Filed To Story: Cursed Legacies Series Free PDF by Morgan B Lee
“All right. I’m finally going to ask,” I say, setting down my spoon. “Why the fuck is your name Crypt?”
“Don’t!” Baelfire’s exclamation startles me, and he shakes his head in warning, his golden eyes comedically wide. “Do yourself a favor and don’t fucking ask that, Boo.”
I can scowl at him over that nickname, but Crypt tips his head. “If you don’t like it, I’ll change it, darling. We wouldn’t want you cringing every time you cry my name in pleasure, now would we?”
Silas snorts, and Everett rolls his eyes so hard I’m sure it hurts.
I take another bite of oatmeal. “It was a simple question.”
“I was named after where I was conceived.”
Oh. Shit.
“Not this again,” Baelfire grimaces. He turns to me. “I asked him this question when I was five.
Five. And five-year-olds don’t need to fucking hear this kind of story, but he didn’t leave out any details.”
“It’s not my fault they were explicit when they told me about it. I merely passed it on the way I heard it,” the Nightmare Prince shrugs nonchalantly. “Anyway, Somnus?—“
Baelfire holds up a hand. “Shut up before I puke. Here’s the highly edited short version, Hellion. Crypt’s jackass father has a thing for not-very-alive people, okay? He thought this one succubus chick was dead in a crypt when, really, she was just super passed out from crying over her newly deceased husband. She woke up later, and bam, preggers—and nine months later, Somnus got in hot water when a really fucked up stork dropped Crypt into the Immortal Quintet’s lap and everyone found out he was running around doing…
that. Big scandal. Extremely gross and not at all PG-rated. Got it?”
The story isn’t funny, but the way Baelfire looks at me like he’s silently begging me not to ask any follow-up questions makes me laugh. Crypt grins at my amusement and winks at me.
A moment later, faculty members knock on our door and drop off the official combat uniforms Everett mentioned. They look similar to soldier’s uniforms, only since we’re in a quintet, they’re color coded. Everett’s uniform is light gray, Baelfire’s is a burnt orange, Silas’s is a forest green, and Crypt’s is maroon. Each uniform has its House emblem embroidered on one shoulder, underneath a number I’m sure will appear under the Legacy Council’s records reflecting our names.
My uniform is green, too. Keepers aren’t specially marked in combat to avoid drawing attention to them. But when I walk out in my uniform and combat boots, all four of my matches stare at me.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s honestly kind of…weird to see you in a color,” Everett ventures.
I couldn’t agree more.
“But you’re hot as fuck in that,” Baelfire adds with a smile. “You look ready to kick ass.”
Probably because I am. I made the bronzeblend potion one day ago using the rest of my magic reserves. It’s now tucked securely into one of my pockets in case I get a chance to get Somnus DeLune alone today. Pierce is concealed in one of my boots, so I’m prepared even if they don’t allow us other weapons today.
During First Placement, I’ll certainly have to kill to defend my quintet. Which means I’ll have plenty of fuel to slowly pick off the rest of the Immortal Quintet.
“Kenzie was right,” I muse, studying the four of them. “Men are sexy in uniforms.”
Silas’s scarlet gaze grows sinful, and he steps up to kiss my temple, whispering, “Don’t tempt me right now, sangfluir. I know Baelfire got to play with you in the shower, and I’m trying to behave so you’ll let me have my turn next.”
Crypt uses Limbo to appear suddenly at my back, hands on my hips as he tuts softly. “Weren’t you paying attention to her dream last night, Crane? She doesn’t want turns. She wants to take all of us at once.”
Gods. I almost forgot about that dream. Baelfire underneath me, Silas behind me, Everett down my throat while I stroked Crypt’s cock and toyed with his piercings until he came all over me…
My thighs clench. Damn it. Who cares about being sore when they’re all so fucking attractive?
Baelfire growls. “I smell that, Mayflower. And I’m not about to let you go into combat smelling like that pretty pussy of yours needs another good, long fucking.”
Everett surprises me by striding over and scooping me up, talking over his shoulder to the others as he marches toward my room. “The lizard’s right, for once. Our keeper needs us. Come on.”
Yes, please.
Now that my body is starting to accept that their touch is safe, how the hell am I supposed to pry myself off of them all the time? Even though I should point out the time and how we need to get going, I’m wet as Everett’s cool lips dance along my jaw as he carries me toward my room.
But we’re all stopped cold in our tracks when someone bangs loudly on our front door. Baelfire growls and storms toward it, his inner dragon’s moodiness on full display.
“Whoever this is, I’m going to fucking kill them for interrupting.”
It’s Mr. Gibbons, who is oblivious to the glares he’s getting from the rest of my quintet as he explains that he wanted to make sure his favorite quintet got to the assembly on time since it’s starting very soon. It’s a very effective mood killer.
Everett sets me down, grumbling unhappily about it as we follow the mage through the halls of Everbound. Surprisingly, he leads us outside to the training fields where I see that a makeshift stage has been set up in the snow-dusted grass near the dark, misty forest. Lined up in clean rows in front of the stage are formations of quintets, all dressed in their new combat attire. Some are shivering since the uniforms didn’t come with jackets and winter is finally starting to deepen.
Onstage, Iker Del Mar and Natalya Genovese stand observing the final legacies trickle onto the field. I can feel their immortal gazes burning into us—into me
—as we line up behind another relatively highly-ranked quintet. Crypt and Everett flank my sides, with Baelfire standing in front and Silas behind me. It’s standard for quintets to stand at attention like this, with their keepers central to the group.
I can feel how tense every legacy here is. It’s not just the matched legacies emphasizing in combat who are lined up, so I can’t help searching for Kenzie’s quintet in the crowd. I finally spot her standing near the front, fidgeting nervously while Dirk comforts a terrified-looking Vivienne. Luka glares at everyone nearby as if he expects foul play during the assembly.
One of the hired legacy minions joins Iker and Natalya onstage, his hand glowing with a simple megaphonic charm. When Natalya speaks, her bell-like voice carries easily over us legacies standing on the snowy field.
“Welcome to First Placement. Many of you will die today.”
If she wasn’t one of my targets and a selfish monster, I would like her more for leading with that. As it is, her words clearly strike fear into the hearts of the legacies standing around me. Some start crying quietly, while others crack their knuckles or move closer to their keepers. It’s obvious which legacies have been practicing combat and which picked other emphases.
As if she can sense that I have no heart for her to strike fear into, Natalya’s blue gaze flicks to me. Her eyes begin to glow. Instinctively, I empty my head of anything she could possibly find incriminating or suspicious. Amadeus knew each of the Immortal Quintet’s abilities and trained me extensively against psychic probing.
Silas slips something warm into my pocket, and I glance up at him.
“Keeps her out,” he mutters quietly.
If any one of us needs help controlling their thoughts, it’s not me. I take the talisman and slip it into Baelfire’s pocket. He just shakes his head and winks at me.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ve been thinking about last night on repeat so if that bitch tries to look into my head, all she’s getting from me is an endless loop of you coming.”
Well. That’s infinitely horrifying.
“Just keep it,” I mumble, shivering from the cold, which only seems to be getting worse. My dragon shifter automatically steps closer to share his excessive warmth while Everett moves away from me with a grimace.
“Sorry, Oakley. I’m shit at controlling it when I’m nervous.”
I frown. How can he struggle with his element so badly after so much training? Didn’t he say he even had private combat tutors?
Whatever Natalya was looking for, she obviously didn’t get because she pouts and turns to whisper something to Del Mar. While they’re conversing, I look for Somnus or Engela near the stage, but they’re nowhere to be found.
Finally, Del Mar takes over, his voice booming over the gathered legacies while his forked tongue flicks out occasionally. “We decided to keep First Placement exceedingly simple this year. It is a test of survival. If you escape the maze alive within one hour, you pass. If you fall prey to one of the many shadow fiends on the prowl inside, you die a failure, as weak legacies ought to. Foul play is expected and encouraged. Weapons are welcome, and many may be found as prizes inside the maze. May the gods favor you, or may you die as fate always intended.”
Touching.
With that, the faculty members gathered on one side of the stage begin ushering students toward the edge of Everbound Forest. Transportation spells are set up to take us into First Placement. I wince when Kenzie and her quintet step through the tree line and vanish.
Please make it out of there.
If we’re not too busy fending for our own lives, perhaps I’ll try to track them down. I’m not much for allies, and I wouldn’t care if Luka gets staked, but I don’t want to lose Kenzie.
“This is going to be brutal,” Everett sighs.
Silas nods as we follow the crowd of uniforms, sticking close together. “Everyone guard Maven.”
“No shit,” Baelfire huffs. “I just want this fucking collar off. Whatever shit is in there, I could take it down if I could fucking shift.”
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.