Page 43 of The Never List
“How could it make me jealous when she looks this delicious?” Kal’s eyes meet mine as he casually wets his lips. A deep shiver rakes up my center at the movement, and he flashes me a knowing look.
Goddesses help me, I’m ready to fall on my knees for this one.
Axl winks at me before sliding back into the spot next to Jax, who still has barely looked at me. My chest only twinges a little at that fact, but the sting is quickly washed away as Pierce stands and steps into my path. He grabs my hand and kisses the back of it, breaking the indifferent mood from yesterday. My heat skips a beat at the intensity in his eyes.
“Are you enjoying the city?” Pierce asks, releasing me.
“Yes,” I answer. “The Riverwalk is my favorite so far.”Pierce guides me into the bench seat, and its horseshoe-like shape means that when I slide in, I end up next to Jax. Pierce settles on my other side, and Kal takes the remaining seat next to Axl.
I hate the spark that flares to life inside me at Jax’s proximity—the same one that got me into this mess in the first place. The one that has me desperate to hear him laugh, to hear him flirt, to have him ask me to dance again.
Was that only last night? Time is flying by in a whirlwind. With so much new information shoved in my brain, it feels like weeks instead of barely a day.
And in that short amount of time, his anger and indifference only seem to have magnified. I swallow hard, wondering if he can sense the secrets I still hide, or if the sensation fades when I’m silent. I hate that I don’t know, hate that I feel like I’m just waiting for the moment Jax figures out what I’m lying about and exposes me to everyone for the fake I am.
Fear climbs up my throat, threatening to close it.
“If you like the Riverwalk,” Axl says from across the table, raising a hand to flag down a server, “you’ll love the ocean in my city.”
I turn my attention to him. “I guess we’ll see,” I say, winking back at him.
He laughs, ordering a round of drinks for the table as we fall into an easy conversation, covering what Kal and I have seen today, eaten, and talked about. Soon, I sit back, content to listen to the four of them.
The bond between them is undeniable. They have an effortless way around one another. But their powers rise and mix around me, the unique sensation of each buzzingagainst my skin. Kal’s is warm like the kiss of sunshine; Axl’s is wild like the crashing waves of an ocean; Pierce’s is intense, like being unraveled from the inside out. And Jax’s is sharp and chaotic like a lightning storm.
The Legends all at once are intimidating. They form an unbreakable unit that seems impenetrable, and their powers complement one another in ways they’ve no doubt tested and trained together since birth. I certainly wouldn’t want to challenge them, but from all the stories I’ve heard, there are still many people throughout Lumathyst who do.
I definitely understand Kal’s shock at my ease around him. It’s clear that the previous potentials were nothing but proper around them in public. And I can see why they would be, not only because of their desperate wish to become royalty, but because of the intensity of being around all of the Legends at once. Falling back on etiquette would be a tempting way to cope.
Maybe that’s why most rejected them in the end—their power. I imagine it’s intimidating even for those who don’t have power like I do. As it is, with the power I have, I feel like I’m sensing theirs on a larger scale, as if my power makes me more susceptible to feeling theirs… I just have to hope that doesn’t go both ways. I take comfort in the knowledge that I’ve put a mental lock on mine most of my life, doing my best to not even acknowledge its existence, while the Legends are no doubt used to walking around with their powers on full display, never once needing to subdue or dampen them.
Maybe the previous potentials couldn’t handle such authenticity.
I can’t really blame them, not when I can feel each of the Legends’ powers swirling around me, testing my energy,calling to it—likely without them even noticing. And to think, the night might come when we’re all…togethertogether.
Lightning strikes through my veins at the image the thought creates—Kal pressed against my front, Axl at my back, Pierce’s hands on me, and Jax watching all the while before he shoves the others away to take me—
“Do you like it?” Kal’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I straighten in my seat. They’re all looking at me expectantly.
Kal glances down at the drink I didn’t even see the server bring. I quickly take a sip, grateful for the distraction. The taste of raspberries and mint and sparkling wine hits my tongue, and I smile.
“That’s delicious,” I say, taking another drink.
Kal smiles, pride in his eyes. “It’s a Ruby Kiss,” he says. “My city’s signature drink.” He raises his small crystal glass, and the others do the same with their darker drinks to clink them together. “To the future,” Kal says. Axl laughs, Pierce raises one brow, and Jax rolls his eyes.
“Always the optimist,” Jax drones before throwing back the contents of his glass. “Dreamer to the core.”
I take a quick sip before turning to him, my drink raised toward him. “And what would the Nightmare toast to?”
The rest of the men go silent as Jax locks eyes with me, shock flickering in them like he’s never been asked before. He blinks, and the shock is replaced by a predatory look that makes my heart race. I should be scared of that look, of that slow smile stretching his lips that looks more like a warning than an invitation…but I’m not.
Iknowfear. I know what it feels like to have my willripped away, my choices disregarded. I know what it’s like to not eat for days. Know what it’s like to huddle in the cold night, desperate for the sun to come up for warmth. I know what the hilt of an enforcer’s short sword feels like splitting my skin.
That’s fear.
This…this is something else. Something I can’t deny. The same something that made me ache for more before I ever even saw his face.
“I wouldn’t toast at all,” Jax finally answers, his voice washing over me like warm honey. Goddess, I’m in trouble. These men are slowly sinking their hooks into me, and I love the way it stings.
