“Baby, you know what I said about biting that lip,” I growl at her.
She smiles. “That was the point babe. I need to say something, but first just kiss me.”
I look into her eyes to see worry, fear, and love. I can handle love, but I kiss her so she can forget her fear. I lean down and kiss her softly, once, then twice. “As long as you’re with me, you have nothing to worry about. There is nothing to fear April. I’ll always take care of you.”
A tear slides down her cheek, so I kiss her again. This time I don’t pause. She sighs into my mouth, as she puts her hands into my hair and tugs. I want this time to be even better than the first time. This time I’m going to take it slow and explore her body. I want to love her in every way possible.
I run my mouth down her jaw to nibble her ear. Then I go down her neck and across her shoulder as I slide her bra strap down. I gently bite her shoulder. She gasps as I unhook the clasp on the bra. Front clasps; the person who invented those are a genius. The bra falls off, and I take my time to admire her golden skin. I run my hands down her sides and rest them on her hips. My lips work their way across her collar bone, down the valley of her breasts, and continue their path down to her belly button.
I stop for a second to kneel on the floor. Then, I kiss her belly and look up at her. “April, I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but it feels like I’ve know you my whole life." I pause to take the ring I got from the gumball machine earlier out of my jeans. “The only thing I’m certain of is you. No matter what happens tonight, tomorrow, or the next day, as long as you’re by my side, I know I’ll be okay. This isn’t the ring I want to give you, but I don’t want to face
tomorrow without you knowing this.” I pause because I’m choking myself up. I’ve only said 'I love you' to my mom, so this is a huge step for me.
April is covering her mouth with her hands, and her eyes are glistening with unshed tears.
“April, I love you. I love the boys. I want to love all of you until I stop
breathing, and even then I’ll still love you. Our love is endless, forever entrelacen. Will you promise me that when we come home tomorrow after everything goes down, we will start planning the rest of our lives together?” A tear escapes my eye. I’m desperately hoping she will say yes. Hopefully I didn’t just scare her away.
I get tackled to the floor. She’s straddling me and pressing kisses all over my face. We both laugh.
“Logan, you had me the day I fell into you at the store. Then I fell further in love with you the day you met the boys, and then I was completely, head over heels, in love with you when you said 'our boys'. So will I plan forever with you?” She kisses me and says, “There is nothing I rather do than spend my life with you. Yes. Now give me my gumball ring!”
I laugh and put it on her finger. She smiles. "It’s so me! How many rings did you have to buy before you got the one with the pink stone?”
“Babe that was the first and only one.” I smile at her surprised expression.
Before she can talk anymore, I frame her face with my hands and kiss her. I trace patterns on her back all the way down to the tops of her panties. My finger traces the inside of the band, sending her body into shivers, and then I tear the fabric away. I roll her over and stare down at her. “Absolutely gorgeous,” I say as my hand caresses her cheek.
I lift her up and place her on the bed. Removing my boxers, I allow her to check me out. She’s biting her lip again, and fire is burning in her eyes. Not able to take much more, I lift one of her legs up to my face and kiss my way up her thighs. Then I stop, teasing her. I pick up the other leg and kiss my way up to her thigh. By now, she’s squirming. Her breathing has increased, and her skin is a light shade of pink.
I settle in between her legs and kiss her belly, tracing ‘I love you’ on her stomach with my tongue. After drawing a squiggly line underneath it, I trace my way down to her sex and flick her sweet spot with my tongue. She moans my name. I’m not going to be able to handle much more without exploding. She pulls me up by my hair to kiss me. She rolls me onto my back and kisses her way down my stomach and then taking me into her mouth. I growl, “Baby stop. I need to be inside of you now.”
She kisses her way back up to my lips. She takes my tongue into her mouth and sucks on it. Her body drops on top of me, causing us both to moan at the contact. She slowly starts to lift up and drop down. This girl is an artist with the way she swivels her hips up and down. I'm so happy that she’s mine. Mine. No one is going to take her away from me. I’m getting so close to my climax, and I can tell she is too, so I flip her over. I slow down our movements so we can prolong the pleasure. She whimpers as I place a hand on her stomach to still her from meeting my thrust.
When I can’t possibly hold on any longer, I move the hand that’s holding her down to her bundle of nerves and begin applying pressure to it. She starts panting, and then I feel her clenching me. I lose it. I erupt into pure bliss as she’s contracting around me. The only thing filling me up is her hold on me. Her love is taking away all the abuse from my father, the dark hole from losing my mother, and all that time I lost. It has all been replaced with April and dreams for the future, our future. I collapse on top of her. She’s pulling me into her like I weigh nothing. She whispers into my ear, “Logan that was….I love you.” I just smile because I can’t form words just yet.
I can feel my eyelids starting to get heavy and my heart rate returning to normal. I roll off her and pull her onto me. She rests her head on my chest and sighs when I tighten my hold on her. I pull the cover over us and pass out as soon as we settle in.
Chapter 39
April I sigh as I’m lying on top of Logan. He’s holding me so tight that it makes me feel safe, but I need to get up to check on Mathew. So content to be in his arms, I can hear his breathing get slower as he falls into a deeper sleep. Sex with this guy is like a sport. I’ve never been this satisfied before. My heart is racing too much to fall asleep. After 147 steady heart beats, I act like I’m rolling over and get out of the bed. He reaches for me, frowns, and then pulls the blanket up. I giggle lightly and walk to his bag by my closet door, so I can wear one of his t-shirts.
I tip toe out of the room and go check on Mathew. He is sleeping soundlessly. I walk downstairs to get a drink of water and make sure everything is okay. I stop when I see a paper on the counter.
April, this will come in handy when the time is right. Once you’ve read this, burn it so no one will find it. I love you and Logan. Gran
Under the full moon I daughter of Hectate Call upon the Goddess of
Love, Venus
To aid me in righting wrong
Banishing evil from this night. I sacrifice myself To thy might
By Fire I call thee to me By Water wash away their
misery
By Wind carry them to safety
By Earth encase me in thy might By the shedding of my blood
As I ask, Shall be done
This I’ll so mote it be. I read over the paper and do what Gran told me to do. I go to the backyard and use a lighter to burn the paper. I throw it in the fire pit and watch it burn. Once the fire goes out, I head back upstairs. Logan is still sleeping as I crawl back into bed next to him. I’m facing away from him when his hand wraps around the front of me, pulling me to him.
“Everything is going to be okay. Now go to sleep. We’re going to need all of our energy," he says as he kisses my neck. With that, I’m finally able to fall asleep.
*** I wake up feeling patterns being drawn on my back, so I try to focus on what’s being drawn. Hearts, Logan, Love, Mine, swirls. “I know you’re awake," he says as he places a kiss on my shoulder. I turn my head to look over at him, and he’s smiling.
I give him a chaste kiss. “Good morning love.” I slide out of the bed to put some clothes on because any minute, Mathew will be running in to jump into my bed. “Babe, you may want to at least put your pants on. Mathew has the tendency to jump in my bed
in the morning.” I laugh at his expression, but it gets him moving. He puts on some yoga pants but leaves his shirt off. Mathew busts his way through the door and jumps on the bed.
“Wakey wakey sleepy heads!” He says laughing.
I look over at Logan to see him getting ready to spring on the bed. I decide to distract Mathew. “Hey, you know I love you, right?”
“Of course Mom. You know I love you too, right?” he says, completely serious and unaware that Logan is a second from crashing on top of him.
“I do know that, so don’t hate me for this," I say as Logan falls on top of him. I jump on top of Logan yelling, “Dog pile!”
“Oomph,” Mathew squeaks, while Logan and I laugh. I could get used to mornings like this. Then the words from the note replay in my mind, and I sigh.
“Okay boys. We have to get ready. Mathew go get dressed. You too Logan. I’ll meet you both downstairs," I say as I climb off of them and head for the door. I can feel eyes on me, but I don’t turn back. I can’t let them see what I’m hiding. Mentally checking my walls to make sure Logan won’t accidentally pick up on something from me, I head downstairs.
I’m in the kitchen, sitting on top of the counter drinking some chocolate milk and trying to decide where we should go for the altercation. I don’t want it to be a popular place because innocent people might get hurt, but I don’t want it to be too far out of the way so we can escape if we need to. I’m so lost in thought that I don’t even notice Logan coming in and standing between my legs with his hands on each side of me on the counter.
“Baby, nothing is going to happen to you or Mathew. You know I’ll protect you.” He’s running his finger over my ring.
I try to smile at him, but I know he can see through it. He can see through me. I’m not used to that so I look away. Mathew comes charging down the stairs. “Umm Mom. We need to go soon.”
I look at him to see that he’s anxious and white as a ghost. I sigh, "What did they tell you kiddo?”
“That we need to go to the mountains. They said you know where and that you would take care of everything,” he whispers the last part.
I jump off of the counter. “Look Mathew. I do know what I have to do, and everything is going to be okay," I pause, taking a deep breath. "But I want you to do me a favor. Can you do that?”
“Sure Mom. I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Okay. If, for some reason, something happens to me, you have to promise to leave with Logan." I can hear Logan getting ready to object. "You also have to make sure to get him out of there because he’s going to want to grab me.” Mathew nods his head, tears filling up his eyes. “If something happens to Logan, you make sure you get me out of there, okay?”
“I promise Momma. I leave with Logan if something happens to you, and I leave with you if something happens to him.”
“I know this sucks kiddo. You shouldn’t have to be doing this, but it’s all going to work out.”
“You promise, Mom?” He asks, looking so hopeful. I can’t lie to him because, in all honesty, I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I promise that after this, you can just be a normal kid with no worries other than doing your homework.”
He smiles at me. I get up, and Logan is glaring at me. He knows what I didn’t promise. He knows that I’m up to something, and he hates it. I can sense him trying to break through my shields to see what I’m hiding, but he’s not able to. Frustrated, he sighs and walks over to hug us.
We get loaded into the car and I drive to my favorite spot in the mountains. As we get closer, my body starts picking up on whatever is waiting for us. Goose bumps are snaking their way down my skin, and my hairs are standing at attention on the back of my neck. I look over to see if Logan can feel it too, and I see him scanning our surroundings. Yup, he feels it too. I look back at Mathew to see his eyes focused up ahead. I turn to see what he’s looking at, and I have to fight the urge to turn the car around and drive away.
There are two of us protecting one child against an army. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but there are about 20 of them. I pull over and park the car. I turn to look at Mathew and say, “No matter what, you stay with Logan. Do you hear me?”
“But Mom,” he starts.
“No but Mom, Mathew. Logan’s sole purpose is to protect you. When we get out of this car, you stay between us, but if we get separated, you stay behind Logan, okay?”
“Okay Mom," he says with tears spilling down his cheeks.
I turn to look at Logan. “You make sure you keep him next to you. Do you understand me? Otherwise you’re going to be dealing with me.”
“April, I won’t take my eyes off him. Promise me that you’re not going to do anything stupid," he commands.
“I wouldn’t take the chance of doing anything stupid Logan, not when Mathew is involved,” I snap back.
I get out of the car before he calls me on the fact that I didn’t actually promise him anything. I open the door for Mathew and take one hand while Logan takes his other. I mumble a spell underneath my breath,
I cast a protective circle around us three Aid me Hectate in defending light’s might Send me the fire of the sun
The cooling waters of the sea By the power of three times three Send me the raging winds
The earths will to take back what’s rightfully hers
By the power of three times three This I ask, shall be done This I’ll so mote it be.
Once It’s spoken, the sky turns grey, the ground quakes, and the non-existent wind circles around us. I’ve never felt such power before, but I know this is the only way. Before anyone speaks, they charge us, all except for one guy. He is standing back watching the chaos. I keep my eyes on him as Logan develops a stance. I mirror him with Mathew between us.
One guy gets close enough to me that my stomach churns. These aren’t people. I honestly have no word for what they’re, but they reek. It smells like death. Their skin is ashy grey, and their eyes are black. Their moves are jerky. My mind is racing with different scenarios on how to kill him, when he touches my skin. I look down to see that the spot where he touched me is red like it’s on fire, and I grin. It’s an evil grin, and his eyes narrow. I hold up my hand to slam into his chest as he comes back at me, and a burst of light shoots out. He collapses and turns to ash. I look over at Logan to see him doing the same thing.
Why didn’t we bring weapons? I shake my head. It's too late to think about that now. We continue fighting them for hours, and each time we take one down, there’s another to take its place. The sun is almost set, and the full moon is starting to make its appearance. Their boss is still standing in his original position, andI know it’s because he’s observing us to find out our weak spot. So I keep changing tactics, and Logan mirrors me. If I wasn’t in the fight, I would be transfixed on the way we move. It’s like we’re magnets pulling each other. Logan looks over his shoulder, and his eyes go wide.
I turn so fast that I scare myself. I see him, the same guy that was at the bookstore that day, the same guy that killed Logan's mom, the same guy that was 100 feet away from me only a second ago. He is coming toward me.
“Hello April,” he says with a smirk. As my anger flares, I can feel my body heat up. The wind picks up, the mountains around me begin to tremble, and water starts to fall from the sky. He looks around to see whereIt’s coming from. When he doesn’t see anyone else b ut me, Mathew, and Logan, his face darkens into one of the most terrifying scowls I have ever seen. The face I thought was beautiful once is now morphed into something hideous. Reality and fantasy are blurring together, but I know the guy in front of me staring at my son is definitely real.
Logan is finishing off a group of them, and Mathew is surprisingly calm, holding a hand on each of our backs. “Who are you?” I ask saucily.
“I’m whoever you want me to be love.” He laughs.
I make gagging noises. “Excuse me. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. “
Logan and Mathew
laugh, and he shuts up.
“Oh, April. You are in so far over your head that you don’t even know it. Making snide remarks won't help the fact that I’ll take that boy and kill the two of you," he says, gesturing at Logan.
“Kill me? Take my son? Kill Logan? That worked out well for you last time. Oh wait. It didn’t,” I say.
“I’m Azazel. I command the armies of hell, and that boy is the key to my rising of power," he says.
“Well Azazel, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your rise to power stops with me.”
“Oh child, you cannot kill me, but I would love to see you try.” He laughs as his hand shoots out and punches me in the face.
I can feel the pain for only a second. Then the water rushes underneath my skin and carries it away. Logan looks like he is about to attack, but I put a hand up to stop him. More creatures are popping up around us, so he nods and gets back to work. I look at Azazel, and he’s clearly not happy with the fact that I’m not cowering away from him. Logan finishes off the dozen or so of the creatures that are left and reaches for me. “We need to go April. I don’t know if I can do much more of this. My body feels like it's shutting down.”
I give him the worst look possible because I know Azazel heard him, and he just showed him our weakness. I turn to look at the leader of Hell's Army, and he had moved to stand in front of Mathew.
“Come child. I’ll spare your mother and father if you leave with me.”
I know I can’t answer for him. This is his test, his choice.
Mathew looks at me, then at Logan and says, “No.”
“Stupid, just like your parents. Why would you want them to die?”
“My mom and dad just killed your army. Why would I go with you?” He asks, confused why Azazel could think he’s winning.
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