Goddess Revenge: Goddess Series Book 4 (Young Adult / New Adult) (17 page)

“Wow,” she whispered. “I never really cared for my birthstone until now. These are gorgeous.” She pulled them out and showed Lissa.

“Whoa,” Olive muttered as she gawked at the necklace and handed it to Lissa.

“Very nice,” Lissa murmured as she scrutinized the substantial piece of jewelry before handing it back to Legacy.

She took the necklace into the bathroom to put it on and look at it in the mirror. It looked even better on, so she left it around her neck when she returned to the living room. Olive and Lissa complimented her on it again as she took her seat on the couch.

“You have one more, Legacy,” Lissa said as she handed her the gift that Adin had given to her before he’d left. She hadn’t forgotten about it. She just wasn’t expecting to open it in front of anyone.

She took a deep breath as she looked down at the present. She stared at it for a few minutes, not making an attempt to open it. When Lissa saw her reluctance, she got up and asked Olive to help her in the kitchen, so she knew Lissa was giving her a moment alone to open the gift from her soul mate.

Once Lissa and Olive were gone, she slowly pulled the ribbon loose and slid her fingers under the seam of the metallic paper. She unwrapped it slowly, not with the childlike fervor that she’d displayed earlier. No, this…this she wanted to savor. Once she removed the paper, she opened the plain box to find a note on top. She pulled it out and read it.

To my beautiful princess,

May your holiday be filled with love and joy. Though we are apart right now, please know I’ve been thinking about you with every thought that passes through my head and feeling your presence with every breath I take.

With all my heart and all my love, I will be forever yours,

Adin

She stared at the note while tears slid down her face. She could shut her eyes and hear him say these beautiful words to her. This moment was the first time in weeks she had actually felt whole, and it was because she was allowing herself to embrace the love they shared. She missed him. Gods, she missed him so much it ached. But it was more than that. She loved him. She’d always love him.

With an unsteady breath, she moved the tissue paper to find the gift below. As it came into view, she laughed lightly through her tears.

It was her conch shell. Adin was right. He hadn’t spent a lot of money. He wanted to give her back her shell—the shell he’d picked out when he was on vacation over the summer to show that he’d been thinking of her while he was away. It felt as if this gesture now was his way of telling her he’d been thinking of her while they’d been separated.

She traced her hand over it, reveling in the feel of her love for Adin. Then she slowly pulled the shell out of the box, bringing it to her face to smell it. It smelled like Adin’s room. She shut her eyes, transfixed. As she slowly opened her eyes and moved the shell over, she noticed a little black velvet box that must have been hidden in the hollow of the shell. She gasped.

Stunned, she picked up the box and slowly opened it. On top of whatever was in here was another note. This one short. It read
I lied
with a smiley face.

She laughed a short, shocked laugh. If Adin had lied about her gift, then it was about how much money he had spent. She moved the note and the air suddenly fled her lungs. Her hand flew up to her chest as her heart hammered away. She was staring at a pair of diamond stud earrings. Princess cut earrings, no less…for his princess.

She held up the earrings, watching how the light danced off the facets of the stones. They were gorgeous, simply gorgeous. She slowly took them out with trembling fingers and put them in her ears. Then she grabbed her purse and made another trip to the bathroom to gaze at her reflection.

With her pearls and diamonds, she really did feel like a princess, though she was ridiculously underdressed to be wearing jewelry of this caliber. Pearls and diamonds didn’t exactly go with candy cane PJs.

She dug in her purse and took out her cell phone. She snapped a few pictures of herself until she took one that showed the earrings perfectly, her face glowing with a genuine smile. She didn’t have on any makeup, and her hair was scary, but she wanted to try and capture the initial thrill of the surprise. Then she typed this message and sent it to Adin:
Thank you. They’re beautiful. Merry Christmas
.

Chapter Thirteen

She walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to join Lissa and Olive.

“Nice earrings,” Olive said enviously.

Lissa’s eyes popped briefly, and she nodded in agreement while flipping the blueberry pancakes she was making for breakfast.

When Lissa finished cooking and they were all eating, Legacy thought about her dream again and the fact she wanted to talk to them about it and get their opinions on what it meant.

“Um, I’ve been having a new dream, which started around the beginning of winter,” she said, and took the last bite of her food.

“Really? What about?” Lissa asked.

“I, er, have been dreaming I’m sitting in a field, meditating. The sky starts out bright, but clouds roll in. Mom says, ‘Watch out, for he lies. Evil lies inside the good. He’s setting you up.’ Then I wake up.”

As she remembered the dream, she thought about the note Adin had written and put with her earrings. He confessed that he’d lied. Surely the dream wasn’t about him, was it?

No, she didn’t believe that. She’d started having this dream before Adin ever told her he hadn’t spent a lot of money on her gift. He was being playful, not deceivingly evil.

Lissa and Olive exchange wary looks.

“Are you sure it’s your mother’s voice you hear?” Lissa asked.

“Positive. Well, it’s the same voice I heard when I talked to her in the hospital.”

“Legacy, that could be your mind putting her voice to those words. It doesn’t mean your mom is warning you about something,” Olive said.

“True,” Lissa jumped in, “but someone’s warning her. If not her mom, then Legacy herself…or someone altogether different.”

“Does it matter who’s warning me? Who is the person the
voice
is warning me about?” she asked while looking back and forth between the two of them.

“I-I don’t know,” Lissa said, shaking her head. “Who do you think it’s about?”

“River.”

Lissa and Olive exchanged panicked looks. “Er, that…that’s not possible,” Lissa said. “River wouldn’t be a danger to you.”

“That’s crap and you know it,” Legacy said. “River orchestrated the whole Venus debacle and that threw off my change. Now instead of enjoying a life with Adin, I have to avoid him to keep him safe. If Adin and River were both supposed to help me with my change and ascension, how could I not believe River is a danger to me? He’s forced Adin out of my life. I can’t turn to Adin anymore for help or support like I was supposed to. That was River’s doing.”

“Legacy, you’re looking at this all wrong. We know River is why Venus is here, and we all understand the ramifications of the decision he made, but he didn’t bring her here to take you out. He brought her here to create an opportunity with you because he loves you. He’s bonded to you through the prophecy. If you kill Adin, it’ll be because of the consequences of River’s actions. If Adin dies, the prophecy is fulfilled, and you no longer would be bonded to River. I guarantee you River wouldn’t have done what he did had he known he would’ve set that into motion. He knows you’ll either be with him while Adin lives out his life, or you’ll be with Adin and kill him. He just doesn’t realize you know it was him who threw off the emotional state of your change.”

“I know all this, Lissa,” Legacy said, exasperated.

“River isn’t your enemy,” she said softly.

Legacy felt tears forming in her eyes. “He…he hurt me. He deceived me. H-How could I trust him after that?” More importantly, why did a small part of her want to trust him again?

Lissa walked over to her and stroked her arm. “You need to find a way to forgive him for what he’s done to you. You can’t keep that hatred bottled up inside. You’re better than that, Legacy.”

“I’m not ready to forgive him,” she said, standing up.

And she wasn’t. River had done irreparable damage to her life, not just to her change, to her
life
. How could she forgive him for doing that her? Even though she knew she was letting him believe she had strong feelings for him as punishment for what he’d done, she never really considered forgiving him. That didn’t feel like an option.

She walked upstairs and changed her clothes. She took off the necklace, but decided to keep the earrings on. She wasn’t sure if she’d wear them every day. She didn’t really want to think about that. She just wanted to enjoy the earrings today.

Once she was dressed, she got in her car and headed over to Calli’s house. She wanted to talk to her friend. When she pulled up to her gate, she noticed Calli’s car was gone. She buzzed the house anyway, but no one answered. She guessed they went to visit family since it was a holiday, so she pulled out of her driveway and started to leave. But she looked at River’s house and saw his car parked out front.

She considered the idea of dropping in on him. She knew he wasn’t expecting her, but she figured he’d enjoy a little Christmas surprise. If she were really into him, she’d want to see him on Christmas. Stopping by would just further her cause, her agenda.

Using the gate codes that Calli had given her, she entered the property and parked next to River’s car. As she walked around, she noticed a brand new motorcycle parked next to it with a red bow still on it. She figured this was River’s Christmas present since she couldn’t really picture Medusa riding one of these. She continued up the porch and knocked on the door.

It opened.

Medusa stood in the doorway, staring at her. Crap. Legacy knew it was highly probable that the head monster would be here since it was a holiday, but she hoped River would’ve opened the door.

“Is River here?” she asked dryly.

Turning her head, she yelled, “River!” She looked back at Legacy. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

Was she for real? “I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by.”

The vile woman stepped closer to her. “I could turn you into stone right now if I wanted to,” she whispered.

No beating around the bush, eh? “Oh, but then you wouldn’t get my powers,” she mocked. “I’m surprised you haven’t tried already.”

She laughed a delicate, evil laugh. “My plan has been in motion from day one, and you won’t see it coming.”

A shock went through her system, but she kept her cool. “I’m sure I’ll figure out whatever you’re doing long before it becomes a problem.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Legacy.”

“Mom! Get away from her,” River ordered, walking up from behind Medusa.

She turned around to face him. “I wasn’t going to do anything.” Turning back toward her, she whispered, “Yet.”

He stepped up to the door and gave his mother a dismissive look.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to tend to,” Medusa said with a sly smile as she turned and walked away.

River walked outside, shutting the door behind him.

“I was just telling your lovely mother I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by.”

River’s eyes searched hers as he took her arm and stepped away from the house. “You know I love seeing you, but please call me next time to make sure she isn’t here,” he said as he practically dragged Legacy back to her car.

“Is…is that your Christmas present?” she asked, pointing to the motorcycle as they quickly passed it.

“Yes,” he said evenly as they reached the driver side door of her car.

“Is this your way of telling me I’m not welcome here?” she asked through a laugh.

River sighed. “Of course you’re welcome here. You’re more welcome here than
she
is.”

“Ha, ha. This is her house. I’m sure she won’t think too kindly of—”

“This isn’t her house. It’s mine.”

“Yours?” Her laugh sounded disbelieving even to her own ears.

“Yes. Now will you please get in your car and—”

“You’re serious?” she asked in a shocked tone while he opened her door for her to get in. “This, umm, this is
your
house?”

“Ugh, yes. Now please, please go. I don’t want my mother near you. It’s bad enough when my mom’s here and I know you’re visiting Calli.”

She shut her door and looked at him. “If this is your house, then your mom can leave, and I can stay,” she said with a smile. She was goading him, but she didn’t care.

River clawed his hands in his hair out of frustration and looked up to the sky. “Baby, I have to protect you,” he growled.

She reached up, grabbed his arms, and pulled them back down. He looked at her while she did that. She smiled gently and said, “I just wanted to visit with you for a few minutes on Christmas. We can talk out here, and then I’ll leave.”

“She’ll be watching us, Legacy.”

“Just a few minutes, please?” she asked softly.

River shut his eyes and nodded. He wasn’t happy about this, but he seemed to be giving her what she wanted—or so what he thought she wanted.

“So,” she started, “did your wicked mother buy you that motorcycle?”

“Yes,” he murmured, looking warily into her eyes.

“Maybe you should have the brakes checked,” she mumbled as she walked over to it.

River chuckled briefly in spite of himself and walked beside her.

“It looks really cool. What kind is it?”

“Um, a Ducati.”

She nodded like she’d understood what he meant. “Have you driven it yet?”

“Yes,” he muttered, looking toward his house.

She started to climb on it.

“W-what are you doing?” he asked, grabbing the handlebars.

“I’m sitting on it. What to give me a ride?” she asked as she wagged her eyebrows.

He chuckled like he really meant it this time. “I’d love to give you a ride, but I don’t have any helmets yet, and you will not be riding without one,” he said, staring at her with one eyebrow raised.