Goddess Secret (17 page)

“Of course.”

Adin came back in and escorted them out back. They sat at a table while Rose mingled with all her guests. Everyone loved the rose garden, and Rose bragged about her little Dinny to all her friends.

When it came time for gifts, Rose sat next to Adin while she opened them. When she got to Legacy’s, Adin leaned over to her ear.

“You didn’t have to get her anything.”

“I almost didn’t.” She laughed. Crap! Why was she ratting herself out?

“What?”

“Never mind.” Legacy shook her head and focused back on Rose.

Rose saved Adin’s gift for last, and it brought her, and many of her friends, to tears.

The party lasted all day and into the evening with people eating, drinking, and taking pictures. After it was over, she and Adin sat in the living room with Rose and Myrha, and that’s when Myrha pulled out the second box.

“Here, Mom. It’s not really a birthday gift, so I didn’t have you open it earlier.”

“What is it?”

“Just open it.”

Rose did and then gasped. She thumbed through the album while tears streaked down her face. Since she wasn’t speaking, Adin got up to look at the pictures. He smiled when he realized what his mom had done and reached over and patted her on her shoulder. When Rose got finished looking at the album, she put it on the table and gave Myrha a hug. Adin bent over and picked it up. They both looked at the album, and he explained all the pictures to her while his mom and grandma listened.

After Adin finished, Rose stood up. “I want to show you something, dear. I’ll be right back,” she said to Legacy. She walked back in with a framed snapshot and handed it to her. It was her little Dinny kissing a little girl—
her
.

“That’s you and Dinny when you were babies.”

Legacy smiled as she took the picture from her, and Adin rubbed her back while she looked at it. She glanced up at him, and he was glowing. “I told you she had a picture of our first kiss.”

Rose pulled out a camera. “Now I want another one, so she can put it right beside this one. So go ahead you two.
Kiss
.”

“
Grandma
.” Adin shook his head, and Legacy laughed nervously. The woman was totally serious.

“You can either kiss now when you know I’ll be taking the picture, or I could follow you around and take it when you’re least expecting it.” She laughed.

Adin glanced at Legacy with his eyebrows raised, waiting for her to signal if she was up for this. She nodded. No way did she want little ol’ grandma sneaking up on them at the wrong time. Better to get it over with now.

Adin reached up and put his hands on her face as he leaned in to kiss her.

“Not like that!” Rose chided.

Adin laughed, pulled his hands down, and looked at Rose.

“You have to do it like in this picture. If you put your hands on her face, we won’t be able to see Legacy in the photo.”

Adin groaned playfully and then looked back at her. He took a deep breath and leaned in again, keeping his hands down. As soon as his lips touched Legacy’s, Rose clicked the camera a few times.

“How’s that?” Adin asked.

Rose looked at the digital images and nodded. “Perfect. Now let me get a regular one of you two.”

“Okay, but this is it. You’ve been taking pictures all day, so I know you have some of us already.”

“Those were candid shots.”

“Only because it’s your birthday,” Adin mumbled teasingly, getting off the couch.

Legacy stood beside him, and they wrapped their arms around each other. Rose took a few more pictures, and then they relaxed their stances while she checked the images. Adin stared into her eyes and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. Legacy sighed as she breathed him in.

Click
.

Rose couldn’t resist getting another candid.

“I’m going to walk Legacy home now.” He laughed.

They said their goodbyes and left.

After Legacy got home, she changed out of her skirt and came back down into the living room where Adin was waiting. Since Lissa was home, she figured he thought it was more appropriate than hanging out in her room.

They talked and laughed for a couple of hours, and when she started to get tired, he walked with her up to her room.

She crawled into bed, and Adin rested beside her, waiting for her to go to sleep.

Just when she was about to drift off, she felt Adin kiss her forehead.

“I love you, princess.”

That was it.

Chapter Eleven

Legacy shot up and turned on the lamp, looking at him. “Princess?”

“Er…huh?” He shifted his stance.

“You just called me princess. I’ve heard you call me that a few times now. But you’ve only said it when you thought I was asleep. Why?”

“Umm, I don’t know. Have I not called you that other times too?”

“No,” she said slowly.

“Does it bother you?” he asked, sitting back down on her bed.

“Of course not. I just don’t understand why you say it when you think I’m not listening.”

Adin’s face started to turn red. He was blushing! She couldn’t help but smile at him.

He sighed. “Legacy, umm…”

“What is it, Adin?”
Me oh my
, if he was about to tell her that he knew the truth about her, she had no idea what she would say.

Adin scooted closer to her. “The thing is that I, umm, I’ve always thought of you as a princess.”

Her heart raced. “What do you mean?”

Adin took a deep breath. “When we were little, I saw you playing over here, and I told her grandma that you looked like a princess. She told me that maybe I thought that because, well, maybe you were
my
princess.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure if she was happy or not that this was the reason, but she did like the thought of this.

“The night you woke up in the hospital and asked for me, Lissa left us alone. I talked to you, letting you know that I was there. It just slipped out, so that was the first time I called you princess—well, to your face.” He smiled. “Since you were sleeping when I said it the first time, I’ve done it every time that we’ve been together and you’ve been asleep.”

“That’s very sweet, Adin. I don’t mind if you call me that when I’m awake too.”

He laughed. “Well, I wasn’t sure how you’d respond to why I picked that term of endearment.”

“Your reasoning was better than the alternative.” She shrugged and then froze. Why had she just said that?

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head.

“Legacy?”

“It’s nothing, Adin.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her and her big, fat mouth!

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“I-I can’t really talk about it.”

“What does
that
mean?”

Crap! Crap! Crap! Now she had to explain to him what she was talking about. She got out of bed. “Turn around. I have to change.”

Adin turned around. “Why?”

She threw on some pants and a shirt, and Adin turned back around to face her while she put on her shoes. “Because we have to leave.”

She grabbed his hand, and they left the house after Legacy told Lissa she’d be back later. They walked over to Rose’s house to get into Adin’s car.

“Where are we going?” he asked after he pulled out of the driveway.

She shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.” She remembered the night that she and River went out. He didn’t want to talk to her around her house for fear that someone was listening. If there was a chance that someone evil could tune in, she had to make sure they were far enough away before she even attempted to explain. It didn’t matter that Lissa had talked about stuff at home.

Adin drove them to their hilltop where they went to watch the sunset. Once he parked the car, she got out and walked over to the tree with Adin following behind. Even though it was dark, the moonlight cast enough light to see each other.

She leaned against the tree and stared at Adin. “There’s something you need to know, but I’m not supposed to tell you.”

“What?”

She took a deep breath. “You know how I’m inheriting all of Persephone’s abilities?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know
anything
about my change that you haven’t told me?”

“What are you getting at?”

“What all have you seen me do with the weather?”

“Umm, lightning, clouds, thunder, rain, wind, temperature changes, stuff like that…why?”

“Do you know what all Persephone was able to do?”

“Not exactly. She was linked to the seasons like you are. I figured she could control the weather too.”

“Well, technically, you’re right.”

“Legacy, I’m not following you.”

She paced for a few seconds, working up the nerve to spill. She finally stopped in front of Adin. “Persephone didn’t have the ability to create lightning,” she whispered.

Adin stepped up to her. “Then why can you? You’re supposed to be inheriting all her abilities.”

“I am inheriting all
her
abilities. But I’ll be able to do more than she did.”

“How?”

“I’m not supposed to say anything. Lissa said that it could be dangerous if people found out the truth. I wanted to tell you, but she said it was imperative that I keep this a secret. And except for Calli, I
have
kept it a secret. I figured since she wasn’t part of Greek god ancestry, I could tell her this. But if you figure it out on your own, then technically, I won’t be telling you.”

“What am I supposed to figure out here?”

She stared at Adin, and he had a blank expression on his face. If he made the conclusion on his own, then technically, she wouldn’t have told him. Yeah, yeah, it was a technicality, but it was the best she could do on the fly. “Think about the lightning—that’s how I figured it out.”

“Okay. Lightning comes from Zeus, and…
oh
!”

She nodded.

“Legacy, you’re going to inherit more abilities from Zeus and Demeter than Persephone did?”

“You’re almost right. But I won’t be inheriting
more
abilities—”

“Oh. My. God. You’re getting everything.” Adin’s hands flew up to the top of his head.

She nodded.

Adin started pacing, tapping his finger on his chin. Then he stopped and looked at her puzzled. “Why did you tell me this now? We were talking about me calling you princess when your mood shifted. Something triggered it.”

“It’s the reason why Lissa didn’t want me telling anyone. Since my father is the king of gods, and I’m going to inherit all his abilities and then some, technically, I’ll be more powerful than he is. I’ll be the queen of gods. Since queens usually start out in life as princesses, I wondered if you already knew this about me since you never called me princess when I was awake.”

“Gotcha.” He went back to pacing. “Why did she want you to keep it a secret, though?”

“Because Hades had to take Persephone to the underworld to make her a queen. The new and improved me will be a queen in my own right. Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon rule the world. If Hades succeeds with another abduction and I become his, he’d have control over me—a god more powerful than one of the other two rulers. With me as the queen of gods and as his wife, he could get Zeus out of the picture and be the controlling god, leaving only Poseidon to take out. If he even wanted to. I mean, why bother when you’re already the controlling entity?”

“Because he’d control everything,” Adin said gravely.

“I guess. But when I asked Lissa about River and Poseidon, she told me not to worry about that. They were not our concern. But I don’t know if that’s right. I’d like to find out a way to warn River—”

“No! You
cannot
tell him this. If Medusa found out you’ll be more powerful than Zeus and Demeter, she’ll kill you the first chance she gets. Killing you will give her your rightful abilities and make her more powerful than Demeter and Zeus. She wants revenge against Poseidon, and with that level of power, she’d succeed. She could destroy your mother, which would torment Poseidon. Plus, she’d be more powerful than Zeus, so she could take him out and force Poseidon at her side while she ruled the world. That’d be icing on the cake for her. Not to mention the fact that she could bargain with Hades. Who knows what would happen then.”

“I know I can’t say anything to him, Adin, but I don’t want him falling victim to Hades in his plot to take over the other gods.”

“We don’t know if that’s what’s happening here. But I completely agree with Lissa. Your safety is our number one priority.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about this before.”

Adin walked over to her and stroked her arm. “I understand, sweetheart.”

“I really wanted to tell you as soon as I found out, but Lissa was worried that, umm, if you and River found out about this, it might complicate things.”

“How so?”

“Because she knows that I can only end up with one of you. One will be scorned. I know who that one is, but she’s worried that since I’m still going through my changes and I’m bonded to River and you’re bonded to Venus, then I’d be jeopardizing myself and the two of you by sharing this knowledge.”

“I see.”

She nodded. “I feel so much better telling you this, though. I’ve been worried about how you’d take this news.”

Adin chuckled. “Just like the watch on your wrist is still the same watch—you just know more about it now—you’re still the same Legacy to me. I just know more about you now.”

She smiled and hugged him. “You can’t tell anybody. Not your mom, your grandma, anyone.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, princess.”

She giggled into his chest and sighed. “I’ll always be your princess.”

“Always.”

* * * * *

When Legacy heard a knock on her door, she knew it was River since he was supposed to come over today to tell her about his conversation with his dad. She opened door and looked at him. At first, his face looked disturbed, but as soon as his eyes met hers, his face glowed.

“I was wondering if you changed your mind about coming over,” she said as she held the door open for him, shutting it behind him.