by Lila Kane
“You’re faster,” I say, nodding. “What else?”
He lowers his chin, as though he doesn’t want to say anything. I reach up and touch his cheek. My thumb brushes his lips.
“Your teeth?”
He meets my eyes. “They ache. It’s worse every day because the spell has already started being reversed. Myra noticed it too.”
“Are you, uh…” I swallow, trying to find the words. “Do you want to bite someone? Or suck their blood or something?”
“It’s not that bad,” he whispers. His eyes are stormy and worried as he catches my hand in his. “Are you scared?”
“No.”
The irises of his eyes deepen to a darker shade. “Are you sure?”
My body slumps against his automatically. “No,” I whisper.
“Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
He’s holding me up and I shake my head. “You’re getting stronger…how did you do that?”
“It’s in our nature‒a vampire’s nature‒to influence our…”
“Prey?”
He winces and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this. I didn’t mean to do that, it‒”
“I want to. I want to talk about it. I don’t want you to keep yourself from me.”
“I don’t want you to keep yourself from me either.” He takes my face in his hands, eyes back to clear, deep blue. “Even if you’re scared to let me in.”
I swallow. I am scared. But if he’s going to open up, I have to also. “I’m still not sure it’s a good idea if you stay the night.”
“It’s a great idea,” he says.
He starts to back me to the bed when we hear a thud against the window. I yelp and spin around. Logan takes my arm, pushing me behind him.
“What was that?” The thud sounds again, making my heart slam against my ribs. I grip Logan’s arm tightly. “Something’s out there.”
He looks around as if searching for a weapon. “Stay here.”
“Hell, no.”
I follow him into the hallway and he glances back. “Willow‒”
“I’m coming with you.”
He gets a knife from the drawer in the kitchen and I back away, images of me holding the knife over Logan’s chest flashing through my mind.
“It’s okay, Willow,” he says when he sees my face. “Go back to the bedroom.”
“No, I’m okay.”
The banging sounds again, this time on the window at the front of the house. I hitch in a breath and follow Logan to the front door. “Stay inside, okay? You’re probably safer in here.”
If it’s a vampire, yes. But if it’s something else?
Logan opens the door and peers one way, then the other, along the dark porch. I flip the porch light on but stay inside the house.
“Do you see anything?”
He shakes his head and walks down the steps to the lawn. When he gets farther out, I can barely see him in the darkness.
“Logan?”
Silence.
I curl my fingers around the handle of the screen door and open it. It creaks on its hinges. When I hear Logan’s hiss of surprise, I step onto the porch, my bare feet cold on the planks of wood.
“Logan?”
I walk closer to the stairs and spot him swooping his arms through the air. Another few steps and I see the blackbird. It dives low over Logan’s head and then back up. The knife glimmers in the light of the moon, but I can tell he’s trying not to use it on the bird.
The bird dives again and scratches Logan on the arm. I run down the stairs, reaching for him. “It’s the same bird that’s been following me.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“I think it hit the window,” he says, eyeing the sky. “Like it was trying to get our attention. Let’s get inside.”
I turn, but the blackbird is there again. It digs its claws into my shoulder and I tear away with a yelp.
“Willow!”
Logan pulls me to the porch while the bird flies in after us. Its claws tangle in my hair at the same time I see a flash of something. No, someone. Dark blue eyes like Logan’s and midnight black hair. He’s talking, whispering, saying my name.
I trip on the stair, but Logan catches me before I fall. The knife clatters to the wooden planks and I grimace, trying to get my bearings. A wave of dizziness hits me and I slump over.
He takes another swing at the bird and it connects. The blackbird slams to the ground. Logan’s hand closes around my elbow and he snags the knife with his other hand before hauling me up the stairs.
“Logan,” I say, voice coming out faint.
My vision swims for a moment and I’d prefer to sit down right in the middle of the porch, but Logan won’t let go until we’re inside. I feel like I felt the first time I touched Logan, back in the bar, and saw the vision of fangs. And, consequently, passed out.
Once we’re in the living room, he shuts and locks the door while I stumble to the couch.
“What the hell was that?” Logan asks, glancing at me before stepping over.
I sigh and close my eyes. “I think it was a shapeshifter.”
Chapter 23
Logan crouches next to me by the couch. “A shapeshifter?”
The room is swimming and I lean over, pressing my cheeks to my knees. “Hold on.”
“God, Willow, what happened?”
“I saw someone,” I mumble. When I look up, I frown and clutch his shoulder. “You’re bleeding.”
He brushes the back of his hand on his cheek. “It’s already healed.”
I peer closer and see that he’s right. Brushing his cheek with my fingers, I breathe, “That was fast.”
He catches my hand in his, eyebrows furrowing. “Willow, you’re scaring me. And you’re hurt.”
I look at my shoulder, see the scratches from the birds claws there. Beads of blood are forming, but it’s not too bad. Logan swallows and looks away.
“It’s fine.” I cover my wound. It’s got to be hard for him to see my blood, to be around it. I wonder if it makes him feel more like a vampire. Hungry. “Let me get a bandage or something.”
He stands abruptly. “I’ll get it.”
Since the room is still spinning and I know he needs a moment, I nod. “Hall closet. There’s a first aid kit and some washcloths.”
He gives me a small smile. “You’re always prepared.”
When he walks away, I close my eyes. I wasn’t prepared for the blackbird to attack me. Or to see another man in a vision. One who looks so much like Logan.
I open my eyes, dread settling into my stomach. He walks back into the living room and the resemblance is too obvious to ignore. The man in my vision is his brother. Which means Kane’s definitely here and he doesn’t care if we know about him.
“No,” I whisper, standing.
Logan catches me by the waist when I sway. “What are you doing?”
“We need to call Myra.” I try to pull away, but he won’t let go. “Logan, I need your phone.”
“You’re going to fall down. Willow, stop for a minute. Breathe. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Cheyenne was right. There’s another vampire here. And I think the bird is helping him.” I nod. “I bet it is. The shapeshifter has been watching. He’s been watching and‒”
“Hold on. Willow, I don’t understand.”
“I need a phone.”
“Just tell me‒”
“Then you call her.” I reach for his pocket where I saw him put his phone. “Come on, Logan‒”
“Willow, what are you‒okay, stop.” He grabs both of my hands and holds them tight against his chest. “What’s going on?”
I blow out a breath. “I saw someone when the bird attacked me‒like a vision of the person Cheyenne was talking about. The one who came into Shadow Hill when we felt the earth shake.” He nods. “I saw him and he is a vampire.”
“What did he look like?”
>
I meet his eyes, staring at the familiar blue‒the same shade I saw in my vision. “He looked like you.”
A muscle works in Logan’s jaw. “Kane.”
I nod. “Your brother. See? I want to make sure Myra’s okay. Please call her.”
He releases my hands and pulls out his phone. “Will you sit down, please? You don’t look like you feel well.”
I do as he asks, and press the washcloth to my shoulder.
It’s getting late, but Myra answers right away. Logan paces around the coffee table as he tells her what happened.
“Be careful,” he says to Myra.
“Tell her she should come here,” I say. “Just to be safe.”
He nods, waits for Myra to finish saying something, and tells her she can come to my house. “I know, but it would make Willow feel better. You sure?” He nods, listens for another moment, and says goodbye.
“Is she coming?” I ask.
“She said she would if she gets worried.”
“But‒”
“Or she’ll go to Cheyenne’s. She wants me to take care of you.” He returns his phone to his pocket and crouches in front of me again. “Are you okay?”
“What if your brother decides to go see her?”
“He won’t hurt her. But I don’t know if he’d go see her anyway.” He frowns and reaches for the first aid kit. “It seems like you’re the one he wants.”
There’s worry at the corners of his mouth and in his eyes. I reach out to touch his cheek. “It’s okay. We’ll deal with one thing at a time.”
He takes the washcloth from me, cleans the wound, and puts a bandage over the top of the scratches.
“Logan?”
He lifts his eyes to mine.
“One thing at a time, right? We’ll look for the Book of Shadows tomorrow and then try to figure out how put the spell back in place. Then Kane can’t do anything.”
He nods. Before he can turn and clean up the first aid kit, I wrap my arms around his neck. “You don’t seem convinced.”
He stands and my arms drop to my sides. He props his hands on his hips. “I’m not. This whole thing is‒” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “All I wanted was to help Myra. And I screwed it up. Now you’re involved and my brother is here. I’m not the best guy to be around‒I know I’ve proven that. But Kane is worse.”
I take his hand and urge him to sit. “You’re a good guy, Logan. We all make choices that we could have done differently. But I would have done what you did‒I would have done anything if it meant saving someone I love.”
He leans back against the cushions, pressing his hands over his eyes. “I’m the reason you’re stuck here.”
“You’re also the reason your sister isn’t sick anymore.”
When he doesn’t answer, I swing my leg over so I’m straddling him on the couch. He drops his hands, eyes level with mine. “What are you doing?”
A smile curves my lips. I settle my hands on his chest. “Trying to make you feel better.”
“Hmm…” His eyes dip to my mouth. “This seems wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not this,” he says, sliding his hands down to my hips. “I mean, I should be trying to make you feel better.”
“This does make me feel better. You being here.”
He laughs. “Wait, hold on. Isn’t it usually me trying to reassure you? What’s going on here? And weren’t you trying to get me to leave not so long ago?”
I purse my lips in a pout. “You want to leave?”
“No.” He pulls me close, burying his face in my hair. “No, I want to be here with you. I want to take care of you‒”
“Logan,” I whisper, my lips touching his ear. I’m undone by the emotion in his voice, the vulnerability there. “I was just joking.”
“I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“Your brother? Kane?”
He visibly flinches.
I do the only thing I can think of. I kiss him. I part his lips with my tongue, dragging a low moan from him. It stirs my insides, makes me press closer so my chest is crushed against his. My fingers slide into his hair, fisting at the back. He groans this time, running his hands up my sides, brushing my breasts, and curling them around my back.
“Stay with me,” I whisper. “Stay with me tonight.”
“Of course.”
He pulls down the zipper of my dress and glides it over my arms. He rains kisses across my collarbone, lingering on my shoulder near my bra strap. He nudges it down with one finger and I shiver.
“I like this,” he says. He traces the lacy edge of my bra across the tops of my breasts.
“It’s part of a set.”
He lifts his eyebrows and then stands with me still on his lap. My breath catches as he lowers my feet to the ground and eases my dress off until it hits the floor. His eyes roam over the black, lacy underwear and he smiles.
“Very nice.”
He hooks a finger in it and pulls me to him. There’s something sexy about being mostly naked in front of a man who’s fully dressed.
I lean in to kiss his neck, sliding my hands under his shirt and running them up his abdomen and to his chest. He pulls off his shirt and I touch his chest again. His muscles jump under my hands and I press closer, sliding my hands down to the waistband of his pants.
I’ve forgotten all about the bird now, and Logan is the only one on my mind. His breathing is steady, but his heart is racing out of control. It beats even faster when I remove his boxers until he stands before me, naked, toned and strong and dangerous with need in his deep, dark eyes.
He’s aroused, hard and warm and ready to take me. But he’s still gentle and slow when he slides off the rest of my clothes.
I push him down on the couch and climb on, sliding him inside of me with a sigh of pleasure.
His voice is hoarse when he says my name. “God, I don’t deserve you.”
His lips leave a hot trail down my throat, near the bandage he put on, and to the tops of my breasts. His tongue teases the nipple on one, flicking back and forth until my back arches. I can’t hold on anymore. I start rocking back and forth, the friction making me exhale in pleasure.
The flames are buried deep inside and for once I’m not worried about hurting Logan, only enjoying myself. Enjoying him.
He grabs my butt as I ride him, breathing fast. Quicker than I can blink, he’s standing, arms around me, still inside of me. I clasp tight to his shoulders as he carries me to the bedroom and lowers me to the bed.
I reach out when his warmth leaves me, but he’s there again, plunging inside of me. His fingers link with mine, and pin them to the bed as he drives in and out.
“Logan,” I say, breathless, “please.”
He pumps faster and faster until the heat builds and I turn my head on the bed, stomach tightening and heart racing. I squeeze my eyes shut as I come and hear his breath as he follows me. His arms clench around me tight as he pours into me.
“Willow.”
He collapses on top of me, chest heaving. He’s heavy, but I don’t care. The world feels like a warm, safe place in this moment.
Then Logan eases off of me and lies at my side, turned to face me. “You’re amazing.”
My body feels boneless, fused to the bed. “I could probably stay here forever.”
“I wish we could. I love you.”
My stomach sinks even as my heart dances with tenderness for him. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.
He props himself on one elbow, looking down at me with dark, dark eyes. “I understand you can’t say it back. I just…I need to know if the shifter is still in the picture, or…”
I smile. “His name is Ryan.”
“Right.”
But Logan’s face stays serious. I reach out to touch his cheek, but he catches my hand in his and pins it by my head, leaning in to kiss me.
“I need to know.”
“It’s just you now,” I whisper. “Only you.”
; Tension releases from his shoulders. He slides his hand all the way down my body, over my breasts, over my stomach, over my center where I’m still so sensitive, before he grabs the covers and pulls them over us.
I curl up next to him, laying my head on his chest and my hand on his heart. “Do you think maybe you could…”
“What?” He dips his chin to look at me when I don’t answer. “Anything. I’ll do anything.”
“Do you think you could keep your distance a little tomorrow?” His jaw clenches and I rush to continue. “Selena is going to know something is going on. I don’t want her to try to make me hurt you. But if she does‒”
“No.”
I try to sit up, but he holds me tight, keeping me trapped against him. “You said you’d do anything.”
“Not that.”
I frown. “She’s going to try to stop us.”
“Which is why I’m going to be right there with you. The whole time. Just in case.”
“Except when I’m in the cave. You can’t come in there.”
“I can.”
“No, Logan.” I squirm out of his grasp when he tightens his hold again. “If you don’t promise me you’ll be careful and keep your distance, you’re not coming.”
His eyes flash with amusement in the darkness. “You’re cute when you’re threatening me.”
“Logan.” The tips of my fingers flame, lighting the space between us.
He stays calm. “You can put the fire away, sweetheart. It’s not going to make any difference.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I whisper. Then I shrug. “Okay, maybe I meant to a little.”
“I’m coming‒that’s not negotiable. But I’ll be careful.”
This placates me some. “Will you?”
“Come here,” he says, holding back the covers. “You’re cold.”
I settle on his chest again. He brushes his thumb over my bandage and his lips find my temple. “I need to be close to you,” he says, voice deep near my ear. “I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“I understand. But you don’t need to come into the cave. If we get that far, let me see what I can do.”
He kisses my lips. “When we get that far, I trust you to do what you need to.”