Filed To Story: Cursed Legacies Series Free PDF by Morgan B Lee
There’s still fear in Maven’s voice as she speaks through the bond, which tells me Gideon is still here somewhere.
The wards that Coates put up aren’t strong enough to protect these people. Silas, these people need
?
—
Protection.
He’s already running down the steps of the temple and veering toward the edge of the clearing, throwing blood magic that annihilates several shifting shadows.
Leave it to me.
A stark scream of pain nearby catches my attention as she cuts off. A fear-blinded Orlando Coates just unwittingly wandered through one of the small fire pits. Now he’s on fire as he runs through the clearing, bumping into other terrified people.
Raising my hand, I freeze him and unfreeze him in a matter of seconds, putting out the flames. The cultist leader slumps to the ground, passed out. I glance at my hand. I almost forgot how accurate I am with my element when my curse is broken.
I spent most of my life being complimented on my abilities and taking those compliments as empty flattery, since I was obviously lacking.
Now? I’ve never felt this strong.
“No!
Maven!”
Baelfire’s roar from beside me sends fear and panic hurtling through my system. Godsdamn it, is she hurt? Is she dying again? Where is she? I rush down into the chaos of the shadow-
plagued, ruined celebration, quickly growing desperate when I can’t see my snowdrop.
Darling,
Crypt chokes from wherever he is in Limbo.
What happened to your eyes? Gods above, you’re bleeding everywhere. Crane, get over here and
?
—
Maven swears through the bond. Whatever you guys are seeing, it’s the wraiths getting to you. I’m perfectly fine.
As if to prove her point, the agonized shriek of another wraith echoes in the woods surrounding the clearing. Maven emerges between the trees, still gripping her scythe, her beautiful white dress splattered with the dark blood of these intangible, fear-wielding shadow fiends.
Relief makes me weak for a second before a fear-blinded cultist slams into my side, taking me down. My head smacks against something hard, making my ears ring. When the cultist tries to claw at my skin in their blind horror, I freeze her solid and shove her off of me, getting back to my feet.
My vision is blurry from hitting my head, and I’m even more disoriented as I hear more gunshots being fired somewhere far away. But I go still as otherworldly hissing voice fills my ears.
“Favored, ye walk alone…”
Those words send goosebumps over my skin. It was never fully translated, but those lines are from my personal prophecy. Fear clots in my throat, and I can’t move as my heart’s pace increases to a dangerous rate.
Suddenly, all I can see is Maven, dead in my arms.
Gone.
I was always destined to fail her. To be alone.
Everett, get down, her beautiful voice tells me.
But I barely register that warning, because her perfect body is limp in my arms. The emptiness in her lifeless eyes breaks something in me all over again. Tears drip down my cheeks, freezing along with everything else I touch.
“
Telum
-cursed…vice of keeper dead,
” the whispers mock, still reciting the prophecy that’s tormented me for years.
“Deaths to five…
“
Something slams into me again. It’s disconcerting as hell because all I can see is the worst moment of my life on replay, but I’m aware someone just tackled my physical body. A whistle cuts through the air before a furious hiss and screech assault my ears?—
And suddenly, I’m blinking up at the darkening twilight sky.
Maven just slayed the final wraith that was tormenting everyone in this clearing. Crypt tackled me to move me out of the way so she could cut the damn thing in half. A lot of the screaming in the clearing begins to taper off as the wraiths’ influence dies with it.
I exhale, shakily wiping the moisture off my temples as I get to my feet. Maven sees and immediately steps close to embrace me.
I don’t care that she’s covered in wraith blood. I pull her tightly against me for a second, internally reminding myself over and over that she’s here and she’s alive and we’re bound again. That was just another godsdamned wraith getting inside my head.
Still…
I’m pretty sure the thought of losing my entire world all over again will always haunt me.
Tell me again, I plead with Maven, only speaking to her telepathically.
She knows exactly what I mean as she peers up at me. Despite slaying wraiths, she’s still so breathtaking that it fucking hurts as she stands on her tiptoes to kiss my jaw.
I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.
Those words are my lifeline.
Crypt tips Maven’s chin back, studying her face to reassure himself that her eyes are still where they’re supposed to be. Then he grins. “You wear the blood of fiends so well, darling. Any chance you’d let me give your scythe a swing? Seems fun.”
“It is,” our keeper smiles back before turning serious again, her determined gaze sweeping over the clearing. “But we have a problem. None of the wraiths I just killed were Gideon. He’s playing his favorite game.”
Hide and seek. I remember the fiendish asshole taunting her about it the first time we crossed paths with him. For the last six months, I haven’t seen a single fucking glimpse of this asshole—I’d hoped Maven killed him in Alaska after all.
Clearly, we’re not that lucky.
The celebration is in shambles as everyone slowly comes out of the fear-induced hysteria. The Baird quintet hovers protectively around Kenzie while cultists tend to their burnt, unconscious leader. Reformists check on each other, still on edge as they examine their surroundings fearfully.
There are a lot of injuries, but no one is dead. They probably have my keeper’s quick response time to thank for that.
I’m eyeing all nearby shadows as Silas and Baelfire rejoin us. Baelfire is smeared with blood that isn’t his own. Other than looking incredibly guilt-ridden, Silas is fine.
“I should have reinforced the wards the moment we arrived. Forgive me, sangfluir.
This was my fault,” he tells Maven.
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.