t formulate an argument, and the others also can’t seem to think of an excuse for me to get out of this. So, I grumble under my breath as Silas leads us down several flights of stairs. When we descend past the point where regular mage lights are stationed, he calls up a fae light to illuminate the way.
We reach an area that clearly used to be dungeons. But instead of iron-barred cells and rats, Silas opens a door at the far end, and I find that we’re looking at a large exercise room full of training mats with a large mirror along one wall of the room. Silas sets up more fae lights in the room, and Maven nods approvingly, shutting the door behind us.
“Perfect. Let’s start with Crypt.”
The Nightmare Prince flickers into existence right beside her with a twisted smile. “And what exactly are we starting, love?”
She looks him over analytically. “I saw the others in action,” she says as if that explains everything.
“Dreadful, aren’t they?”
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.