Divine Fate (Cursed Legacies, #4)

by Morgan B. Lee

“I don’t blame you for lusting over them, but if you look at what belongs to me again, I’ll hex you to piss shards of glass for the rest of your rapidly shortening lifetime.”

That made it seem like I was threatening them again, didn’t it? I realize. Maybe don’t pull knives out in casual conversation, Everett suggests. He’s clearly amused, as are the others. Crypt is outright laughing at me, kissing the back of my hand.

Surely your mother— Crane pauses that telepathic thought to shudder slightly—doesn’t truly want someone sacrificed in your honor. Right? Maven’s answer is matter-of-fact. From what I remember of her so far, she wouldn’t not want it.

I’ll retire the idea of slowly driving you mad in your dreams for the next few decades.” He stares at me. “You were planning on driving me insane?” “Of course. You hurt her,” I shrug.

Everett gave me the rundown on how my dragon spent the last six months. Eating, burning shit, sleeping in caves, burning shit, killing people and—big surprise, setting fire to more shit.

Half god, half human?” “Yes.” “And the Syntyche is your mother?” “I’ll introduce you, if you want.” He recoils and falls back to walk with the rest of the Decimuses, which makes Silas laugh darkly from where he walks on my left side.

When I awkwardly reach up to pat her head as a sign of comfort, Kenzie’s flurry of frantic panic slows.

get your ass next to me so I can breathe again. So needy, I tease. You have no fucking idea.

“Have I mentioned how entertaining it is to watch you around anyone in tears, darling?” “Their faces are leaking. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?” I point out, shuddering.

My heart might be broken, I inform my quintet. You’re just nervous, Baelfire says, smiling reassuringly at me. It’s normal because public speaking is a bag of ass. But you’ve got this, Raincloud.

This was a terrible idea, Everett broods through the bond. Dreadful, Crypt agrees. Just have her take down the dreamcatchers, love. You’ll barely notice I’m in there. Or just come back to our apartment, Baelfire chips in. We’ll help you get ready.

Our keeper is right, Silas muses. We’d fuck her seven ways to the Beyond and bring her to the celebration with cum dripping between her thighs to remind everyone who we belong to.

She sighs. “May. I’m lamenting the temporary future loss of my spectacular physique. Now is not the time to remind me of how thoroughly traumatized you are, you poor, short reaper baby.”

I’ll ask Crypt to steal all the cute baby clothes you need.” Kenzie bursts into tears again. “This is just so fucking nice! Oh my gods, May, you’d steal baby clothes for me? Gods, I missed you so much,”

“I just forgot for a second all the shit you went through. It’s one thing to choose not to have kids and another thing if someone else took the choice away from you completely. Stupid motherfucking necromancers,” she snarls, throwing one of the dress bags at a wall.

We’re not fine, Everett groans. You always look gorgeous, Snowdrop. Just come outside. Hang on. You’re not all just waiting around out there in the hallway, are you? Would you rather this, or us ripping each other apart in the apartment?

You four need a hobby. I have a hobby, Crypt sighs wistfully. But I can’t enjoy it properly with those damned dreamcatchers up. Stalking doesn’t count as a hobby, Everett grouches.

Oh. Holy. Fucking. Gods. That dress. That woman. And I thought I was feral before.

Another bet, then, Crypt suggests as his eyes remain pinned on our keeper. This one has no deadline or prize aside from proving who can worship our girl the best. I’m in, I say almost at the same time as the others.

Tell me again, I plead with Maven, only speaking to her telepathically.

I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. Those words are my lifeline.

When Maven sees the state he’s in, she glances at Silas. That’s all she needs to do before he crouches to help Asher heal some of the more serious bullet wounds.

“So that’s why the wraith didn’t get to you,” she muses. “That’s a blessing, not a tattoo. You were touched by Arati.”

“Her screams cut off before I could finish handling these guys. I’m sorry.”

I've never seen Maven break the way she does now. In the shocked silence of this haunting forest, her first cry of grief tears my heart clean in two. For the first time since I met my resilient, strong keeper, she breaks down into heart-rending tears.

Out of all the things that motherfucking wraith could have done to hurt her, this is the worst.

After all, my keeper found a way back from fucking Paradise when the gods insisted she had to stay. If the gods themselves couldn't stop her from accomplishing what she put her mind to, how the hell do I stand a chance?

“You avenged her beautifully,” Crypt adds, brushing hair out of her tear-stained face. “So she did,” a woman's voice murmurs beside us.

One, I killed Gideon. Two, my mother is here. Three, Lillian is dead.

“I need to say goodbye to Lillian.” “So you mentioned, in between all the threats.”

Holy fuck, Mayflower. You look just like… The resemblance… Everett starts to agree before trailing off in equal terrified fascination.

Don't go, darling, he whispers inside my head. I can't follow you there. Don't do this to me again.

As always, she doesn’t go for the hug without me initiating it. And I do. Of course, I do.

So. This one fucking hurts.

“I saw a brilliant, fiercely determined girl who put others ahead of herself every time and never asked for anything in exchange.

“Mom!” a girl's voice shouts in the distance.

Full. On. Tears. Now. Wtf.

“Okay, Uncle Judge. Take me back.”

“He can’t speak, Sweet Pea.” Sweet Pea?

his presence is a palpable thing. Even as a spirit, it's like he has his own gravitational pull. Warm and kind and strong and...fatherly.

“I’m so proud of you, it hurts. Getting to watch you grow and fight and become you from my place in the Beyond has been the greatest reward I could have possibly asked for.” Oh.

I nod a little too aggressively. This is such unfamiliar territory that I’m completely out of my depth, so I blurt the one thing I think is relevant. "I wish I knew you while you were alive."

“We’ll have so much time together in your afterlife someday, you'll get sick of me. But for now, I’ll happily share in all your happiest moments from here. All right?”

Damn it I didn’t think this book was going to make me cry. Maybe I’m on my period. I dont know.

“I love you, Sweet Pea. I always have and I always will. I just have a favor to ask.” A favor? I hesitate. “Okay.” “Stop thinking you’re tainting our last name. You don’t have to go by Amato if you don’t want to, but…I would be extremely honored if you did.”

“It’s time to return.” I study her. “That was the favor you asked Sachar for. You just wanted me to meet Amato.” “Yes.”

Changed your mind? Baelfire frowns, checking through the bond. No. I just got back. Holy shit, that was a fast goodbye. Her mother is the goddess of time, you fucking dolt, Crypt points out.

I turn back to Syntyche. “Thank you.” She dips her head slightly. “I anticipate more polite prayers from you in the future. Or from your mortal matches. Some of their prayers have amused me.” When her dark gaze moves to Everett, he turns redder than I’ve ever seen him and covers his face. What is she talking about? I ask only him. Nothing. But feel free to reap my soul to make this moment end sooner.

“An army of Mavens to confuse the Entity’s visions of the battle. What a clever goddess we have.” “She’s flawlessly vicious,” I agree.

They weren’t just deserters. They were legacies who sat back and watched dozens of humans in their troop get slaughtered in a surge at the front lines. When I asked how they all survived when the humans didn’t, they made jokes about how weak humans are in comparison to ‘our kind.’ I had enough shit to handle without adding politically prejudiced assholes to the mix, so I made an example out of them. Good, Maven nods.

Actually, I’m the Crypt keeper, Maven corrects smoothly through the bond, glancing back at the Nightmare Prince. Crypt grins. That you are, love. Well played.

“How disturbed do you think Asher Douglas will be if we ask him to move the bodies to the dungeon?” “Extremely,” I decide. She smiles. “Excellent.”

“Than comper nas leathu,” he murmurs, also trying to catch his breath. “Tha galeath.” Which is fae for, I’m always better with you. I love you.