Filed To Story: Cursed Legacies Series Free PDF by Morgan B Lee
MAVEN
Lepidoptery is a beautifully morbid hobby.
I come to this conclusion after several minutes of staring at the extensive collection of gossamer butterfly wings pinned to the wall behind the faculty member’s desk. He’s been making one-sided small talk the entire time, unaware of my growing appreciation for impaling insect corpses up in such a macabre display.
He laughs at one of his own jokes and raises his bushy eyebrows at me expectantly. When I offer no change in expression, he clears his throat, tapping one finger against a file resting on the mahogany desk in front of him.
“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, I suppose we should get down to business. Welcome to Everbound University, Miss Oakley. I’ve read all your student records, and it seems you are what we would call an atypical caster—the magic in your blood manifested of its own accord despite your completely human pedigree. There aren’t many atypical casters, so I’m sure this world is probably all a bit overwhelming for you,” he smiles apologetically.
You have absolutely no fucking idea.
He goes on, opening my file. “It says here that after you manifested your magic a week ago, you immediately turned yourself in to the proper authorities. As required by law, they, in turn, registered you to attend this semester, although we only have a month left. Turning yourself in must have been difficult, but you should be proud. I’m sure that if you work hard and watch your back, you will thrive here at Everbound University.”
His smile is sickeningly optimistic.
My attention drifts back to the dead bugs on the wall. “The headmaster. Where is he?”
That catches him by surprise. “Professor Hearst? I’m not sure how much you know about the world of legacies, Miss Oakley, but I’m sure even the humans teach about the Immortal Quintet in their schools. They’re an integral part of history between humans and legacies, and they put the Divide in place to protect the mortal world. Professor Hearst is a member of that vital quintet and, as such, had some important business to attend to that required him to leave Everbound. Until further notice,
I am the interim headmaster—Mr. Gibbons, at your service.”
Damn it.
As usual, I refuse to let emotion of any kind show on my face as I look out the window of the ornate office. He’s right about one thing: this atmosphere is entirely foreign to me. Two stories below us, stone courtyards illuminated in bright winter morning light give way to the expansive training fields on this side of Everbound Castle.
Because of course legacies are mandated to study in a godsdamned castle.
It’s fitting—a bunch of descendants of monsters housed in a gothic behemoth surrounded by thick forest, miles away from the nearest human civilization. Every inch of this place radiates prestige with an undertone of danger, like a rose perched at the tip of a bloodied knife.
On second thought, maybe I will enjoy this place after all.
Mr. Gibbons clears his throat. “You’ve undoubtedly heard the rumors about how dangerous Everbound University is. I’m afraid those rumors are true. We are preparing legacies to become weapons to protect the mortal world, and while we try to enforce a no-killing rule for unmatched legacies, sometimes they do get carried away, and…” He shrugs uncomfortably. “At any rate, we send out emergency notifications in the event of a student’s severe injury or untimely death. Who should I list as your emergency contact?”
“Leave it blank.”
“Are you certain?”
I meet his gaze. “Depends. Are you a necromancer?”
He rears back, almost choking. “Of course not!”
“Then I’m certain.”
“Good gods,” he huffs. “Why would you even ask such a thing?”
It’s amusing how scandalized he is that I even dared bring up necromancy. He rearranges the two papers in my file several times before rising from his chair with a haughty sniff.
“Miss Oakley, the Nether and all things pertaining to it are not to be spoken of lightly. It is a parasitic hellhole full of the worst horrors imaginable, and the only things keeping it from gaining a foothold in this world are the Divide and the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of us legacies. Only mere weeks ago, a surge of shadow fiends escaped and slaughtered hundreds of innocent humans in a small town in Maine. Just think of that before talking about the creatures there with such levity again.”
Touchy subject.
I study the office around me once again, memorizing the setup. The other faculty offices likely have a similar layout, so it’s valuable information.
“Is that the reason Headmaster Hearst left?”
Mr. Gibbons shakes his head as he puts my file away, withdrawing an envelope that appears to be overfilled with my student ID, introductory papers, and a key.
“That’s not our business, but I’m sure he’ll be back by the end of the semester for First Placement in about a month.”
One month here. I can do that.
“Now, then, about your dorm room. You’ll be rooming with a lion shifter in the upper northeast wing. She’ll be?—“
“I requested a private dorm.”
“They’re all occupied at the moment. But that shouldn’t inconvenience you much, considering that the Seeking is in two weeks. At that time, so many legacies will be moving to the quintet apartments that I’m sure something will open up for you by then.” Then he tips his head. “Do you know what the Seeking is?”
Right. The Seeking. When the gods reveal which quintet a legacy is meant to belong with.
In other words, total bullshit.
I opt to ignore the question entirely, since I couldn’t care less about their precious Seeking. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be done with Everbound quickly.
“I’ll pay extra for any private room.”
He sighs heavily. “Legacies may be in the minority compared to humans, Miss Oakley, but there are still enough attending this semester that we truly are out of private spaces. I’m afraid you’re quite stuck with this roommate for the time being—and the no-killing rule is especially strict about roommates. So play nice.”
Make me.
I learned long ago, in the most brutal ways possible, that playing nice with others is an excellent way to get killed. I would very literally rather spend the next two weeks enduring Chinese water torture than chumming it up with someone here, but telling that to him is of little use.
If I want my own space, I’ll just have to drive this new roommate of mine away. It’s just a matter of getting creative.
“Fine. Are we done?” I ask, standing.
He stands, too, but looks over my baggy clothing and leather-gloved hands with a wary expression.
“Before you leave, you should know how precarious your first few weeks here will likely be. I cannot stress enough just how different our world is from the human one you were raised in. Legacies are extremely competitive, Miss Oakley—especially after quintets rankings begin after the Seeking since that is when the no-killing rule is lifted. Here, it truly is survival of the fittest—or rather, the most powerful. We are descended from monsters, so you could say a thirst for bloodshed comes with the territory. So if one’s magic is on the weaker side, as it tends to be with atypical casters like you…”
Gibbons pauses, scratching one bushy brow. “Well, the highest-ranked legacies here will probably overlook you completely since they won’t perceive you as a threat. But the less powerful ones will see you as someone to best in order to secure their social standing. Just remember that legacies are far more monstrous than humans often realize. You will need to watch your back at all times, as we faculty members will not be able to protect you.”
“Forced to come here. Unlikely to survive. Got it.”
I grab the overstuffed envelope from his desk and leave the room without another word, ignoring how he calls out a final good luck after me. His office and several other faculty offices are in a small hallway branching off the massive entry hall of
Everbound Castle. This entire place is a gothic maze, but I start in the general direction of the upper northeast wing, where he said my dorm would be.
The halls aren’t crowded since most legacies are in their classes, but there are still clusters of students here or there. I pass a couple of vampires sitting on a stone bench, latched onto one another’s necks as they moan and feed. Sirens with silky voices are giggling and gossiping in a group as they pass. They pay me no heed—no one does, because I keep my head down and slip through the crowd at just the right speed to blend in perfectly.
Finally, I turn down an empty corridor. All along the right is a row of tall vaulted windows overlooking Everbound Forest.
But I only make it a few steps before a door directly to my left bursts open, and a trio of completely naked people tumble out onto the floor. There’s one girl—a fae, judging by her pointed ears and luminescent purple hair—and two guys, one of whom has blood oozing down the side of his neck from two puncture marks. He doesn’t seem concerned about it staining the untied robe hanging around his shoulders.
The other man laughs uproariously, stands, brushes himself off, and returns to the dorm room…
Which is full of a raging orgy.
Choruses of moans and gasps fill the space. A handful of legacies down alcohol off to one side of the sensually lit room. Everyone present is nude and completely uninhibited. Near the doorway, a vampire sinks his teeth into the neck of what appears to be a succubus. She moans and bounces faster on the lap of another man.
It’s all a blur of tangled limbs, kissing, fucking, and…
Touching.
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.