by Janie Marie
“It happens, Logan. You know that.” Lance said as the pulsing sound in her ears quieted. She hadn’t realized the throbbing hum around her head was just her rapid pulse.
“Hood? Baby? Can you hear me?” Logan held the side of her face as his thumb rubbed at her tears. “Open your eyes.”
She opened her eyes, only to squint right away. She felt like she’d been in the dark again. “His eyes,” she sobbed.
“What?” Logan asked before placing a kiss to her trembling lips. “Baby?”
“So big . . . So pretty.”
“What’s she talking about?” Logan looked at his father, then Gareth.
“That’s what she said,” she cried. “Maura. She said his eyes were so big—so pretty.”
She had to be strong for Maura. She had to make it right. If she could make it right for one person, it was Maura.
Too late.
“Okay,” Logan cooed, hugging her again. He was holding her up since she was nothing but a puddle of pain now. “It’s over, baby. Shh . . . I’ve got you.”
“You should probably get her out of here,” Lance said. “You’re not planning on going to your apartment, though, are you?”
“Where else am I going to go?” Logan replied as he lifted her up into his arms. “I’m not afraid.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “No, but I’m sure she doesn’t need to see blood all over your room. Plus, it’s trashed. It’ll probably be hard for both of you to see.”
Logan muttered a curse as she felt her eyes close. She didn’t know what they were talking about. She only wanted to sleep now. Dark.
The image of Maura standing in the doorway flashed before her, then shifted to Kylie standing in Maura’s place, then darkness.
Into the dark.
Where you belong.
“She’s already fallen asleep. Here.” His dad pulled out his keys, removing one. “He won’t expect it.”
Logan took the key. “My old room?”
Lance nodded. “It’s still the same. Everything’s clean. Janie had Ryder’s maid go freshen things up for me. The house is stocked with food, too.”
“Thanks,” he muttered.
“Logan.” Than walked over, his eyes falling on Kylie. “Is she all right?”
“She’ll be fine once I get her away from her fucking family,” he said as Kylie let out a light snore. “What’s her mom trying to do?”
Than gave him a tight smile. “Don’t stress about that. I’m having her escorted back to Maura’s suite. The girl just came out of surgery, so she’ll be by her side for the night. Do you have any idea why the sister tried to kill herself? There wasn’t a note. That’s why they’re questioning Kylie. It seems Maura slit her wrists right inside Kylie’s doorway. The knife was by Kylie’s bed.”
“What?” Logan glanced down at Kylie. She was out cold. “Kylie didn’t do anything. She said Maura came into her room already bleeding. But I haven’t been able to talk to her.”
Than glanced over his shoulder when Kevin’s voice rose in the halls. He looked back at Logan and said, “I’m not saying Kylie did anything to her. If Kylie had attacked her, she wouldn’t have slit her wrists in the way Maura did. Plus, Maura had ingested a combination of medication, too. They found the empty bottles in her bath suite. Kylie’s probably the reason Maura’s still alive.”
Kevin walked toward them. “I’m going to take her to one of my other homes. I don’t want her to see her room and traumatize her further.”
Logan tightened his hold on Kylie. Whatever problems they had, he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. He would at least keep her safe. “She’s not going anywhere with you. I already told her she’s coming with me.”
“Logan,” he said, struggling to maintain a calm exterior. “You were with another girl yesterday. I don’t know why you would do such a thing, no matter what was happening. And I still don’t know why there was a recording of you forcing Kylie to have sex.”
Than held a hand up. “The recording was fabricated. There are separate audios overlapping each other, and it doesn’t even appear to be Kylie’s voice in all of them. After today, it’s clear Logan was being set up.”
“That may be, but she’s my dau—”
“She’s not your daughter,” Logan snapped. “You let these women beat the shit out of her for years. If you think I’m going to let her go anywhere with you after all this shit, you’re just as delusional as that bitch you call your wife.”
Kevin’s fury only lasted a second before he let out a breath and hung his head low. “I didn’t know what was happening. I still figuring out how to be a stepfather. All I knew when marrying Lorelei was that Kylie was a troubled young girl. Lorelei believed it was her refusing to cope with the loss of both her parents, and she was certain giving her space and time was for the best. I’ve been giving her time. It was wrong—I’m trying to mend it.”
Logan was startled to hear anything about Kylie before she moved here. “Troubled?”
“Yes,” Kevin said quietly. “She was in all sorts of trouble at school, but Lorelei insisted it was just her grief taking hold of her. Lor begged the teachers to overlook her behavior. It was something she’d dealt with since marrying Oliver, apparently. It seems her behavior was brushed off, which made it difficult for Lorelei to come in with actual rules. That’s why I moved them here. We thought a change of environment might help. Lorelei was terrified of taking her to get help there.”
“It never occurred to you that your wife was covering up something?” Logan growled. “Why not get her help instead of ignoring her?”
Kevin frowned. “Because Lorelei tried. She’d gone through several therapists; Kylie only got worse. Lor swears living here has been most beneficial—that Kylie just needed to get away from everyone who knew her.”
“That’s still no excuse to ignore her bruises and limping,” Logan spat. “You had to have seen that shit. So no, she’s not going with you. When she’s better, I’ll talk with her—or we can talk with her together. But I’m keeping her close to me and away from that woman. You’d probably ignore it if Lorelei held a knife to her throat.”
“Lorelei would never harm her.” Kevin’s eyes burned with rage before dimming. “And I wasn’t ignoring Kylie. Lorelei’s been cheating on me for months. I’ve just been trying to save my marriage, and silence every piece of shit who’s had Lor on her knees for them.”
Kevin dropped his eyes to Kylie. “I thought Lor must have done the same to Oliver, and that’s why Kylie stayed away from me. What would you do if you were me? Would you let the world see you’re a fool for loving a cold-hearted woman who’s fucking every asshole she meets?” He scoffed, gesturing to Logan. “For Christ’s sake, today I found out your cousin was sleeping with my wife and my stepdaughter.”
Logan’s eyes went wide. “What?”
Than cleared his throat. “Kevin, I think you should let Logan take Kylie. You’re going to be at the hospital too much to properly supervise her, anyway. I think, based on what Logan has revealed about this abuse and the incident at your home tonight, it’s best she is temporarily removed from your care. He’ll take care of her. In the meantime, I’ll have detectives questioning Lorelei about Logan’s accusations.”
Logan felt his breath become more strained. Kylie was finally getting help, but he hadn’t been able to help Janie. He checked Kylie. The blood covering her body wasn’t hers, but he was painted with Janie’s.
His dad pushed him away from Kevin as Than informed him of Janie’s situation.
“Murder?” Kevin’s voice trailed off.
Logan had to look away as images began racing through his mind—images that he’d seen before and done nothing about.
“She’s going to be fine,” Than resumed talking to Kevin. “But we will be pursuing maximum charges against him. This isn’t the first time he’s attacked her.” Than shot Logan a dark look. “But my officers are on a manhunt now. Kylie’s situation is important, but the detective I want on
Kylie’s case is assisting in the search. Plus, Maura is in no state to answer questions, and your wife is likely not going to cooperate. So while things are underway, I advise you to get your lawyers up to speed.”
Logan squeezed his eyes shut, only to hear Janie’s scream in his head. It was a scream he’d heard years ago, too.
“We will get him,” Lance whispered, squeezing his shoulder. “Logan?”
“I’m fine,” he said, tuning out Than and Kevin’s conversation.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Lance said. “You were still a boy then. Your mother didn’t want to believe it either. You’re just like her. You don’t want to believe the truth because you feel responsible. So you bury it until it doesn’t exist.”
“I should have—”
His father watched Than talking to Kevin, but it was him he spoke to. “Do you remember the story?”
“I remember.” Logan stared down at Kylie. “Always two.”
Lance nodded. “Always two . . . And you are?”
Logan sighed. “Not the Big Bad Wolf.”
“Logan?” Than said, interrupting as he walked closer. “Kevin has agreed to not put up a fuss over you leaving with Kylie.”
He looked over to see Kevin nod at him as a nurse came and asked for him to follow her back to Maura’s room.
Logan’s heart raced. He squeezed Kylie closer but loosened his grip when she whined.
Than eyed him. “Go see Janie. You have a lot of shit to explain to Ryder. Luc’s going to take over now.”
Logan snapped his eyes up to Than. “Take over?”
Than switched his gaze between them. “He might have hurt her all this time, but he won’t anymore. Never again.”
“How long?” his dad asked, confusing Logan.
“I’m not sure. Recent, I think.” Than glanced at Kylie before focusing on Logan. “I have to go. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Logan watched Than leave with Gareth before he looked back at his dad. “What does he mean?”
Lance looked stuck in a daze, but then he smiled. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
He knew this was legacy stuff, and he wasn’t ready to deal with what the stories said. “Well, thanks for helping me with Kylie.”
“You’re welcome.” Lance stared down at Kylie, his brows furrowed like he was trying to figure something out. “She’s probably going to feel like shit when she wakes up. You remember how bad Janie’s panic attacks were. So go home, shower, and relax. They’ll do sweeps around the house throughout the night.”
“They’re here?” Logan wasn’t surprised.
His father rolled his eyes. “The wolves are everywhere—you know that. Luc won’t let them rest until she’s safe. Don’t worry about them bothering you; they’ll stay out of sight.”
He glared at his dad. “I want to be there.”
Lance shook his head. “Be patient. I doubt Luc will allow your involvement.”
“I thought Luc was the threat.” Logan knew Luc had a strong hold over their family, but he didn’t understand why his dad was so calm about Luc calling the shots.
A secretive smile spread over Lance’s face. “He’s more dangerous than words can express, but his devotion to her is greater. If you knew what was written about his soul and hers, you’d understand why even Ryder moved aside tonight.”
“Moved aside?” Logan couldn’t believe Ryder would let Luc anywhere near Janie.
He patted his shoulder. “Remember when I used to read you and your brother our family’s story? I told you there would come a day when our story would shift—that everything we believed and trusted would change because it was never what it seemed. This is her fairy tale—her dream. And just like every fairy tale, we think the world’s just as we know it. But suddenly there’s something fantastic—a talking wolf, an evil queen, wicked witches. The illusion—the trap to lure you into the story of us—is that the world has no magic. No gods. No monsters . . . No goddess.”
“They’re just in plain sight,” Logan muttered.
“The way they were for her.” Lance nodded, a heartbroken smile on his face. “Decide which path you wish to take. We won’t hold it against you for choosing Kylie. If you’re worried about Janie’s reaction, don’t be. Your happiness matters more to her.”
“Janie needs me,” he whispered. “I need her.”
“I know you do.” Lance caressed his head like he used to when he was a boy, unsure of what to do. “Don’t let Janie be the reason you give up your dream though. If you want Janie to be part of that dream, make it happen. But don’t do it just because you believe she needs you. She’s stronger than you think. She’s more than you know.”
The fire spiked within, and his throat ached. “Dad, is she really—”
“Hush.” Lance roughly rubbed his back. “You know we do not speak it.”
Logan nodded, knowing the stories they kept secret were not to be uttered in the company of those outside their families. Even with Kylie asleep in his arms, his father wouldn’t allow it.
Lance kissed his head, just like he had the last time he saw him before life went to hell. “All I’ll say is to be prepared—they’re real.”
“Monsters?”
His dad shrugged. “What have I always told you and your brother?”
“Monsters aren’t what they seem.” Logan sighed, his gaze on Kylie as he realized how that was true for her; her stepmother was beautiful, just as Mark had told him. She wasn’t a threatening-looking person, and he doubted Maura looked any less lovely than her mother. Monsters with pretty smiles, Janie always said. “Did you ever think he was a monster in the story?”
“I feared it.” Lance turned his head, staring in the direction of Janie’s room. “Then again, they say I was one of the greatest monsters she ever faced.”
“Janie never saw you that way, Dad.” Logan didn’t want his father to beat himself up for something that might not even be true. Yet he never forgot witnessing his father sitting in Janie’s meadow. She was dancing, in her own little world, and his father was praying, asking for forgiveness. Even weirder, Janie paused, and with her eyes closed, she told him he was forgiven and no longer the Big Bad Wolf. Lance had stared at her with just as much shock as he had, silent as she bowed to him, then twirled away.
Lance smiled sadly. “Foolish girl.”
Logan shook his head. His dad was a dangerous man, but he was protective of his family; Janie was family. “I would think you’d believe the opposite if she is—you know . . .”
A genuinely peaceful smile filled Lance’s face. “I’ve dreamed of it, you know? The battle. Death—so much death.” He had a faraway look in his eye. “And a dancing flame.”
Logan’s mind raced. His dad had seen more of the Grimm texts than him. The final battle was one he always begged to hear, but his father said it was forbidden. “You’ve seen something else—the story you never let me see.”
His dad grinned. “All guardians are shown The Beginning.”
The Beginning . . . That was even more sacred than The End. “I’m sorry I refused to listen to you.” He’d thrown his own father away because he was ashamed of his mother. “Maybe I’d have been able to protect her if I hadn’t followed Mom’s wishes. I would be what I was supposed to be, a guardian of our legacy. But I’m as clueless as the rest of the world.” It felt silly to think about this; it was something he had given up on when he lost Janie, but now he found himself torn between the life he was destined for and one with Kylie—the world without truth.
“Don’t be sorry.” Lance chuckled, staring at Kylie. “You know we believe there are no accidents—it all happens for a reason.”
An uncomfortable tightness grew in Logan’s chest. “I thought the whole point was to right our wrongs—our mistakes. You believe that’s what this is, right? A second chance?”
“Something like that. If you think about what we’ve all said about this world being a second one, you’ll put it together.” Lance ti
lted his head, his eyes gleaming as though he was suddenly seeing something more. “I think I understand it now. Huh . . .”
“That doesn’t help me, Dad.” Logan wanted to beg for answers as much as he wanted to run from it all. “I guess it’s for the best though. I’m with Kylie, not Janie. So maybe Mom was right—the legacy wasn’t meant for me.”
Lance scoffed. “I’ll let you find out on your own—that way you’ll know which path is for you.” He dropped his gaze to Kylie, not saying what Logan was thinking: the path toward Kylie, or what they all believed—his destiny with Janie.
“Listen,” Lance said softly, “there’s nothing that says you have to follow what’s written. Janie’s with Ryder, and she has Luc. Just because it says so much about you and her doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. That was there—this is a different world. A new chance. So go, enjoy learning what lies ahead with this girl if that’s what you want. Just promise me you’ll think things through. She’s young, and you know very little about her. I wasn’t around when you were with Janie, but I know you—you like to live in your own version of a fairy tale. It’s not the same as ours. We are truth.”
“Right.” Logan sighed, shifting Kylie in his arms. “Then promise me you’ll protect Janie from Luc. If he has plans to hurt her or take her, warn Ryder. Get her somewhere safe.”
“I promise,” Lance said. “Now go see her before you leave. I think you need to see she’s okay before you go off with this one.” His dad turned to leave but hesitated. “If Ryder asks you, tell him the truth. Because Luc knows, and if things are as Than says, he’ll shed light on everything. Nothing escapes them.”
Logan sighed, his mind and heart torn on what to believe. He had to choose. “Ryder’s going to kill me, and Luc won’t let me go.”
“Stand your ground with Ryder.” Lance gave him a serious look. “All of us stir in our sleep. . . . He’s stirred more and more recently.”
“I don’t understand.” Logan watched his dad. His dad was a killer—a warrior, but he was one of the smartest people he’d ever known. And he believed in the tales, which meant . . . “You mean our souls wake up?”