Page 135 of The Never List
He remains seated in a chair he’s pulled up next to the cushioned seats connected to the table, his body relaxed as he leans back, his thighs spread wide, not a care in the world etched in the harsh features of his devastatingly beautiful face.
Butterflies go wild in my stomach when his indigo eyes meet mine, nothing but dominance and need churning in them.
Two massive arms wrap around me from behind, and Axl scoops me up, whirling me around in one of his signature hugs. His mouth is on mine moments later, a quick, powerful kiss I feel in every inch of my body.
He sets me on my feet, his smile infectious as he sits back down, and I slide in on the outer edge of the table, tucking under Kal’s outstretched arm.
“Missed you,” he says, planting a kiss on my forehead.
“Me too,” I say, my entire body and soul relaxing at the five of us together. “So…” I continue after I’ve taken a sip from the drink already waiting for me.
Music from the main portion of Lust vibrates throughthe walls of this semi-private room. The wall to my left is made of one-way glass, allowing us to see the dancing and enjoyment going on out there while having privacy in here. The space near the wall is only sectioned off by a thick velvet rope, offering patrons a sneak peek, but everyone who comes to Lust knows this is the Nightmare’s private spot, and no one would be silly enough to try to cross it.
“What is on the Legend business agenda tonight?”
Axl laughs, pushing some of his hair off his shoulders as he leans farther back into the seat across from me.
Pierce has settled on Axl’s left, Kal on Pierce’s left, and me on the edge. Jax is just off to the side in his own chair. We certainly make an interesting little group, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be.
Well, almost.
If I knew where Erin was—somewhere I could speak to her, if only for a moment, to get the closure on why she left and how she’s been living since…Iwouldwant to be in that place. But even in that wild fantasy, the Legends are no less than a step behind me.
“Is it always going to be business with you?” Axl teases.
“I think each and every one of you has learned by now that that isn’t the case,” I fire back.
Jax shifts in his chair, taking a sip from his short crystal glass, the ice tinkling in the amber liquid.
“Oddly enough,” Pierce says, fiddling with his glass without taking a drink, “there hasn’t been even a whisper of the Faders.” He shakes his head. “And my contacts have gleaned nothing about the whereabouts of your sister, unfortunately,” he adds with an apologetic look.
I swallow hard, doing my best to keep the sadness frombecoming overwhelming. The last thing I want is Jax or Pierce’s powers sweeping them up into my own personal trauma.
“Like I told you,” I say, happy when my voice doesn’t so much as tremble, “all of you have bigger things to worry about. As much as I miss her, and as much as I think there won’t be a day that Idon’tmiss her and wish we could find her, I know Erin. She’ll be found when she wants to be. I don’t want you guys to keep wasting your resources on it. Not when we have the Athanry and the Faders to worry about.”
“Darling,” Pierce sighs, but I shake my head.
“I mean it,” I say. “I think it’s time for me to let go. We have so many more things to worry about. We make it through this next month and the Athanry, and then we’ll re-strategize regarding my sister’s whereabouts.”
The Legends share a look, a silent form of communication I can interpret as saying they aren’t going to let it drop, but they do for now. And that’s all I can ask.
“If we don’t have any Fader business to discuss,” I continue, “and no leads on them, is there any other Legend issue?”
Kal tucks me closer against him, chuckling softly. “Are you so eager to earn our crest and don a mask?” he teases.
I don’t laugh, looking at each one of them seriously. “What do I have to do to earn it?” I ask genuinely. They all stare at me with shock.
“Oh, come on,” I say. “You can’t honestly be that surprised. I know the odds are against me surviving the Athanry—”
“Don’t talk like that,” Kal cuts me off, his eyes severe.
I give him an apologetic shrug. “I can’t help but state thefacts. But if I do survive the Athanry, did you honestly think that I would just… What? Wait for one of you all to come home every night? Switch estates every two months? Sit idly by while you risk your lives?”
“To be fair, darling,” Pierce says, “when youdosurvive, we’ll be infinitely more powerful. The odds of us getting hurt go down. Whereas you…” Pierce’s voice trails off, and his eyes meet mine.
I can’t decipher the silent look.
The power in my veins rumbles just a little, and I wonder if that’s what his silence is about. If this is the secret he’s been referring to and now is my opportunity to tell the truth.
