God of Wrath (Legacy of Gods, #3)

by Rina Kent

Still, it’s impossible to tell who is who. Or search for the one that I should absolutely stay away from.

Orange Mask rises to his impressive height that nearly eats up the horizon, then slowly, too slowly, his head tilts in my direction. The neon stitches glow in the near darkness as eerie silence stakes its claim. My spine jerks when his rough, deep voice echoes in the air. “I know you’re hiding. Come out and I promise not to hurt you. Much.”

Or Jeremy Volkov. Please don’t let it be Jeremy. A sane person would wish for anyone aside from the psycho Killian Carson or the crazy Nikolai Sokolov, but in my eyes, Jeremy has always been the worst of the Heathens.

My heart gets stuck in my throat and the only thing I think about is how the hell did I not have a panic attack like I do whenever I’m in any sexual situation.

Lan and I aren’t an item. Hell, he has no clue about my feelings for him and had friend-zoned me to the next planet when we were kids.

I’ve never been good at expressing myself—I’m a listener, not a talker. At least, when it comes to things that concern me.

“So this is how good girls like you get off. Does being used in the middle of the night like a worthless fuckable hole turn you on, Lisichka?”

My thoughts are confirmed when he stares at me over his shoulder, his eyes still in tune with the night, tapering and shimmering with that mystic darkness. If anything, they appear more unhinged. “Come back when you’re ready to be fucked properly.”

Can I kill him, Jer?” The kid stares at me with bulging eyes. Not at Nikolai. Me. Fucker is smart and probably heard that I’m the only one who can keep him on a leash. If I’d left him to his own devices, Nikolai would be a death-row prisoner by now. Or just dead.

If Landon didn’t want me to mess around with her, he should’ve put her on a leash.

That dull, maybe not so dull, person has gotten herself the worst type of attention. Mine.

but then she stuck earbuds in her ears and some assholes thought it was a good idea to follow her. Only I am allowed to do that.

“Why me?” “Because you had the audacity to capture my attention.” “Can I un-capture it?” “That’s not even a word. And the answer is no.

I’m positive she’s kept it a secret from her parents and grandparents, with whom she’s close to, so as not to burden them. Ava, too. But no matter how much she hides it, I’ll figure out her secret and drag it out of her kicking and screaming.

Bothering. That’s what she told him? That I was bothering her? Granted, stalking could be called bothering in certain circumstances.

Messaging Jeremy wasn’t a drunken mistake. It was what I was secretly yearning for since that night at the Heathens’ mansion. I just needed liquid courage so I could act on it.

I promised myself that if I have a tinge of the crippling panic attack and nausea that comes with anything related to sex, I’ll leave immediately. On the drive here, I waited for that familiar anxiety, the sweating, and the metaphorical paralysis of my mind. None of them came.

He’s tall and intimidating. Dark and alluring. He’s every fucked-up fantasy and more.

“You look so innocent, but that head of yours is a fucked-up place, Lisichka. My fucked-up place.”

I’ve started drinking all sorts of energy drinks, coffee, and any caffeinated stuff to stop myself from closing my eyes at night. Sleep scares the shit out of me.

I was so intent on leaving earlier, but instead, I do something I’ve never done before. I stay.

“Sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

While this isn’t particularly different from his usual expression, there’s something unusual now. An emotion so potent, it lingers in the air and strikes me in my bones. Wrath.

understand that Creigh and I were raised together. He’s like my brother, and I also feel the need to protect him.” “Do you share a parent?” “Uh, no?” “Then he’s not your fucking brother.”

“I’m not a nice man, Cecily. I won’t pretend otherwise, or I’d be doing you and myself a disservice. What I am, however, is someone who’ll slaughter your demons one by one until you’re finally free of them. I’ll touch your scars until you normalize them and can live with them, because they’re part of what makes you who you are.”

She stares at Ilya, who’s following close behind. “Does he take everything so literally?” My guard nods. “When it comes to you, I’m afraid yes.” “We need to fix that about him.” “Stop talking about me as if I’m not here.” I grab her chin and rotate her attention back to me. “Do not speak to Ilya when you can ask me.”

You felt left out of an important part of my life, the Heathens, and you’re here because you’re not my dirty little secret.”

“What if…what if…we’d never met?” “We would’ve sooner or later.” “How do you know?” “You were always meant to be mine, Cecily.”

He looks like a brutish version of my friend Aiden, which says something, considering he’s the epitome of savage fuckery among us.

Then I fall asleep with a smile on my face. I think I’m dreaming when I hear his voice whisper, “No one will hurt you anymore, Cecily. You have my word.”

Killian offers with an amicable grin that could land him a movie role or on a serial-killer poster.

Ava points her bottle of beer at her, then directs it at me with a narrowing of her eyes. “I still don’t trust you to treat my Cecy right.” “That’s where you’re wrong. She’s my Cecy. Not yours.” The table grows silent as Ava upgrades her expression to a full-on glare.

The one in front of me, in his pristine trousers, button-down, and designer shoes, is none other than Zayn. My colleague from school and another volunteer at the shelter.

I won’t allow anyone to hurt me again. Not even the man I’m sure is the love of my life.