Goddess Legacy: Goddess Series Book 1 (Young Adult / New Adult Series) Page 2

  “It’s time for Legacy to blow out her candles,” Lissa announced as the crowd quieted down.

  Legacy quickly popped the last of the chocolate covered strawberries she’d retrieved from the buffet table into her mouth and made her way over to them.

  Calli took pictures of her behind the two cakes while Lissa lit the seventeen candles on the chocolate cake. She smiled as she scanned the room, locking eyes with several of the guests. She saw Ellen’s forced smile and Kate’s more natural one.

  She saved Adin’s face for last because she knew when she saw him looking at her, it would be difficult to keep her composure. When she allowed herself to look at him, he looked incredible. His hair slightly disheveled. As she glanced from his hair to his face, his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers. She couldn’t go any further. He could have been nude for all she knew. His face lit up like they were long lost friends seeing each other for the first time in too many years. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she forced herself to keep breathing regularly. She tried to feign a little shock, pretending this was the first time she saw him and really feigning for the benefit of Ellen and Kate since she didn’t know what they were thinking about Adin being here. She then returned his smile. Even though she knew she needed to speak to everyone here, she definitely knew now that she would have to go talk to him as soon as she could.

  Luckily, Lissa finished with the candles and turned to her, getting her attention. She was able to unlock her gaze with Adin to watch Lissa as she started the crowd with the birthday song.

  She laughed appreciatively, and once they were finished singing—some shouting—the rendition, she bowed her head and held her hair back while she extinguished the candles with her shaky breath. Flashes blinded her while she rose back to a full standing position, and she kept cheesing while the cameras finished clicking in her direction.

  Lissa quickly removed the hot candles and started cutting the cake. She handed Legacy the first piece, and she took it with her away from the table. Calli grabbed a piece and came over to the wall she was leaning against while the rest of the crowd lined up to get their pieces.

  “What did you find out from Ellen and Kate?” Legacy asked through her teeth while she kept a smile on her face.

  Calli turned her back to the crowd so that she could face her and speak without anyone seeing her expression.

  “Nothing we didn’t already expect. He told them he found out from his grandma.”

  “Do they suspect anything else?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “Yes. He thanked me for taking the initiative on the surprise party and said I did a wonderful job.”

  “Did he compliment you? Personally, I mean?” She didn’t know why, but she just had to know.

  “Um…I don’t think so. Well, he did say he liked my dress.”

  “Okay.” She was only slightly appeased that Adin hadn’t compliment her friend like he had her earlier, but she was really happy Ellen and Kate seemed as if they weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary, even after seeing Adin here tonight.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this now, but maybe…it’ll give you a little courage.”

  “Ugh. What?” She looked away, irritated.

  “You assumed Adin’s grandma invited him, and he apparently confirmed that assumption to Ellen and Kate.”

  “And?” She knew those things, so she couldn’t see Calli’s point.

  “And…I don’t see his grandma here.”

  Her eyes shot back to Calli. “What?”

  “I looked around the room, and I do admit there are some people I don’t recognize from Lissa’s office, but as much as I’ve been over here, I know I’ve seen his grandma a few times. Unless she’s grown about twenty years younger, she’s not here. It looks like Adin heard about the party…and came here alone.”

  “I don’t want to hear your theories as to why he would do that.”

  “Fine. But you know you have to speak to him before he leaves. You’ve already spoken to just about everyone else.”

  “I haven’t talked to Ellen or Kate yet,” she defended herself.

  “Because they’ve been talking to Adin. I’ll get them away from him, so you can have a moment alone.”

  “No! I mean, you don’t have to do that.”

  “Legacy, you have to talk to him. Besides, I know you want to talk.”

  “I do,” she confessed, looking back down again.

  “Don’t worry about it. Just keep telling yourself he’s just a friend, and that’s all he’ll ever be.” Calli couldn’t help but smirk at her own sarcasm as she spoke.

  “Fine. But I want to talk to Ellen and Kate first.”

  Calli nodded as she stepped away from her to help Lissa and Olive with the cake.

  Legacy walked over to Ellen and Kate while she played with the icing on her piece. “Hey, girls. Thanks for coming tonight. I really appreciate it.”

  “Oh, we wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Kate said with a genuine smile on her face.

  “Yeah, Calli asked us if we would come,” Ellen responded, a little less enthused.

  “Where’s Thad and Seth?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

  Thad was Ellen’s boyfriend. He was a typical jock. He was a better athlete than any other guy in school, but he was still a jerk.

  Seth was Kate’s boyfriend. He was more likable. He was also an athlete, but was nicer to people than Thad was. He and Seth were pretty close, so she guessed it made sense they would date two girls who were already best friends.

  “They’re out destroying the senior float with Alex and Laos, and I don’t even understand why those two are there. They can’t stand each other,” Ellen said in a bored manner.

  “Some of the juniors didn’t like the fact that they lost, so they’re taking out their frustration on the senior float,” Kate said, slightly embarrassed.

  “Well, we’re the seniors now. I guess they can get rid of that monstrosity if they want to,” she teased, keeping the conversation light.

  Ellen perked up and nodded. “I see Adin Sheppard made it to your party.”

  Uh-oh. “Yeah, his grandma lives next door.”

  “That’s what we heard,” Kate said, slashing her gaze to Ellen, trying to defuse her friend’s intent.

  “Hey, girlies. What are you talking about?” Calli interrupted, coming to Legacy’s rescue.

  “Oh, nothing. Just school. They told me about the juniors demolishing the senior float,” she added with a wicked laugh, hoping to divert Ellen from a conversation she knew she’d rather have.

  “I heard about that,” Calli responded, giggling and then turning to Ellen and Kate. “Hey, why don’t you come over here and look at this cake. Cake Bake did a fabulous job on the fondant bow.”

  Calli easily got their attention away from her. Ellen was all about Calli, and Kate hung on every word Ellen said, so it wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would’ve been to drag away Ellen and Kate from the side of the room that Adin stayed in.

  She glanced in Adin’s direction. He was by himself against a wall finishing his piece of cake. She took a deep breath, psyching herself up as she walked toward him, but then she saw he had on a different shirt from this morning. He had been wearing a fitted blue, button-down shirt with the top few buttons unfastened. Gods, he’d looked so hot as he casually leaned against his new dark blue Camaro. Blue car, blue shirt, blue eyes, against a clear blue sky. He’d blended in perfectly with the beautiful day.

  But this shirt wasn’t blue. She hadn’t noticed before because when their eyes locked, she hadn’t been able to look away from his gaze. No, this one was green—a beautiful emerald green that matched her green dress. They were matching! It must be a coincidence. She tried to keep herself from shaking as she neared. It was already too late to keep her hands from sweating, assuming she could even keep that from happening anyway.

  His eyes flashed
up and locked onto her once again. She forcefully kept her composure and smiled at him.

  “Happy birthday.” He smiled as he took his free hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a sideways hug.

  “Thanks.” She stepped back out of his embrace.

  He took her empty plate with his and set them aside. “You have a little icing on your lip,” he said as he gently took his index finger and wiped it away.

  She couldn’t breathe. He was touching her lips, and his skin smelled so good. And then to her utter disbelief, he took that same index finger and put it in his mouth to taste the icing. She laughed nervously, glanced away from him, and then looked back into his eyes.

  “Have you had a nice day today?” he asked as he stepped closer and took not one, but both her hands into his, holding them at their sides.

  “Er, yes. Calli and I did some shopping after school.” She didn’t know what to say. The hugs she could try to get used to, but him touching her lips and holding her hands—these were a first in all their years of their friendship.

  “How about the party? Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked, his head cocked to the side, eyes opened wide.

  “Absolutely. This was a wonderful surprise.” Maybe she was feeling brave. Maybe she just knew she needed to thank him for coming. Either way, she knew she was going to have to keep her composure as she continued. “I’m really happy that you came tonight. That, too, was a wonderful surprise.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be any other place,” he said, smiling and gazing into her eyes. “You look so radiant. Everyone has been commenting on how beautiful you are. You should see yourself. You’re positively glowing.”

  “Oh, it’s just my party face.” She shrugged, trying to lighten the conversation. “I’m actually horrified at all this attention. If I let my real emotions show, everyone will think I’m some ungrateful brat.” She laughed.

  “I doubt that.” He gave a half-smile.

  She continued to stare at him, not knowing what to say. He was still holding her hands. His hands felt so strong, even though he was holding hers gingerly.

  “Did your grandma not come tonight?” There, that was a good question.

  “No, tonight’s her bunko night. I’ll probably have to pick her up. It was her night to bring the wine, and she got an early start.” Adin chuckled.

  So she hadn’t shown up because she had other plans. Not because Adin had told her to stay away so he could come to Legacy’s party and seduce her with his charm. And it would be so easy for him, what with his sincere personality, piercing eyes, delectable scent, strong arms…Stop it!

  “Um…that sounds like fun.” Great, now she sounded like a babbling idiot.

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never played.”

  “Does she play often?” Why were they still talking about his grandma?

  “Yeah, once a week.” He nodded as he answered.

  “That’s good. I mean, it’s nice that she has a hobby.” Oh for the love of…

  He took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply. She assumed he wanted to steer this conversation back away from his grandma just about as much as she did.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  He could do whatever he wanted. “Sure.”

  “Well, it seems like whenever I give you a compliment, you don’t seem to believe me. I was wondering why that is?”

  “What?” Her hands started trembling.

  “Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked with sincere confusion.

  “No, of course not.” Get yourself together! “Um, I think I’m not used to getting compliments from anyone. It’s not you.”

  “It’s just that I say things sometimes without thinking them through, and I’ve noticed that…um…usually happens when I’m around you.”

  “Oh.” Huh? What was he trying to say?

  “Legacy, it’s time to open your presents,” she heard Calli say as she walked toward them.

  Adin kept hold of her hands as Calli approached. She looked over at Legacy, and she glanced at Adin. Then she peered at Legacy’s hands in Adin’s hands and stared back at her.

  “Um, whenever you’re ready,” she modified.

  “I’m ready,” Legacy said in a slow, flat tone.

  Adin slipped his hands away from hers while she was still looking at Calli. She faced Adin, and he was watching at Calli with a pleasant expression on his face.

  So this was it. Her moment with Adin Sheppard was about to be over, and she wasn’t sure when she’d see him again. “In case I don’t get to see you before you leave,” Legacy started to say, and he flashed his eyes back over to her, “thanks again for coming tonight.”

  He had a strange look on his face. Almost sad, but he was smiling and nodding at her. He then abruptly put his arms around her waist, and she put her arms around his neck for what she assumed was a goodbye hug. He held her tightly like this morning, but for several seconds longer. He turned his head so that his face was buried in her hair. If she wasn’t in complete and total shock at how close he was, feeling his breath on her, she probably would’ve been squealing internally.

  “Happy birthday,” he whispered to her one more time.

  She couldn’t help herself—she stroked the back of his neck at the bottom of his hairline with her slick palm as they pulled away from each other.

  “Thanks,” she whispered back to him.

  She walked off in a daze at Calli’s side, sat at the table with a frozen smile on her face, and opened her gifts in a fog of surrealism. After the first couple of gifts, she was able to focus better, and she remembered to thank everyone individually. She got a lot of cash and gift cards. Lissa’s co-workers had chipped in and gotten her an iPad mini, so she couldn’t wait to download her Kindle and Nook apps. Lissa had gotten her a beautiful silk red dress. It had brought Legacy to tears because she knew it was much more than Lissa could afford, but she couldn’t wait to find an occasion to wear it. Adin had given her a watch that had a sun with crystals that reflected the sun’s rays during the daytime and a moon with those crystals turning to stars during the nighttime. She had never seen anything like it. She tried not to act too shocked at his gift, but she wasn’t sure if she fooled anybody. The funniest surprise gift was from Calli because Legacy hadn’t seen it coming. The trip to the mall this afternoon hadn’t been a distraction after all. The red shoes were for Legacy, not Calli. Her BFF knew what Lissa had gotten her and figured she’d use that as a reason to buy her expensive shoes. Calli and her accessories.

  After Legacy finished unwrapping her presents, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Adin had sneaked out shortly after she’d opened his gift. Calli stayed to help clean up the remnants of the party, so she’d been the last to leave. Once the house was empty, Legacy kicked off her shoes and plopped onto the couch. Lissa sat down beside her, but when Legacy looked at her, she frowned. Lissa seemed somber, which didn’t jive after throwing a party. She was being eerily quiet.

  “What’s wrong?” Legacy asked as she sat up.

  “I have something to tell you, and I can’t figure out the right way to do it.”

  “Why don’t you just come out and say it? I’m sure whatever it is it’ll be okay.”

  “It’s about your mother.”

  What? Was Lissa about to tell her another story about her mom? If so, she surely didn’t sound as if she were about to regurgitate one of those trivial, generic ones. She sounded like she had something meaningful to say.

  Lissa sighed, and an ominous feeling crept up Legacy’s spine. “Your mom didn’t die when you were a baby.” Legacy gaped at her, and Lissa cupped her hand. “She had to leave. She left you in my care because she was worried about your safety.”

  “So she’s still alive?” Legacy barely breathed. Could this really be true?

  “It’s not that simple. Your mom was a powerful woman. There were people who tried to hurt her. She knew she couldn’t keep you safe with her, so she trusted me to look after you.”

&n
bsp; “I’m not following.” She could feel the tears forming in her eyes.

  “It’s time you learned the truth. What I’m about to tell you will change your life forever.”

  Chapter Two

  Legacy sat there reeling, waiting for Lissa to explain.

  “What do you know about Greek Mythology?”

  “Um, not much. Why? What does that have to do with my mother?”

  “According to the myths, Gaia is the goddess of earth, the great mother of all. All gods and goddess were born of her. One such goddess is Demeter, the goddess of harvest and the circle of life and death. She gave birth to a daughter named Persephone.” Lissa looked at her pointedly. “But some refer to her as Kore.”

  Legacy gasped. “That’s my last name.”

  “That’s because you are Kore. Well, one version of her anyway.”

  “What?” Legacy screeched.

  “Greek Mythology is not the story of legends. There are actual gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus to this day. Some go way back to the beginning of time, others are newly created. But gods don’t always descend the way people normally do, giving birth to children who then give birth to their own children and so on in a vertical fashion. They also descend horizontally. The original gods and goddess created by Gaia continue to create offspring. They’re just not always offspring in the sense that you think they are. What I mean is they can also create a likeness of themselves with other gods.”

  Legacy was too confused and too shocked to say anything. It was hard enough keeping up with what Lissa was trying to tell her, much less grasp the point of this conversation.

  “The path to ascension for a new god begins on first day of the seventh year of birth and culminates on his or her eighteenth birthday.”

  Did the air suddenly leave the room? That had to be why Legacy couldn’t breathe. She shook her head, refusing to wrap said head around this information.

  Lissa nodded. “Yes. Sweetie, your mom, Dora, is a goddess. Whether she descended after several generations that originated from Demeter or if Demeter created Dora directly from herself, doesn’t matter. Either way, you are her offspring with the legacy to one day be a goddess.”