Logan

by Melissa Schroeder

  She rose and settled her hands on her hips. “Aww, what’s the matter, Pierre. Don’t y’all like the way I talk?”

  Pierre’s lip curled. “You disgust me.”

  “Oh, but I made you feel young, didn’t I? You’re so old…and well, I was young. So, so very young. And since I’d never had a lover, I didn’t know how very, very bad you were in bed.”

  “You, a virgin when we met?” The disbelief in his voice was easy to hear.

  “Yes. All that Magick you have and none of it could help.”

  Logan looked past the rage he felt to the information she shared with him. Morin was Magickal. And now, looking at him, he knew he had gone to the dark side.

  It wasn’t that easy to spot, especially since many of those who practiced knew how to hide it most of the time. But now that he could study Morin from a distance, Logan could see the way it was eating at him. It ate at a person’s soul, dissolving their humanity. It made them more powerful, but at a price that no one was probably ever prepared to accept.

  “You have always had such a crass attitude.”

  She smiled at the man, but there was no warmth. It was cold hatred.

  “You were always so damned…what do you Americans call it…oh, yes, cocky. You thought you had the answer to everything. What about Logan McLennan?”

  “That is not his name.”

  “Yes, it is. I have no idea what that entire family is playing at, but one word from me, and I will ruin their lives. And that whore Maggie…her son won’t fare well without her around.”

  The cold look turned into pure hatred. Meg straightened, and opened her mouth to sing. This time, Logan didn’t recognize the song. It wasn’t the warm tender ballad she had sung to them that night after dinner. This tone seeped with cold, and treachery. Death crept into the room and vibrated against the walls. It did nothing to Logan, but Morin was another matter.

  The older man stilled and stared at her, as if in a trance. The words were in a language Logan didn’t know, but after a few more lines, Morin unlocked the cell. Meg stepped out and kept singing. Morin’s face contorted with pain, his eyes bulging out of the sockets. He fell to his knees, as she walked toward Logan. She didn’t look back. When she stopped in front of him, his blood turned cold.

  This wasn’t the woman he loved, the one that made his heart whole. This woman was a killer. The vacant stare she was giving him told him she wasn’t there. The power of her abilities had taken over.

  It chilled him to his very core, and he knew he had to stop her. He glanced over her shoulder and saw Morin, rolling around on the floor, gasping for breath.

  “Meg.”

  She didn’t stop. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Meghan Campbell, you listen to me. Don’t do this. Don’t kill him.”

  Her voice faltered.

  “You will never forgive yourself. You are not a killer.”

  Her volume continued to decline, her voice cracking.

  “I love you, Meghan Campbell.”

  Her singing trailed off, and she sagged against him. All that power seemed to dissolve. He caught her just in time. Logan picked her up in his arms and turned to leave.

  “Wait,” Morin hissed.

  Logan turned to face him.

  “You cannot take her and the jewel. I must have one.”

  The desperation wasn’t about a man being infatuated. It was the bone deep fear that he would die.

  “Who is the man you work for?”

  Morin crawled forward, and Meg stirred in Logan’s arms. Morin stopped.

  “I do not know. He will kill me.”

  “You should have thought of that before you sold your soul,” Meg said, her voice hoarse.

  “You did the same. You used your powers to gain access to money. You used it on me.”

  She lifted her head and looked down at him. “Until tonight, I only ever used it once before. And you better heed my warning. You come near the man I love or his family, and I will gladly kill you.”

  “I will hunt them down.”

  He said the words, but there was no intent behind them.

  “You are such a coward. How did I not see it before? Someone is after you. You sold your soul.”

  “That is not it at all. I am promising you that I will have my revenge.”

  When she spoke next, her voice was barely audible. “I’ll not save you from your fate, Pierre. I am my father’s daughter. Everyone gets paid back for their sins.”

  Logan turned then, and strode out of the house. They ignored the servants who came running down the hallway. One of the guards started toward them, but Meg waved one of her hands in his direction. He stumbled backward and slammed against the wall. It was enough to allow Logan to steal out of the door, and into the night. He found a taxi just a block away. After settling in the backseat, he gave the driver the address to the private airport.

  “You came to save me,” Meg said, her breath feathering over his neck.

  “Of course I did, love.”

  She lifted her head and looked at him. “No man has ever done that before. I wasn’t lying before. I do love you. I would kill for you.”

  He cupped her face. “You almost did.”

  She sighed, as tears filled her eyes. “And you saved me again. All I could think about was hurting him. He threatened you, and I wanted him dead.”

  Logan kissed her then, as the tears rolled down her face.

  “You are mine, you understand?”

  She nodded and he slipped his arms around her. Tucking her head beneath his chin, he closed his eyes.

  * * * *

  Logan and Meg made it to the airport just as the first rays of sun peeked over the horizon.

  They scrambled onto the airplane with only ten minutes to spare. They had rushed across Paris to make it there. They both were positive no one had followed him.

  Maggie grabbed Meg first, giving her a massive hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then, she tossed her aside and hugged Logan.

  “It appeared. The stone appeared!” She practically shouted it, as their flight attendant told them to sit.

  Maggie finally let him go and they sat down. As they told them the entire sequence of events, the plane started to taxi. They were in the air and flying towards home before they had finished.

  “So, you’re pretty sure he’s dead?” Angus asked.

  “Yes. Although, I am not sure it has anything to do with us, or the fact that Logan beat the shit out of him. I think there was something else.”

  Maggie cocked her head to one side. “What do you mean?”

  “This was not the Morin I knew years ago. This man was…dark. He might have been Magickal then and hid it. He did come from nothing and seemed to be charmed when it came to money. But, there was a darkness to him that no one, not even the most powerful, could hide.”

  “You think he is doing someone’s biding?”

  “He admitted it. That person could very well be related to the McWaltons,” Logan said, catching on. “You think that the whole reason Pierre wanted the jewel was because someone urged him to get it.”

  She nodded. “Jewels are not his thing. He will go for the rare, but there was nothing rare about that stone. Not to those outside of the Clan. So why did he go after it? He said someone told him to get it. I believe him. Whoever that person might be must be very powerful. Pierre was truly frightened. He begged me to kill him.”

  Maggie’s eyes widened. “Oh, you used that voice.”

  “Wait, you have more than one kind of voice?” Angus asked.

  “Our girl Meghan has a multitude of voices, and with the right words and tone, she can do all kinds of things,” Maggie said. “Just know you don’t want to get on her bad side. She can really make you cry.”

  Meg gave everyone a tired smile. “Yes. Although, I knew how to use this one, I only tried it once before. It sent me into a coma for a few days.”

  “Then why the hell did you use it tonight?” Logan asked.

  She
smiled at him and patted his hand. “He threatened you and the family at large. That is not allowed.”

  “He knew you were witch?” Maggie asked.

  She nodded. “I think he did when I first met him too.”

  “I guess we better check his associates the last few years,” Angus said.

  She nodded. “I would definitely look at who was investing in some more of his riskier adventures.”

  “I should have never doubted you,” Angus said.

  Meg closed her eyes and rested her head against the lush cushioned seat. “No you shouldn’t have, but the jewel was missing.”

  She opened her eyes and her gaze was steady. “I don’t blame you. With the evidence you had, it was the logical explanation.”

  Meg understood Angus. Only people close to them could understand his logical nature and accept that it was part of it. It was something he had not valued before but now he understood. She was already part of their family.

  Angus offered her a grateful smile. “Logan refused to believe it.”

  She glanced at Logan. “Is that a fact?”

  Maggie and Angus nodded, as Logan felt heat crawl up his neck.

  “We’ll leave you to rest,” Maggie said.

  When Angus and Maggie wandered to the back of the plane, Logan watched her settle back, reclining the seat.

  “So, what are your plans now?” he asked.

  She glanced at him, then closed her eyes. “Not sure. Right now, though I was thinking of taking a nap.”

  “A nap?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, you don’t want to talk about what you said to Morin?”

  Her eyes fluttered open, then widened. “What are you talking about?”

  “You told him you loved me. Then you told me. ”

  Her face blanked. “Yes, well I didn’t have a choice. He threatened you.”

  “Hmm. I don’t think that’s the reason.”

  “And, let’s not forget. You told me last night that you loved me and I was yours. I was trying to spare your feelings.”

  He chuckled. “Is that a fact?”

  She nodded, her gaze never leaving his.

  “How about this scenario? You love me. I love you. We get married, love?”

  Her breath seemed to catch. “Marriage?”

  He nodded. “You know, a church, you wear a pretty dress, I wear my kilt…in the traditional sense, if you get my drift?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “Then, we have kids, live happily ever after.”

  “You want to marry a grifter like me?”

  “No.”

  Her heart sank.

  “Oh.”

  “You want to know what Jack said to me before we came here? When he whispered in my ear?”

  “What?”

  “He said you were my heart and if I lost you, we would both be doomed. So, I don’t want to marry that grifter. I want to marry you. You have a penchant for a con, are beautiful, funny, and loyal.” He took her hand. “Marry me, Meghan Campbell.”

  She said nothing. Her mouth opened once, then she snapped it shut. His heart started to constrict with panic. Was she going to say no? He couldn’t even fathom life without her.

  Slowly, her lips curved, then they parted into a wide grin. “Oh, Logan, of course I’ll marry you. I love you.”

  He kissed her then, his heart whole and his soul complete. Logan pulled her to her feet and tugged her down the aisle.

  “Where are you talking me?”

  Logan ignored his brother’s knowing look, as they passed by him and Maggie. He led her into the bedroom in the back, and shut the door. He locked it.

  “Logan,” Meg said, her face turning pink. “We can’t do anything back here. I can’t do that with Maggie and Angus knowing what’s going on.”

  He laughed and tumbled them both back onto the mattress. Rolling on top of her, he pinned her there.

  She smiled up at him.

  “We can and we will do what we want, Meghan Campbell. With you by my side, I can face anything.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  “Yeah.” He leaned down and kissed her. When he pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. “And, I plan to show you exactly how that makes me feel.

  As the plane turned towards home, he did exactly that.

  THE ANNOUNCEMENT

  A BONUS CLAN SCENE

  Phoebe slipped on the earrings Callum had given her for their one year anniversary and looked at herself in the mirror. Her gaze dropped to her abdomen. It was hard to believe that another McLennan would make an appearance in the world in less than six months.

  “Worrying, love?”

  She raised her head and looked at her husband’s reflection. She smiled.

  “No.”

  One eyebrow rose.

  She sighed. “Okay. A little. It’s a bit overwhelming for any normal pregnancy, but this is different. Now we had to tell the others. I just hope everyone is happy about it.”

  “I think most of them have figured it out.”

  “I know Jack knows.”

  Callum slipped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Does he now?”

  “He keeps looking at me and smiling. And every now and then he says I should be resting. The fate of the Clan is up to me.”

  Callum smiled. “That one has a lot of riddles in him.”

  She continued to look at him in the mirror. “That he does.”

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  He turned her around and cupped her face with both hands. Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over hers.

  “All will be fine.”

  She nodded knowing that if Callum was by her side, she could do anything.

  Callum stepped back from her and held out his hand. “Let’s go, love.”

  * * * *

  The voices that travelled down the hall brought a smile to Callum’s list. Their family had grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of months. And there was change just around the corner.

  “They are really loud,” Phoebe said.

  “They are not loud, love. They are just positive about their opinions.”

  She laughed. The joyous sound filled his heart with happiness.

  “And they will be very happy about this.”

  Phoebe nodded. “Yes.”

  When they stepped into the study, his cousins filled every available couch and chair, including Fletcher who seemed to think the desk was something he should be sitting on. He looked at them all as they had various arguments and felt the same bone deep satisfaction. They had been through a lot, but they had made it through together. That was all that was important.

  Angus was laying on the floor, playing some kind of card game with Jack as Maggie, his wife to be, looked on with a smile. Maggie’s friends, Rena and Meg sat beside her on the couch talking to Anice. Logan had a pad of paper and a pencil. Knowing him he was sketching the entire scene.

  And Fletcher was sitting on the desk.

  “Everyone, quiet down.”

  No one responded to her request.

  “Shut your bloody mouths,” Callum shouted.

  Everyone turned to them at once. Silence reigned, finally.

  “Can we ever get together and not be so loud,” he muttered. He dragged Phoebe through the room.

  “We’ve been waiting forever,” Fletcher groused.

  “You’ve made yourself at home on the desk, so what are you complaining about?” he asked as he sat in the chair behind the desk. He pulled Phoebe onto his lap.

  “Fletcher has a date. He might be nervous about that,” Jack said. “Although, he seems to have them all the time, so you would think he would be good at them.”

  Callum chuckled. “I agree. Get off the desk, you wanker.”

  Fletcher gave him a suggestion on exactly what he could to himself.

  “Fletcher McLennan, behave yourself,” Phoebe said.

  “Sorry,” he said and moved to the floor
with Jack and Angus.

  “We have a little news to tell everyone.”

  “You know who is going for the next jewel?” Anice asked. “Which one of is going? What jewel?”

  “Shut up,” Callum ordered.

  “I hope to have information soon on that end,” Phoebe promised. “We just wanted to tell you together that Callum and I are expecting our first child in six months.”

  There was a beat of silence, then the room exploded. They laughed, the cried—why women did that he did not understand—and there were hugs. As always, the family came together for family.

  Belvidore showed up at the doorway with a cart. It had champagne flutes filled. He stopped in the center of the room and picked up two glasses.

  “This is for you, my lady. And for Jack,” he said winking at the little boy. They had grown exceptionally close in the last few months. “Apple juice since you can’t have the wine.”

  After the champagne was distributed, Angus rose and held his glass up.

  “I’m taking credit for all of this because I’m the one who hired Phoebe. None of us knew what to expect as we brought a stranger into our home. You have brought such joy to the entire family.”

  “And, thankfully, Callum stopped being such a grade A wanker.”

  Everyone laughed. Angus shook his head as he continued. “You have accepted each of us as part of your family and now you are expanding ours. To Callum and Phoebe, and the next generation.”

  “To Callum and Phoebe,” everyone said. Then they cheered before all taking a drink.

  As everyone talked around them, excitedly, Callum leaned closer and whispered into her ear.

  “You are definitely one of us now.”

  She turned to kiss him, happy tears filling her eyes. “That is the sweetest thing you have ever said to me. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He slipped his hand over her abdomen. “Both of you.”

  Read more about Callum and Phoebe in their book, Callum, The Cursed Clan, book one.

  CALLUM: THE CURSED CLAN

  As Laird, Callum Lennon feels he has always failed to protect his cousins. Callum’s impulsiveness caused the death of his father and the experience has scarred not only his body, but his soul. From that point on, he made sure to always go with the more logical choice in every matter. When his younger cousin Angus finds clues that might help break the curse, Callum begrudgingly hires Phoebe Chilton to investigate. Callum doesn’t like bringing outsiders into their family affairs. Their life would become fodder for the tabloids if anyone were to find out about the curse. It doesn’t help that the instant he meets Dr. Chilton he’s attracted. But, he doesn’t really have a choice because she might be their last hope.