Shadow Heart (Cursed Legacies, #2)

by Morgan B. Lee

Have you seen that professor? Scrawny as hell." "Indeed." Everett is far from scrawny, but I find myself fighting an unexpected smile at the shit talk.

He grimaces. "I don't remember details about anyone I've been with. Typically, I had to get myself fairly drunk to get through the paranoia before I could even get into bed with someone, and then I'd get out of that bed as soon as it was over just to be safe.

Then he snarls, baring his teeth, and⁠— He has fangs. Huh. Those are new.

"What?" he roars. I tip my head. "Do all blood fae have retracting fangs? That's⁠—" "What do you mean, someone manipulated you into bed? Who the fuck did that to you?"

"So vicious. Naen mahk.” In fae, that means good girl.

he groans his apology again and again, both in English and in fae, groveling between my thighs as he slowly unravels me.

"Keep your eyes on me, sangfluir. That's all I need."

I go from feeling dazed in an afterglow to battling amusement. Because of course, he has a bathrobe like any melodramatic fae on the brink of madness might.

Those corpse-eating worms terrorized me when I was younger, and so they were incorporated into my conditioning—especially when it came to avoiding physical touch.

It's positively sinister. I wish I could enjoy it more fully, but I'm drawing too much attention.

I came so close to telling them about the inconvenient little fact that they can't get attached to my heart because it was ripped out of my chest years ago.

as I understand it, consists of tossing legacies into an inescapable maze deep in Everbound Forest, where we'll be left to live or die at the mercy of some of the Divide's most fearsome creatures. It's supposed to be brutal. I can't wait.

But Crypt abruptly materializes, grabs the girl by her ponytail, and vanishes with her.

He’s just. The best.

The sound of her skull cracking on the stone is immensely satisfying. Maven and I appear to be the only ones of that opinion.

"Killing is prohibited while classes are in session." "Oh, dear me, whatever have I done?" I drawl.

Good gods. Now Crane is defending my actions? This newfound camaraderie is too strange.

I much prefer getting his eye to twitch and watching him descend further into madness. Oh well.

"There will be no more violence, maiming, killing, or, gods forbid, cell phones in this classroom,"

As one does

"How's your head, love?" I ask quietly, only for her ears. "Better than hers ended up." I smile, and my heart stops when she grins back, pure mischief and morbid humor sparkling in her eyes.

it's clear that, outside of necessary training, Everett wants nothing to do with me. I remind myself that the feeling should be mutual.

I'm fine with my bread and steamed vegetables, plus whatever this wobbly green substance is. I poke it tentatively with my fork, certain it isn't meant for consumption.

Silas's lips twitch. "It's called Jell-O." "What is it made out of?" I ask, bewildered. "Food coloring and happiness. Here, try some," Bael encourages, offering me a spoonful.

"Eireach chial, thiga ais thu'ganh," I murmur in fae. Come back to me, handsome lunatic.

"That advice really isn't yours to give, considering you let your keeper get devoured by Undead within the first week you were deployed at the Divide. So watch your fucking mouth and stick to coaching."

Even though I'm the one who ended her shitty father's life, I feel kind of bad for her. Which is fucking weird. Why do I keep having so many feelings?

I don't think that's it. I've gotten used to Crypt stalking my every move, so the fact that he isn't here right now doesn't sit right.

Baelfire's dark side isn't quite as pitch black as ours. So if he isn't comfortable killing a defenseless enemy, then I get the final say, and I say leave him the fuck alone."

Do I need to step out of line to get my turn? You know I love being good for you, baby, but I can try being a brat."

"W—what the f—fuck are you?" he sobs, too weak to push me off of him as his eyes flutter and roll helplessly. "I'm what happens when the Undead experiment on the living."

Death is not your destiny. Everything you have gone through gives you a choice—the ultimate choice. Whenever you think of ending a life, remember how hard you have fought for your own. It's too precious to destroy so heartlessly. Rein it in, Little Raven.

now she's shaking and in a blind panic as she scrapes herself raw. I can barely get the words out as I put the pieces together. "Who touched you?"

"I'm asking you to. Fixing my haphephobia will be torture and not the fun kind, but it's a necessary evil.

"How strong are your stomachs?" "Why do you ask?" "Because I'm going to torture this changeling, and oddly enough, not everyone enjoys that."

She opens her mouth, but someone knocks on the front door, interrupting our first half-official quintet meeting.

This is the laziest form of writing and I absolutely hate it

I must finish at the same time as the dragon because he lets out a harsh scoff and shakes his head. "Fucking Nightmare Prince." Maven glances over. "What did he say in yours?" "Mostly a grotesquely detailed threat of extreme testicular torture if we let harm befall you while he's away,"

I would never say it out loud, but I'm starting to miss my unseen stalker.

There never has been and never will be anyone but you for me.

gods be damned. Quintet or not, bound or not, I was always going to be yours, darling.

please dream of me, for if I could dream, it would always be of you.

"It's not that I don't like it. I was conditioned. It's psychological, and I need to get over it. I want to enjoy touch, and more than that, I can't let anyone use it to fuck with me again."

I don't know shit about magic, but I do know that the smirk twisting up Maven's lips is both cute as fuck and terrifying.

You care a lot more about others than you're willing to show. But I see what you're really like, baby. You're so fucking adorable." She looks appalled. "I am not. Take it back."

"He obviously just doesn't know how to handle you. But I bet you'll be a very good boy for me. Won't you?" The dragon nuzzles me more aggressively, the purr in his throat growing louder.

I allow my smile to come back. "Don't be. I thoroughly enjoyed it." His face lights up. "I love your smile. I'd kill to see it more." "You just did," I point out.

Fine, I admit it. I miss my invisible stalker more than I thought possible.

"The lizard can handle some extra heat," Everett agrees. Silas nods. I look between them, irritation brewing. They're not taking me seriously.

She’s going to loose it when he’s hurt

"It's like they enchanted this forest to be eternally creepy. The shadows, the deadly creatures, all the bones and hideous trees…" "Isn't it wonderful?" I grin.

All of me is shaking. How dare they hurt what's mine? I'm…mad. No. I am fucking livid.

I grab the tiger by the throat midair and twist, slamming him into the forest floor using his momentum and the unnatural strength I'm always so careful to hide. Before he can do anything but snarl, dark magic flares around my fingertips before I plunge my hand through his rib cage, grab his heart, and rip it out.

"You're right. This isn't a fair fight at all."