Chapter#03

I anxiously paced the living room of the new house I bought. It was the last day of the week, and I knew Elena would be coming to see me anytime. I wasn't sure how I'd pass this test with all that I had done. And a legacy this good, I couldn’t afford lose it.

Then the bell rang and I rushed to open the door. “Elena.” I greeted her. I was relieved and nervous to see her. “Please, come inside.”

She scanned the area as I led her toward the living room. A silver tray gleamed on the coffee table, adorned with a steaming teapot and a scattering of delicate vanilla cakes from the corner bakery. 

Milo barreled in from the yard, through the doggie door. His paws skidded on the hardwood as he claimed her with eager sniffs.

“Down, boy,” I firmly said.

Elena’s lips curved in a smile. “This is far more welcoming than last time.” She sank onto the sofa. She cooed at Milo, scratching his chin until he melted into a puddle of fur at her feet.

“Tea?” I offered, already reaching for the pot.

“Honey and milk, please.” Her voice was velvet, but her eyes never left me.

I poured two cups and handed her one, then busied myself with a plate of cakes, piling three onto it just to keep my hands occupied. Milo’s nose twitched, and I tossed him one by the fireplace. 

“You’re nervous,” Elena observed.

I sipped my tea to ease the knot in my chest. “I am. I don’t know what the test was.”

“Let’s review.” She leaned back, cradling her cup. “I see you summoned wealth. How much?”

“Fifty million.”

Her brow arched. “Ambitious. And did you just wish for it?”

“Kind of.” I shook my head. “I wished for it to be siphoned it from twenty different accounts… from people who could spare it, who hoarded more than anyone should. Creating money from nothing would’ve rippled chaos through markets. I didn’t want to break the world.”

She nodded and took a sip. Then, she plucked a cake, popped it into her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. “And this house?”

“I bought it with the money. A new car, too.” 

“So, you planned for tomorrow, and preserved the world’s balance.” She leaned forward.

Guilt stirred inside me. “Well… I went wild at the salon. And got some expensive designer clothes I know I didn’t need.”

Her smirked. But I didn’t think it was funny at all. I only kept wishing to pass the trial.

“Your next gift—” she began.

“I passed?” I suddenly cut in without thinking.

She nodded, biting her lips. “You did indeed.” Her lips quirked. “I'm just not sure how you'll do with the final test.”

“I don’t understand. Why the tests?” I pressed, leaning forward. “What going on? If I’m my mothe left me her legacy, shouldn’t I already have it?”

She set her cup down with a clink. “Nyra, I can’t explain everything to you. Even if I do, you wouldn’t understand. If you’d been raised in our bloodline, you’d understand. Your mother… she had her reasons for hiding you. Anyways, if you pass the final trial, you will have a life beyond your imagination.”

“And if I fail”?

“All you’ve wished for will remain. But every memory you have will be gone.”

“Gone?” The word was a wound.

“As if they never were. You will believe you have always looked and been this way. One benefit of being of our line is that no matter what happens, you will have a good life.”

“But, I want my memories.” My voice cracked. “Everything I’ve been through, they made me who I am. Without them, I’m just another gilded doll, coasting on beauty and coin.”

Her gaze was a blade, like a sommelier offering cheap wine at a banquet. “Then pass the final test, and earn the right to keep that.”

Her words dripped with doubt. 

I’d proven myself before, and I knew I’d be able to get through the final trial no matter how. I mean, what could go wrong?

“And what is this final trial you believe I won’t be able to handle?”

Elena’s gaze softened. “There is shadow and light in it. First, you must bind a familiar, an animal companion whose soul will tether to yours.”

“Milo, obviously.” The name left my lips without hesitation. My hand dropped to his warm head as he pressed against my thigh.

“I expected as much.” She inclined her head. “But the trial beyond demands more. You will need three souls at your side. For seven days, they will dwell with you.”

“Roommates?” I crossed my arms and asked. “They’re… like me?”

Her smile was a locked gate. “Not really. They’re born to the legacy… not tested for it.”

She was testing my patience and mocking me. It wasn’t my fault that my mother left me. I didn’t ask for these stupid tests. “Damn it, Elena! You’re making me nervous. Stop talking in riddles and tell me already what it is.”

“You told me casual sex no longer tempts you.”

I lifted my chin. “That’s… correct.”

“Then know this: if you pass the final trial, it will not be casual sex. They will be by your side for the rest of your life. But if you fail…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Three men will claim your bed for one week. And you will have no memories of it.”

Shock crashed through me like thunder over a midnight sea. My pulse thrummed, and heat pooled in my gut. “Are they… monstrous?”

“Monstrous?” A faint laugh escaped her. “Only in the ways they please.”

Three years of celibacy had carved hunger into my bones; I felt it now, a beast stirring behind my ribs. “If they’re not ancient yetis in disguise, I think I’m ready for this.”

“Ready to meet them?” she smoothly asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

Elena waved her hand, and with the blink of an eye, three men stood behind the sofa she was sitting on. 

“What in the world…” a soft gasp escaped my lips. They were drop-dead handsome. I wouldn’t call them humans. They looked divine.