by Lila Kane
“What about the others?” I mumble, keeping my eyes shut.
“They found the werewolf. Cheyenne’s talking to her.”
He says nothing about Myra and Wes, nothing about the fire or finding me on the ground beside the car. And I only nod mutely, afraid if I open my mouth I’ll break down and I won’t be able to stop crying.
Chapter 8
The storm clouds rolled in on our way home. The more despondent I got about what I’d seen, the darker the sky gets.
When we reach the house, Logan leans over and murmurs, “Are you doing that, sweetheart?”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, but I don’t have the energy to try to stop it.
Thunder claps loudly, startling me, and Logan frowns. “Come on, let’s get inside.”
My mom and James are there, speaking in low tones. When they see us, they stop talking. Faye is on her feet immediately.
“What happened?”
I turn for the stairs, walking away from their looks and away from the responsibility of telling my mom that her husband was killed by the same people who want to kill me now.
Logan says something to them about Wes, so I tune him out. Lightning flashes through the window, followed by another loud peal of thunder that shakes the house.
I don’t have anything comfortable to relax in, so I keep my tank on and slip out of my jeans before settling under the cool covers. There’s still enough light coming through the windows to irritate me, so I flick my wrist at the drapes and they slide shut with a whoosh.
Logan stands in the doorway, his eyes on the drapes for a long moment before he decides to come in. He’s carrying a glass of water, which he sets next to the bed.
“Can I lay with you a few minutes?” he asks.
I nod, staring up at the ceiling while he gets in next to me, stretching out on top of the covers. “I’m tired,” I tell him.
He turns to me in the dim room. “I know.” He hesitates before speaking again. “You need help sleeping?”
I shift, facing him with my hands tucked under my cheek. He looks so vulnerable. I remember the last time he did this for me. He didn’t want to but he did it because I asked. And he’d do it again because I need it.
“Please,” I say.
He collects my hands in his and holds them to his chest. I meet his eyes because I know that’s what makes this work, and his irises start to darken. He whispers soothing words to me. “It’s okay, Willow, you can sleep now,” and I open myself to it so I don’t have to deal with everything else. I just want to forget. Just this once.
His powers are stronger, so sleep is almost instantaneous. It grabs me and drags me down, pulling me away from Logan and away from all my thoughts. But even sleep isn’t enough to erase the images of my father being killed.
The sound of a low voice wakes me. I blink several times, trying to clear the haze from my vision. The space beside me is warm, but empty.
I lean up on my elbow to figure out where the voice is coming from. The door to the bedroom is cracked just slightly and I see Logan’s form pacing outside.
“See you soon,” he says before hanging up.
He pauses in the doorway for a deep breath before walking back inside. He stops when he sees me, and then recovers quickly. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He walks over, reaching for the covers to pull them up again. “Go back to sleep.”
“Is she coming?” I ask, following his movements.
“Who?”
“Your witch friend.”
Logan sits on the edge of the bed. “Morgan? Yeah.”
I shift to sit up, and he shakes his head. “It’s only been a few hours. Get some more rest.”
“A few hours,” I repeat dumbly.
It feels like it’s been forever. My whole body is sluggish, like I haven’t moved for days.
“Yes.” Logan gets off the bed to adjust the covers again. “There’s time to rest. Myra and Ryan just got back from her store. She’s making dinner.”
I feel for the necklace beneath my shirt, panicking for a moment. Thinking that maybe I imagined everything that happened this afternoon. When I find the chain, I pull it out and see the sparkle of the ring on the end.
My breath whooshes out in relief. “It’s real.”
Logan catches my hand. “Willow. What’s wrong?”
I clutch the ring in my free hand, afraid to let it go. “I had a vision at the house when I saw Wes. They just keep coming and I thought maybe…” I open my palm to stare at the ring. “Maybe this was just part of my imagination, too.”
Though when it came down to it, all the things I’d seen in my visions so far were real. Real events that had happened to real people. Like my father.
“It’s real,” Logan says, drawing me to his side so he can wrap his arm around me. “I promise. I want you to be my wife.” When I don’t answer, he gives a laughing smile. “You said yes.”
That makes me feel a little better. “I remember that part, too. And I meant it.”
“Good.”
There’s still tension between us. I know he wants more. He wants to know what happened back at the car. What my vision was about. Maybe even what happened with Wes. By now, Wes is probably just a pile of ash on the road like the vampire at the border last night.
I know I should feel guilty. Maybe part of me does deep down inside. But the other part is relieved. Grateful, even, because that’s one less person we have to deal with. One less paranormal trying to get at us or take over the town.
“Are you worried about her being here?” I ask Logan before he can ask me anything. I’m stalling. I know it. But I need time. “Morgan?”
Logan sighs, his body tensing again. “It’s complicated.”
“You said that before.”
“Because it was complicated then, too.”
I hear a few taps of rain on the window and glance over.
“It was a pretty steady downpour the entire time you were sleeping,” Logan says.
“I didn’t mean to,” I murmur.
“I know.”
He faces me in the dim room, taking my hands again. “Morgan was my link to finding you in the beginning. I didn’t…I didn’t have real feelings for her but she thought I did. Let’s just leave it at that.” He stares at my hands, frowning. “I should have been more up front with her.”
“Does she still have feelings for you?”
“I don’t know. But this time I’ll make it clear where I stand.”
“You think she’ll still help us?”
He meets my eyes. “I hope so.”
Nerves bubble up and the rain outside picks up as well. Even though I don’t want to talk about what I saw with Wes, Logan deserves to know. “So those visions…” I avert my eyes. “It seems like they’re mostly memories from paranormals I happen to be nearby. Like Wes this afternoon.”
Logan squeezes my hands, encouraging me to continue.
“It was him and Kane–and they were at my dad’s apartment.”
I see Logan swallow. He already knows what’s coming.
“Kane was trying to find me,” I whisper. “And when my dad wouldn’t tell him where I was, they killed him.” The last words come out choked, and I lean into Logan as sobs wrack my body. “I wasn’t even there. I couldn’t help him. I couldn’t–”
“I know, Willow. Shh.” Logan rubs my back. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I wasn’t there,” I sob.
He holds onto me and waits for the crying to subside. Tears streak my cheeks, making his shirt wet, and I wipe at my face.
“And Wes,” I say, shaking my head, bitterness in my voice. “He scared me. I thought he was going to hurt me, so I lashed out. And I didn’t feel bad about it.”
“That’s not your fault either,” Logan says.
“Is he dead?”
Logan shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Is he dead?”
Logan sighs and drops his chin. “Yes. But you know it was
only a matter of time before something happened to him. Kane wasn’t going to let him stick around forever. Especially not with what they knew about the blue fire.” His voice is rough when he says, “God, Willow, I’m so sorry I left you.”
“What? Logan, I’m fine.”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” His eyes skim my arms, and then my face.
“No.”
No, I was the one who’d done the damage. I’d killed a shapeshifter.
I squeeze Logan’s hand. “Do you think Kane knows?”
Logan stands, shaking his head. “That really is something you shouldn’t worry about. It’s safe inside the perimeter around the house. And we can reinforce it if we need to. Once Morgan gets here, there will be four of you and you can make it stronger.”
“We might have to wait until the next full moon for our big spell, though. That’s a whole month away. I can’t stay in here that whole time. Logan–” I get out of bed and grip his arm. “Hold on.”
He wraps an arm around my waist. “You’re not going to sleep anymore, are you?”
“I’m hungry.”
He grins. “Good thing Myra is here. Let’s go downstairs.”
“Wait.”
“I really don’t want to talk about that right now. One disaster a day,” Logan says, pulling me to the door. “You’re safe here right now, which means I don’t have to worry.”
“You don’t have to worry anyway.” My fingertips buzz with blue.
He doesn’t say anything, just guides me downstairs. Everyone is in the kitchen, including the werewolf they collected from the abandoned house. She stands when I walk in, eyeing me warily.
Logan pulls me closer to him. “Cheyenne said she’s on our side.”
“She is,” Cheyenne insists. “Besides, she’s outnumbered.”
“And you’ve got the blue fire,” the girl says. “I know what you can do with that.”
“I won’t hurt you,” I say, because that’s probably exactly what she expects of me.
Logan nudges me to a chair at the counter. “She knows that.”
He walks around the island and grabs a beer from the refrigerator. He takes the glass of wine Myra hands him and sets it in front of me.
“This is Diane,” Cheyenne says, gesturing to the werewolf. “And, of course you know Willow.”
“He talked about you a lot before you got here,” Diane says. “And about the blue fire.”
Logan squeezes his beer. “New topic of conversation, please.”
Diane squints her eyes at him. “You need to feed. So does Myra. It’ll make you stronger.”
Logan stands, turning to Cheyenne. “Can you make her shut up about this?”
“She’s right,” James says. “You don’t want it to get out of control. And with what we’re up against, you’ll need your strength.”
“I can guarantee Kane’s already fed,” Diane says.
I wince, and take a swallow of my wine to distract myself. When I notice Logan watching me, I lean across the counter. “Maybe she’s right.”
His jaw clenches.
“We had an agreement.”
He blows out a breath. “I know.”
Cheyenne folds her arms. “Not that I want to be involved in this, but you could go to the hospital. Blood bags. It’s safer.”
Myra wrinkles her nose. “That’s disgusting.”
“And necessary,” James says. “Soon.”
Ryan grips Myra’s hand. “I’ll go with you.”
I nod at Logan. “I can go with you, too.”
“That’s not a good idea.” Logan’s voice is firm, even though he looks sorry about it.
“It’s good for me to be there. What if Kane shows up? Or the other shapeshifter? I can help.”
“It’s also the most dangerous for you to be there,” my mom says.
I glance over, feeling supported and betrayed by her at the same time. I get she wants me to be safe, but she knows the position I’m in. She knows what it’s like to want to take care of the people we love.
She walks over to me and nods to the hallway. “Can we talk a minute?”
I grab my wine and follow her. She looks rested. Calm. Much more serene than how I’m feeling right now.
“First off,” she says gently. “Congratulations.”
I can’t help the goofy smile that comes to my lips. “Thank you. Did he really talk to you first?”
“Yes. Briefly, but it was enough. I sort of…read between the lines.”
“What do you mean?”
Faye smiles. “It’s a small spell. To see someone’s true intentions. I’m sorry, but I don’t know Logan well and after everything that’s happened…I just wanted to make sure he’s the best person for you.”
“Is he?”
She nods. “The very best. Which is a rare thing.”
My heart clenches with happiness at the words. I pull the necklace out from under my shirt, and Faye releases a breath as she looks at the ring.
“That’s old,” she says. “And beautiful. We can do a protection spell on it.”
I sip my wine, waiting for her to tell me what she wanted to tell me. Her face grows serious quickly.
“It’s better for you to stay here,” she says. “It’s probably best for our whole group–us witches–because we’re the only ones who can stop this.” She sighs. “Unless…”
“What?”
“It goes against what we’ve been taught. As witches, we’re raised not to hurt anyone. Especially those of us closest to Earth. It’s our job to protect people. Not harm them.”
I think of the vampire at the boundary of town, and then Wes.
She grips my free hand. “That was self-defense. It’s entirely different.”
“How do you know what I was thinking?”
“I could read it on your face. Willow, I can tell what kind of witch you are, and I know you’re not the kind who hurts for fun. You help people. You already have. But Kane…”
“He’s beyond help at this point.” I lean against the wall as my fingers start to buzz. Faye glances at my hands but doesn’t say anything. “Dad used to say the best defense is a good offense.”
Her lips curve slightly. “That’s right. And if he was here, I think he’d say the same thing.”
“But…Kane is Logan’s family. He’s Myra’s brother.”
“Which is why we try to do this spell first. Or strip his powers. And if that doesn’t work, or we don’t have a choice, we take the next step.”
She means kill him. Maybe even with the blue fire.
“I can’t kill Logan’s brother,” I whisper. But then my fingers start buzzing again when I think about what he did to me. How he took my memories and kept me away from Logan. He hurt Logan, too, and didn’t seem to care.
Faye squeezes my arm. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
I nod, turning for the kitchen again.
“One more thing,” she says.
I glance back. “What?”
“The new witch. Logan’s friend.” She flicks a gaze to the kitchen, where the rest of the group still is. She doesn’t say it out loud, just mouths the words, Be careful.
Angling my head, I start to ask what she’s talking about when Logan and Myra appear, with Ryan and Cheyenne trailing behind them.
“What’s going on?” I ask when Myra gives me a grim look.
“I convinced them to go to the hospital,” Cheyenne says.
Myra rolls her eyes. “Before we run out of time, according to that crazy werewolf–no offense, Cheyenne–in there. She thinks she knows everything.”
“I agree she’s annoying,” Cheyenne says with a nod. “And no offense taken. But, we need to get this dealt with.”
“I feel fine,” Myra argues.
I take Logan’s hand and look up into his face, trying to read the expression there. His jaw clenches. It’s what he’s not saying that convinces me. They need to deal with this before it gets out of control.
Sque
ezing his hand, I say, “This is important. It should get taken care of.”
His nod is so slight I barely see it. My heart twists. I don’t want him to have to do this–especially not on his own. How would I feel if I had to change so much of who I was because of a spell? We all knew this was a possibility, but it was a vague one. One none of us thought we’d have to face so quickly. And now Myra and Logan are full vampires.
We walk to the front door as a group, but I pull Logan to the back. “I don’t want you to do this on your own.”
He gives a small smile, eyes dark and unreadable in the dim hallway. “I won’t be alone. Myra and Ryan will be there.”
“No, I mean…” I drop my chin, unsure how to say what I’m feeling. “I want to be there for you.”
He opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “I know it’s safer here. I know that. But I can’t stand that you have to do this, and–”
“Hey.” Logan pulls me close, his mouth brushing my ear. “It’s okay. We’ll be quick.”
“Still.”
He sighs, keeping his mouth at my ear. “Listen, Willow. I don’t…I don’t want you to see me like this. And if you stay here, I won’t be distracted. We can get it done faster and then I can come back to you.”
I straighten at his words, as their meaning hits me fully. He doesn’t want me there. It’s not just that he wants me to stay safe, he doesn’t want me with him.
Forcing a smile, I pull away and nod. “I understand.”
Or at least, I’m trying.
“Willow–”
“Come on,” Cheyenne says. “Let’s get this done.”
Logan shakes his head. “No, you can’t go. Someone needs to stay here with the werewolf. I don’t trust her. Especially not around Willow.”
She presses a hand to her eyes, clearly frustrated.
“I’ll go,” Faye says. She flashes me a smile. “For back-up.”
Before I can argue, she steps to the door. Logan kisses my cheek, and then he’s gone as well. My stomach rolls. I’m afraid for them to step off the property. I’m afraid they won’t come back.
Cheyenne slings her arm around my shoulders. “Fill up your glass,” she suggests, using her chin to gesture to my wine, “and relax. They’ll be back before you know it.”
