Betrayed (Keeper of the Flame Book 3)

by Lila Kane

  “I know.” And I do. He’s being sincere. But I’m not ready.

  My body flickers. He shakes his head. “Please, don’t go.”

  I’m not sure whether to stay or leave. I’m torn in half and all I really need is the truth to get me to where I can feel whole again.

  “We can try to get the rest of your memories back. We can do it now,” Logan says.

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  We return to the couch. There are so many questions in his voice, so many emotions racing across his face, but he keeps them to himself. He sits with me on the couch. This time I reach out, my fingers colliding with his.

  He looks surprised but continues on without saying anything. I need the support.

  “Okay, Willow. This…this might be a lot. It’s going to be a lot at once.”

  “I can handle it,” I say.

  “I know you can.”

  “Good. Influence me.”

  He meets my gaze and blows out a breath. “Focus on my eyes.”

  I already am, but I nod.

  “You’re going to remember things now, Willow. You’re going to remember what happened before you met Kane and after.”

  “I’ll remember,” I agree, already captured by his stare.

  “That’s right. You will see through what Kane told you, what he compelled you to believe. Don’t forget it. You still want to remember everything he said and everything you’ve done since then, but you want to see the truth. What really happened.”

  Memories swamp me, some simple and sweet. Some sharp and poignant. But none of them as powerful as the one of me on the bed in Cheyenne’s house, with Logan kneeling before me, with me saying I love you.

  Everything I felt, thought, experienced in that moment and before comes back to me. As if I never forgot.

  And then there’s anger. For Kane. For what he’s done to me and what he’s planning on doing.

  “Willow,” Logan says.

  My mouth is open in shock. I told him I love him. And I meant it. And now I’m stuck with Kane and I don’t know what to do.

  I get to my feet, but my knees wobble. Logan grabs for my arms, but his hands go through me.

  “Willow.” His voice is alarmed. “I can’t‒I can’t help you, sweetheart. I can’t help you if you don’t focus.”

  I yank in a breath. “Logan.”

  My knees give out and I sit hard on the floor.

  “Willow,” Logan says, sitting next to me. “Breathe. Focus. You need to focus.”

  I shake my head. I can’t. I just learned who Willow is. The Willow I’d become since arriving in Shadow Hill. It’s not what I was expecting. It’s not bad, but it’s so overwhelming. I told Logan I love him. This is huge.

  He reaches for me again, but his hands still won’t connect.

  “Try, Willow,” he says. “Try to focus so I can touch you. So I can hold you.”

  It’s too hard. My body is flickering in and out, and I lose the battle.

  Logan makes another desperate grab as I fade away. “Willow, you get back here right now. If you don’t stay here, I’m coming after you!”

  I gasp, sitting up in my bed in the house Kane has taken over as his. Other paranormals are asleep in rooms all over the house. And Kane? I wonder if he’s sleeping. I wonder where he is.

  Scrambling out of bed, I search for my shoes. When I can’t find them in the darkness, I cup my hands and form a ball of light. It’s dim because I’ve already used so much power, but I lift it to the air and let it float while I hunt for my shoes under the edge of the bed.

  Logan wouldn’t really come here, would he? Yes.

  I have to get out there and stop him. There’s a perimeter. He won’t be able to make it in, but I don’t know what else he’ll do. I don’t know if he’ll cause a scene. No one can know I remember anything.

  Frantic, I scurry to the door and listen. It’s quiet outside. But when I open the door, I see a light on through an open door farther down the hall. I hear voices.

  Shit. Who is it? They’re going to be curious if they see me walking around.

  What would Cheyenne do?

  I close my eyes and ease out a breath. I can’t let anyone see me, therefore…I need to be invisible.

  But it’s not like I have a cloak or anything. And a spell? Really? A spell to be invisible?

  I squeeze my eyes shut tighter. I whisper hurried words, words to make me like a ghost. Like the Willow who can transport. To make me transparent.

  When I open my eyes again and look down, I can’t see my hands. I gape. I can’t see any part of me. No arms, no legs. Nothing.

  It’s draining. I know I’m going to run out of energy soon, but I can’t stop now.

  Easing out the door, I move slowly down the hall. I narrowly miss hitting a table at the edge of the hallway. It’s hard to be sneaky in the dim lighting when I can’t even see my feet.

  At the top of the stairs, someone comes out of their room. It’s one of the shapeshifters I saw in the crowd earlier. She heads toward the stairs and I almost stumble trying to get out of the way. I press flat against the wall, trying not to fall.

  She pauses at the top of the stairs and my heart races. I hold my breath, hoping she doesn’t hear me.

  She’s frozen like that for a long moment before she mutters something to herself and jogs down the stairs. I release my breath and wait until her footsteps fade before I follow her.

  I still can’t believe Kane got shapeshifters on his side. But I guess these are outsiders. Maybe they’re not as traditional as the ones who are from Shadow Hill‒or the ones who have lived here their whole lives. They don’t care that vampires are supposed to be the enemy.

  But I suppose people can change and believe new things. After all, Ryan’s a shapeshifter and he’s working with two vampires. In fact, he imprinted on one.

  It still makes my mind whirl. Everything that’s happened. And everything Kane made me forget.

  When I reach for the handle on the front door, my hands shake. It’s partly from my anger at Kane and partly because I’m afraid he’s going to catch me.

  But I have to get to Logan.

  The door opens smoothly. I’m not sure what I expected. An alarm, maybe. Locks. A guard dog. But nothing stops me.

  Kane trusts us. And he probably thinks no one would dare cross him anyway.

  I’m already proof of what he can do.

  It’s after midnight and mostly quiet. A few owls hoot and the wind rustles the trees. But the night is clear and my eyes adjust as I dash away from the house. I head for the road. That seems like the most logical place for Logan to arrive from, though I don’t know what he expects to do. Even if he got inside the perimeter, which he doesn’t know about, or the house, it’s a dozen against one.

  Kane wanted an army and he has one.

  I trip over a tree root and curse. I land on my hands and knees. Something crawls over my right hand, but I can see it. Trying not to squeal, I shake my hand and then rub it on my pants.

  This invisible thing isn’t as cool as I thought it was going to be. When I reach the road, I head down it with renewed energy. I wish I had a phone or some way of contacting him.

  When I hear a car on the main road, I freeze and glance back to the house. There’s no way Kane won’t have someone patrolling or listening or standing guard or something.

  I hurry down the road to stop Logan, to tell him not to come any farther, but he cuts the engine and gets out. He’s wearing dark jeans and a black T-shirt. With his dark hair, I can barely see him.

  He glances around, looking like he’s planning for the best course of action. Afraid to call out to him in case someone else is listening, I walk in his direction. My shoe cracks on a branch.

  In the blink of an eye, he’s in front of me, hands like a vice on my shoulders.

  “Don’t move,” Logan says, voice deadly. “I can’t see you, but I know you’re there.”

  “Logan.” I mumble something abou
t the spell and it vanishes. “It’s me.”

  His grip loosens immediately. “Willow? How‒”

  He doesn’t finish the question, just hauls me into his arms, squeezing so tight I can barely breathe.

  “Willow,” he says again, so many emotions in his voice I can’t focus on just one. “You’re here.”

  “I can’t‒Logan.” I strain in his arms, trying to see his face. “Hold on.”

  “I’m sorry. Sorry.” He loosens his grip, but doesn’t let go. “Did I hurt you?”

  “You have to be quiet. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I have to be here. Are you okay?” He buries his face in my hair. The motion moves me, breaks my heart a little. “I’m sorry,” he says again. “Just give me a minute.”

  I let him hang on, feeling a full circuit of emotions myself. I press close, breathing him in, shutting my eyes and blocking out the world for an entire minute.

  Finally, I shift again. “Logan.”

  He peers into my face. “Do you remember?”

  I nod.

  “Everything?”

  “Everything.” I dip my chin. “It’s a lot. I didn’t‒”

  “You don’t have to explain. I can…” He steps back so only his hands are on my arms again. “I can give you space if you need it.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. I can’t‒we can’t talk about this now. You have to go.”

  “No.”

  “Logan, please‒we don’t have much time.”

  “Come with me.”

  I pull free from his grasp, glancing around. I’m getting more and more nervous the longer we stand here. Everything depends on me keeping up this ruse with Kane. He can’t know I know anything, which means I can’t get caught. Logan can’t be here, and I can’t leave.

  “Kane doesn’t know,” I explain. “He doesn’t know I remember anything and he thinks he can still influence me. I need to be here to keep an eye on what he’s doing.”

  “It’s too dangerous.”

  “It’s more dangerous being out here with you. As long as he doesn’t suspect anything, I’m safe.”

  “As long as he doesn’t suspect anything,” Logan repeats. “It’s too much of a risk.”

  “You’re going to have to trust me,” I say.

  He props his hands on his hips. “Yeah. That’s the hard part. I completely trust you, Willow. I do. It’s Kane I don’t trust. It’s everyone here. And I’d feel better if we had some sort of plan.”

  I smile in the darkness. “I have a plan.”

  He blows out a quiet breath of laughter. “Why does that not surprise me?”

  “I need to be here. We’re going to start a war if I’m not. And then things will be a lot more dangerous.”

  Logan digests this, dropping his chin to stare at his shoes. “I’m worried about you.”

  “Don’t be.”

  He looks up with his eyebrows lifted. “Really? Do you think that’s an option?”

  I glance nervously to the house. “I should go.”

  “Willow, I just got you back.” He swallows. “At least I think I did.”

  It’s quiet enough I hear crickets. And I struggle inside. I’m still reeling from what happened tonight. What I learned. But I do know I love Logan. Even though I can’t believe I actually said those words to someone else, I know it’s true. I can feel it in my heart.

  “You do.” I walk to Logan, close enough I can reach out and touch his jaw. Brush my fingers along the stubble there. “You’ve got me back.”

  His arms come around me. Comfort. And I don’t know how I lived without it these last several weeks. Without him.

  I tip my chin up to meet his lips. His mouth brushes mine, once, twice, and then parts in a moment of hunger and desire.

  “Willow,” he says, voice rough.

  I rise to the tips of my toes, pressing closer. His hand fists in my hair, while the other holds me tight to him. I kiss him with everything I have, trying to show him how much he means to me. Trying to take away some of the pain I know he felt when I was gone. Because of Kane, I feel like I betrayed him. I had no idea what I was doing, but I’d switched sides and left him to deal with it alone.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper against his lips.

  “Why?”

  “Because I wasn’t there for you. Because I can’t be there now.”

  “God, Willow, please don’t apologize. This is killing me. Come back. Just come back. We’ll figure it out.”

  Closing my eyes, I rest my head on his shoulder. “It’s not our best chance for dealing with this. Me staying is our best chance.”

  “I don’t want you to go back in there with him.”

  “I’ll see you soon. I promise. I’ll try to come tomorrow to explain everything.”

  His jaw is set. I can tell he doesn’t want to give in. But he knows I’m right. Leaving now will only make things worse.

  He won’t let go.

  “Please, Logan. I need to do this.”

  “You have to let me know you’re okay.”

  “I will,” I assure him, pulling back.

  He releases me. “Okay.”

  I look toward the house, listen for any unfamiliar noises.

  “Are you going to, uh…be invisible again?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you can do that. You’re kind of amazing, you know that?”

  I smile at him. “I think I remember you saying something like that before.”

  “I did. And I meant it. Still do. Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  He kisses me again before I murmur the spell and watch as my limbs start to disappear.

  “I love you,” Logan says as I vanish.

  Maybe it’s the invisibility. Maybe it’s the moment and me already missing him, but I don’t have any trouble saying it back. “I love you, too.”

  Chapter 22

  “Form the circle,” Kane says.

  I grit my teeth and step forward to form a triangle with James and Kane again, my feet crunching the leaves of the forest floor. I already tried to form the circle three times. And each time Wes was able to break it.

  Kane wants to make sure that on the night of the full moon, we’ll be able to complete a protected circle in order to finish the spell. He wants to make sure no one will try to stop us. I have to appreciate his solution isn’t to kill the ones who will try to stop us since they’re my friends, but still. Forming the circle is harder than I thought.

  I close my eyes and repeat the spell over and over in my head. I feel Kane’s power as a paranormal, but it’s vague, like a small buzzing at the edge of my mind. James’s is stronger. His power shines bright, a green haze because he’s especially talented with the earth element. My power joins his and they spark together, forming a dome.

  “Ready,” I say quietly.

  Wes gets closer. I can feel him, too, fainter than Kane. His power touches the circle. He makes a noise‒pain? Amusement? I can’t tell. But then he’s touching my arm.

  My eyes flash open.

  “Got all the way inside this time,” he says.

  I swallow, dropping my chin and letting my power fizzle out.

  “You’re not focusing, Willow,” Kane says. There’s a bite to his voice that makes me wince. If he doesn’t believe I can do this, I don’t know what he’ll resort to.

  James comes to my defense. “It’s difficult for a spell this size. It’ll help to have a full moon when we’re doing this.”

  “Wouldn’t it help to have another witch?” Kane asks, folding his arms.

  Not just any witch. My mom. Another descendant from Selena, the original Keeper of the Flame who did this spell. But that’s not an option. Not if I can help it.

  I lift my chin. “I’ll try harder.”

  Kane frowns. So does James.

  “Come on,” I say, forming the triangle again. “Let’s do it one more time.”

  Neither of them looks eager to tr
y. Wes looks bored. But I have to prove I can do this.

  I conjure my energy again, pushing so hard, my knees feel weak. My buzz of red energy engulfs James. He says my name from across the circle, but I ignore him and talk to Wes. “Okay, try again.”

  I hold steady, keeping the dome strong, pushing against Wes when I feel him trying to reach us. I open my eyes and meet Kane’s. His gaze is narrowed on me. Wes circles us but doesn’t reach me.

  My legs start to buckle. The energy vanishes and Wes practically falls to the forest floor inside our triangle.

  Kane catches me under my arms before I crumple. He props me against a tree and walks away while my head swirls. James comes over and urges me to sit. I’m too dizzy to argue and I slide down the side of the tree, the bark catching on my shirt before I drop my head to my knees.

  “This is unacceptable,” Kane growls.

  I can’t lift my head. I hear him pacing in front of me.

  “You’re the Keeper of the Flame, Willow. You’re the only one who can do this spell.”

  “It’s not her fault,” James says.

  Kane stops pacing. “Whose fault is it, then?”

  When James doesn’t answer, I look up. Kane is livid, barely controlling his anger. He leaps forward and hauls James off his feet. “Who’s fault is it, James?”

  James’s eyes are wide when he says, “Mine. It’s my fault.”

  Kane throws James back several feet, and James lands on his back on the forest floor. Wes still looks bored. He crosses his arms and leans against a tree like he sees this sort of thing all the time.

  I try to stand, but I’m still too shaky. “It’s not‒it’s not his fault.”

  “Yes it is,” James says, wincing when he gets to his feet. “Willow is using as much power as she has, and it’s a lot. I can’t match it.”

  Kane paces again, shaking his head. “Where am I supposed to get another Keeper of the Flame? We need to do this on the next full moon.”

  It takes me a minute to realize he’s talking to himself. But it doesn’t matter anyway. We all know the answer to his question. He probably can’t find another Keeper of the Flame. And definitely not one who’s related to Selena.