Goddess Secret

by M. W. Muse

  “Shhhh…we don’t have to think about it now,” Legacy whispered as she rocked her. But her mind raced with possibilities. She knew exactly who she needed to talk to before she talked to Calli about this again.

  They continued to talk some more until Calli finally drifted off to sleep. Legacy gently crawled out of her bed and made her way downstairs.

  The guys were at opposite ends of the room. Both were slumped over in their seats with their heads down. She figured they thought it was best to pretend that the other wasn’t there to keep from acting up. As she came into the room, they both looked up.

  “How is she?” Adin asked.

  “She’s asleep. We can go.”

  Adin and River stood up, and they all walked outside.

  “I’ll see you Monday,” River said as he started to leave.

  “Wait a minute. I need to talk to you before you leave.”

  River stopped and looked at her. She glanced at Adin and stepped closer to River, but they were all standing close together.

  “You have to ask Calli to the homecoming dance.”

  River’s eyes got big, and he shook his head. “Legacy, I, er, I can’t do that.”

  “River, you have to.”

  River’s eyes flashed to Adin and back at her. “I don’t want to go to the dance,” he whispered. “I can, umm, ask my cousin if he’d take her.”

  “That won’t work. I already mentioned that I’d ask Adin if he could ask one of his friends. She doesn’t want to go with a stranger.”

  River’s eyes were pleading. “She knows Paul.”

  “River, she’s embarrassed enough as it is. She doesn’t want to show up with some random guy. This wouldn’t be an issue if she wasn’t on the homecoming court. She has to go to the dance, and I know you haven’t asked someone already.”

  River shook his head and shut his eyes. “Legacy, please don’t ask me to do this.”

  “Look, she hasn’t even thought about this yet. When she gets over the shock of the breakup, she’s going to freak out about the dance. I’m just trying to keep her panicking to a minimum. You are friends with her, so I think you are the best shot we have at getting her through homecoming.”

  River narrowed his eyes. “Legacy, I don’t want to go!” he whispered heatedly. Even though Adin could hear him, it seemed like River was trying to keep him out of their conversation. River shut his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t want to have to go and see…”

  The ground started shaking.

  Legacy grabbed River’s arms. “Stop,” she whispered. He opened his eyes and looked at her, and the tremors stopped. “I know why you don’t want to go, but I’m asking you to do this…for me.”

  River looked at her with sad eyes. “That’s not fair, Legacy.”

  “Ple—”

  “No!” River roared, and he quickly twisted his arms around so that her hands would be forced to break away from him. His reaction startled her, and she jumped back.

  That did it.

  “You don’t have to yell at her!” Adin said as he pulled her away from River and got in his face.

  “Back off!” River said through his teeth as he shoved Adin back a few steps. The wind howled. River had reached his breaking point.

  With one step, Adin was back in River’s face. She saw River’s fist for a split second at his side and then it was in Adin’s hand by his face. River must have tried to hit Adin, but Adin caught his fist in a defensive maneuver. It happened so fast that there was no way that Adin could have seen it coming. But somehow, he had.

  After that fraction of a second, Adin must have shoved River to the ground because River was on his back, and Adin was standing over him.

  In the next instant, River was back on his feet, and she saw both Adin and River draw back their fists. The wind was whipping her hair everywhere, and it had only been about two seconds since Adin first stepped up to River.

  They both must have made contact because she heard cracks almost simultaneously, but she didn’t see anything until River landed on the ground several feet away from Adin.

  She saw Adin take two steps toward River with his hand balled up ready to strike again, but before Adin could reach him, she saw River back on his feet with his fist ready too.

  After about five seconds into their fight, her brain finally remembered how to use her mouth. “Stop!”

  Two more cracks sounded, and she felt something wet hit her.

  She looked up at the sky to find the rain clouds that she created from her sudden emotional change, but it wasn’t raining. She wiped her cheek and discovered it was blood.

  They hit each other again, and she ran toward them. She wasn’t sure how she’d break up this fight because they were moving too fast for her to make out their actions, but she knew she couldn’t stand here and let this continue. Getting hurt was a risk she was willing to take.

  “She said stop!” As she screamed and thunder sounded, she pushed against both of them, even though she could barely tell them apart.

  As soon as she made contact with them, they flew back in opposite directions with their bodies contorted and they screamed for a brief second as they landed on the ground. Then they both looked at her in total shock.

  Thunder sounded while she glared at both of them. “Knock it off!” Lightning illuminated the sky.

  They both glanced at each other, and then looked at her as they slowly got off the ground.

  “Let’s go,” she said, looking at Adin.

  She headed toward Adin’s car and heard them both right behind her. When she got to the car, Adin opened the door for her, and River started to say something.

  “Don’t!” she snapped. “Unless you’re going to tell me you’re taking Calli to the dance. Otherwise, I don’t want to hear it.”

  River didn’t say anything.

  “Nice,” she said sarcastically. “Now I don’t get to go to the dance either.”

  “Why do you say that, sweetheart?” Adin mumbled.

  “Because I’m not going if Calli doesn’t go.” She got in the car and slammed the door shut before Adin could shut it for her.

  As River started to walk away and Adin headed around the car, they couldn’t help but shove against each other as they passed.

  “Ugh!” she screamed. Thunder crashed when she did, and they both glanced at the sky as they continued on their way. Men! Was putting up with Adin’s and River’s attitudes some kind of goddess test? Or just a cruel joke the universe was playing on her? Mediating egotistical brawling matches wasn’t part of the deal. At least it sure as hell wasn’t going to be. Oh yeah, she would make sure they both understood that.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Adin got in his car, and they left Calli’s house. He didn’t say anything to Legacy until they were almost to her house, and she didn’t look at him.

  “I wasn’t going to fight him. He pushed me and took a swing at me before I even did anything to him.”

  “You got in his face before that happened,” she whispered. She didn’t trust herself not to scream at him if she spoke above that. She kept looking out of the window.

  “I told you I was through with him, Legacy. He yelled at you and pushed you off. He scared you.”

  “I can take care of myself, Adin,” she said through her teeth.

  Adin didn’t say anything else on the ride to her house. When they got home, she didn’t wait for him to get her door. She got out and went inside with Adin right behind her. She turned around to tell him to leave, but then she saw his face. His eyes were sad, and his face was bloody.

  She sighed and walked into the kitchen without saying anything. She knew Adin would follow her. She wet a clean washcloth and put some ice in a towel. She heard Adin moving a chair, and when she turned around, he was sitting down. She walked over to him and gently wiped the washcloth on his face, cleaning him up.

  Adin kept his hands in his lap while he watched her eyes, but she didn’t look at him. She was still mad at him, and she
was going to make sure that he knew it.

  When she wiped along the side of his face, Adin turned his head slightly and kissed her arm. She felt tears starting to form, so she pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows while she continued to clean his face. She still wanted to be mad at him.

  While she worked, she glanced down at Adin’s lap, and his hand was swollen. She reached for the towel of ice and placed it on top of his right hand. Adin put his other hand on top of hers and gently caressed the top, not taking his eyes off her face, waiting for her to look at him. She slipped her hand out from underneath his and walked to the sink to rinse out the washcloth. Then she got some more ice and another towel.

  She walked back over to Adin and put the ice up to his lip. She could feel his gaze penetrating her, so she finally looked into his gloomy eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, barely a whisper.

  She nodded and looked at his lip. Earlier, she felt like she would scream if she opened her mouth. Now, she didn’t trust herself not to cry if she said anything.

  She heard Adin moving the ice off his hand and putting it on the table, but she tried to stay focused on his busted lip. He sat up straight and slid his hands onto her legs behind her knees. She exhaled heavily as she shut her eyes. She kept them shut for a few seconds. When she opened them back up, she tried to concentrate on Adin’s wounds and not his touch. When she moved the ice up to the cut above his eyebrow, she looked at his eyes again.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

  She felt her breathing hitch, but she fought back the tears. She knew Adin was sorry, and apparently, he was going to keep telling her this every chance he got.

  “I know,” she murmured.

  She walked over to the medicine drawer and grabbed some antibiotic ointment. She put it on the cuts on Adin’s face while he continued to stare at her. When she finished with his face, she pulled up a chair beside him and placed his injured hand on her leg to medicate it. He put his other hand on her other knee and stroked it while she worked. But working on Adin’s wounds made her think about what she had done to stop their fight.

  “Er, did I, ummm, hurt you?” she asked while she was looking down, putting medicine on his hand.

  “No,” he whispered.

  “It sounded like I did,” she whispered as some tears finally leaked over.

  “It didn’t even last a second, sweetheart,” Adin whispered as he lifted his hand and stroked her face. He wanted her to look at him, but she kept her eyes down.

  Since she wouldn’t look at him, Adin leaned his head down to force her to meet his gaze. When she did, he scooted closer to her, watching her eyes, trapping her with his stare.

  “I’m so sorry, Legacy. I never meant to upset you. I know you had a difficult night with Calli, and the last thing you needed was me adding to your stress.”

  “It wasn’t just your fault.” She knew Adin was right earlier. River had hit him first, but that didn’t change the fact that she was mad at both of them—she wanted to be mad.

  “Yeah, but I should have restrained him rather than fought him back.”

  Adin mentioning the fight got her curiosity churning. “How…how were you able to, ummm, catch his hand like that and push him down with one hand?”

  Adin sighed and shut his eyes. “Because I’m fast and really strong.”

  She nodded and looked down. “I could hardly keep up. You both were moving so fast,” she whispered.

  “I know we were.”

  “You could have really gotten hurt,” she said as more tears leaked over.

  Adin looked up and wiped her tears. “I only fought back as much as I needed to.”

  “Why are you so fast and strong? I understand why River may be. He’s going through changes and will be a god, but you didn’t ascend.”

  “Just because I don’t have abilities doesn’t mean I’m without skills.”

  She didn’t really understand what he meant by that, but after the night she had, she wasn’t coherent enough to process it. She stood up and put the medicine back in the drawer.

  “I’m going to bed.”

  “Where’s Lissa?” Adin whispered.

  “In bed, I guess.” She shrugged. It was the middle of the night. Where else would she be? But Legacy knew what he was getting at.

  “Can I come up with you?” he asked softly.

  She understood why he wanted to come up. He didn’t like the thought of leaving and her still being mad at him. She looked at his pleading eyes and nodded. “Your pajamas are in my room.”

  She turned away and walked upstairs. After they brushed their teeth, she stayed in the bathroom to get ready for bed while Adin changed in her bedroom. When she came into the room, he was standing against her desk with his arms folded across his chest. His bare chest.

  “Was your t-shirt not with your pajama pants?” she asked as she walked over to the bed.

  “Yeah, but I don’t usually sleep in a shirt. Is it okay with you if I don’t?” Adin asked as he walked up to her and stroked her arm.

  She shrugged and turned her back to him to get into the bed. Adin leaned over and moved the covers for her to get in. After she climbed in, he walked around and got in, snuggling up against her. He gently brushed her hair away from her ear and put his lips to it.

  “I love you, Legacy.”

  She moved her hand up to the side of his face and stroked it once. “I love you too.” Being mad didn’t change that. Nothing would ever change that.

  She fell asleep with her back to Adin, but when she woke up, she was lying on his chest. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and she had her leg draped over his.

  As she adjusted to the new day, she didn’t feel mad anymore. She wasn’t sure if it was the time or the comfort of Adin’s arms, but she felt at peace. As she stretched, Adin rubbed his hands on her back, so she sat up and looked at him.

  “How long have you been awake?” she asked as she yawned.

  “Awhile.”

  Hmmm…It sounded as if Adin was deep in thought. “What have you been thinking about?”

  “Everything.”

  She nodded and looked away from him. If he was really thinking about everything, that was a lot to focus on first thing in the morning.

  “But mostly I’ve been feeling your heart beat against mine, listening to your breath and feeling it against my skin, and watching how the fan makes your hair move against my chest.”

  She looked back at Adin and half-smiled at him.

  He sat up and stroked her arm. “Please don’t be mad at me, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head. “I know you have every right to be, but I can’t take you being upset with me.”

  She sighed. “I’m not mad at you anymore. I’m still not happy you fought with River, but we were all under a lot of stress last night.”

  Adin slid his hands onto her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

  “I know you’re tired of River’s behavior, and honestly, if I were alone with Venus, I’d savor the opportunity to beat the dog mess out of her.”

  Adin cracked a smile. “You’d do some serious damage.”

  She smiled back. “That’s a nice thought.”

  He sighed as he gazed into her eyes. “Do you know how you did what you did last night?”

  She knew exactly what he was talking about. “I have no idea how I was able to stop the two of you.”

  “What did it feel like to you?” he asked as he moved his hand down her arm and took her hand into his.

  “It didn’t feel like anything. I mean, I was mad you were fighting, and I knew I had to put a stop to it. When I put my hands on each of you, it just felt like a regular touch.” She looked down at her fidgety fingers trying to caress the top of their joined hands. “What did it feel like to you?”

  Adin looked down, took her free hand into his other, and kept his eyes focused on them. “I guess it felt like getting shocked, but I’ve never been shocked before.”

  She nodded. S
he figured that was what he was going to say, but his words still seemed careful. Now, she needed to break some news to him that he wouldn’t like. Talking to Adin was only half the battle. The easy half. “I have to go talk to River today.”

  Adin looked up at her. “No, Legacy.”

  “I’m not asking you, Adin. I’m letting you know I’m going.”

  “Then I’m coming with you.”

  “No.” She let go of his hands and crossed her arms across her chest. “I need to talk to him alone.”

  Shaking his head, he stopped and tilted it to the side, eyes penetrating her. “Legacy, it’s not safe.”

  “I can handle River.”

  He groaned. “I’m not worried about him,” he said, but his tone said otherwise.

  “Yes, you are. Medusa has been out of town plotting my demise. You don’t want me around River for personal reasons.”

  Adin sighed. “You’re right. I don’t want you around him at all, but if you’re going to talk to him, I’d rather you call him and ask him to come over here.”

  She nodded as she dropped her arms. “I’ll try that, but if he doesn’t come over here, I’m going over there.”

  Adin shook his head again, but didn’t say anything. She grabbed her phone and called River. He didn’t answer, but his voicemail picked up.

  “This is Legacy. We need to talk. It’s eight o’clock in the morning. If you are not at my house by ten, I’m coming over there.” She hung up the phone and looked at Adin. “If he doesn’t show up, you can take me over there, but I want to speak to him alone.”

  Adin sighed, but nodded, giving in, though he really didn’t have a choice. “I can check on Calli while you talk to him.”

  They got up and brushed their teeth. Afterward, Adin put on his shirt and shoes.

  “I’m going to my grandma’s to shower and change.”

  He kissed her forehead before leaving, and after he left, she jumped in the shower. She was just getting out when she heard Lissa downstairs.

  “Legacy? Can you come down here?”

  “Yeah. Just a minute.”