Page 14 of The Never List (Never List #1)

Rylee

Several hours later, my legs are still weak from what Kal did to me.

Fire flares along my skin just thinking about it. I’ve never—not once —come so hard before. And that was just his mouth. I can’t imagine what else he can do to my body, what pleasures he can wring from it.

And right there in the café, next to an unlocked door where anyone could have walked in on us. This man is all kindness and charm on the outside, but delicious risk-taking on the inside. The combination is intoxicating, but it’s doing horrible things to the defenses I’m trying to hold in place.

Since Kal’s utter devastation of all my better senses, I’ve seen the many faces that make up the Ruby Aire, from the innovative businesses to the museums and everything in between. But the Crimson Riverwalk is my favorite. It’s a long stretch of river that winds along the city’s border with a gorgeous bridge that connects the lands on either side, all manner of shops and nightclubs and taverns along the way.

Mirren joined us around midday, arriving by carriage, and neither she nor the Occuli have stopped following us once. Not that I expected they would, but it’s a little hard to get used to, especially when I’ve lived my life trying to avoid attention.

“The guys are meeting us here,” Kal says after the sun has long since set, the stars casting the red city lights in a silver glow. “I’m sure you’re hungry.” He holds open the door to a grand brick building situated near the end of the Riverwalk.

“I can always eat,” I answer honestly and walk inside.

The sounds of violins and other string instruments swell as we enter, cast throughout the space by magic, making the song reverberate along the dark walls. It’s almost too dark to see anything, but crimson candles and lanterns hang in sections, bathing everything in that ruby glow that is the signature of Kal’s city.

A marble bar takes up the length of one wall to our left, an endless number of bottles stacked on shelves behind it. Private half-circle tables with cushioned seats take up an elevated space on the right, with a few smaller round tables scattered around the ground level.

Kal leads us through the crowded space and up a set of roped-off stairs, guiding us to one of the private tables. My breath catches as Axl slides out of it, rising to meet us. Pierce and Jax remain seated behind the middle of the table. Pierce gives me a nod, but Jax scans the room, looking very much like he’s lording over the place even though it doesn’t belong to him.

And for some reason I can’t explain, something tight inside my chest eases when I set eyes on each of the Legends.

Where is that coming from? Is it some side effect of the Choosing I haven’t been made aware of? I barely know these men, and I’ve hated their fathers—and them by their relation to them—for most of my life. How can I breathe easier at just the sight of them?

My connection to Kal, I understand. I’ve learned so much about him today. I know the way he takes his coffee, that he prefers sweet to savory, and that he will do anything for his people. That much was clear when we were stopped earlier by a woman who begged Kal for special approval on renovations to her clothing shop. Kal signed the licenses needed without batting an eye or demanding a favor in return.

“Fuck, Rylee,” Axl says after shaking Kal’s hand. He scoops me up in a bear hug like we’re old friends reuniting after a lengthy separation, spinning me around with my feet dangling off the floor before setting me back down. “You’re downright edible in blue,” he says, his smile wide as he glances at Kal. “How jealous did this make you?”

I chuckle, unable to resist Axl’s energy. No wonder he’s the Player—he’s always in a good mood.

“How could it make me jealous when she looks this delicious?” Kal’s eyes meet mine as he casually wets his lips. A deep shiver rakes up my center at the movement, and he flashes me a knowing look.

Goddesses help me, I’m ready to fall on my knees for this one.

Axl winks at me before sliding back into the spot next to Jax, who still has barely looked at me. My chest only twinges a little at that fact, but the sting is quickly washed away as Pierce stands and steps into my path. He grabs my hand and kisses the back of it, breaking the indifferent mood from yesterday. My heat skips a beat at the intensity in his eyes.

“Are you enjoying the city?” Pierce asks, releasing me.

“Yes,” I answer. “The Riverwalk is my favorite so far.” Pierce guides me into the bench seat, and its horseshoe-like shape means that when I slide in, I end up next to Jax. Pierce settles on my other side, and Kal takes the remaining seat next to Axl.

I hate the spark that flares to life inside me at Jax’s proximity—the same one that got me into this mess in the first place. The one that has me desperate to hear him laugh, to hear him flirt, to have him ask me to dance again.

Was that only last night? Time is flying by in a whirlwind. With so much new information shoved in my brain, it feels like weeks instead of barely a day.

And in that short amount of time, his anger and indifference only seem to have magnified. I swallow hard, wondering if he can sense the secrets I still hide, or if the sensation fades when I’m silent. I hate that I don’t know, hate that I feel like I’m just waiting for the moment Jax figures out what I’m lying about and exposes me to everyone for the fake I am.

Fear climbs up my throat, threatening to close it.

“If you like the Riverwalk,” Axl says from across the table, raising a hand to flag down a server, “you’ll love the ocean in my city.”

I turn my attention to him. “I guess we’ll see,” I say, winking back at him.

He laughs, ordering a round of drinks for the table as we fall into an easy conversation, covering what Kal and I have seen today, eaten, and talked about. Soon, I sit back, content to listen to the four of them.

The bond between them is undeniable. They have an effortless way around one another. But their powers rise and mix around me, the unique sensation of each buzzing against my skin. Kal’s is warm like the kiss of sunshine; Axl’s is wild like the crashing waves of an ocean; Pierce’s is intense, like being unraveled from the inside out. And Jax’s is sharp and chaotic like a lightning storm.

The Legends all at once are intimidating. They form an unbreakable unit that seems impenetrable, and their powers complement one another in ways they’ve no doubt tested and trained together since birth. I certainly wouldn’t want to challenge them, but from all the stories I’ve heard, there are still many people throughout Lumathyst who do.

I definitely understand Kal’s shock at my ease around him. It’s clear that the previous potentials were nothing but proper around them in public. And I can see why they would be, not only because of their desperate wish to become royalty, but because of the intensity of being around all of the Legends at once. Falling back on etiquette would be a tempting way to cope.

Maybe that’s why most rejected them in the end—their power. I imagine it’s intimidating even for those who don’t have power like I do. As it is, with the power I have, I feel like I’m sensing theirs on a larger scale, as if my power makes me more susceptible to feeling theirs… I just have to hope that doesn’t go both ways. I take comfort in the knowledge that I’ve put a mental lock on mine most of my life, doing my best to not even acknowledge its existence, while the Legends are no doubt used to walking around with their powers on full display, never once needing to subdue or dampen them.

Maybe the previous potentials couldn’t handle such authenticity.

I can’t really blame them, not when I can feel each of the Legends’ powers swirling around me, testing my energy, calling to it—likely without them even noticing. And to think, the night might come when we’re all… together together.

Lightning strikes through my veins at the image the thought creates—Kal pressed against my front, Axl at my back, Pierce’s hands on me, and Jax watching all the while before he shoves the others away to take me—

“Do you like it?” Kal’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I straighten in my seat. They’re all looking at me expectantly.

Kal glances down at the drink I didn’t even see the server bring. I quickly take a sip, grateful for the distraction. The taste of raspberries and mint and sparkling wine hits my tongue, and I smile.

“That’s delicious,” I say, taking another drink.

Kal smiles, pride in his eyes. “It’s a Ruby Kiss,” he says. “My city’s signature drink.” He raises his small crystal glass, and the others do the same with their darker drinks to clink them together. “To the future,” Kal says. Axl laughs, Pierce raises one brow, and Jax rolls his eyes.

“Always the optimist,” Jax drones before throwing back the contents of his glass. “Dreamer to the core.”

I take a quick sip before turning to him, my drink raised toward him. “And what would the Nightmare toast to?”

The rest of the men go silent as Jax locks eyes with me, shock flickering in them like he’s never been asked before. He blinks, and the shock is replaced by a predatory look that makes my heart race. I should be scared of that look, of that slow smile stretching his lips that looks more like a warning than an invitation…but I’m not.

I know fear. I know what it feels like to have my will ripped away, my choices disregarded. I know what it’s like to not eat for days. Know what it’s like to huddle in the cold night, desperate for the sun to come up for warmth. I know what the hilt of an enforcer’s short sword feels like splitting my skin.

That’s fear.

This…this is something else. Something I can’t deny. The same something that made me ache for more before I ever even saw his face.

“I wouldn’t toast at all,” Jax finally answers, his voice washing over me like warm honey. Goddess, I’m in trouble. These men are slowly sinking their hooks into me, and I love the way it stings.

It should be the other way around. I should be ensnaring them, but I’m vastly out of my depth. I just need to stay alive. After that, I can figure everything else out.

“To nothing, then,” I say, clinking my glass against his empty one despite the lack of invitation.

Axl cringes. “That’s bad luck, kitten,” he says.

“You believe in such superstitions?” I laugh. “A Legend ?”

“Axl believes in all sorts of things,” Pierce explains. “Something about the earth and water in his blood makes him more wary of the universe than the rest of us.”

“Make fun all you want, Pierce,” Axl says. “But who was proven wrong the last time? All of your calculations and strategies did fuck all against the rising tide.”

“But it was my strategies that saved your ass when that group of rebels tried to pirate goods from your ships.”

I watch them volley back and forth, hearing nothing malicious in their playful barbs. Kal pays them no attention, scanning the room as he watches his people come and go. The Occuli never sit, only adding to their eeriness as they linger in a nearby corner, no doubt catching our every word.

I spot Mirren at the base of the steps we climbed earlier.

“Mirren!” I wave for her to come up, and she dips her head, her lips in a thin line as she hurries over to us.

“Do you need something, Rylee Gray?” she asks in a formal tone.

“Do you want to sit with us?” I ask, noting how bored she looks.

“Join you?” Her eyes are wide.

“Yes,” I say. “There’s plenty of room.”

“You should,” Kal says, smiling at her politely.

“Yeah, Mir,” Axl says. “How long has it been since you shared a meal with us?”

“Several years, at least,” Pierce answers.

“I can’t,” she says, but her tone is warm as she responds to them. “You know I can’t.” She glances behind her, toward the Occuli. “If your fathers knew—”

“Mine would do nothing,” Kal says proudly.

“Nor mine,” Pierce says. Axl remains silent, a muscle in his jaw ticking.

“Mine would punish you,” Jax says without hesitation or regret, just matter-of-fact. I wince at the statement, knowing he’s right, and fold my arms around myself against the memory of Baydel’s hands on me.

Jax tracks the move, something like apology flashing over his face for the briefest of seconds. “Are you cold?” he asks.

Everything fades away when he looks at me like that.

“A little.”

Jax moves closer, sliding his arm along the back of the seat behind me. The warmth from his body washes over me, lingering, making me forget everything else. His eyes flick down to my lips and back up again, and I swear he’s going to put me out of my misery and kiss me—

“Your highnesses.” A masculine voice shatters the moment, and Jax immediately draws away from me. An enforcer has raced up to our table, breathless as he looks at them with panicked eyes.

“Riggs?” Kal asks, his muscles tense. “What is it?”

I immediately go rigid at the sight of the enforcer, my body tensing as if preparing for a blow.

Riggs glances to me, hesitant. “It’s happened again.”

The entire mood shifts around me. Gone is the light banter and the playful barbing. In its place is a sharpness I can feel in my bones. Mirren shuffles to the right of the table, out of the way, eyes on me.

“Where?” Kal asks, immediately standing. Axl and Pierce follow him, and only after a second do I realize Jax is waiting for me to get out of the way before he can move. I hurry out of the seat, stopping next to Mirren. She gently puts her hand on my wrist when I try to draw closer to Kal.

“The teashop near the library at the edge of the city,” Riggs says.

“Is anyone harmed?”

Riggs dips his head. “Five,” he answers. “They’re being cared for.”

Regret flashes in Kal’s eyes, but they harden as he turns to the other Legends. “We need to go.”

“I’ll have them bring our transports around,” Jax says, disappearing with a catlike grace that sends shivers over my skin.

Axl and Pierce follow him without a second glance my way, but Kal pauses, even as Riggs hurries down the stairs. “I’m sorry,” he says, hands on my shoulders. “There’s something I have to take care of.”

I read the fire in his eyes, the concern and anger mixing together. “Where are you going?”

“Somewhere I can’t take you.”

“Why?”

“It isn’t safe—”

“I don’t need protection,” I cut in over him. I’m not some simpering princess. I’m an Ashlander. The last thing I am is timid, and if this is some test from the kings, the last thing I want to do is fail.

“Rylee,” he says, a plea to his tone. “There are things you don’t need to see. Things you don’t want to see.”

“That’s not fair,” I say. “You can’t possibly know what I do or don’t want to see, to know. If this is a test—”

“Kal!” Jax shouts through the crowded space from the entryway doors. He raises his arms, securing a black cloth mask over the lower half of his face. Axl and Pierce have done the same, and each of them has also donned a matching black leather jacket with the Legend crest on the back—a crown of stark white with five points, each topped with a circle in the Legends’ four colors, except for the middle one, which is blistering gold, a nod to Lumathyst itself. The crown looks like it was painted in a hurry in its conception, paint streaks dripping down the leather, giving the crest the illusion of movement.

“It’s not a test,” Kal assures me, bending down to brush a kiss over my lips. It’s long enough that I close my eyes—

He pulls away. “Take her home, please,” he says, and it’s a heartbeat before I realize he’s speaking to Mirren.

And then he’s gone, blinking out of sight so quickly, I have to wonder if he was ever there in the first place.

I turn to Mirren.

“He does that,” she says. “Speed and flight. One of his finer talents.”

I’ve heard of that power, but seeing it is another thing entirely.

“Come,” Mirren says, tugging on my wrist. “Let’s get you to Kal’s estate.”

I half expect the Legends to still be outside when we make our way through the entrance doors, but there isn’t a trace of them. I can’t even hear the rumble of their magical velomages on the busy roads. Mirren ushers me into her carriage, instructing her driver where to take us as we settle in the velvet-lined compartment.

What could’ve warranted Riggs’s urgency and the Legends’ intervention? Something so common that each of them caught on immediately without any explanation? The worry builds and builds until my chest threatens to crack from the pressure.

“What was that about?” I ask, my mind whirling.

Mirren shoots me a scolding look. She eyes the small, open windows, then softens her expression.

“Let’s get you to Kal’s estate,” she says again, with more emphasis this time. “He’ll want you prepared when he’s ready for you.”

I frown but catch sight of an unnatural shadow keeping pace with our carriage. The Occuli. Goddess, they’re unnerving.

And she doesn’t trust them. Fine, fair enough, but I shoot her a silent look that demands answers the second we’re out of earshot.

And I just have to hope that whatever those answers are, I can handle them, because watching the Legends assemble like that, donning those jackets and masks, seeing their moods switch to that terrifying edge of anger has me worrying the same will be turned on me if I’m discovered for the liar I am.