Twisted Soul (Cursed Legacies #3)

28. Maven

28

MAVEN

“Maven Whatever-Your-Middle-Name-Is Oakley,” Kenzie’s voice crackles from my phone.

It seems loud. I’m pretty sure that means it’s on speakerphone again, but since I have no idea how to fix the damn thing, I adjust on Baelfire’s lap so it won’t be so loud in his ear.

“Kenzie Something Baird,” I reply, unsure why we’re doing fake full names.

We’re in the spacious middle row of a vehicle Everett painstakingly picked out from some rental place in Kenzie’s hometown. It’s the nicest car I’ve ever been in. Silas is driving while Everett is in the passenger seat, frowning at messages on a phone he bought before we left Nebraska.

I’d insisted on Silas feeding on me to heal my ice elemental’s shoulder before we left. He only took the barest amount, but at least the worst of the wolf bite is gone.

Crypt is sprawled out, lounging in the back row that he has all to himself, watching the wilderness pass by outside as he plays with his lighter. I’ve kept note of how often his markings light up. It’s far less than it was before we bonded, which makes no sense. Del Mar’s death should have caused more surges at the Divide, which should be affecting Limbo like crazy.

Unless…maybe being bonded to me is somehow helping.

I check out the window at the endless green pine trees powdered with snow. I don’t know where we are now, but I do know I’m starting to get hungry after the long nap I took earlier.

“Girl, updates ,” Kenzie demands, drawing my attention again. “Now. Or else I’ll be forced to start stalking you.”

“Nope. Position’s already taken,” Crypt calls from the back.

The lioness shifter sighs. “Speakerphone again, huh, monk?”

“I hate technology.”

“You know, somehow, I think it hates you more. But anyway, congrats on taking out that hydra weirdo. I never liked him—that forked tongue licking his eyeball sometimes? Major ick.”

I frown, glancing at Baelfire to see if he knows how Kenzie knows about my recent kill. He shrugs and returns to contentedly nuzzling the side of my neck.

Being engulfed in his big, warm arms like this makes me feel strangely dainty and pampered. Even though Everett fussed about us not wearing seatbelts, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this car ride so far.

Especially because I can feel how thick and hard my shifter’s erection is in his pants. I’m tempted to grind against it but restrain myself so as not to derail our trip—because I’m positive Silas will pull over if I initiate anything.

I could move to my own seat to avoid any sexy distractions...but anytime we go over a big bump, he groans softly, and that’s just too fucking delicious to give up.

“How did you know?” I ask Kenzie, getting back to the topic at hand.

“Well…it’s kind of all over the news. Along with a very hardcore picture of you at the scene of the crime. They didn’t really censor much.”

I expected as much. Whichever bounty hunter leaked the photo, I’m sure the Legacy Council is pissed.

“The world is losing its fucking mind about one of the Immortal Quintet members dying, and the Legacy Council is still telling legacies to keep a lid on everything because they don’t know the full situation themselves, and…ugh, it’s a mess,” Kenzie groans. “Not to mention, the Divide saw a huge spike in surges several hours ago. They say it’s starting to spread inland, so there’ve been even more evacuation orders along the East Coast.”

“Shit,” I grimace.

“Don’t feel bad!” Kenzie protests. “I mean, maybe feel a teeny bit bad because this is terrifying for the humans, and more shadow fiends are getting into the mortal world and shit—but that aside, you’re doing it for a good cause. A great cause. Those poor humans in the Nether deserve to live actual lives free in the mortal realm, so I support you all the way.”

“At this point, I’m beginning to wonder what I would have to do to get you to stop supporting me so unconditionally,” I joke.

She giggles. “I mean, I guess if you went all berserker and killed someone in my quintet or family, I’d get pretty damn pissy.”

Oh.

Shit. I still haven’t told her about killing Luka’s brother.

Baelfire senses my tension and pulls away with a frown. “You okay, Mayflower?”

I nod quickly, changing the subject. “Anyway…how are you?”

Kenzie gushes for a while about how the holidays were perfect with her family and how her quintet is incredible.

“I mean—we’re all still really hoping that we find our caster at the next seeking,” she sighs. “I know it’s almost a year away, but it feels like we’re just…”

“Incomplete?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how to explain it. I can’t get enough of my quintet, and we’re all crazy about each other, but the dynamic just isn’t perfectly right, somehow. Deep down, we all know it’s because someone isn’t here with us.”

Looking back at the Seeking now, I am so fucking glad that all my matches were there. What lucky timing—especially considering the slight differences in our ages.

I frown. Come to think of it, all of us being there simultaneously was suspiciously serendipitous.

Unbidden, Del Mar’s comments about the gods playing a game with my “orchestrated life” replay in my mind. Between the Seeking and now my quintet being bound to me against all odds…

What game are the gods playing, exactly?

“You’ll find your caster,” I comfort Kenzie, focusing again on the conversation.

“Gods, I hope so,” she huffs petulantly.

Meanwhile, Silas turns off the main road and stops at a run-down gas station, which seems to double as a small, chicken-themed restaurant.

Everett makes a face. “Here?”

“Unfortunately for your fine sensibilities, the nearest country club is well over a hundred miles away,” Silas replies dryly. “Deal with it because we need gasoline.”

“Fine, but we’re not getting food here. I am not letting them serve Maven deep-fried roadkill scraped off the fucking freeway.”

Kenzie overhears Silas and Everett bickering. “Oh—do you need to go?”

“Possibly.”

My stomach growls loudly. Baelfire promptly scoops me up, leaving the car to walk me toward the gas station. Seriously, this gorgeous shifter needs to learn that I have two highly functional legs.

“I’ll call you again soon. Or better yet, call me,” Kenzie says brightly. “I really do worry about you, May.”

“I worry about you, too,” I admit. “And I will.”

We say goodbye before I pat Bael’s shoulder. “Down, boy.”

He smirks. “What will my reward be?”

Feeling impish, I lean up to whisper in his ear. “Be a good pet and put me down, and I’ll have you crawling for me later. Behave yourself extra well, and I’ll let you come wherever you want.”

He halts, groaning hoarsely and dropping his head back. “Godsdamn it. I really can’t walk around in public with this erection, Boo.”

When he lowers me, I make sure to slide against his thick bulge on the way down, grinning when he shudders.

“That’s my good boy,” I murmur just for him.

Baelfire braces himself on his knees like he’s trying to contain himself. “ Fuck . You’re so mean. Please don’t ever stop.”

I laugh and fall into step beside Crypt, who wraps his leather-clad arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple. Silas and Everett are already waiting by the gas station’s entrance.

Everett opens the door for me, grimacing at the handle. “Ugh. I probably just picked up some incurable disease for you. You’re welcome and please don’t touch anything unless it’s necessary.”

“What about you? Because it’s starting to feel necessary to touch you guys,” I inform him honestly.

Silas smirks as he follows me and Crypt through the door. “Thank gods for that.”

Once again, thank me instead. They’re useless, I send through the bond.

Everett sighs. You know, they really do smite people for blasphemy, Snowdrop.

“In that case, I hereby dare the gods to strike me dow—” I start to say, raising my voice dramatically.

Everett clamps his non-door-holding, cool hand over my mouth, shooting me a warning look. I hold his gaze and lick his palm sensually, making him jump and flush all over.

“You are such a menace,” he grumbles when I grin.

We all follow as he goes to find the cleanest-looking mini table in the attached semi-restaurant. The place is empty except for a bored-looking employee on her phone behind the counter next to a glowing display of various rotating meats.

Baelfire finally joins us inside and scowls when he glances at the menu behind the counter. “Not many vegetarian options.”

“That’s fine. I’ll eat potatoes again.”

He sighs. “My sexy mate, Angel of Death, love of my life—they are called fries .”

Again, with the L -word. I try not to make a face because I know it will just inspire more of their neverending teasing about this topic. So, instead, I shrug.

“I admit. That’s not a terrible nickname.”

“None of my nicknames are terrible,” he grins.

“Well, we all know that is a fucking lie,” Silas rolls his eyes.

Everett’s cell phone rings as the others examine the menu. He makes a face, rejecting the call to send a text instead. He’s squinting a bit, which reminds me that I want to see him in his reading glasses someday.

When the elemental catches me looking, he gives me a frosty look and tilts his phone away so I can’t try to read it.

Meaning, it’s about whatever the fuck they were doing while I was ending Del Mar.

“Just tell me what you four are up to,” I insist.

“Nope.”

“You’re being petty.”

Everett tucks his phone away, adjusting his jacket. “Yeah, I am. But like I said, this is what you get for leaving us out of the loop and scaring the shit out of us.”

How is it both aggravating and attractive that he’s being so fucking stubborn about this?

I sigh. “I already promised to be better, so cut the shit and…”

I trail off as an unusual chill runs down my spine, alertness washing over me. It’s not the same as when shadow fiends are near, but I still know what kind of Nether spawn to expect when I glance at the arriving newcomers.

I just don’t expect to make eye contact with Melchom, who sweeps through the door first.

He’s in the middle of saying something to the demon beside him, but when he sees me, he freezes, going ashen-faced.

“Fuck me seven ways to hell,” he grimaces and tries to back out the door. “Ah, now, maybe we should just?—”

“Shut the fuck up. This was the place I saw, so quit being a pussy about it. In you go,” a demoness says, shoving him inside.

She’s tall and stunning for a demoness, with dark hair in dreadlocks, a skull-patterned bandana obscuring her horns, electric blue lipstick, and piercing black eyes that immediately swing to me.

She breaks into a bright grin, showing off pointed teeth. “There she is! The telum herself. All the humans on the news are calling you Mav? — ”

I’m in front of her in an instant, pressing one of my new knives against the flesh of her throat.

“Don’t sully my name with your mouth,” I warn evenly.

The demoness’s eyes widen before she tosses her head back in a booming laugh. I sense my matches behind me, tensed in case these demons mean trouble, but they don’t try to intervene or stop me.

There are four demons present—Melchom, this one who is still laughing like I invented comedy, and twin male demons who look like they’re on a mission to discover how much of their tattooed skin they can cover in piercings.

The demoness arches her brow at Melchom. “You didn’t describe her nearly well enough, dick-for-brains.”

“More like you just didn’t hear me over all the wailing your little fuck pet does whenever you’re pegging the hell out of him, you slut-faced bitch,” he scowls.

I look between them, deducting. “You’re Melchom’s girlfriend.”

The twin demons hiss in disgust at me using their pal’s name so freely, but she only grins.

“Tell you what, telum. I came here looking for a word with you. So, to show I mean you no harm, how’s this? The name’s Eisha.”

Melchom sputters, scandalized. The twin demons hiss again, and Everett sighs and mutters a prayer to ward off the gods’ punishment for demonology.

I study Eisha. I can’t think of a single fucking reason she could want to have a word with me. It’s much more likely that she’s competitive like most demons and wants to try her hand at taking out Amadeus’s scourge.

“Do I get to make good on my threat now, love?” Crypt asks in a deceptively calm tone, his murderous glare pinned on Melchom.

My other three matches look fully on board with that idea.

Melchom gulps loudly. “W—whoa! Hang on here, studs. Look, my airhead girlfriend just got really fucking excited when she saw the telum on the news. Claims she was one of Amato’s allies back in the day, which is complete unicorn shit if you ask me?—”

Eisha rolls her eyes. “How would you even know, micro-dick? You fucked up, lost your horns in ’97, and didn’t respawn for over a decade. Missed all the fun.”

“Hang on,” Everett frowns. “Amato? As in, Pietro Amato?”

“Oh yeah. Bet you know all about him, don’t you, Gorgeous?” Eisha purrs, checking out my increasingly uncomfortable, fidgeting elemental in a way that makes my teeth grit. “Your dad helped make the decision to execute him, after all. Fucking devils, I see now why all the humans drool over you so much. You’re pretty enough to stick on a Popsicle and lick right?—”

I flip the knife smoothly to slice across the side of Eisha’s face, leaving a long cut that begins oozing black blood immediately. She rears back with a snarl, cupping the new injury that will definitely leave a haggard scar.

“Don’t look at him again,” I warn her, letting my voice drop to deadly levels. “And if you make one more passing remark about any of my men, I will cut those horns off of your fucking head and strangle you with your own spine.”

“Aww,” Bael coos behind me. “Did you guys hear that? Her men . I love when she gets all murderous and sappy.” A searing glare quickly replaces his happy grin as he looks back at Eisha. “But to be clear, my mate will absolutely fuck you up, so keep your beady little eyes off the merchandise.”

Do I finally get to mutilate Melchom for slighting you, darling? Crypt checks through the bond, his purple gaze imploring as he looks at me. I’ll ensure you get to savor his screaming as long as you like.

So thoughtful .

Silas smirks. Why is it unsurprising that you aren’t being sarcastic, sangfluir ?

I glance at Everett, getting back to the topic at hand. “What the fuck does the founder of the Reformists have to do with me?”

Eisha laughs as she recovers, wiping dark blood off her hand onto her leather pants. “You mean you don’t know? You’re Amato’s kid.”