Twisted Soul (Cursed Legacies #3)

27. Everett

27

EVERETT

It’s been nearly three horrible hours since I woke up from what I thought was death.

The first hour was spent in an agonized panic, struggling to form words after whatever the hell that wraith did to me. Silas was the same way, Crypt was nowhere to be found, and Baelfire was still unconscious.

When we tried to reach Maven through the bond, all we got was, I’ll be back soon .

And then she fucking blocked us out.

In the second hour, Baelfire finally woke up. Except it wasn’t actually him , just the beast living inside him. If I ever thought his inner dragon was a pain in the ass before, it had nothing on this. Silas had to stun the big oaf with magic twice in a row to keep him from shifting in a blind, snarling rage.

Whatever that fucking wraith did to him, it took a while before Baelfire was able to come to the phone, metaphorically speaking. Then we were a healing, cussing, pissed-off trio on the verge of killing each other—especially because we still couldn’t reach Maven. Or Crypt, for that matter.

Until finally, I drew the damn line.

So, Maven decided to leave us here to go do shit by herself? I don’t blame her. How useless are we to her that we get in a fight of that proportion, followed by a visit from my new definition of hell personified, and yet she had to patch us up all alone and shoulder on? She’s probably exhausted, pushing herself too hard to meet the deadline the Entity gave her so she can save people she cares about.

And here we are, whining like a bunch of fucking toddlers.

But not anymore—there is no way I’m sitting around on my ass while she is out there doing gods-know-what. We’re going to be useful to our keeper if it’s the last godsdamned thing we do.

When I went off on Silas and Baelfire to say all of that, it shut their squabbling right up.

The last thirty minutes have been spent far more productively. By all three of us.

Working and planning together.

Dear gods, it really must be the end of times.

I lean back from the small suite dining table, babying my injured shoulder from the wolf shifter who bit me back in Alaska. Silas can’t use more blood magic for healing until he feeds from Maven, not to mention he’s in shitty shape himself. We all are.

“All right,” I mutter. “I’ll make the call. I’ll need to use your phone, Dragon Breath.”

Baelfire practically throws it at my face before he stalks to the bathroom to shower off the remaining blood he’s coated in. Just because we’ve been productive doesn’t mean we aren’t still pissed the fuck off about everything that happened today.

I wander into one of the suite’s bedrooms as the cell phone rings. I’m almost sure he won’t pick up when there is a click and a long sigh.

“Can’t you let me fake my death in peace, Evie?”

“I’ve told you a million times not to call me that,” I point out, staring out the window at the sunlit little Nebraska town. Snow is piled up on the sides of the street, and humans chatter happily as they stroll here or there. Such normal lives, taking it easy during the holidays.

I envy them. I’d give fucking anything to spend the holidays with Maven just spoiling her and not on the run.

My contact huffs over the phone. “Yeah? Well, I’ve told you a million times not to call me, period. Yet somehow I know that when some unknown number calls my fresh start number at an absolutely ungodly hour?—”

“It’s ten in the morning where you are,” I point out.

“You know what? It’s always an ungodly time for you to call me because, like I said, I’m pretending to be dead . So who’s the asshole here?”

“Probably me,” I admit.

“Damn straight.”

“I need your expertise, Ian.”

The vampire grumbles, and I hear something knocked around on the other end like he’s rummaging in a fridge. “This is supposed to be my retirement, you know.”

“Twenty-five is a little young for retirement.”

“Not with a bank account as big as mine,” Ian crows, laughing. Then he sighs. “Damn it, that really doesn’t land with you, huh? It’s like comparing a hill to a fucking diamond mine. By the way, I noticed that all the real estate you bought a few years ago keeps increasing in value, despite what everyone said—including me. You’re annoyingly good at business, you know that? Shrewd as your old man.”

I grimace. I’ve gotten that so-called compliment plenty of times. As if it’s not enough to look like the councilman, I also have to naturally take after him in so many ways that people can’t help comparing me to him. Even Ian, who knows how much I dislike my parents.

Especially now that I know they’ve been bullshitting me about my curse for my entire fucking life.

Anger wells up again at the thought of that fake prophecy translation and how much it has screwed with me. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“This is important, Ian. Really fucking important. The only reason I’m calling you is because we grew up together, and I know with absolute certainty that you take secrets to your grave.”

“Hence why you entrusted me with taking care of your dogs and discreetly keeping an eye on your sister from a distance. She’s safe, by the way,” Ian adds, his voice softening.

Shit. Heidi.

Amid all this political upheaval between humans and legacies, she should have been my first thought. There’s just been so much going on that I didn’t stop to wonder how she’s faring in the rural human town where she’s grown up.

“She just dumped another human boyfriend,” Ian adds. “Might need someone to cheer her up. Like, say, I don’t know…a hot, very available vampire who already knows everything about her and would be the perfect rebound, if nothing else. Just say the word?—”

“For the last fucking time, no.”

“Oh, come on. Why not? We’ve known each other forever, and you know I’d take good care of her, Evie.”

I scowl, lowering my voice enough that I know Baelfire won’t overhear from the other room. None of my quintet except Maven knows that Heidi exists, and I’d like to keep it that way.

“What I know is that my sister is not up for discussion. She wants a peaceful, human-like life, and that’s what she’s going to fucking get. She’s gone through too much shit to get tangled up with you, of all people. Keep an eye on her and make sure she’s safe and has funds for anything she needs. Otherwise, leave her the hell alone, or I will drive an icicle so far up your ass, you’ll be coughing up snowflakes. Got it?”

Ian sighs again, muttering under his breath. “Look, just tell me what you need. And to be clear, I will overcharge you for my services.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Fifteen minutes later, I rejoin the others and blink when I see that Crypt is back. He’s covered in blood, lounging on the couch completely naked, smoking reverium with his sword stabbed into the carpet.

I get that he just returned from tending to Limbo, but seriously? This asshole has no respect for hotel room maintenance.

I scowl. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“How much time do you have?”

“This is a non-smoking room. And if you’re going to be naked, at least take a damn shower.”

Crypt ignores me, exhaling a long breath of smoke as he swings one arm in a circle like he’s testing where it connects to his body. When I look at Silas and Baelfire to see if they’re going to be any help with the naked psychopath bleeding all over this suite, Bael shrugs. Of course, our resident shifter isn’t bothered by the nudity.

“He’s coping. We’re all trying to until she gets back. Leave him alone.”

I’m floored. “You’re defending him? I thought you hated him.”

“Him, hate me? Not at all. We’re best mates now,” Crypt drawls.

Baelfire rolls his eyes. Before I can say anything about it, Maven’s voice finally drifts through the bond.

Silas? Can you have the etherium ready for me?

He’s already moving, withdrawing the briefcase from his pocket void and laying the smooth pieces of the clear, paradisical substance on the table.

Are you hurt? Is everything okay? I demand. Where are you?

Her voice is slightly strained. No, yes, and Spain, but not for long.

On cue, a bright flash of light floods the room. Then it’s like the weight of the world drops away from my chest, and I can finally fucking breathe again as I wrap Maven in my arms, pulling her tightly to my chest.

She’s covered in blood, but at least she seems uninjured—except for a nasty bruise on her forehead. As soon as I notice it, I let one of my hands cool with frost and gently press it to her head to help with the swelling.

“Etherium?” she yawns, rubbing her face.

Shit. She looks dead on her feet.

I let her go, and we all watch as our keeper grabs a shard of etherium and whispers in a language I don’t know. But then again, Silas doesn’t seem to get all of it either, judging by the frown on his face.

The shard darkens from a glassy nothingness to something more like a black opal, as if it’s now containing something dark. Maven exhales like the life force was weighing on her. She picks up another piece, wiping her brow and tossing a weak smile at us.

“You can all stop quietly freaking out. I just didn’t realize how taxing it would be to have the life forces of immortals inside me.”

She repeats the action with another piece of etherium. Then she turns to examine us like she’s worried we’re the ones who are about to topple over when it’s clear that she’s extremely exhausted.

Although, I guess she did leave us looking pretty damn bad.

“We’re okay, baby,” Baelfire assures her, pulling her into a big hug.

Crypt pulls her away from the dragon next and kisses her deeply, resting his forehead against hers as she shakes her head. I don’t hear what they’re saying, so they must only be talking to each other telepathically.

Finally, Maven peeks over at me, zeroing in on my shoulder.

“I’m fine,” I promise quickly.

“Tell us everything, sangfluir ,” Silas murmurs.

Maven glances at the etherium on the table. “I killed Del Mar.”

We all stare at her in shock before I speak.

“You what?”

“I said I?—”

“I heard what you said,” I clarify, frustrated. “How the hell did you know where he was? Why the fuck didn’t you tell us that you were going to do this?”

She stares at me like I’m missing the obvious. “You were unconscious.”

“I meant before we were unconscious. Damn it, Maven.” I rub my face.

“Now, now. Don’t hold back the details. I hope it was incredibly gory,” Crypt pipes up, a sick smile of excitement twisting his face.

“Not nearly as much as I would have liked,” she sighs. “To be honest, the fight was disappointing. I thought he would present more of a challenge,” she grumbles, rubbing her bruised forehead. “Douglas is much more fun to fight—although the last time we fought, he took a cheap blow to my head. He loses some brownie points for that.”

Silas examines her forehead, using necromancy to heal it. It’s still weird as hell to think of him as a necromancer since I was taught they were worse than demons.

But hey—at least he can heal our keeper. No complaints about that.

Then I frown. “Wait. How do you know what brownie points are if you grew up in the Nether?”

“Lillian used that term a lot. I don’t really know what it means,” she shrugs before glancing between us. “I was surprised you four didn’t try to follow me.”

Bael folds his arms, lifting his chin. “We were busy.”

“Doing?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I fold my arms, too.

“I would, actually.”

“Too fucking bad. Take not knowing as your punishment for running off and leaving us here like useless sacks of potatoes,” I grunt, my irritation returning.

Maven’s eyes flash. For a half second, as our keeper turns to me with a deathly glare, I regret all my life choices.

“Punishment? I must’ve misheard you.”

Nope. Stay strong. It doesn’t matter how scary she can be—I’m digging my heels in with this one. It scared the hell out of me to wake up with her gone yet again, so I lean down to give her my most chilling look.

“You’re the keeper of this quintet, but we’re still a fucking part of it. If you’re going to do shit without telling us and leave us all bleeding and panicked for hours on end, then we don’t owe you a single godsdamned explanation about what we were up to while we were forced to wait around for you.”

Silas’s brows go up. Baelfire whistles low and takes a measured step back from us, shaking his head like he thinks this is it for me. Meanwhile, Crypt is enjoying the show like he can’t wait for Maven to hand me my ass.

Maven goes toe to toe with me, her dark glare caustic. “The reason I left you four here was to protect you while I took care of things?—”

“That you didn’t tell us shit about. I had no idea Del Mar was in Spain or that he was your next target. Did any of you know?” I wave at the others.

“Leave me out of this,” Bael says, raising his hands as if to show he’s unarmed.

Silas shakes his head in answer. Crypt shrugs, absentmindedly spinning one of the life-force-containing etherium pieces on the table like it’s a fancy top.

“No, they didn’t.” I turn back to her. “And you know why? It’s because you don’t fucking tell us anything . You’re so adamant that we’re yours now, and that’s more true than you even realize. But if we’re your quintet, then treat us like a damn quintet and tell us about your plans before they happen. Don’t just run off and let us wonder if you’re ever fucking coming back.”

My voice breaks slightly at the end as my emotions get the best of me. Maven still seems pissed, but she looks away.

“Put yourself in our shoes,” I press. “How would you handle it if the roles were reversed here?”

She exhales slowly, uncomfortable. “I’d hate it. I didn’t mean to upset you by leaving. It’s just…you four needed time to recover, and I don’t have any time to spare.”

“Then we don’t have time to spare,” Silas corrects gently. “There is not us four and you. As I told you before, ima sangfluir, tha sinn unum mar.”

Whatever the hell that means, Maven softens further and finally sighs.

“You’re right. I should have told you guys sooner about our next target. I’m just not used to sharing plans or…talking. To be candid, I didn’t talk at all except sparingly to Lillian and Felix for the last few years. I’m still adjusting.” She meets my gaze, hers full of promise. “I’ll be better about it.”

Baelfire’s eyes narrow. “Hold up. Who the fuck is Felix? Is he cute? Did he try to flirt with you? Is he still alive, and more importantly, why?”

“Oh, my gods,” Maven rolls her eyes, cracking a slight smile at his possessiveness that lessens the tension in the room. “Felix is an atypical caster in the Nether. He thinks of himself as an older brother to me. I think he’s a book-horny nuisance, but he’s also gifted. He helped me experiment on etherium in the Nether and figured out some obscure, ancient fae spell to make this work,” she nods at the dark shards on the table. “Once I weaken the Divide enough, he’ll be the first through it to coordinate with me and lead the exodus into the mortal realm.”

We all absorb that, nodding until Baelfire huffs. “You still didn’t answer about whether you think he’s cute, Boo.”

She arches a brow. “Why, are you interested? I’m not sure if he’s into shifters, but you two might hit it off. He is pretty damn frail from his upbringing, so careful not to crush him in bed.”

Baelfire grins. “Raincloud, if he tries to come anywhere near a bed with me in it, he’s toast. You’re the only one I’ll be careful with in bed. Or better yet, let’s ditch careful and go for rough and kinky.”

“I’m with the lizard on this,” Crypt announces.

“Seems like you’re back to your usual selves.” Maven’s smirk falls again as she checks each of us in turn. “Although…are you guys really feeling okay? Gideon is…”

Horrific.

I meet Silas’s glance, then Baelfire’s. Even Crypt isn’t open to talking about this.

I don’t know what they experienced, but I’m sure as fuck not talking about what that wraith made me go through, even if it was just inside my head. Knowing that he’s been in Maven’s mind—that he was tormenting her for years…

Bile threatens to rise in my throat, but I take a steadying breath. “How did you get us out of there, anyway?”

Maven fidgets with her bloodied gloves. “I just…transported us away.”

“Lie,” Silas says gently, his red irises as sharp as ever. “Tell the truth, sangfluir .”

“Fine. I stabbed him with the bone knife Everett gave me.”

Crypt frowns, tipping his head. He’s still naked and covered in drying blood, and I’m alarmed to realize that I started to completely tune it out until this moment.

Does that mean I’m getting used to these three freaks being indecent all the damn time? Ugh.

“Only blessed bone weapons can harm wraiths, love,” he points out.

She nods, glancing furtively at me.

Oh, shit. She thinks my theory about her being selected as a saint at birth might be right.

“Anyway. The important thing is, he’s gone. Maybe not dead, but let’s take what we can get for now. So,” she brushes herself off and looks at Baelfire, moving on. “Is your family’s place still a safe option?”

He blinks, trying to catch up. “My family?”

“Killing Iker bought more time before I need to hunt Natalya. We should find a safe place to lay low before the bounty hunters track us down again. Not to mention, I want some time with you guys. In general, but also in bed.”

I almost choke as the blunt topic change throws us all for a major loop. I fucking adore how assertive my keeper is—but now all I can picture is Maven in bed.

Naked and ready to be worshipped , I think with a quiet groan.

Please tell me you’re picturing her and not me, Silas snarks back through the bond.

I flush as I realize that thought wasn’t kept to myself. I’m still not used to this telepathy thing. Crypt laughs out loud at my pure embarrassment.

Baelfire is grinning hugely at Maven, ignorant of the telepathic back-and-forth. “Fuck, yes! My family’s place will be perfect.”

Silas arches a brow. “Are you certain? When was the last time you checked in with them? These are contentious times, and the Decimuses have been known to have big mouths regarding politics. They might have enemies at their doors already.”

“First of all, fuck you because our mouths are perfect,” Baelfire fires back. “And I haven’t talked to my family recently, but that’s only because we’ve been, you know. Busy. On the run. Shit like that.”

“Sounds like an excuse.” I fold my arms. “Maybe you’re just not sure your oh-so-loyal, proud family is actually going to accept Maven as your mate.”

“It’s okay if they don’t,” Maven adds. “I’ve been told I’m an acquired taste.”

Bael snarls at me, his eyes gleaming a darker shade of amber as if his pissy dragon is just under the surface. “They’ll accept her. Not every family is a shitty nightmare like yours.”

“Your family has its own glaring set of fuck-ups,” I snap.

“Yeah? At least mine didn’t lie to me about my curse just to keep me a miserable fucking loner all my life.”

I flinch.

Maven tenses.

Baelfire immediately clamps his mouth shut, gripping the side of his head. “Fuck. Yeah, I felt it as I was saying it. Too soon. Sorry, Snowflake.”

I try to change the topic quickly. “If we’re going to his family’s territory in Canada, we should?—”

Everett , Maven reaches out through the bond, pinning me with a fierce look.

It’s really not important, Snowdrop. I’m bound to you, and nothing else matters to me anymore.

Her lips press together. That’s why your abilities have been so much stronger and sharper. The prophecy was a hoax. Your true curse had something to do with your control. Didn’t it?

So she already suspected it, too.

I nod and try to move on again, grateful when Maven stews silently and doesn’t make me say anything else about this extremely unpleasant new information.

“As I was saying, we should use human means, like a rental car. Transportation magic is tracked too easily, and it would be less than a day’s drive from here to the Purcell mountain range.”

No one argues. It’s quiet for a moment.

Then Crypt grins. “So long as we let our girl drive. I want to sit back and watch other cars on the road panic.”

Baelfire laughs, but Maven arches a brow.

“You’re an ass. But actually…I wouldn’t mind sleeping while someone else drives.”

My chest melts as I realize just how fucking tired she must be. Crypt immediately pulls her in for a soft kiss.

“Of course, love. They’ll handle everything.”

“ They?” Silas scowls. “And just what will you be doing?”

The incubus grins and guides Maven toward the bathroom. “Cleaning up our girl.”

Lucky fucking bastard.