Goddess Revenge: Goddess Series Book 4 (Young Adult / New Adult)

by Muse, M. W.

  She turned her face and kissed his cheek. “I love you more.”

  Adin moved his lips back to hers, but kissed her softly this time, taking his time, crumpling her hair, whispering her name when he breathed.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he said as his lips left hers.

  “Me too.” Her hands rubbed along his back, igniting a more powerful shudder from him this time, and he closed his mouth over hers again.

  When he finished kissing, they stared at each other for several minutes, as if they were looking for any changes that they may have missed over the last month. Then Adin tilted his head and kissed her shoulder, tracing a path with his lips to her ear.

  “Please stop pushing me away,” he whispered.

  “Adin, you know I love you and want to be with you more than anything, but—”

  “No buts,” he murmured, shaking his head, his hair tickling her jaw. “Just…let’s just agree to find a way to make this work…together.”

  “I-I don’t know,” she whispered. Talking about this right now was nothing short of coercion on his part. She knew that.

  She really didn’t care.

  “Sweetheart,” he breathed, “we don’t have to decide anything tonight. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

  He kissed her ear while he nuzzled her hair. The feel of his breath on her skin made her tingle all over.

  “O-okay.” She squeezed him tighter, and he pulled her into another kiss.

  He rolled onto his side, pulling her up against him, kissing her deeply. He slid his hand down her waist, her hip, to the back of her bare thigh, grabbing it and hooking her leg over his hip as he pressed himself against her.

  That action detonated another round of fervent activity of kissing and touching, which lasted quite awhile.

  As their immediate desires ebbed, Adin wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly, longingly, before resting his forehead against hers.

  “Happy New Year, princess. This is just the first of many we get to celebrate together.”

  Together. If only there was a way to make that truly happen.

  Chapter Seventeen

  On New Year’s Day, Legacy now had a new perspective, but still dreaming the same old dream. She knew it was a warning. That much was obvious, but she found herself thinking more of this new perspective she had acquired.

  Her new perspective was a product of seeing Adin last night. She didn’t want to be away from him anymore. Someone was lying to her, and he was the only man she truly trusted in her life. Why should she keep pushing him away? There had to be a way to make it work.

  She still had to have the dreaded conversation with River about what he’d done to her change, but she seriously considered talking to him about this dream too. If he was still lying to her about something she was still falling for, like her dream had warned, then she wanted him to know she was on to him. Maybe if he knew that, it’d change the outcome. Besides, she really wanted a fresh start with River, and she knew they couldn’t have that if there were still lies between them.

  She got up and threw on her robe before heading downstairs.

  “Happy New Year, Legacy,” Lissa said to her as she poured a cup of coffee.

  “Happy New Year to you too. I thought you’d be sleeping in after staying out so late last night.”

  “Nah. I have to get the black-eyed peas ready. We were invited to Rose’s house for New Year’s dinner.”

  “Oh,” she said with a smile.

  Lissa’s head cocked to the side. “‘Oh?’ That’s not the response I was expecting. You do know Adin’s back in town, don’t you?”

  “Er, yeah, he came over last night,” she said, walking over to the coffee pot. Was she smiling? She felt as if she were glowing brighter than a neon sign.

  Lissa shook her head but smiled. “I don’t want to know,” she said quickly. “Er, unless you want to talk about it,” she amended.

  Legacy shook her head, and Lissa sighed in relief.

  “I’m going to get ready,” she said a little too eagerly.

  She darted up the stairs and showered quickly, using the body wash that came with her new perfume set—another Christmas gift from Lissa.

  With a towel wrapped around her hair, she looked in her closet for something to wear to Rose’s house. She decided on a brown skirt, brown boots, and a pink, v-neck sweater. As for her hair, remembering that Adin once commented that it was sometimes convenient when her hair was up, she decided she could afford to be a little helpful in that regard.

  Since this was the start of a new year, Legacy wore the tornado necklace her mother sent to her during the summer in an effort to keep her a part of her day—the new pearl necklace would have to wait for a very special occasion. She also put on her new diamond earrings and her watch. She was going to be seeing Adin, and she knew it’d please him to see her wearing these things. Since she was now resolved to find a way to make their relationship work, pleasing him pleased her. She had been worried if she showed too much interest in him—knowing they couldn’t be together—she’d only fuel his pain, but she no longer felt as if she needed to be careful with her actions in front of him.

  She wasn’t naïve, though. They couldn’t jump right into a new relationship, either. They’d have to figure out a way to make it work. She knew it’d be difficult. But she was eager to start brainstorming.

  After she got ready, she headed back downstairs, and graciously helped Lissa with the food she’d prepared. Olive was already ready, too, so they all made their way next door.

  Rose greeted them at the door, and guided them to the kitchen where Myrha was putting the last of the food in serving platters.

  “Adin’s setting the table,” Myrha said as she turned to walk toward the dining room with the food in her hands.

  Adin walked in before Myrha could leave. He looked amazing! Everyone else seemed to be underdressed compared to the two of them. It was like he had the same idea about dressing up for her.

  “Good. Here.” Myrha handed him the bowl and turned to walk back into the kitchen to get another platter. His mom was on a mission.

  He didn’t walk back out, though. His eyes met Legacy’s, and he smiled widely.

  “Hi,” she breathed, staring at him.

  “Hi.” His smile didn’t fade.

  Not wanting to take her eyes off him, again she said, “Hi.”

  “Hi,” he whispered through smiling lips again.

  Someone chuckled, causing Adin to break his gaze. He glanced at Legacy again before turning back out of the room.

  “Er, I’ll take the peas,” Legacy said too excitedly to fool anyone. She grabbed them off the counter and walked quickly into the dining room.

  Adin was turning around when she walked in. He walked over and took the peas out of her hands.

  “Happy New Year,” he whispered.

  “Happy New Year,” she replied automatically.

  Adin looked as if he were about to say something, but his head inclined to the door as footsteps neared. Everyone else filed into the room, so Adin quickly put the peas on the table and walked back to where Legacy stood.

  “Don’t you look pretty, Legacy,” Rose said, smiling as she put the platter she was carrying on the table. “Doesn’t she look pretty, Dinny?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, but he looked at Legacy as he said it. “You look beautiful,” he mouthed to her.

  “Thanks,” she whispered. “You look very handsome yourself.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Let’s take a seat,” Myrha said.

  Adin pulled out a chair for Legacy, and as he seated himself, she didn’t miss him pulling his chair a little closer to her.

  As the food was passed around, Legacy didn’t doubt that everyone noticed the permanent smiles plastered on Adin’s face and her face and the stolen glances at each other. The dinner conversation flowed naturally with everyone jumping in. When Rose would speak, she seemed to glow. She’d witnessed Adin’s
despair firsthand, and now, with him smiling and enjoying himself, his grandmother seemed to share in his happiness.

  When Adin finished eating, he slipped his hand under the table and onto her knee. She tried not to gasp, but she couldn’t help glancing at him. Their eyes met, and he smiled at her, squeezing her knee. She’d done really well throughout the dinner not staring at him, but as she looked at him, she just couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away. She was home. With him, she was home.

  “Oh, Legacy,” Olive said suddenly. Legacy unwillingly looked in her direction, and she noticed that Adin looked at her too. “I forgot to tell you. The police called this morning when you were in the shower. You know that guy who attacked you?” Adin’s head snapped in Legacy’s direction, but she just nodded at her. “He was found dead last night.”

  “What?” She barely whispered, incredulous.

  Olive didn’t have an opportunity to respond.

  “What is she talking about?” Adin asked her at the same time.

  “Ummm…some guy, er, grabbed me and tried to hurt me at a basketball game.”

  She heard a gasp and looked around the room. She didn’t know if it was Myrha or Rose. Both looked at her with panicked eyes.

  But they weren’t the only ones. Adin’s eyes were also alarmed, but there was another emotion struggling to dominate his reaction—and that emotion was rage.

  The rage brewing in his eyes tugged at her memory, making a distant memory fly to the forefront of her mind. “You don’t think I’m going to let him get away with hurting you like that, do you?” River had said to her the day after Casey’s attacks. Only she hadn’t had an opportunity to press him about it since he was eager to work on her shocking ability.

  And now Casey was dead, and River was conveniently out of town.

  Would he? Could he?

  She felt the blood fall out of her face. She knew there were no coincidences.

  “How did he die?” she asked quickly.

  “Um, the police said he was attacked by an animal while he was out camping with some friends.”

  “W-what kind of animal?”

  “The other guys didn’t get a good look. They think it was a bear, though.”

  Legacy and Olive seemed to be the only two people coherent enough to speak at the moment. Rose and Myrha still looked panicked. Adin’s rage was winning over his panic, and Lissa was staring at Olive in disbelief she’d brought it up now.

  Legacy frowned at Olive. “A bear?”

  “That’s what they think. But it was dark. They saw the huge animal like creature drag him into the woods, and when they found his body, he’d been mauled.”

  She shuddered as she envisioned the assault of her attacker, knowing this had to have been deliberate. She was having a hard time processing this, but she didn’t have long to try.

  Adin’s head shot to Rose. “We have to make sure it wasn’t a god who tried to destroy her.”

  “He’s dead now, Dinny. It doesn’t matter?” she said evenly.

  “Yes, it does! We have to know what family he belonged to. If he came here to destroy her, then he may not be the only one who knows. There could be others!”

  Legacy didn’t really think about him taking the news like this. He’d jumped to the wrong conclusion about her attack, and she needed to set him straight. “I don’t think he was a god,” she whispered, looking down at her fidgety fingers.

  “Why?” he asked a little too brusquely as his head snapped in her direction.

  She looked up at him and sighed. “Because he didn’t try to kill me.”

  “But you just said—”

  “He came on to me before the game, Adin, and I brushed him off. When it was over, he grabbed me and pulled me under the bleachers. His intent was not to kill,” she said awkwardly.

  The rage on Adin’s face morphed into horror as the reality of her attack sank in.

  “Oh, Legacy,” he whispered, pulling her into a hug. “Oh my God.”

  “I’m fine,” she muttered against his chest. “Nothing happened.”

  He wasn’t soothed. He just held her tightly as he shook his head until he was finally able to pull away.

  “Tell me what happened,” he said, his hands staying on her face.

  She took a deep breath and started from the beginning. Adin’s expressions alternated between horror and rage as she recalled the incident, taking it particularly hard when she described how rough Casey was with her. He continued holding her face, staring at her in silence even after she was finished with the gory details. After what seemed like several minutes, she couldn’t take it anymore.

  “What are you thinking?”

  His eyes grew cold. “I was thinking he got what he deserved, but it’s unfortunate I wasn’t the one to end him.” He spoke with true conviction.

  “Adin!” Myrha chided.

  He didn’t seem to hear her. Or he didn’t care.

  “I…I’d rather not talk about this anymore,” she said quickly.

  He nodded stiffly. He wouldn’t talk about it anymore, but she could tell he was far from ready to forget about it.

  “How was your trip?” she asked to try and force him to think about something else.

  “Fine.” His answer was too swift.

  Rose stood up and grabbed some plates. Myrha, Lissa, and Olive took her lead. As soon as the room was clear, she sighed.

  “Let’s go talk somewhere else.”

  He nodded, stood up, took her hand, and guided her out of the dining room. He took her to his bedroom, and she sat on his bed while she watched him pace, getting angrier by the minute.

  “Adin,” she said softly.

  “I never should have left!”

  She knew he was mad, but she didn’t think he’d feel guilty for not being there for her. His anger wasn’t directed toward Casey. It was directed toward himself.

  “No, Adin. Don’t do this. It’s not your fault some jerk tried to have his way with me.”

  Her words made him flinch.

  “I should have been there.”

  “I wouldn’t have let you.” She’d needed to play River, and she knew there was no way she would’ve been able to do that with Adin watching. It was hard enough doing what she’d done just thinking Adin knew she was spending more time with River.

  He stopped and looked at her incredulously. A flicker of light flashed in the coldness of his eyes.

  “You know I wouldn’t have,” she whispered, standing up. She walked over to him and slid her hands around his back. Adin held her tightly, almost painfully.

  “I know,” he breathed. “I-I just…it’s just the thought of—”

  “Don’t,” she whispered against his chest. “It’s over. Besides, I’d rather be talking about happier things.”

  He sighed. “You’re right.” Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head and left his head buried in her hair. It took him awhile to let go of the news he’d just heard. “So what are we going to do about us?” he asked, and his tone was much softer now.

  She stepped back and looked up into his penetrating eyes. “I think…we should do whatever we want,” she said with a small smile.

  Adin’s hands slid up to her face and he kissed her. She held him tightly as he walked her over to his bed, not breaking the kiss.

  When Adin’s mouth left hers and started kissing her neck, she murmured, “Okay. Maybe doing whatever we want wasn’t the right thing to suggest just yet.”

  He chuckled as he pulled away. “Legacy, I’m not going to make love to you…yet.” He smiled, stepping up to her, his hand brushing her cheekbones. “I still think we should wait until our unwanted bonds are dealt with, and we’re perfectly alone. No matter how much I may want you, I still want to do the right thing. But,” he said in a humorous tone, “I have thought a lot about it.”

  He stepped away and sat on the bed. She sat beside him.

  “Once I got the agony of our breakup controlled—it never went away,” he said quickly, looking at her,
“but when I got it controlled and I was in my right mind again, I realized we would still have a future together, so I found myself thinking about being with you in every possibly way again, as if we’d never broken up.”

  He seemed almost embarrassed confessing this.

  “Adin, I—”

  He didn’t let her finish. He gently pressed his lips to hers and kissed her again. “I just don’t want you pushing me away anymore.”

  “I didn’t push you away last night,” she murmured.

  He sighed. “You started to.”

  “Yeah, because I was trying to do the right thing,” she said playfully.

  Matching her playful tone, he said, “Oh, you did do the right thing. Very, very right thing.” Then he kissed her again.

  “You have got to start exercising some willpower. We’ve already established I have none.”

  Adin shook his head with a playful grin. Then he grabbed her and yanked her up against his chest, quickly, suddenly, touching his lips to hers. “Who cares about willpower?” he asked, and kissed her.

  But that quick motion and thinking about willpower made her think about other powers—well, not powers—Adin’s skills, actually. She knew he was faster than the average human and strong enough to do some serious damage to River’s face. Granted, River hadn’t ascended when they’d had their fight, but he was much bigger than Adin.

  She pulled away and gazed into his eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything,” he murmured.

  “Why are you fast and strong? You didn’t really explain that to me before.”

  He sighed and shut his eyes. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and opened them. “I’m not entirely sure. My dad has some theories, but they’re just guesses. What I do know is my mother is mortal, and my dad is not. I figured I got traits from both of them.” He shrugged.

  “So your dad is fast and strong like you?” she mused.

  “Yes.”

  “But he’s a god.”

  He gave one short nod. “Yes.”

  “I wonder why you didn’t ascend,” she mumbled, more to herself.

  “Sweetheart, there are people all over the world that descended from Greek gods that don’t know where they came from. Those people just think they have special skills. The difference between those people and me is that I know where I came from.”