Goddess Bared: Goddess Series Book 5 (Young Adult / New Adult) (6 page)

River shook his head, but he also started to smile.

“Now will you please stop avoiding me?” she asked, returning the smile.

“I told you I’m not avoiding you.”

“Whatever. Just stop, okay?”

On a sigh, he said, “Okay.”

As they continued dancing, she realized River was going to be more work than she originally had thought. After they spoke last time, she figured he’d be fine in time, but now, she realized he needed more than just a nudge—he needed
pushing
in the right direction.

“Don’t look now,” River whispered with a chuckle, “but I think Seth and Kate have made up.”

Legacy covertly twisted her head to the side and saw them dancing. Though, they weren’t really dancing. They seemed to be swaying absentmindedly to the music with Kate’s hands on Seth’s waist, but Seth had one hand on the side of her neck and the other knotted in her hair. They were in the corner of dance floor, kissing. From where they were standing, it looked as if Kate’s cheek was wet with tears.

“Well, at least they can enjoy Valentine’s Day together.” She giggled. Then she glanced around the rest of the floor. “Where’re Paul and Calli?”

“Umm, I saw them walk into the billiard room.”

She knew how Calli felt about Paul, but she didn’t know if Paul was expecting anything romantic from her. She eased back and looked at River’s face. “Does he like her?”

River shrugged. “Sure.”

“That’s not what I mean. He’s always eager to hang out with her, but
—
”

“Legacy,” River interrupted, “Paul’s gay.”

“What!” She gaped at River. “Oh gods. Are you serious?”

“Uh-huh,” River said slowly with a coy smile on his face. “Do you think I’d ask a straight man to ask you to dance with him?” River laughed. “I may not be in love with you anymore, but I’m still possessive.”

She gasped in mock outrage. “So you
did
get him to ask me to dance?”

“Oh, please. He can’t keep his mouth shut. I know he already blabbed.”

“Hmmm…I should probably tell Calli. I mean, she said she’s not interested in him that way, but if she keeps spending time with him, she—”

“Calli already knows.”

Her gasp that time was genuine.

“He told her a long time ago.”

Legacy just stared at him, too shocked to comment.

“I think he sensed she might find him attractive, so he tried to nip that in the bud.”

“But…but he always wants to spend time with her.”

“Because they’re friends. He likes hanging out with her.”

“I-I can’t believe she didn’t tell me this!” She chuckled. “I can’t believe
you
didn’t tell me this!”

He looked at her apologetically. “Look, Legacy, his personal life is his business, just like your personal life is yours. Some people aren’t as tolerant as they should be, so he’s guarded.”

“I get that.” She nodded.

“So don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Oh, of course, I won’t say anything.” She stared at River with a smile on her face because he still had one planted on his. She reached up and stroked his cheek. “That was fun. You know, talking. Without dwelling on our own drama.”

“Yeah,” he breathed.

She winked at him, and he chuckled. “Let’s get out of here. I’m tired of celebrating Valentine’s Day as a lowly single.” She laughed.

He escorted her off the floor and into the billiard room. Paul and Calli were just as ready to leave as she was, so they found Kate. Kate wasn’t as eager to leave. She and Seth had their arms wrapped around each other, his mouth at her ear, whispering to her. After she kissed him goodbye, he followed her out to Calli’s car, and he kissed her again as he held the door open for her.

They guys stood back, watching them as Calli started her car. Well, as Calli tried to start her car.

It didn’t start.

“Umm…something’s wrong,” Calli muttered. She turned the key again. And still nothing happened.

Legacy saw River’s brow furrow as he waited for them to pull out. She motioned for him to come over and rolled down the window.

“The car won’t start,” she said as he leaned on the door.

“Try again,” he said to Calli. She did, but it still didn’t start.

“It’s probably just the starter. I’ll take you home,” River said as he opened her door.

“I can’t leave my car here, River,” Calli said.

“I can’t push it to your house,” he said sarcastically, but Legacy’s gaze flashed to him, and she chuckled. He smiled at her and mumbled, “Okay, maybe I could.” He looked over at Calli. “We can call and have it towed to the shop.”

River pulled out his cell phone and searched for a wrecker while they got out of Calli’s car and headed toward River’s.

“You can ride with me, Kate,” Seth said with a smile. “Paul rode with River, so it’ll be kinda crowded in his car.”

“Okay.” She smiled at the girls as she veered toward Seth’s car.

“Er, we’ll meet you there,” Seth called out to River as he got in his car. River hung up his phone and gave him a nod.

She shook her head. “What’s his rush? It’s not like Kate can get her car until we get there.”

River gave her a dubious look. “I doubt he’s going straight there. He’s probably going to find a nice, quiet place to park for awhile.”

“Oh.” She pursed her lips to keep from smiling.

River chuckled. “C’mon. Let’s go back inside until the wrecker gets here.”

After the wrecker came and Calli spouted off instructions to him, like three times, River took them to Calli’s house. He and Paul stayed and visited until Legacy was ready to go. She gave them all hugs, and River insisted she call him to let him know she made it home safely. She did as requested as soon as she got home. Then she got ready for bed.

Legacy spent what seemed like hours tossing and turning, unable to find sleep. She was tired, so she didn’t understand why she couldn’t just pass out already. She finally started dreaming her same dream, so she’d fallen asleep and just didn’t realize it.

She dreamed she was sitting in a field, meditating under a vibrant sky. As she meditated, clouds rolled in, and she heard her mother’s voice.

“Watch out, for he lies. Evil lies inside the good,” she said softly. “He’s setting you up, and you’re falling for it.” Then her mother’s image—with the face in the photo that River had given to her—came to stand before her. “Be careful. He’s not dead.”

She woke up with a gasp. It felt like she hadn’t fallen asleep at all. She was so groggy but so jittery at the same time, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

He’s not dead
? What did that mean? She couldn’t wrap her head around what her mother just said. Could Adin still be alive?

No. She couldn’t believe that. She’d killed him. She saw his dead body. This dream couldn’t be literal. There had to be some hidden meaning behind it. Her other seasonal dreams were laced with meanings that hadn’t seemed so obvious. She couldn’t, shouldn’t accept this dream at face value either.

She hopped out of bed and ran downstairs. She needed to talk to Lissa or Olive or both about this. She needed to see what they thought about this new part of her dream. Neither one was home.

She searched for a note, but didn’t find one. She sat on the couch, trying to catch her breath, not sure if she had difficulty breathing because she’d been running through the house or if her adrenaline rush was kicking into overdrive. She leaned against the back of the couch, taking deep breaths.

She started when the doorbell rang. She made a poor attempt at taking a calming breath and then stumbled over to the door.

“I have a delivery for Ms. Kore.” It was a delivery driver for a florist. He handed her a bouquet of a couple dozen roses. “Sign here.”

She signed for them, and he wished her a Happy Valentine’s Day as he turned to leave. She walked into living room and put the flowers on the coffee table so Lissa could see them as soon as she got back.

First Kate, now Lissa. This holiday seemed to be looking up for everyone, except for Legacy.

As she stared at the roses, her scalped pricked as she recalled her dream. She found herself counting the flowers in the vase before she consciously thought of a reason why to do that.

She counted a second time.

She stood up, hovering over them, counting a third, then a fourth, then a fifth time.

There weren’t two dozen roses in the vase.

There were seventeen.

Chapter Seven

Seventeen roses!

She searched for a note. There wasn’t one. Because she’d been so wrapped up in her own life, she wasn’t sure if Lissa even had a boyfriend. She remembered some guy driving her home the night of her homecoming dance. Bill? Bob? She couldn’t remember. But if she did have a boyfriend, why would he give her seventeen roses?

Unless they weren’t for Lissa.

No!

She couldn’t allow herself to believe these flowers were for herself. But Adin had given her seventeen roses on their first date, and she just had that brand new addition to her dream last night.
He’s not dead
. What if…what if…
no!

She stood up, grabbing the flowers and holding them while she paced. She needed to try and think about this objectively, but her thoughts were flying in her brain too fast for her to make sense of any of them. She ran the flowers upstairs and put them in her bedroom. She changed her clothes and got in her car.

She blared the horn as she tore into Calli’s driveway. She jumped out and ran toward the door as Calli was running.

“We have to talk. Now!” she said as she ran past her.

Calli whirled and followed her inside. Legacy paced back and forth in her foyer, trying to gather her thoughts.

“What, Legacy?”

“I don’t even know where to begin.” She stopped pacing and stared at her. “You know that dream I told you about? Well, there was a new line in it last night. Mom said, ‘Be careful. He’s not really dead.’”

Calli gaped at her. “Legacy, I don’t think she means Adin is—”

“And then this morning, roses were delivered to the house. I assumed Lissa had some boyfriend who sent them to her for Valentine’s Day, but there was no note attached to them. And—”

“Legacy, that doesn’t mean they weren’t for her.”

“There were seventeen roses in the vase, Calli. Seventeen! Adin gave me seventeen roses on our first date, remember? He made a big spiel about how he wanted to give me seventeen roses. A rose for every year we knew each other.”

Calli stared at her, incredulous. “I, umm…huh. I don’t know what to think about that.”

The doorbell rang.

“Great. River probably heard me honking my horn. I don’t know if I should tell him about this,” she muttered.

The doorbell rang several more times in a row.

“Get the door. Um, I’ll decide if I’m going to mention it to him.”

Calli answered the door while Legacy stood several feet behind her.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, River,” Calli said like nothing was going on.

River handed her a box of chocolates. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Calli.” Then he stepped around her and walked to Legacy, handing her an identical box of candy. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Legacy. You saved me a trip to your house. Now what was the racket about?” he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

She stared at him. Then looked away. “Um, nothing.” She shrugged and looked back at him. “Just wigging out about the holiday.”

He glared at her wordlessly for several seconds. Then he said, “You’re lying.”

She frowned at him while she shook her head. “No, really, I’m just—”

“Knock it off, Legacy. I can feel your energy. I know you’re lying.”

“Ugh,” she mumbled, “you and your energy.” She stared at River while he stared back with his eyebrows raised, waiting. She sighed in defeat. “Fine. You know the dream I told you about? Well, there was more to it last night. My mom said, ‘Be careful. He’s not dead.’ Then this morning, seventeen roses were delivered to my house.”

“And you think these two things are related?” he asked indifferently.

“Adin gave me seventeen roses on our first date.”

“Oh,” River mumbled, looking down at his crossed arms.

“So I wake up from a dream that told me he’s not dead, and then I get seventeen flowers delivered.” She shook her head, staring at River. “I don’t even know how to begin processing this.”

River unfolded his arms and raised his hands. “Okay. Okay. Let’s just try to be logical about this.” He took a deep breath. “Who all knew Adin had given you seventeen roses on your first date?”

“Umm, Olive and Lissa.”

“Who else?”

“Umm, his grandma knew he was giving me roses, but he didn’t clarify if she knew how many he was giving me.” Adin had mentioned the flowers in front of her once, and he’d written about her knowing in his journal. Legacy didn’t want to tell River this, though. She didn’t want anybody knowing what was in Adin’s journal. She wanted his personal thoughts to stay between the two of them.

“Anybody else?” River asked.

She shook her head.

“Me,” Calli said, stepping beside her.

“Yeah, I told Calli. And Adin could’ve told anyone. He could’ve said something to his mom, dad, friends. I have no idea. It may only be just a few, or a lot of people could know. I really have no way of knowing.”

River nodded. “Okay, so now about the dream. You were worried you were being warned that some man was evil and you were being played, and now that man isn’t dead. Do you think Adin is the man you were being warned about?”

“No!” She shook her head, backing away from River. She hadn’t considered this possibility because she refused to think of it as even being possible.

River looked at her calmly. “If you don’t think it’s about him at the beginning, then why do you think it’s about him at the end?”

“I-I don’t know. Maybe it’s about two different men.”

River sighed as he stepped up to her. “Two men you need to watch out for? One that’s evil and setting you up, and another that you need to be careful about because he’s not dead?” He shook his head as he stroked her arm. “I think the warnings are about the same person, Legacy,” he murmured.

She looked over at Calli who gave her a dumbfounded look. She glanced at River. “Um, maybe the flowers and the dream aren’t related.”

River nodded slowly. “I think that’s more plausible than the dream being about two different people.”

She started pacing again, biting her fingernails. “So you think someone sent me the flowers to give me false hope that Adin’s umm…?”

“No, Legacy. I don’t know what to think. Maybe someone who loves you didn’t want you feeling alone today,” River whispered.

“That’s still not very nice,” she said as her voice broke.

“Baby,” River murmured, putting his arms around her. “I didn’t say it was likely. I’m just trying to come up with ideas.”

“Okay,” she whispered, stepping away from him. She needed to stay focused on why she was here. Since she couldn’t think objectively about the flowers, she needed to analyze her dream. “Who isn’t really dead that I need to be wary of?”

“Legacy, it could be anybody. If it
is
your mother warning you, it may be someone you didn’t even think was dead in the first place.”

She didn’t seem to hear him because shock overtook her body, and she felt the blood fall out of her face. “Casey,” she mumbled.

Calli gasped.

She looked at River, and his eyes were wide. “You said there was something dark about his aura. He attacked me. I think he’s dead,” she barely muttered as her gaze dropped to the floor.

“It does fit,” River said evenly. “He could’ve lied to you. Casey might not even be his name. Obviously he is evil for attacking you like that. If he’s not really dead, then he is playing you and up until now, you were falling for it.”

“Oh gods,” she whispered as she slumped to the floor. This had to be it. River and Calli sat down beside her.

“Who told you he was killed?” Calli asked.

“Um, the police called.”

River rubbed her arm. “We need to get a copy of the police report, so we can—”

“Olive,” she mumbled.

River and Calli looked at her, waiting for more.

“I didn’t talk to the police. Olive did. Well, she was the one who told me the police had called.”

“Okay,” River said slowly. “We’ll go down to that sheriff’s office and get a copy of the report. We have to investigate his death, so we can determine if your dream is about him.”

“Olive.” She paused, looking at River. “What if she’s not who I think she is? I mean, she knew about the flowers too,” she said as her breathing hitched. She’d already allowed herself to hope that Adin was alive, and now that hope had been shattered.

“What are you saying, Legacy?” Calli asked.

She looked at her. “What if Olive is behind this? The dream and the flowers?”

“But your dream talked about a
he
, not a
she
,” Calli said.

“Olive could be a puppet. She might not be doing this on her own. Someone else could be calling the shots,” River said, looking at Calli.

Then Legacy looked at River. “Your mother said her plan was already in motion and I wouldn’t see it coming. What if your mother got to Olive?”

River’s expression became angered. “It’s possible,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Calli shook her head. “Your mom is still a she, not a he.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “So? Olive might not be the only person she’s controlling,” she mumbled, stealing a glance at River through the corner of her eye. She remembered back in the summer after she’d gotten out of the hospital Adin told her he was worried Medusa would get River to do her dirty work for her. What if the dream was about River after all? What if Medusa had been controlling him all along?

River’s eyes narrowed as he glared at her. “I’ve already told you the dream’s not about me. What do I have to do to prove I’m not playing you, Legacy?” He stood up and stalked off. She scrambled to her feet.

“She wasn’t talking about you, River,” Calli said as she got up and followed her.

River turned around. “Yes, she was. Just because she didn’t say it, it doesn’t mean she didn’t just accuse me of it.”

“Er, are you two speaking telepathically or something?” Calli asked. “’Cause I didn’t hear Legacy accuse you of anything.”

Legacy glanced at her. “He felt my energy.” Then she sighed and stepped up to him. “I didn’t mean that you were purposefully deceiving me—again—I just thought maybe your mom is controlling you and you don’t know it.”

“I’d know if she were doing that.”

Legacy shook her head with a half-smile on her face. “I don’t think you would. I mean, think about it, River. Don’t you find it odd your mother is extremely dormant? Why hasn’t she tried taking me out yet?” Then she gasped.

“What?” he asked curtly, arms folded.

“Our bond,” she said slowly, staring off into the blank space of the room. “When Adin died, our physical attraction disappeared.” She looked at River. “You even said your feelings for me shouldn’t have—”

“Shouldn’t be gone,” he said gravely. His eyes shut as he stumbled back against a wall. “No way,” he breathed.

Legacy shook her head as she stepped back, covering her mouth. “All the bad things that you’ve done…it could’ve been her making you do them.” She looked around the room, letting the possibility of this settle in. “Even Venus.”

River’s eyes flashed to hers. “I’d love to put the blame on someone else, but I can’t just stand here and accuse my mother of being the one who orchestrated my behavior.”

“Why would Medusa do that, Legacy?” Calli asked.

Legacy turned toward her, brain churning. “She knew about the prophecy. She didn’t want River to be with me.” She paused, gathering her thoughts.

“If she didn’t want him to be with you, then why make him fall in love with you? I mean, if she could even do that?”

She glanced at River, and he was eyeing her warily. “Because if he was already in love with me, then he just needed the right seeds, the right coaxing in the wrong direction. She’d have known he would’ve stopped at almost nothing to have me. By exaggerating his feelings for me, she was ensuring that nothing would stop him.”

“But, Legacy, I mean, surely she’d have known you’d figure out what River had done…about Venus if not about the other stuff. If she did that, then she’d know you’d have been furious with River.”

“She would have counted on it,” River mumbled. It seemed like the plausibility of this scenario was finally sinking in for him.

“Why?” Calli asked.

“Because if Legacy was consumed with anger, she would be an easy target.”

“Okay,” Legacy said, walking up to River. “Let’s look at all the pieces. We have Casey, who attacked me, and I was told he was dead. Olive, who told me about his death and knew about the flowers. Your mother, who wants to destroy me and keep us from being together …”

“And me,” River said, “a possible pawn in her plan to take you out.”

They were quiet for a moment while they each contemplated the puzzle pieces. She needed to grasp Medusa’s intent where River was concerned, and as she tried to, she looked up at him.

“Why make our feelings disappear just because Adin died?” she asked him. “If she wanted me to be distracted with anger, then she should’ve left our feelings alone. Being in love with you after Adin died would’ve made me even more miserable than I already am. It would’ve been more drama for me to focus on, be distracted with.”