Bound (Keeper of the Flame Book 2)

by Lila Kane

  “Give me that!” I hiss.

  “Willow,” Myra says, eyes wide. “Please. Just stop for a minute.”

  I squirm in Ryan’s grasp. “Let go!”

  “Willow‒”

  I slam my heel back and get him in the shin. He grunts but doesn’t loosen his hold.

  “If you don’t let me go, I’ll‒”

  “What the hell is going on?” Logan says, coming around the corner

  We all stop. I look up at him, breathless, and then jerk from Ryan’s grasp. “What happened?” I ask. “What did the doctor say?”

  Logan rubs a hand over his face. “She won’t wake up.”

  “But…” I search his face for more answers. “What does that mean?”

  “She’s in a coma.”

  “Do they have any idea when she’s going to wake up?” Cheyenne asks.

  Logan shakes his head. “They don’t know anything else right now.”

  “Can I see her?” I ask.

  He reaches out, hand sliding down my arm to grip my fingers. “Not now. No. The doctor said the best thing to do is go home and wait. He said he’d call if something changes.”

  I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say. After all these years, I finally got a mother, and now I might lose her again. It shouldn’t hurt‒I barely know her. But it does.

  “What if she doesn’t wake up?” I whisper.

  “She will.” Logan nods, his eyes finding mine. “Don’t worry.”

  But he doesn’t know that. No one does.

  I whip around, facing Myra. I put steel into my voice. “Give me my bag.”

  Her eyes flash to Logan. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I’m only going to ask one more time,” I say, voice dark and low. The fire simmers in my veins and I’m barely holding it in.

  “What’s going on?” Logan tries to curl his arm around my shoulder. “Come on, Willow, you should sit down.”

  “Get off.” I jerk away. “I want my bag. Myra‒”

  “Willow wants to destroy the book right now,” Cheyenne says. I glare at her, but she doesn’t back down. “She’s not thinking.”

  “Are you seriously talking about me like I’m a child? Like I’m not here?” I point down the hallway. “Selena tried to kill my mom and you want me to wait to get rid of the book?”

  “No, not wait,” Logan says, stepping in front of me. “I understand where you’re coming from, Willow.”

  “Logan,” Myra says.

  He shoots her a look of warning and she shuts up. Then he looks back at me. “You want to destroy the book.”

  I nod. My heart is slowing down, beating at a more even speed. In fact, I feel more relaxed altogether.

  Logan nods at me, holding my gaze. His eyes darken. “I understand, Willow. That makes sense. But first, we should go home.”

  I frown. Part of me wants to jerk away from his stare, although I don’t know why. And the other part of me wants to keep listening. To be soothed by the low lull of his voice. Logan understands. He’ll help me.

  “That’s right.” Logan smiles. “We should go home and relax. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

  I nod.

  “Good.”

  He releases my gaze and puts his arm around my shoulders. I hear him murmur something to someone else, but right now I don’t care what he’s saying. I feel so much better than I did a few minutes ago. Calm. Collected. I’m not worried at all because…because Logan said we could go home and relax.

  I peer up at him as we walk toward the exit. He smiles down at me. I see the strain in it and angle my head.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” He flashes another smile. “Everything’s fine. Right?”

  We don’t even say goodbye to the others. We just walk from the hospital straight to Logan’s car. He helps me inside and makes sure I buckle before getting in the driver’s seat.

  He pulls out of his space and I shift in my seat. I feel like I’m forgetting something. I frown at Logan.

  “What is it?” he asks.

  “I think I forgot something.”

  “No, you didn’t forget anything.”

  “I think I did,” I murmur. I search for my bag on the floor and then by the console. “My bag.”

  “We’ll be home in a few minutes,” Logan says, glancing at me. His voice is still gentle‒soothing. “Just a few minutes.”

  “But…” I search my memory. I barely remember getting in Logan’s car. I barely remember anything else that happened this morning. Except…the cave. That’s right, I was in the cave with my mom.

  My hands clench together slowly. The cave collapsed on us and…

  “My mom,” I gasp.

  “She’s fine. We’re almost there.”

  “Logan, my mom is hurt. And…”

  Logan reaches out for me, but I scoot against the door. “Let’s get home first and we’ll talk.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. You‒” Realization hits me suddenly and I gape at him. “You did something to me. You influenced me.”

  My house comes into view at the end of the block. I’d be surprised he took me here instead of his house, but I’m too angry to care. A muscle clenches in his jaw and I know he’s trying to figure out how to make this right.

  But all I know is that I need to get that book and it’s not at my house.

  “Who took the book?” I ask quietly.

  Logan pulls into the driveway. He rests his hands on the keys before shutting off the engine and turning to look at me.

  “I can’t believe you did that to me,” I say. “Who took the book?”

  “Willow‒”

  “Did Myra take it? Is it at your house?”

  “We should talk about this inside.”

  “Take me to your house.”

  He sighs. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  It is there. Usually it’s harder for me to read Logan, but this time I know he feels guilty‒it’s written all over his face.

  “Take me to your house.” When he still hesitates, I snatch his keys from the ignition. “Fine, I’ll drive myself.”

  I hop out of the car, but in the blink of an eye, Logan’s in front of me. I tuck the keys behind my back.

  “Please,” he says, voice low. Tired. “Come inside.”

  “I want to take care of this once and for all.”

  “And we will.” He continues in his soft tone of voice, but this time his eyes start to go black. “We’ll figure it out together. Let’s go inside‒”

  “No!” I push him out of the way. “Don’t you dare try to do that again, Logan. I‒”

  He grabs me at my thighs and hauls me over his shoulder, heading for the house. He doesn’t even breathe heavy as he hikes up the porch stairs and walks inside.

  “Logan!” He sets me on the couch, but I shoot to my feet again. “How dare you.”

  He holds out his hand. “Keys, please.”

  Anger burns inside, hot flames rising to the surface. I squeeze the keys so tight the metal digs into my flesh. “You are not going to stop me from doing this.”

  “We’re all stopping you from doing this. Not forever. Just for right now. Long enough for you to get your strength back and figure out a plan.”

  “I’m sick of planning.” I’m so close to tears, and yet so close to screaming at him, I dip my chin. “Planning hasn’t gotten me anywhere. My mom’s in the hospital, Logan‒”

  “I know.”

  “And I want to fix this‒”

  “I know,” he says again. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

  I take that moment to bolt for the front door. My hand closes over the handle, and I’m halfway out when Logan hauls me back in. I use the flames to make him let go. His arm catches on fire and he curses, releasing my waist.

  I reach for the door again, but this time, he drags me to the floor. I try to kick him, but he’s too fast, too strong as he straddles me.

  “Willow, ple
ase.” His hands find my wrists, pinning them against the hard floor. “Please, don’t do this.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” My voice is dangerous and full of threats. I could set him on fire right now and make sure he burns.

  “Then don’t.” His hold eases, and he traces one hand down my cheek‒across the cheekbone with the bruise. “Please, Willow. I’m just trying to help. I don’t want something to happen to you. Please.”

  My breathing is still heavy, but I see the love in his eyes. I can hear it in his voice. And I suddenly realize he’s doing exactly what I’d try to do if the situation were reversed. He’s trying to protect me.

  And I was going to make him burn.

  “Oh, my God.” One hot tear slowly slides the length of my cheek. “I’m sorry, Logan,” I choke out.

  He releases me immediately and pulls me into his arms. The keys drop to the ground as I cling to him.

  “I’m sorry I set you on fire. I shouldn’t‒”

  “It’s okay. Sweetheart. It’s fine.” He kisses my cheek, then my lips and wipes the trail of tears. “I shouldn’t have influenced you. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  I clutch at his shirt, burying my face in his chest and trying to shut everything out. Selena is barely hovering at the edge of my mind, but she doesn’t have enough energy to do anything more than gloat. It’s like I can hear her laughing about my mother, promising me more people will get hurt. I squeeze my eyes shut tight.

  “Willow,” Logan says, breath warm against my ear. “Are you okay?”

  I squeeze my eyelids tighter. My chest constricts, making it hard to breathe.

  “You’re scaring me, Willow. Please, what’s going on?”

  “I don’t know what to do. I‒she hurt my mom. And now‒she‒she‒”

  “Take a breath. Willow.” Logan pulls back and cups my cheeks in his hands, even as I continue to clench his shirt in my fists. “You need to breathe.”

  “Help me,” I whisper. I’m hyperventilating.

  “You need to calm down.”

  “I‒I can’t. I’m trying‒” I stare into his eyes. “Help me, please. Influence me‒Logan, please‒”

  “Are you sure?”

  I give a jerky nod.

  His pupils dilate just slightly. “Look at me, Willow.”

  I hold his gaze while his irises darken. The rest of the world shrinks away around me.

  “You can breathe,” he says, voice low. “You’re okay. Do you want to sleep?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can sleep,” he says, thumb brushing my cheek. “I’ll be right here and you can sleep. Now, close your eyes and take a nap.”

  My eyes droop shut and my entire body slumps as the world fades away and I fall asleep.

  Chapter 26

  It’s quiet when I wake up. I’m in my bed with Logan lying next to me, his arm over my waist. He raises his hand to brush my cheek.

  “You’re still here,” I whisper.

  He smiles. “Of course.”

  The sun is shining through the blinds and his eyes are heavy-lidded like he might have taken a nap as well. It’s easy for me to see the strain at the corners of his lips.

  I turn on my side, facing him, reaching out to touch his cheek as well because he looks so worried. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re not good at lying anymore,” I say quietly. “At least not to me.”

  “I’m not…” He sighs, closes his eyes briefly. “I’m not trying to lie to you.”

  “You’re trying to protect me.”

  He nods. “Yes. Exactly.”

  “And you influenced me when I asked you to.”

  “Yes.”

  “Even though you didn’t want to.”

  His lips part, but he hesitates for answering. “No, I didn’t want to.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to do that.”

  “I did it for you. Because you wanted me to. You don’t have to apologize.”

  But suddenly the fullness of what I’d done, of what’s gone on, hits me and I sit up. I grab his arm, searching for injuries. “I set you on fire. Oh, Logan‒”

  He catches my hands in his as they fumble over his arm. “Don’t, Willow. I’m not hurt.”

  I don’t believe him. I intentionally lashed out at him. “I burned you.” When I don’t see anything, I pull away and check his other arm, pushing his sleeve up to find the mark. “Where…?”

  “I told you,” Logan says softly. “I’m not hurt. I can’t say the same for you, though.”

  He’s right. My whole body aches, especially my shoulders where the rocks hit, and my cheek where I got pelted one last time before we got out.

  “Can’t you, you know, bring the fire?” he asks. “To heal yourself?”

  I swallow hard, leaning against the headboard. “I don’t…I don’t want to. I tried to hurt you with it.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “I tried.”

  He sits in front of me, taking my hands in his. “You also healed Myra because of it. Her tumor is gone because of the fire. Because of you.”

  I can’t argue with that. Logan squeezes my hands.

  “Still, it’s fueling my anger right now.” I give him a grim smile. “To take care of Selena for good this time.”

  He grimaces, glancing away. “At least take something, will you? Aspirin?”

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  He stands. “Stay here.”

  I smile and point. “Right here?”

  He leans down, a smile on his lips. And kisses me. “You blow me away, Willow. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “You’re young still.”

  He laughs and kisses me again. “After this is all over, I’m treating you to a vacation.”

  “Where?”

  “Anywhere you want to go.”

  My mood sobers some. “What if we still can’t leave?”

  “We’ll figure something out.” He flashes a smile. “I’ll take you camping.”

  This makes me laugh. “I could probably handle that.”

  “I know.” He straightens, blue eyes alight with possibilities. “You can handle anything. Stay here. I’ll get you some water, too.”

  He leaves the room and I hear him walk down the hallway, footsteps quiet. Stealthy. He’d had no trouble influencing me twice earlier today. His powers are definitely getting stronger.

  I sigh. I really need to figure out how to fix this spell.

  “Willow.”

  My head jerks up. Selena’s reflection is in the broken mirror, making me cringe. I squeeze my eyes shut tight, willing her to leave me alone.

  “I’m not going to hurt you…”

  “Too late,” I whisper.

  I feel the low hum of something next to me and glance down. I gasp when I see the necklace with the amethyst on it. Hadn’t I hidden that away?

  “We both want the same thing in the long run,” she whispers. “To put the spell back in place. I could help you.”

  I reach for the necklace as though my hand is not my own. Help me? What if she could? If I let her, Selena could help me reinstate the spell.

  “Then your vampire wouldn’t have to be a vampire anymore…”

  My fingers close over the metal chain. Logan wouldn’t have to be a vampire. He could be normal. He wouldn’t influence me or be affected by the bloodlust. Ryan wouldn’t be a shifter and Cheyenne wouldn’t be a werewolf. We wouldn’t have to worry about Kane, wherever he is.

  “Come on, Willow,” she coaxes. “We’re family.”

  My breathing is even as I slide on the necklace. Selena’s right. I frown. No, she’s not. She tried to kill me and my mother. But the necklace rests heavy over my heart and Selena disappears from the mirror. I hear her quiet laughter all around me, flowing into me until it’s in my head.

  And she’s in my body.

  Logan’s footsteps sound in the hallway. I tuck the necklace under my shir
t and smile when he enters the room. He passes me two white pills and a glass of water.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  He joins me on the bed again. “It’s getting close to dinnertime.”

  I take the pills and keep my hands clasped around the cup. Inside, I’m confused. I’m trying to sort through what’s going on. But Selena’s stronger and she blocks me out.

  I hear her say, in my voice, “I want to see the book.”

  Logan’s lips turn down at the corners. “Are you sure? We could wait until tomorrow. Maybe Selena won’t be back.”

  She’s here right now! But I can’t form the words.

  “I don’t feel her,” Selena forces me to say. “But we should still be careful with the book. Let’s go over there with the others.”

  He frowns. She makes me smile. She makes me reach out to take his hand. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

  No, Logan! But he’s nodding now, holding my gaze. “Together. Okay, let’s do it.”

  I fight Selena all the way there, but she’s too strong. Now that I have the necklace on again, I can’t seem to break her hold. When we arrive at Logan’s house, instead of getting out, he turns to me.

  “You’re quiet.”

  Selena makes me smile. It wobbles, but I’m sure it just looks like nerves. “I’m fine.”

  He reaches out and takes my hand. I can feel Selena’s mix of emotions. After all, she was in love with Logan’s great-great-grandfather. But she also hates all vampires.

  “We don’t have to do this. We can wait.”

  “No. I want to go in there.”

  His eyebrows lower. His look is almost suspicious. It’s not me! If I could only get the words out. Logan would know what I meant. He’d understand right away.

  “You’re worried,” he whispers, leaning in.

  His lips touch mine and then he traces them across my cheek and down my jawline. Selena’s senses are going wild.

  I try harder to push through, grabbing his arm with all my strength. “Logan.”

  His mouth pauses by my ear. “What?”

  My tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth. My heart races out of control and I know he can hear it but maybe he doesn’t understand why. He thinks I’m worried, which I am. I blink. I try again, but the words won’t come.