“And it’s going to be so. Fucking. Good.”
Chapter Five
Legend
Pure anticipation flows through my veins as I wait for the revelation of my little surprise, which waits outside the war room. Currently, the “future of Rathe,” their parents, and a few other powerful figures, mingle among themselves. Bone stemmed glasses hover in small circles every few feet, waiting for the fingers of a gifted to wrap along the stems, and claim it for itself, their drink of choice materializing in the glass the moment they do.
Both hope and caution sit heavy in the air, and the demonic smoke, an inky black shadow of sorts that protects only those of royal blood or deemed worthy, hovers at my brothers’ and my backs, and pulses in warning.
Gifted continue to pour through the portal we opened in the main courtyard of Rathe, allowing more and more to cross into the royal estate. Little by little, the space grows thick with mumbled whispers and restless bodies.
Once the maximum number allowed has been reached, the portal seals itself, leaving the rest of Rathe to listen and watch through projecting across the realm.
As it closes, a pathway carves between us and our people, and every face swivels toward the row of thrones we sit upon.
As they look at us, I’m locked on the platform at the end, thedoor that has yet to reveal itself.
I’ve purposely delayed her arrival, making her wait for a grand entrance that I know she’ll wish to slay me for. I’ve also created a door just for her. Just for tonight. Took a fuck ton of energy to do it, too.
The music changes its tune, the room quieting only slightly and right on cue, the passageway opens with a yawn. The moment it does, every pair of eyes spins that way, landing on her.
And oh, gods.
She’s wearingthat.
Fishnet over flesh, a leather scrap that might’ve once been pants tied into a makeshift skirt, and a blood-stained shirt that absolutely belongs to someone else. Probably a mess that needs cleaning up.
She struts down the war hall like an angry little thing. Seconds away from turning this entire place into a battleground.
My battleground.
She doesn’t flinch beneath the stares—andeveryoneis staring at my little chaos monster. The girl doesn’t even hesitate as a hundred voices fall silent as she passes. A cigarette dangles from that luscious mouth of hers like she’s about to break into a bar fight.
And fuck me, I don’t know which one I’d rather watch.
Her entrance has an immediate effect on my brothers.
Between Creed jolting upright in his throne, Knight’s narrowed eyes, and Sinner looking reluctant to even move—as if he might shatter the illusion—I don’t know whose reaction I enjoy more.
None of them knew she was coming back.
And bycoming backI mean, you know, going to Exile Island to retrieve what is mine. I bet their minds are racing right now, trying to put together why I’d want this untamed and untrained gifted mess of a girl back here.
My money is on Knight figuring out the why first.
Or Creed, mind-mirroring magic and all. If I let him in my head when his nosy ass seeks entrance, I have no doubt he’ll see.
I stay seated, grinning like the feral bastard I am, and wait until Haide is nearly at the foot of the dais before I speak.
“Well, hello, my little monster,” I purr, voice wrapping around the silence like a rope around a throat. “Took you long enough. Did you get lost?”
She ignores me.
Good girl.
It would be boring if she just smiled and apologized like a good little mate would.
A weak mate.
