Betrayed (Keeper of the Flame Book 3)

by Lila Kane

  I’m so distracted, I barely notice Logan stop and wait for me while the rest of the group proceeds to the remains of the home.

  “Hey.”

  I glance up with a smile. “Hey.”

  “You don’t have to come in.”

  Sighing, I cast Myra a look when she nods. “She’s gone. I know she’s gone, I can feel it. It just…” I sigh again and eye the rise of stones that used to be the chimney. It makes me uneasy.

  “Let’s stay out here.” Myra gestures to a grouping of rocks off to our right. “Let’s sit. I can force feed you more food.”

  I laugh and don’t miss the uneasy look on Logan’s face.

  “Stay there, okay? Don’t go anywhere else.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Myra says.

  “I mean it.”

  “Your group is waiting,” I tell him.

  He glances over his shoulder. “Right. Stay close.”

  He jogs back to the group and I follow Myra to the rocks. She sits and pulls open her backpack. When she sets aside the paper bag, I peer closer.

  “What else do you have in there?”

  She smiles. “Scones.”

  “You’re going to make me fat.”

  “Moderation,” she says. “They’re lemon blueberry.”

  After taking a few bites, I nod at her. “Okay, I agree, this town needs a bakery and it needs these scones.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So what’s the plan?”

  She returns the food to her backpack and swivels to face me in anticipation, her sneakers scraping on the rocks. “I buy one of those shops down on Main Street‒there are two for sale close to the library‒and open a bakery.”

  My mouth opens in surprise. “Wait‒you want to open a business?”

  She nods.

  “Here?”

  “Yes.”

  “In Shadow Hill?” I stand, staring at her in confusion. “But…”

  She grins. “What? Because I’m stuck here? Because I’m too young? Because I’m a vampire and I might be the same age forever? Or is it just that my baking really does suck and‒”

  “No.” I frown. “No. Not that‒not your baking.”

  “Because of the vampire thing,” she says with a laugh. “I see.”

  “No.” I rub a hand over my eyes and pull my sunglasses from my bag. “I’m not‒now you’re offended. That’s not what I meant.”

  Her eyes are warm when she meets mine. “I’m not offended. I need someone with a good head on their shoulders to make me see all sides of this. But there’s also the possibility I’m going to be stuck here a while. I like to bake and I need something to do‒something normal and productive and something that makes me feel like me. After everything that’s happened…after being sick for so long…I need to feel like me.”

  My heart connects to her words immediately. Of course it makes sense. Myra’s getting a second chance at life and she’s grabbing onto it with both hands.

  “I get it,” I tell her.

  “And?”

  I spread my hands. “What? It makes sense. I say go for it.”

  “You’re supposed to try to talk me out of it. It isn’t supposed to be this easy.”

  “Myra,” I say, a mock frown on my face. “You should really think about this. Most businesses go bankrupt within their first year. You’re so young and you have your whole life ahead of you. Do you even have a down payment for the property?”

  She grins. “Good, good. Keep going.”

  “Uh…” I glance over where Logan’s still talking about Selena’s home and pointing out another structure to the back of the one they’re in. “I’m really not good at this.”

  “Well, that was a good start. I’m excited. I want to do this.”

  “Have you told Logan yet?”

  She paces away from the rock and then back. “I’m making more of a plan first. I want to look at those spaces and see if they’re going to work.”

  I don’t have to ask her how she’s going to pay for it. She and Logan come from money‒she probably has a trust fund or something she can use.

  “If you have questions about the business side of things, you can probably ask Ryan. He’s good at all that with the properties he owns.”

  I wait for a reaction, something that shows she’s curious or suspicious too. Anything. But all she does is nod thoughtfully.

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  I give her another minute, but she doesn’t mention Ryan again. I smile. “It’s ambitious. I like it. I think you should do it.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I think it would be good for you‒and good for the town. And for me, because I’m a terrible cook.”

  Her smile turns into a scowl when she sees the blackbird. At the same time, my phone dings with a message. I fumble for it while trying to keep my eye on the bird. It swoops over the structure of the house and perches in a tree.

  Myra eases in front of me while I check my phone. “It’s Cheyenne.”

  “What’s up?” Myra asks, keeping her eyes trained on the bird.

  “She wants to make sure everything is okay. She probably felt something.”

  “It’s just sitting there. Watching.”

  As if hearing her words, the blackbird flutters from the tree and makes a wide arc over our heads before diving down behind the nearest boulder.

  Glancing over to Logan, I notice him murmur something to the group before he leaves the house. My phone dings again, Myra draws a breath, and then someone steps out from behind the boulder.

  Chapter 4

  Logan arrives at my side so fast, I jerk back in surprise. I hope no one saw him. But I’m too afraid to take my eyes off the figure by the boulder.

  Logan pushes me behind him and steps next to Myra, so they’re united.

  “Hey,” the man says, holding up his hands. “I’m not here for a fight.”

  “Then what are you here for?” Myra asks.

  I step beside Logan, squaring my shoulders. I’m not afraid of Kane and his helpers‒or at least, I don’t want them to see that. Logan tenses, jaw flexing as he looks at me briefly, but I only lift my chin.

  “Just doing my job,” the man says. “I’m Wes.”

  “You’re working for a vampire,” I tell Wes. “Isn’t that against everything your kind believes in?”

  He’s a shapeshifter. They’re supposed to protect witches against vampires. They’re not on the same side‒or at least, they’re not supposed to be.

  He spreads his hands. “We all have to make sacrifices for the bigger picture.”

  “What’s the bigger picture?” I ask.

  “Don’t tell me you’re not curious how powerful you’d be as a full witch. Or your vampire friends. Don’t you think they’re curious what it would be like to live forever?” He looks at Myra. “To never get sick.” Then Logan. “To be able to do anything you want whenever you want.”

  Logan crosses his arms. “Not everyone is like Kane.”

  Wes shrugs. “Sure. If you say so. I’m still here to protect the witch. It looks like she’s not keeping very good company.”

  I step forward. “It’s not your business‒or Kane’s business‒who I hang out with so you can just tell him to go to‒”

  “Willow,” Logan says, voice low. He takes my arm, pulling me back. “Stop. It’s not worth it.”

  “Screw that!” I nearly shout.

  Wes looks amused, but Logan isn’t. He keeps pulling on my arm, grip tight, grinding my bones together. Wes disappears behind the boulder again.

  Within moments, the blackbird flies out from the same position and flutters to a nearby tree.

  “Logan,” I hiss, jerking away. “You hurt me.”

  “You can’t mess with Kane like that.” He shoves a hand through his hair and then steps closer to peer at my arm. “God, I’m sorry. Willow‒I didn’t mean to grab you so hard.”

  “It’s okay,” I whisper, rubbing my wrist. “You can’t help it.”


  He frowns, glancing at Myra. “Yes, I can. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  He brushes his thumb along my forearm, the dark red marks where his fingers dug in. I see him swallow and he meets my eyes. “I’ll try to be more careful.”

  “You should get back to your tour.”

  He clenches his jaw.

  “Go,” I say.

  Every part of him is tense and unmoving. But he finally relaxes some and heads back to the group. They’re chatting away, enjoying the day, and don’t seem to have noticed anything wrong. Good. The last thing we need is suspicious tourists. I hope Kane is keeping a low profile, too.

  “That’s just like him,” Myra says with a frown.

  “Logan?”

  “No, Kane. It’s just like him to get someone else to do his dirty work.”

  She scans the rest of the property, her eyes sharp. I haven’t noticed as many differences about Myra as I have with Logan, but it doesn’t mean they’re not there. They’re getting faster and stronger, as evident by the soon to be bruises on my forearm. And what else? Are they starting to crave blood or is that a myth?

  I realize suddenly I have no idea what they‒or I‒am in for if Myra and Logan become full vampires or if their powers continue to progress. I haven’t been doing my research.

  “What did you mean about that shifter guy being on the wrong side?”

  “Shifters are typically enemies with vampires. They’re supposed to help the witches.”

  I’m reminded again of Ryan. If he imprinted on Myra, what is he going to do? Just keep ignoring it? What if she finds out?

  “Then why is your shifter helping us?” Myra asks, brow furrowing. She hikes her backpack on her shoulders and strolls toward the group, which Logan is leading away from the house.

  I glance over as we walk. “He’s not my shifter.”

  In fact, I want to add, he might be your shifter.

  “He’s very loyal. Ryan.”

  I nod. “He is. And he’s trying to help. Because that’s what shifters do. They try to help witches. Which is why it’s screwed up that Wes is helping Kane. He must want to be a full shifter pretty bad.”

  “I wonder why.”

  I release a slow breath. “Me too.”

  I make Logan take me to the hospital even though he’s still nervous. He can’t argue with me wanting to see my mom. After I visit her, however, I’m pretty sure he’s going to argue with where I want to go next.

  “One of these days,” I tell him as we walk from the parking lot to the building, “I’m going to have to take one of your tours without all the drama.”

  He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. When I stop outside the door, he frowns.

  “We should get inside,” he says.

  “It’s not going to make a difference. Kane can come in there, too. What’s wrong?”

  He reaches for me as if to usher me in, and then changes his mind. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.”

  His laugh comes out harsh. He brushes his fingertips on my forearm. “Look what I did.”

  “You were worried.”

  “Yeah. That’s not going to stop. I’m not‒I didn’t think it would ever get to this point. Or if it did, I figured it wouldn’t matter. That Myra would be safe and I’d deal with the consequences then. I didn’t bet on meeting someone and wanting‒no, needing‒to be close to you. To make sure you’re safe.”

  “You’re not going to hurt me,” I say, stepping forward, close enough our shoes are almost touching. I press both palms flat against his chest. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

  “I do trust you,” he says, “it’s me I’m worried about. And if I can do that to you, who knows what Kane is capable of?”

  He takes my hand gently and guides me inside.

  “Why are you so sure he’s going to do anything like that?” I ask.

  We turn at the front desk and I give the receptionist a small smile as we head to the rooms in the south wing.

  “He’s an evil person, Willow. Plain and simple. And I‒” He breaks off with a shake of his head.

  “What?” When he doesn’t respond, I tug on his hand, trying to get him to look at me. “Maybe we can negotiate with him.”

  His expression closes off. “No.”

  What the hell? He’s never looked at me like that before. Not even when I trapped him in the cave with all the amethyst. He was resigned, yes, but not entirely removed from the situation. From me.

  “I don’t understand.” I pull away from his grip and fold my arms across my chest. “You’re not telling me something.”

  He rubs his hand across his eyes. We’re standing in the middle of the hallway under the harsh lighting and suddenly it makes me feel vulnerable. Worse, because Logan and I aren’t on the same page.

  When he doesn’t respond after a long moment, I turn on my heel and finish the rest of the short trek to my mother’s room.

  There’s a nurse beside her bed writing on a clipboard. She smiles when she sees us and gives a nod.

  “How’s she doing?” I’m surprised by the ache in my voice. I’d only just started to get to know my mother‒I was only getting used to the idea. But now that I don’t have the chance, I feel let down all over again.

  The nurse’s voice is gentle when she says, “No change.”

  I swallow hard and take a seat by the bed. Logan stands next to me, quiet. But he reaches out and sets his hand on my shoulder, making the lump in my throat bigger.

  “I’ll give you a few minutes,” the nurse says.

  Her shoes squeak on the floor when she leaves the room. I hear the sound of the overhead pager in the hallway but inside here, where my mom is sleeping peacefully on the bed, there’s silence.

  I reach out and touch her hand. It’s cold, like she hasn’t moved in hours. “Why won’t she wake up?”

  “Just give it time,” Logan says.

  “There’s got to be something I can do.”

  He crouches next to the chair, dark eyes meeting mine with compassion. I swivel to face him, like he might have the answer. Like he knows how to deal with something I can’t seem to handle. “Like what?”

  I want to smooth away the worry that lines the corners of his mouth, but I keep my hands to myself. Then it hits me. “Fire.”

  His brow furrows. “Fire?”

  “The same way I healed Myra. With the fire. Do you think that would work on her?”

  He glances at my mom and then back at me. “I don’t know…is this even the same thing? And how are you going to do it with nurses and doctors walking around all the time?”

  “Distract them for me.” I nod, standing. I point to the door. “Go distract them. Close the door and tell them I need a minute. I can try‒”

  “Willow, stop for a second. Are you sure you want to do this? It’s going to be hard on you‒and you don’t even know if it’ll work.”

  “Who cares? I have to try.”

  “No,” a voice whispers.

  I gasp at the word. It wasn’t Logan. His eyes whip to my mom and we both stare at her.

  “Did she say no?” I ask Logan.

  “She said something.”

  I lean in closer to my mom. “Mom?” I wiggle her shoulder a little. “Faye? Wake up.”

  Logan shakes his head. “She looks the same.”

  “I heard her say something.”

  But he’s right. She hasn’t moved. Her skin is still ice cold.

  “The fire,” I whisper. “I need to do something.”

  “No!” my mother shouts. “No! No fire!”

  I stumble back, mouth open in shock. Her eyes are still closed, but she’s thrashing around on the bed so violently I’m afraid she might hurt herself.

  “Mom!” I try to grab her arms, but she knocks me aside.

  “No fire! No fire!”

  “Do something, Logan. Go get someone.”

  He disappears from the room as my mother continues to shout. When I glanc
e back to see if anyone is coming, my heart freezes in my chest.

  Kane.

  Chapter 5

  “What are you doing here?” I hiss.

  He smiles, perfectly pleasant. And deadly. He’s wearing a black jacket and shirt over dark wash jeans. He looks so much like Logan, I’m taken aback.

  “Just checking in.” He glances at my mother. “She awake?”

  “Leave her alone. Leave me alone.”

  I look over at my mom. She’s silent on the bed again, like nothing ever happened. When my gaze returns to the door, Kane’s gone.

  A nurse runs through an instant later, with Logan just behind him.

  My mouth is hanging open as I stare at my mother. She’s not moving or saying anything. And Kane was just here!

  “What’s going on?” the nurse asks, confusion on her face.

  “I…” I shake my head. “She was saying something and then…”

  My eyes swing to Logan’s as the nurse takes my mom’s vitals. My legs are shaking and I sink to the chair.

  “Willow.” Logan crouches next to me. “Are you okay? You look sick.”

  “Kane,” I whisper.

  He straightens. “What?”

  “Kane was here.”

  He’s on his feet right away, eyes searching the room. Then he darts out to the hallway.

  “Are you sure she said something?” the nurse asks, frowning at me.

  I nod. I’m sure. But why she was saying it, I don’t know. “It’s like…she was dreaming. Or having a nightmare.”

  Or telling me something.

  The nurse checks another machine, peers at the clipboard, and shakes her head. “Everything looks the same.”

  I try to stand, but my legs are still wobbly.

  “You’re pale,” the nurse says. “Do you need to lie down?”

  “I’m fine.”

  But I’m not. Kane was here in my mom’s hospital room. Checking on her? Or checking on me? Why would he care if she was awake or not?

  Logan returns to the room, looking even more stressed than before. He leans down to put his arm around me. “How about we get you home?”