Dracian Legacy (35 page)

Right about then, I would’ve done anything to be six feet under.

“We didn’t consummate, nor did we bond,” Axel said, understanding my discomfort.

“How…?” Katina said, almost in awe.

“She’s special,” Dean said, his voice laced with anger, disappointment, and something much more heartbreaking.

My eyes gazed toward him to find him looking at me with clear hurt. Was he jealous I was special? If that was even what it was. I mean, it was more plausible that I was a freak of nature or something. I shook my head, remembering something else from when I first met Axel.

“I-I’m not sure if this will help, but… um… even before the demon incident, I could feel Axel… if he was pretty close to me.”

“Feel me how?” Axel asked, lifting my chin toward him.

“
Every time you were around and before I ever saw you, I felt tingles… like my skin vibrated or something
.” I blushed, confessing these early feelings I had toward him. “Some kind of sixth sense or something.”

Axel held my face between his hands and looked into my eyes, searching. My throat joined my stomach for another round of free-drinks-all-around celebration as Axel’s lips collided with mine hungrily. I forgot the audience and threw my arms around him, pulling him closer.

“You are absolutely amazing,”
he said in my mind with hope filling his eyes. Turning toward Elijah, he asked, “Does this mean…?” There was a hint of joy in his voice.

“It could or because she’s the Echo,” Elijah said reproachfully.

Elijah seemed consumed by thought. My gaze shifted to Axel and he had the same expression. Were they talking to each other?
Oh, what I would give to hear them talk.
So I tried just that. I concentrated on Axel, trying to breach into his mind, and heard a fraction of the conversation before he closed it.

“…hide our relationship…”
Axel looked at me with his eyebrows raised. “Did you hear what I said?”

I looked down to my fingernails, ashamed. The black-and-gold polish I applied earlier in the week was cracked in odd places. It almost gave my nails an eerie look, like spider veins.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know… I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s okay.” He chuckled, pulling me into a hug. “I’m… absurdly surprised you could get into my head.” He paused. “As a Legion, we’re all privileged with a direct connection with other Legions’ minds, but it works like a phone. You only get access to our thoughts if we speak to you directly. What you just did, even the bonded
and
the consummated can’t do. You defy all rules of our magic, and it’s just a surprise.”

“Can you read my mind?” Elijah asked with curiosity.

“I never tried.”

He gave a simple nod of encouragement. I blew out a deep breath and concentrated on Elijah, imagining the connection between us. I visualized his thoughts flowing into my mind.

“You can do this, Ren. I believe in you.”
I heard Elijah and I sucked in a breath.

“I heard you!” I said. Then I looked to Katina, repeating the process. It was blank. I couldn’t hear anything. I felt disappointed but tried again.

“I wish Elijah would cut back on his work and spend more time…”
I blushed, pulling out of her mind immediately, not wanting to hear the end of that thought.

“…Indian knife fight. Prince Alaster wanted an update. I can’t betray Axel, but…”
Trinity looked up to me like a Chameleon in a bag of skittles. When I pushed back into her mind, she converted her thoughts into a language I couldn’t comprehend.

“That’s right, princess. I’m ready for you.”
Dimitri smiled at me wickedly.

“You’re no fun.”
I pouted.

“…wait to go back home. My Mikaela. I hope we get bonded. Not everyone gets what they want…”
I pulled back from Marcus’s personal thoughts, and my heart ached for him. Why wouldn’t they be bonded?

Then I turned my attention to Tyler who pictured me nearly undressed, except for my undergarments. I pulled back with a gasp, and he gave me a wicked smile and a wink. “
Stay out of my head, princess.”

“You horrible little…”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you wanted in,” he said. “
Maybe next time you’ll think twice.”

I flipped him off in my head and knew he got the message when he chuckled.

“Naughty, naughty…” He gave me a flirty smile.

“You’re a mystery, Ren.” Elijah patted my shoulder proudly. “We have much to learn about you—from you.” He turned to the group, his voice now commanding. “I’ll report the findings about possession to the council. From here on, let’s ensure Ren is always escorted.”

“I call shower duty,” Tyler said.

Dean snarled.

“Not if you want to continue breathing.” Axel seethed through his grinding teeth.

“All the better, I could haunt her 24/7.” He laughed. “No rules.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

“Rise and shine,” Pey and I said in unison.

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey,” Serena, Cassie’s best friend, sang, walking in behind us like she owned the place.

Serena pulled the covers off our beautiful bride, then jumped on the bed next to her, giggling. In less than six hours, Cassie would be married to my brother and tomorrow we would all be entering into the New Year as a family.

“Is it that time already?” Cassie asked groggily, waking up to the iridescent sun peeking through the blinds.

“Like you’d ever forget,” Serena said. “You’ve only been drooling over Josh for decades.”

“Well, still doesn’t beat my brother’s infatuation with her since…” I stopped looking at Cassie, her interest piqued. I smiled smugly. “Well, it doesn’t matter.”

“Since when?” Cassie squealed, jumping out of bed. “That’s not fair… Tell me.”

We spent the next three hours providing royal services. Pey did the makeup and hair, completely in her element. I made sure the bride-to-be was well hydrated and fed and pampered. Serena was in charge of entertainment and shoulder rubs. I had to admit, Serena had the best stories to share. As another story came to an end, a knock on the door interrupted our giggle fest.

“Just a minute.” I opened the door a crack and peeked through the slit. Sandy and John waited in the hallway. I motioned them in to come in quickly and shut the door behind them.

“Tight security,” John said, giving me a sideways hug and a kiss on the temple like my father always did.

“Joshua’s been trying to sneak in all day.” I looked at my beautiful soon-to-be sister-in-law and smiled with pride. I inched closer to her and whispered, “Who can blame him? He can’t wait to get you alone and out of that dress.”

Cassie turned a beautiful shade of red. I stepped to the side, grinning.
Yup, my job here is done.

“Sweetie.” Sandy walked up to her daughter, giving her a tight hug. “You’re breathtaking. Here… something borrowed, blue, and old.” Sandy gave Cassie a beautiful blue-jeweled tiara. “This was your great-great-great-grandmother’s and it’s been passed down for generations.”

Pey let out a frustrated groan. “Ah… Not the hair…” She took the tiara from Sandy. “I can do this…” She gave a thoughtful look and went to work.

Knock. Knock.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Serena opened the door to find Dean on the other side.

He was gorgeous. His black suit, white shirt, pink tie, and pink gardenia on his breast pocket made him all the more attractive. The pink was in perfect sync with the bridesmaids’ dresses and his flushed cheeks. Dean’s eyes locked with mine, his lips slightly parted.

I cleared my throat, looking away.

“What?” he asked the room full of spectators staring back at him. “Don’t I get to see my beautiful sister before she becomes a Pernell?” He joked. “Josh wanted you to have this.”

Dean handed Cassie a colored macaroni bracelet. I have to say, it was butt ugly. Her face flushed and her eyes glossed over.

“I know how you feel, Cassie. That just… Argh!” I said, looking at the horrid thing in her hand with a disgruntled sound. “I’m ashamed to be his sister.”

She was speechless. She traced the bracelet between her fingers like it was a precious jewel and chuckled.

“I can’t believe he kept this all these years!” We all looked at her, confused, while her tears threatened to run down her cheeks.

“Oh no you don’t.” Pey was by her side surprisingly fast, dabbing at her teary eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup.

“Thank you,” Cassie said, sniffling, her nose turning slightly rosy. She smiled at our shocked faces. “Back in grade school, Joshua and I made each other these for Valentine’s Day. I thought I lost mine, but that pinhead had it all along.” She slipped in onto her wrist and looked at it with pride.

In that moment, I understood what love was. It was blind. It was deep. It was magical. Love protected, preserved, intensified, and was always steadfast. Cassie and Joshua were proof. It didn’t matter the real value of the object, only the value of the person.

“I love you, Alexander,”
I said through our connection.

I heard him chuckle. “
And I you, my beloved goddess. I can’t wait to see you.”

A mental image of the first night he saw me filled my mind.

My hair was up in a messy up-do and I wore some god-awful clothes. I sat next to Julia, the homeless mom that lost her job and struggled to feed her newborn child. She gave up her baby to a good family. That night I cried harder than ever before.

“Out of all the images you could remember me by, that’s what you choose?”
I asked sarcastically.

“That was the woman I fell in love with—so compassionate, so beautiful, so divine. I knew right then you were going to ruin me,”
he said.

I felt the ground move beneath me as I blinked away the sudden moisture in my eyes. If he kept this up, he was going to make me cry. An arm on my shoulder shook me back to reality.

“I’ll see you soon,”
I said, holding back a sniffle.

“You okay?” Dean asked.

I nodded.

“Can I talk to you a moment?” he asked, taking my hand.

He walked me out to the balcony.

The milder winter sea breeze kissed my skin, sending an electrifying shiver through my body. The view from the balcony looked out to the never-ending mountains and creamy-white buildings. The breathtaking landscaping, cosmopolitan atmosphere, and fascinating historic architecture quirked my emotions, like being touched by the power of the volcano’s aura for the first time. Greece was incredible.

“I wanted to give you something.” Dean’s voice snapped me back to Earth.

He looked utterly nervous as he pulled out a box from inside his jacket. He took my hand gently and placed the corsage around my wrist. I peeked up through my eyelashes, studying his face. He was exaggeratedly interested in the corsage and how it fit around my wrist.

I never noticed just how grown-up he had become over the past four years. Okay, maybe I had. But he seemed even more aged… mature… today. His jaw was chiseled with hard angles and all the innocence in his face erased. His lips were set in a hard line as his jaw clenched. When I looked back to his bright blue eyes, they twinkled, studying mine with intensity. He slowly brought my hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly without blinking.

His affection poured into me like rain on a hot summer day through our blood bond. It was impossible to not to react to such a gesture. I cleared my throat. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

“We should probably go inside,” he said no louder than a whisper.

I nodded.

“You ready, beautiful?” Dean’s warm breath teased my ear.

I laughed nervously as we readied to walk down the aisle, hand-in-hand. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

When I entered the room, Axel’s eyes immediately landed on mine. He smiled. I blushed worse than the bride. His lips parted and my heart jolted against my chest. A wide smile spread, splitting his features in half. He was dressed in a black Armani suit with a crisp white shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone. The December sun peeked through the windows, illuminating him from behind and making him look like an angel with wings.