Live Like Legends (LIVING LEGEND #3)

Epilogue

D ani and Alex had convinced Elise and Beetee to say a little longer than they intended. Eventually Elise had told Dani it was time and that Heaven’s Gate was starting to give her a rash, so going back to Purgatory was happening whether my girlfriend liked it or not.

We all huddled outside my house watching as Elise took the portal key Natalia had made for Beetee and drew a circle in front of her. The portal electrified with light and loomed around us. Beetee and her moms hugged each of us, the snake shifter pulling Daya tight to her chest when they embraced. She gave my father and Alex a hug filled with equal intensity.

They had said their goodbyes to everyone else earlier today, claiming that they didn’t want their departure to be a huge ordeal.

Axel barked in Reese’s arms, bouncing to get out of his hold. My best friend put him down, letting the hellhound run over to Elise as she bent down to meet him. She scratched the back of his ears and let him roll over so she could do the same to his belly. He would be good for Leah’s kids. We were told to never bring up Elise’s good deed, but regardless of how much she didn’t want to admit it, I knew she would miss her dog.

Elise picked him up and carried him back over to us, dropping Axel in my arms. “Don’t let him get into trouble or do…either is fine by me.”

“We’ll make sure of it,” I said, turning around and depositing the dog into Reese’s eager arms.

“Later little one. I hope you become the most terrifying leader in Purgatory. I’m sure they’ll write songs about how demented you are,” Reese said, giving her a tight lipped smile.

A portal opened behind us, telling me that Natalia was here. My father had invited her over for dinner as a friendly gesture but also to throw in some discussion about the future as well.

Elise rolled her eyes at us. “That is probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Let it be the last.” She raised her middle finger at him before giving her attention to Zane, who kept close to Natalia as they walked up. “Keep my room nice and tidy for me, would you?” She winked at him, giving us a small salute before dragging Beetee towards the portal. Zane grumbled some incoherent words, his face unamused.

Once the portal had closed, I looked up at the sky noticing that the sun had gone down significantly. Reese placed Axel on the ground, the dog following at his feet when he started to walk back to my house. Daya and my father were right behind him. I tucked Dani under my arm, so that we could go in and get some food when Natalia tugged at my arm.

She looked over her shoulder, silently telling Zane to take a few steps back so he wasn’t crowding her. He did so without question. “I know with everything that’s happened you likely wish for there to be no more secrets lurking around the corner.”

“That would be nice,” Dani admitted, chuckling.

Natalia ran a finger over her bottom lip. “When I did my check on you both, making sure everything was okay, as I’ve done before, I wasn’t lying when I said you were both in good health. Although, I did find something interesting that I needed to get another opinion on. I trust my healers immensely and I wanted their thoughts before making a bigger deal out of this than it needed to be.”

“Natalia, what are you talking about?” I pressed, placing my hand at Dani’s hip.

“I did a check on her after the fight with Markus and everything was normal, it was as I suspected. I meant to do one when you came back from Purgatory, but with everything that happened with your father, I forgot. Once I did it now, there was a difference. I had Xander go behind me and discuss his own findings. Despite my role in Oculus, I know when my opinions alone may not be enough.”

Dani stiffened beside me.

“You said we were in good health, I don’t understand.”

Natalia pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow. “You are, you both are. Dani is in a wonderful state of health. The kind of wonderful that has surpassed a certain previous aging curse.”

Dani pushed away from me gently. “I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s like the aura in your body has movement again. It is no longer stunted. I would like to believe it happened when…”

I swallowed hard. “When I brought her back?” Garrett had said it was like putting the pieces of someone’s soul back together. I had removed any remnants of Lilith which I had assumed was just her dagger, but maybe I had restarted her all together.

Natalia nodded softly. “I am deeply sorry, I should have told you this sooner.”

Dani shook her head. “No, no. This is… good .” The way she spoke was slow as if she was trying on the words and seeing how they fit in the current situation.

I smiled at the High Priestess. “On top of everything, I think this is the cherry on top of a perfect night.”

Natalia pointed her finger at me. “Quite right, Nicholas. I umm… since we discovered that Lilith’s anti-aging no longer applies to Dani, we are still trying to figure out what that means for something else .” Her eyebrows raised as if she was hoping we would understand what she was trying to say.

Dani rubbed the back of her neck, letting out a deep breath. “The anti-aging wasn’t the only thing she bestowed upon her people.”

I blinked, confused. I rummaged through my brain trying to remember what Dani had told me that night in my bed. I blinked again.

Good thing I can’t get pregnant, because you might be fucked by now

I found myself stuttering. “W-wait, she’s not…I mean she couldn’t be…I’m not r-ready for…”

Dani placed her hand over my mouth and leaned up to kiss my cheek. “Ha, you think I am? Deep breaths, babe.”

“I’d suggest using protection from now on until we can get a solidified answer. Xander makes an excellent contraceptive elixir.” Natalia winked at me before laughing softly. ‘For now that’s the best you can do and just be happy in whatever way you can.” The High Priestess motioned for Zane to follow her as she gave Dani a smile and walked past us.

“One step at a time, okay?” Dani brought my face down to look at her. I nodded, knowing this wasn’t the worst we’d faced.

She looked up, taking in a deep breath and placing her hands on her hips. “Let’s go to Oculus.”

“Now?!”

She nodded, her expression serious. “Just you and me.”

”But what about…” I pointed towards my house, but she just gave me a smirk. Her look told me she was daring me to say no to spending alone time with her.

I scratched my head, but conceded. I reached into my shirt for my portal key but she stopped me. “No, we are going to fly.”

“You just want me to carry you.”

Dani squinted at me playfully. “Actually, no. A couple of weeks ago, I was curious about something, especially with the hybrid power stuff. Natalia let me go to a more secluded part of the woods in Oculus and we discovered this.” Dani stepped away from me and took in a slow breath.

My eyes widened when her wings emerged but they weren’t textured like leather with talons at the tops. They weren’t quite angel wings either. The feathers were black, but gold lined each one, shimmering as the moon came from around the trees.

Each feather looked delicate, but there were so many I knew they were sturdy and tough enough to withstand a heavy hit. She curled them inward. “I have no idea if I like them or not.”

I pushed my own wings out and stood close to her. “I think they suit you perfectly.”

Flying with Dani was a new type of high that I could experience over and over again without getting tired of it. I liked carrying her in my arms, nestling her close to me, but this was something that felt like pure magic without us having to do much at all. She had swooped around me and I’d tackled her before she rolled away, falling a few feet down so I could chase her around in the sky.

We’d landed in Oculus to an almost soothing silence. You could hear people every now and then, but they felt so far away right now. I couldn’t wait to spend so much time here with her, with everyone. This was the dawn of a new time, a time where the past didn’t need to repeat itself, but we were vigilant that the past was to not be forgotten.

Flowers bloomed around us and the trees swayed with a slight breeze. Dani looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath as if she was letting the silence and whispers of the wind settle on her skin.

“Can I ask you something?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Sure.”

“Do angels believe in soulmates?”

The question stunned me, but it also wasn’t something I hadn’t thought about. I’d thought about it a lot more since being with Dani. “Not technically.”

“And what do you believe?”

I ran my fingers along my chin. “I think I don’t believe there is a destiny kind of soulmate, where the realms have chosen who you are going to be with for the rest of your life.” I reached out to touch her forearm, watching as her brown eyes bore into my own. “I do believe that we decide who we fall in love with and if someone is willing to hand someone else their heart, allowing them to keep it safe, then I think it’s a safe bet to believe that their souls are likely bonded in some way.”

“Nicely put, Mr. Cassial.”

“Do you remember when you told how my story would go? You told me that I would fall in love with an everyday angel and tell the world about our story; how I teamed with a living legend and fought the bad guys.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“I don’t think I ever wanted that. I think you were always what I wanted even when you didn’t know it. I think I’ve loved you far longer than I’d like to admit.”

She slid her hands up my chest and wrapped them around my neck. Her curls were defined ringlets that shaped around her face, her brown skin seemed to glow from the moon's backlight and the way she looked at me was something I never wanted to end.

Fuck , she was pretty.

“Take what Natalia said as a good thing, Nick. We can look at the future with all possibilities in mind.” She kissed me, biting my lower lip. “I plan on loving you for a very long time.”

I held her tighter. “Sounds like you want forever with me?”

“Maybe.” Dani let her fingers trail along the back of my neck. I felt a small amount of heat, letting me know she had ignited her light. “Does forever with me make you nervous?”

I pressed my forehead to hers. “Possibly, but a good nervous. You know how I am without a plan.”

Dani’s chest vibrated with laughter as her shadows curled around us, making it so I had to remain as close to her as possible until she let me go. “Oh, don’t worry Nicholas. I’ll take good care of you.”