The Never List

by Jade Presley

Kal’s has rubies, Pierce’s has emeralds, and Axl’s, sapphires. Mine has black diamonds, a nod to my Obsidian city.

Those eyes grin like a cat catching a canary. “With all the other sheep?” I’m already backing away, but I don’t break his gaze. “Baa,” I say, then wink at him before whirling around and losing myself in the crowd.

The rubies, that’s Kal Erhart. Sapphires is Axl Dawson. Emeralds is Pierce Bertrand. And the black diamonds…that’s Jax Lavine.

But I have to. I must. Because the prize I’m playing for is my life, and getting them to fall for me is my only chance of protection if the kings discover who and what I am.

A foolish intrigue, for certain—one of those dangerous cravings Ivy likes to playfully chide me about—but I’ve always been at the mercy of my own sense of adventure.

“Is it safe?” I eye the magical contraption suspiciously. He laughs again, the sound like the comfort of a warm blanket. “In my hands?” he asks. “You’re always safe.”

It’s only my body reacting to him, not my heart, and as long as I keep it that way, I’ll be fine. I decide that if I can’t fight it, I might as well drench myself in these feelings in the hopes of shedding all other worries. Is it slightly delusional? Maybe, but I’ll dive into any fantasy right now in order to keep myself together.

Worry slices through my chest. I can’t get too attached. There are so many obstacles she has to overcome before I can even consider the possibility of her actually belonging to us, but I can’t help it. Something about her makes me envision a future I have no right to picture so soon. What is she doing to me?

“You won’t always like what you see, Rylee,” he says, seriousness threatening to steal the heat from his gaze. “But if you want to see it, I won’t stop you.”

But even as Kal continues to kiss every inch of my skin, I can’t help but think, At least it’ll be fun on the way down.

“How bad do you want me?” I ask. Something flickers in his eyes as he looks at me—something serious, confident, unabashed. “More than the stars around us.”

“Clever butterfly,” he says, low and icy as he leans forward. “I would’ve had to tear off your wings if you hadn’t returned my favorite blade.”

“That’s right. I almost forgot,” she says. “You’re the big bad Nightmare,” she whispers.

This is no longer a game. No longer just about my survival. I’m willing to put myself in harm’s way for the Legends and their people… And I worry that instinct will get me killed in the end.

And Nightmares don’t fall in love and live happily ever after.

“How ironic,” I say, shaking my head. “That the Nightmare turns out to be a fucking coward.”

“I’ll burn the whole fucking world down and laugh the ash out of my lungs.”

“The minute I heard your voice, the minute I sensed your emotions, you felt like mine.”

“Legends live together, and we die together.”