Goddess Legacy: Goddess Series Book 1 (Young Adult / New Adult Series)

by M. W. Muse

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Goddess Legacy

  Copyright © February 2013, M.W. Muse

  Cover art by JTLW Design © February 2013

  Penning Princess Publishing

  Maumelle, AR 72113

  www.penningprincess.com

  ISBN: 978-0-9882130-1-2

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Penning Princess Publishing or M.W. Muse.

  Dedication

  To JT Lacy for all the hard work you did (and still do) behind the scenes to ensure this new endeavor became a reality. Branching out on my own is very scary and exciting, but I wouldn’t have been able to take this leap without your love and support. To fellow author Parker Kincade for, among so many things, being my writing rock. I honestly don’t know how I published books before you came into my life. You are truly awesome. To my assistant, Carla Gallway, for taking on all those tedious tasks, so I can focus more on my craft. To my editor, Brieanna Robertson, for your meticulous eye and no-nonsense approach on whipping a manuscript into shape. Each time we work together, I learn something new.

  And to all my fans who followed me over to this new facet of my writing career and giving M.W. Muse the same love and support you have on my works in other genres.

  This book is for you.

  Chapter One

  “Surprise!”

  Legacy jumped and nearly dropped the new shoes her friend Calli had just bought at the mall. She’d been dragged there after school with dubious taunts of makeup and bling-bling, but had spent the majority of the time feeding Calli’s shoe fetish. And now they were at Legacy’s house, in the doorway, staring at a living room full of her friends and some people who worked with her guardian, Lissa. Great. A surprise birthday party. Legacy should’ve known she couldn’t sneak by the not-so-big-one-seven with just a nod from her non-traditional family and a night with her BFF.

  Especially when she’d told Lissa she didn’t want a birthday party. But she’d learned long ago that Lissa did whatever she wanted anyway. She’d been Legacy’s guardian since the night her parents had died when she was just a baby, and the woman had always been there for her, even on silly celebratory days like this one. Lissa and her mom, Dora, had been friends when Legacy was a baby, so she usually told her stories to help her feel close to her mom on occasions like this. Legacy feared today would be no different. Only now she’d be donning a party hat for trips down memory lane.

  Legacy smiled as she turned to Calli. “You must be in on this. I can’t believe it.” She was shocked her friend had kept the secret, not one of Calli’s strong suits.

  Calli Rhodes was her best friend, and had been for many years. She was one of those girls that came from money and lots of it. Being the fashionista she was, she regularly wore the latest fashions and rarely wore the same outfit the same way twice. Even though Calli came from money and would probably never work a day in her life, she never seemed to let that go to her head. Of course she usually made comments about other people’s clothing, but that was really the extent of her snobbery.

  “Guilty.” She fluttered her eyelashes with false innocence.

  Legacy hugged her and then turned around to gaze at the room, which had been decorated perfectly. There were streamers draped across the ceiling, balloons gathered in bunches and disbursed throughout the room. A large, personalized sign hung on the far wall that read Happy Seventeenth Birthday Legacy Kore! Everyone was grinning. Some already had plates full of finger foods while others had plastic cups with red punch. It was definitely a party in full swing.

  Lissa had one table set up with a several gifts, a different table with all kinds of snacks, and another table in the middle of the room with two birthday cakes. One was obviously a homemade chocolate cake, probably the one Lissa had mentioned making this morning as a ruse to throw Legacy off any party trail. The other cake looked like no ordinary cake. In fact, it didn’t look like a cake at all. If it weren’t for the icing, it would have just looked like a centerpiece as it was made into a shape of a beautifully wrapped present with a billowing bow atop it.

  Wow. Legacy felt tears form in the corners of her eyes as she fully took in the grand scene. Lissa had gone through a lot of trouble. Just for her. The woman in question stepped over and threw her arms around Legacy, hugging her tightly.

  “Happy birthday, Legacy.”

  Olive squealed next to her. “Are you surprised?”

  Olive Borne was Lissa’s other ward. But unlike Legacy, Lissa had adopted her. There had been talk about Olive’s mother putting her up for adoption before she was born, but no specifics were ever discussed. As far as the family was concerned, Lissa was Olive’s mother, though Lissa had been very open about the fact Olive was adopted. Olive was a couple of years younger than Legacy, and the three of them made up their happy home.

  “Totally,” Legacy said, smiling at Olive while blinking in an effort to keep the tears from falling to her cheeks.

  Truth was, she’d been very surprised. Lissa usually made her feel special on important occasions, but she had never done anything like this before. Legacy had always thought that she didn’t like surprises, but she had to admit to herself this felt pretty nice.

  “How long have you been planning this?” she was finally able to ask Lissa, knowing her voice wouldn’t crack.

  “A few weeks. Calli called me. It was her idea. Olive and I wanted to do something special, but Calli didn’t think you’d willingly agree to a party, so she figured a surprise party would be just what you needed.”

  Legacy glanced over at Calli. “You plotted this,” she accused teasingly, and several people in the room laughed.

  “I didn’t plot. I just planned,” she said angelically.

  “So the trip to the mall. The shoes. The makeup.” The speech about how I should make a pass at Adin, Legacy added in her head. “That was all just a setup?”

  With a wink and a nod, Legacy had gotten her answer.

  She turned toward the few people who were standing the closest and thanked them for coming. Several of the other people in the room got more snacks and talked amongst themselves in small groups. She started to feel a little more relaxed as the previously undivided attention she’d held turned to a more suitable level of interest and she continued to scan the room as small talk commenced.

  And then whipped her head around to double-check what she thought she’d just seen.

  Legacy gasped at the confirmation and then coughed to cover it as she quickly turned away, barely remembering her manners to excuse herself from the recently started conversation. But it was hard because she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t just seen who was here. At her house. Celebrating her birthday.

/>   Adin Sheppard.

  Gods, ever since she was little, she’d had it bad for the guy, and the fact that his grandma lived next door caused a few mini heart attacks for Legacy over the years—the only thing hotter than Adin was Adin shirtless doing yard work for his sweet grandma. Yum.

  Legacy had wondered when she’d get to see him again since today wasn’t only her birthday but the last day of school…and Adin had been a senior who graduated a couple of weeks ago. He’d returned today with the rest of the graduating class for the annual parade and float completion between the leaving senior classmen and the rising seniors. She’d put on her favorite outfit—a green dress with just the right accessories. Her official eye color was blue, but her eyes tended to change colors from blue to green depending on what she was wearing. Hopefully, her eyes had cooperated and had gotten on board with the color scheme when she’d seen Adin.

  And see him she did. But she hadn’t been the only girl in school eager to ogle one last time. Ellen and Kate had been fawning all over him and his new Camaro like they didn’t already have boyfriends. Yeah, it had bothered her in a way she didn’t want to analyze. It wasn’t like he and Legacy had ever been an item. He was just outgoing and charming in such a way that it seemed like second nature to him, making her insides melt every time he gave her any attention. Not to mention the fact that he was unbelievably gorgeous. Not that looks mattered to her, much. But the way he looked should be considered a sin. He was tall with dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He didn’t even look like a senior because none of the other seniors looked anything like him. It was as if he’d stepped out of her personal fairytale.

  Thankfully, Calli had mentioned to the crowd this morning that it had been Legacy’s birthday, and Adin had overheard. Even though it had just happened, the events would forever be burned into her brain…

  “It’s Legacy’s birthday.” Calli looked over at Legacy. “It’s a day for celebration.”

  “It sure is,” she heard, coming from behind her in an unmistakable masculine voice. “Happy birthday, Legacy.”

  She turned around to look at the guy who’d just wished her a happy birthday, but she already knew who had said it. She could hone into that voice from several feet away and still go weak in the knees.

  “Thanks, Adin.” She smiled as their eyes met, hoping she didn’t look like a star-struck idiot. “Nice car.”

  “Thanks. My parents promised me a new car when I graduated, but since I decided to go to college close by, they used the extra money to surprise me with something nicer. You know, now that there’s no room and board to worry about.” He swayed onto his toes. “So…do you have any plans for your birthday?”

  “Um, not really. I mean, Calli and I are going shopping after school, and Lissa is baking me a cake for tonight.”

  “Well, you look stunning,” he said as he took in her green dress. “That color really brings out the color of your eyes. They’re so beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” Don’t think anything of it. He’s nice to everyone, she reminded herself. “Er, you look nice today, too.”

  “You look nice every day, but thank you.”

  “Legacy,” Calli interrupted. “We need to get ready for the parade.”

  “Oh, okay.” Thank heavens she didn’t have time to process what Adin just said and make more out of it than what it truly was.

  Adin smiled at her and took a step closer. Her heart tried to break free from her chest, and she felt blood rushing to her face.

  “I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Legacy,” Adin whispered to her in such a sincere manner that it made her feel like they were the only two people in the parking lot. He stroked her arm as he stepped even closer in a move that she was sure to end in an embrace.

  She was silently screaming in anticipation. Sure, Adin had hugged her before, but she never got used to it.

  He held her tightly for a brief couple of seconds, and, somehow, she managed to move her numb arms from her sides to around his back before he stepped away.

  “Good luck on your float,” Legacy said to Adin to try to distract herself from the wonderful smell of his skin. “You’ll need it. Ours is really cool.”

  “You too.” He laughed and winked at her as she turned and walked…

  Oh yeah, she’d never forget that brief conversation or the way he’d made her feel. And now Prince Charming was standing in her living room.

  Since everyone seemed to be comfortable mingling with each other, Legacy figured she wouldn’t be missed or gawked at if she tried to have a private discussion. She walked toward Calli who was still talking to one of the other guests, but she excused herself and walked over when she saw Legacy with a frown.

  “What is it?” she asked with concern in her voice. “You look constipated or something.”

  “Did you, er, invite everyone here?” Legacy asked, ignoring the constipation comment.

  “I invited some of our friends from school, but Lissa talked to the people in your neighborhood and at her office and invited them. Why?”

  “Oh, I’m just surprised to see some of these people.”

  Calli started to turn around to scan the room. Legacy grabbed her arm. “Don’t.”

  “Huh? What’s with you?”

  She knew Adin’s grandmother lived next door, so he probably found out about the party through her. Legacy didn’t want her friend to make it obvious they were talking about him. Even though she apparently hadn’t figured that out yet herself.

  “Act natural. Look around the room casually. I’ll meet you at the buffet table.” Legacy couldn’t even say his name out loud to explain.

  “Er, okay…um, are you going to explain this to me when we get over there?”

  “Uh-huh, just act natural.”

  Legacy left her side and walked over to the closest group of people that were engaged in their own conversation. She joined in—they were talking about an upcoming storm. At least it wasn’t a topic she had to be fully involved in, so she could participate lightly in the conversation while watching Calli take in the room.

  Then Calli looked in Adin’s direction. Luckily, he wasn’t looking at her because she looked utterly shocked. She composed herself quickly and made her way to the buffet table. Legacy politely excused herself and walked over to the table, grabbing a plate for snacks as she walked to the end where Calli stood.

  “I take it you didn’t invite him?” Legacy asked as she grabbed a pair of tongs to get some food.

  “No.”

  “I figured that much when I saw you look at him.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked in a timid whisper.

  “Yeah, just shocked. His grandma probably told him about the party since you said Lissa invited the neighbors.” How he found out about the party was quickly taking a backseat to another issue, though. “Did you see who was standing next to him?”

  “Yep. Ellen and Kate.” Ellen Battles and Kate Travis were best friends who attached themselves to whomever they felt was popular at any given moment. Considering this was a small school and they really didn’t have cliques, Ellen and Kate tried their best to form them. Legacy liked them just fine, but didn’t trust either of them. They were both the type of girl who would stab you in the back to get ahead—Ellen more so than Kate. Since Calli was obviously the richest girl in school, they tended to gravitate toward her. Legacy was just an unfortunate aspect of that vanity they had to endure, but she pretended she was oblivious just the same.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Don’t worry about them. Just be happy he’s here.” Calli put her hand on her hip and smirked. “You know, there’s nothing wrong with liking someone, Legacy. I’ve liked lots of guys.”

  “Yeah, but you usually date the guys you like.”

  Calli chuckled. “True, girl. But maybe now you can make a move on Adin like I suggested earlier.”

  Legacy felt herself blanching as she shook her head frantically.

  Calli sighed. “Okay. Take it easy. I won’t
press it anymore tonight. But don’t worry about Ellen or Kate either. They both have boyfriends.”

  “Like that matters…”

  “I know you don’t like either of them, but really, I don’t think they mean any harm.”

  “They are fully capable of causing any amount of harm they want.”

  “True. But they don’t know you like Adin. He’s the best looking guy in school, or at least he was before he graduated. They’re probably just enjoying the eye candy.”

  “You know they have to be wondering what he is doing at my party.”

  “Which is something else you don’t need to worry about. Jeez, you could stroke out from the stress. I’ll go figure out what’s been said and make sure they understand his grandma is your neighbor.”

  “If you bring it up, it’ll look like I’m hiding something from them.”

  “No, it won’t. I’ll be really casual about it. ”Calli grabbed her arm. “C’mon, we need to keep walking around so it doesn’t seem like I’m hogging your attention. People will think it’s rude if you don’t personally thank everyone for coming tonight.”

  “I know. Just give me a sec.” She took a deep breath and then nodded.

  Calli threw on a quick smile to remind her she was supposed to be sporting a happy face, and then they disbanded. Legacy approached the closest group to chat. This conversation started out better as it wasn’t about the weather, but then it turned to her, and she had to put on her game face. These were people Lissa worked with. Legacy usually saw them a few times a year, every year, at picnics, holiday parties, and other office functions that family members were invited to. They asked her about school, plans for the summer, and the types of classes she was taking next school year. They commented on how much she’d grown since the last time they all saw her, and she was the gracious hostess, answering all their questions attentively and blushing at the comments about her growth spurt.

  When Lissa and Olive walked over to Calli and they both walked over to the cake, Legacy turned to face them.