Page 37 of Legacy

With the formidable forces of the True Celestials after her, there would be no returning to the world at all.

If she ran, she’d never be able to return.

We’d lose her truly, in every sense.

Ariana Martel would essentially cease to exist.

Fuck.

My fingers tightened around the mug.

I was so close to shattering it to pieces under the pressure that I was exerting, but then the creak of the door behind me jarred me, making me loosen my grip involuntarily.

I swung my head as Ariana walked out.

She was wearing what I considered hergo-to pajamas—a pair of silver and black plaid pants with a white tank. Her feet were nestled in a pair of white bunny slippers of all things.

“Those are new,” I commented.

Oh, great opener, Kai.

I really was off my game.

The corner of her mouth turned up and her electric-blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “They are. I felt like conjuring something cozy.”

She joined me on the top porch step, settling in right beside me, her legs brushing mine in my black slacks.

They were all I had on. I hadn’t bothered to conjure a shirt or even any shoes. Coffee and getting out here away from everyone before they woke up in order to clear my head had been my focus. Everything else had fallen to the wayside.

“Shit,” she uttered, and then I saw her staring at my chest.

Fuck,the bruises.

I’d forgotten to glamour them again. I hadn’t seen the need to continue the spell throughout the night while everyone had been asleep. And, truthfully, doing so would have impacted my healing ability.

“It’s nothing.”

“This is the damage Cassius inflicted upon you?”

I lifted a shoulder. “They’ll be gone within another few hours.”

“Cassius assured me that the three of you were okay.”

“We are, sweetheart.”

There was no way I was going to tell her about what had befallen Nyx then.

She had enough to deal with without taking that on. And he wouldn’t want her to hurt from knowing that either.

We were all well now. That was what mattered.

Andfiguring out how to deal with that fucking bastard, Cassius, too.

“Kai…”

“Seriously,” I assured her. I reached out and stroked her soft hair. “I felt it last night, you know?”

She nodded, knowing well what I was getting at. “My full power.”

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