I chose.
I chose not to die.
I chose to live.
Forever.
Beams of light shot out of my pendant, blinding Ethan just enough to allow me to roll away from him. I reached up to my neck, gasping for air but afraid to breathe, because the pain was so bad. I saw my mom on the ground, the shield shrinking, barely even covering her. Logan was fighting as many as were coming at him as fast as he could but when would it stop. I needed to get Ethan to call them back. I looked over at him and he was holding his bad arm, watching the liquid silver continue to creep along his healthy flesh.
“This war has become something you don’t want to fight,” a female’s voice sang through the air. “Call back your demons.”
I looked up to the sky to see it filled with a beautiful spirit, a spirit that language fails to convey. She was miraculous, beautiful, and I was her vessel.
“Oh. My. Word,” I gasped, looking toward the sky.
The remaining members of the Praedivinus and Demoniker Orders stopped fighting, instead they stared toward the sky.
“Vade Ad Inferos,” Ethan stuttered, commanding the demons to the underworld.
The grounds began lighting up as the fairies joined forces. The lake illuminated with a glowing canvas that was beyond breathtaking.
I stood up, stumbling as I ran toward Logan. He grabbed me and held me before I let go and ran to my mom. She was weak, but she was okay. We all were okay. I looked toward the glowing waters and was in awe as I realized what was lighting up the water. Lake Nymphs hovered over every square inch of water. Their beauty and soft glow radiated off the lake as their song began echoing through the night’s air. I stood watching the beauty of our world come to life in a spectacular way as my body felt like I was experiencing weightlessness. I looked up toward the sky, smiling at the choice I made.
Logan came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist, tucking his chin into my shoulder.
Dace and Bakula, along with several other fairies, hovered in front of us holding the Praedivinus covenant.
“Thank you for accepting our gift,” Bakula said, bowing.
I touched my pendant, feeling where the amulet went.
“What was that I slipped into my pendant?” I asked.
“The amulet is a crystalized tear from me. One that we’ve blessed,” she answered, winking at me.
My mouth fell open.
“And I had it the entire time,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“You sure did,” Bakula said. “I started to doubt that you’d use it.”
The fairies shifted under the weight of the covenant.
“The covenant is ready for you,” Bakula said.
“Ready for me?” I asked, grabbing it.
They nodded as Logan and I slowly walked toward the lake, with Dace and Bakula following.
“This is it,” I said quietly.
“You did it,” he whispered.
“We did it.” I stopped near the water’s edge and opened the covenant. Tearing out the pages, I threw them into the air watching as they ignited over the lake.
“Wow,” I sighed, emptying the book. I turned to face Logan, his expression loving as he caressed my arm.
“Your eyes are so beautiful,” he whispered. “They’re silver now, you know. Guess we can call it gray magic.”
I smiled, feeling like the world was full of possibilities.
“Our love really will live on,” I whispered, rubbing my hands over his.
“Forever,” he murmured, as we both watched the Lake Nymphs dance and sing in celebration of this new world.
***
We were back in Seattle. The lake incident, that’s what we called it now, felt like an event long ago, but it wasn’t. It was just last week. Christmas was only days away, and our home was finally decorated. I’d be lying if I said I was the one who decorated. I didn’t. My mom had Meredith come over and get it ready before we got home. What I did do, though, was plan a fun holiday dinner, which I should be enjoying now instead of staring out the window waiting for Logan to return home.
“He’ll be here,” Jenny said, sitting behind me. “Quit worrying.”
“I know but the snow storm was unexpected,” I countered.
“And what do you think’s going to happen to him?” she teased. “If I remember you guys share a little something called—”
“I know. I know,” I said, waving my hands at her. “But I’m still allowed to worry.”
“I can’t believe you had the key to immortality with you the entire time in that ring,” Jenny said, shaking her head.
“It’s pretty incredible.”
I turned back to the window and there he was, pulling right into the driveway.
I hollered to everyone and ran to the door, flinging it open. He was walking up the sidewalk with a bouquet of red roses and a sheepish grin.
“Where have you been?” I asked, giving him a big hug.
“I had to wait until it started snowing,” he said coyly.
“Why’s that?” I asked puzzled, as he pulled me outside.
I heard everyone gather at the front door and begin whispering and cheering, which I though was odd until I turned back to Logan.
Logan reached for my hand and dropped to one knee before I even knew what was happening. He looked up at me slowly at the same time that I exhaled to steady my world. His silver eyes locked on mine, his expression unreadable.
“I love you. You make me right, Triss. You don’t just complete me. You make me. Without you, I don’t know where I’d be. Where any of us would be. I want to spend the rest of our lives together.”
My hand began trembling, but he didn’t let go. Instead, using his other hand, he removed a tiny ring box from his pocket and flipped it open.
“Triss, will you marry me?” he asked, tightening his clasp around my hand.
I blinked back the tears and began nodding as I watched a smile spread across his lips.
“Yes,” I whispered, as he brought me into him.
“You have made me the happiest man in the world.” His voice was low.
“I love you more than anything,” I whispered, feeling the tears stream down my cheek as he pulled away.
Logan’s lips bent into a wide smile as he slipped the ring on my finger. Wiping away the tears, I looked down at the beautiful setting, but it was almost impossible to focus as my hand trembled.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It reminded me of you,” he said, holding my hand.
Jenny came up behind Logan and tapped his shoulder. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” she asked, looking at my ring.
“You’ve seen it before?” I asked.
Jenny blushed and scurried away without saying another word.
“How long have you been planning this?” I asked, smiling.
“Since,” he paused, and looked away before smiling, “forever.
“I have never seen a partnership like what you two can pull off,” Bakula’s voice from behind shocked me. She fluttered to Logan’s shoulder and hovered. “You don’t detract from each other. You add to one another; each weakness becomes a strength. It’s something very unusual,” Bakula said, glancing at Dace. “I’d say you even beat us in that department.”
“Absolutely not,” Dace said, as his tiny lips turned up in a smile.
“Congratulations, my baby,” my mom gushed, walking up to us.
Ellsy stood next to my mom, with tears in her eyes. I scanned the porch and couldn’t believe how amazing this moment felt. I never wanted it to end.
“Thank you, mom,” I said, hugging her.
“Logan’s been planning this for a long time, and after hearing some of the close calls in recent days, I can’t even begin to tell you how relieved I am that we pulled it off,” she said, laughing, taking another swig of her drink.
“Close calls?” I asked.
“Snow storms that never transpired. He insisted it be done in the snow,” Ellsy said.
“Congratulations,” Trevor said, pulling me into him, but not before Angela bounded over and tackled us both.
“This is incredible,” she chirped. “Let me see that ring.”
I held up my hand and enjoyed the wave of excitement that washed over me as she held my hand and examined it. “Amazing.”
“You look absolutely stunning, babe,” Logan murmured interrupting us as he snuck up behind me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”
I spun around and slid my arms around his neck.
“You make me this happy,” I whispered. “All the time.”
“Well that’s good to hear,” he teased, bringing his lips close to mine. “Because we have a lot of time.”
The charge running between us was undeniable. Since that night at the lake, every feeling, thought, emotion was escalated into something too hard to explain, maybe too hard for me to understand. But as I looked into Logan’s eyes I felt it running through me, and I was grateful that our future included forever. I stood on my toes and touched my lips to his, feeling the love that only we two could share.
***
***
Fire and smoke traveled upward toward the night sky. The hypnotic beat of drums and chanting in the background felt too familiar, too much like I’d experienced when my father was at the lake compound. But I wasn’t at his compound. I was across the country and needed to get control of my emotions.
I looked over at Dace and Bakula, hovering close together as they discussed the fate of my mother. Logan was standing next to them, arguing with them on my behalf. Even though I tried explaining to Dace and Bakula that she was under my father’s powers when she did what she did, they didn’t seem content with that explanation. It seemed like they wanted to make an example of her. Bakula’s round eyes became larger and she placed her tiny hand to her mouth and nodded.
Logan walked over to where I was sitting and kneeled down next to me. He placed his hand on my knee, and a warm sensation spread through me as his eyes connected with mine.
“I got them to see our side of things,” he began. “In the land of Fae, things are often pretty black and white.”
“They understand what I would do to them if…” I looked away.
“Nothing will happen to her,” he interrupted, gently touching my chin to get my attention. “I promise.”
Logan stood up and stretched, and I looked over at Dace and Bakula who seemed skittish.
“What did you say to them?” I whispered, standing up next to him.
“Never mind that,” he murmured, bringing me in close, his mouth hovering near my ear. “You don’t want to know.”
His arms wrapped around my waist, and he brought me in for an embrace.
“I guess sometimes it’s best not to ask,” I laughed.
“Yeah. Probably.” He winked and stepped back, his hand reaching for mine. “Wanna go on a little walk? Away from all this noise?”
“Definitely,” I agreed. “I know they think this is supposed to be celebratory, but it’s giving me too many flashbacks.”
“No kidding.” He squeezed my hand and pulled me through the trees with only the moonlight lighting the way.
We reached a small clearing, far enough away from the smoke and incessant rhythm of the fairies’ celebration of their arrival, and found a place to sit.
“These woods make me think of the cottage.” I paused and looked up at him. The moonlight shimmering off his eyes created a stir within my belly. “Do you think we’ll ever get to go back?”
He nodded and scooted closer to me. “I do. I really do.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and felt the strength in his forearm as I wrapped my fingers around his arm. Taking a deep breath in, I closed my eyes, listening to the woods surrounding us.
Logan shifted slightly, cupping my chin in his hand as I lifted my head.
“I love you, Triss,” he whispered. “I want you to dream of counting stars and endless nights with me.” The devilish grin appeared that I loved so much. “Not all of this stuff. You deserve….”
“It’s not a question of deserving,” I stopped him. “It’s a question of what each of us can handle. And apparently I can handle a lot.”
He laughed, and I reached my hand up to his face, my thumb caressing his jawline. I watched as his muscles tightened with the slightest touch. His lip turned up at the corner.
“I really love you,” I murmured, bringing my lips up to his.
The softness of his kiss as his mouth met mine, created our own little slice of heaven in the middle of nowhere. Climbing onto his lap, I felt his fingers trace along my back as his kisses deepened with every passing moment.
***
“I’m not fighting for anything or anyone but you,” Logan murmured, his index finger tracing along my shoulder. “I thought you knew that.”
“The only way we’ll do our best is if you believe in more than just me. You have to believe in the cause. That’s the only way…”
“You are the cause,” he interrupted. “Keeping you alive is as important to the cause as anything else out there. Don’t you understand that?”
The house was eerily quiet. Trevor and the other sorcerers were on watch duty, but they were outside canvasing the grounds. I hadn’t planned on the conversation turning to this. I wanted to make the most of our alone time. But the stress of everything was getting to be too hard to shake off.
“I have to be honest. Right about now, hiding out in the undercity of Seattle sounds like a really nice life,” I sighed.
“You’d actually consider that?” Logan asked, his eyes narrowing.
I shrugged and sat back from him, gauging his reaction.
“It’s a really lonely life,” he mumbled, grabbing a spell book to flip through.
This was a conversation neither of us wanted and had been avoiding since we’d visited the undercity. I wished I had kept my mouth shut.
“No. But I feel like so much of my life is out of my control. What if that’s what’s meant to be?” I asked.
He was quiet. No. It was beyond quiet. He was hurt.
“I didn’t mean the way it came out,” I said. “I just meant that if…”
“So you’re willing to join the ranks of the undercity, but you aren’t willing to become immortal? It’s like every option you consider somehow manages to ax me right out of the equation.” He stood up and began pacing.
He was right, and there was nothing I could do to reverse the contradictions that were apparently controlling my future.
“I thought you were going to propose,” I whispered.
“What? When?” he asked.
“That night when you had invited everyone to the house.” I pressed my lips together, feeling foolish for telling him.
He stopped moving and gestured for me to come over to him.
I slid my arms around his hips, catching my thumbs in the belt loops. I pressed my head against his chest, feeling the quickened pace of his heart.
“What would you have said?” he whispered.
“You don’t know?” I asked, swallowing through the tightness in my throat.
“Apparently not,” he replied.
“I would have said yes.”
***
With coffee in hand, the sound of the shower lured me down the hall. The steam was rolling out of the doorway, and I couldn’t help but imagine Logan under the showerhead; my heart quickening at the visual.
“Knock. Knock,” I said, walking into the warm room. “I’ve got some coffee for you.”
“Is that all you brought?” his voice teased a shiver down my spine.
“Not necessarily all I brought,” I replied, setting the cup on the vanity.
The shower curtain was drawn, and I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about him on the other s
ide of the flimsy fabric.
“Well, what’s taking you so long?” he asked, his voice low.
Warmth spread through me as I walked to the curtain and slowly tugged the fabric to the side, peeking into the shower. His back was to me as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair, letting the water drip down from his hanging head. His shoulders were so broad and muscular, tightening as he worked the soap out of his hair, that it was hard to control my thoughts, especially as my eyes trailed down his back.
“You coming in?” he asked, turning to face me. “I can leave the water running.”
Unable to resist scanning his v-muscles, he started laughing as he caught my open mouth.
“Or whatever’s on your mind,” he teased.
***
“What I love about immortality is that we can be engaged for decades before we walk down the aisle,” Logan teased.
I spun on my heels, crossing my arms in front of me, and gave him the dirtiest look I could muster.
“Whoa,” he whistled, holding his hands up. “Only kidding.”
“You better be,” I said. “I’ve got the Gods on my side you know.”
“Are you going to hold that over me all the time?” he winked.
“At least for the next century.” I smiled and continued painting the wall in the kitchen.
After everything we’d been through, we both decided that moving to the cottage would be our idea of heaven and fixing it up was my idea of heaven. The kitchen was turning a pale yellow with each stroke of my brush. I had chosen a soft color palette for all of the rooms except for the guest room. That room was a vibrant blue. I thought it would be fun to make it all nautical themed. Since we were away from the coast, I wanted to bring the sea to us.
Witch Avenue Series (The Complete Set) Page 89
