Broken (Keeper of the Flame Book 4)

by Lila Kane

  “It’s not something we need to talk about right now. You need to sleep first. Get your energy back.”

  “I can already feel it coming back.” I pass the water back to Logan and shift in the tub.

  Logan sets the glass aside, and trails his finger down my arm. “You haven’t slept in almost two days.”

  “I don’t feel tired.”

  “You look tired,” he says. He grabs a rag and rubs it on my shoulders.

  “It’s…just the spells and–and–” And the visions.

  “Now you aren’t telling me something,” Logan says. “I’m not going to push you, but I don’t think you should keep this up. You need to take a break.”

  “When we find Kane.”

  His jaw flexes.

  “And we need to get started on a new spell,” I say.

  “We will. Eventually.”

  “No, now. Have you called your witch friend?”

  He starts on my other shoulder and avoids meeting my eyes. “No.”

  “Why not? She might be the only one who can help us.”

  “And I said it’s complicated.”

  “What’s so complicated about it?” I grab the rag when he keeps scrubbing. “Logan.”

  “She’s…we have a history.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

  He sighs and sits back on his heels. “We used to date.”

  Chapter 5

  “I see.” I lean forward so Logan can sponge my back. “Is she still into you?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “To her it does. If that’s the case.”

  When he doesn’t answer, I turn to look at him. His eyes skim my face, down my neck, and to my breasts. “God,” he breathes, water dripping from his hands, “you’re so beautiful.”

  My lips curve. “Trying to distract me?”

  “You’re distracting me.” He sighs and smiles. “But you’re probably tired. We need to talk, but let’s do it later. After you feel better.”

  “I feel fine.” I finish washing off, and step from the tub. “Let’s talk now.”

  He swallows and reaches for me. “You’re making that difficult. I want…”

  “What?”

  He wraps me in his arms, face turned into my hair. He takes a deep breath. “I want you, safe, in this room with me. For the rest of the night.”

  I ease back, looking around for a towel.

  “Wrong thing to say?” he asks.

  “Not at all.” I wrap myself in an oversized, fluffy white towel and open the door to the bathroom. “But there’s so much that needs to be done.”

  “What’s more important than making sure you’re okay? None of our plans are going to get done if you collapse on me.”

  I laugh, but sit on the bed because I’m still feeling a little weak. “I’m not going to collapse. I just did too much too fast, is all.”

  “And you’re still doing too much too fast. The border is tight. We’re safe in here. It won’t hurt to take a few hours, or the rest of the night even, and regroup.”

  “Kane killed that girl,” I tell him. He sits next to me on the bed. “The one in the kitchen. He killed her either because he got out of control or he didn’t care. Either way, he’s dangerous. And I think…I think he might have changed that werewolf at the border last night.”

  Logan pulls in a long, slow breath. His pupils dilate, and I face him.

  “You feel it, too.” I stare at his face, trying to find more signs that he’s truly changing into a vampire. Like his brother. “What do you need?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I’d rather get this taken care of before it gets worse. And Myra, too. She–”

  “You’re really doing this? After all that you’ve dealt with in the last several weeks, you’re just going to ignore the fact that I want to take care of you, and instead make it all about me and Myra becoming a vampire?”

  “That’s not–no. I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Or to…”

  “Get out of control? Like Kane?”

  I lie back on the bed, the ends of my hair wet against my shoulders. “I’m scared of him, okay? And what he might do to this town. And…I’ve been having visions.”

  He leans over me. “Visions.”

  “Or…memories? I’m not sure what to call them, but they’re not mine.”

  “Then whose?”

  “Yours. And Myra’s. And those shapeshifters in Myra’s store.”

  “That’s how you knew their parents were killed by a vampire?”

  I nod, feeling guilty all over again about breaking the spell.

  “Willow, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “No time. But…it showed me how dangerous vampires can be. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I already–already killed someone.”

  “He might have killed you first if you hadn’t.”

  “That doesn’t make it better,” I say. I sit up too fast, and press my hands to my face. “Hold on.”

  He rubs my back. “You’re going to keep hearing it from me until you get some rest. You’re overdoing it, Willow.”

  “I can’t stop,” I whisper, a hitch in my voice. “Okay? I feel like…something happened in that circle.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. But it’s part of me now. I can’t stop until I fix this.”

  He wraps one arm around me while brushing my hair back from my face with his other hand.

  I look up, meeting his eyes. “Please do something, okay? Figure out how to make Myra feel better. And you, too. Find some animal to get blood from or–or–”

  “Willow.”

  “No. Don’t brush this off.”

  “I’m not. I don’t think I need animal blood.”

  My eyes widen. “Human blood?”

  “No! No, I mean…maybe I–maybe me and Myra–don’t need to, uh, feed like that.”

  “The myths came from somewhere. And why was that vampire attacking us last night?”

  “He’d just turned. He probably…just couldn’t control himself.”

  “So, you’re saying you feel exactly the same as before? You’re not…hungry?”

  Logan’s jaw clenches.

  “You are. Tell me the truth.”

  He shrugs. “It’s just…an ache in my teeth. And it gets worse when I see blood or–or–” His eyes dip to my neck, and then zoom away.

  “A vein?”

  “How about clothes?” he asks, getting off the bed. “Where did you put your clothes? A nap, maybe? Or–”

  I catch his hand when he walks by. He starts to shake his head, but I put my hand on his cheek. “I am not judging you. We’re all in this mess together. You can talk to me about this.”

  He squeezes my hand. “It’s not easy.”

  “I love you.”

  His gaze latches onto mine. “I love you, too.”

  I lean up on my knees and wrap my arms around his neck. I fuse my mouth to his, hungry for a connection larger than words. He reacts immediately, pressing as close to me as possible. His fingers skim my spine, tracing to the edge of the towel and pulling it away.

  In response, I grip the hem of his shirt and tug it upwards. He shrugs out of it, and my hands are all over him. His chest, his back, traveling down to his jeans.

  “Wait, Willow,” he murmurs in between kisses.

  “No waiting,” I breathe.

  He catches my hands in his, curling his fists around them and bringing them to his chest to hold them there. “Hold on.”

  His breathing is as heavy as mine. His eyes flash silver.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “No–yes, I mean. I’m not okay with this if you’re not. Willow, I don’t think you’re feeling as well as you let on. I think–”

  “Stop thinking,” I grumble, leaning up to kiss him again.

  His voice is pained when he says my name again. “Are you okay to do this?”

  “I swear, if you don’t get over
here right now, I’m going to attack you on the floor.”

  He gives a low laugh and releases my hands. “Fine.”

  When I reach for him again, he steps back and removes his pants and his boxers. I smile. And then he comes for me like a whirlwind, arms wrapping around me when he topples us over, spinning me on top of him to soften the blow when we land on the bed.

  My breath rushes out of me, and I laugh this time as well. “That was fun.”

  “As long as you don’t feel like you’re going to throw up again.”

  “Don’t remind me.” I kick my leg over to straddle him. He’s thick and ready, body vibrating with need and urgency. “Just close your eyes.”

  He does as I say, and I take him into my mouth. The air whooshes from his lungs as I crouch down, using my hands and my tongue. I squeeze my fingers on his thighs when he exhales again, my name a sigh of pleasure on his lips.

  After another minute, he reaches for me, catching my shoulders and pulling me up so I’m lying next to him. His mouth finds my breast, and his teeth tease the nipple. I arch my head back, leaning into him. His tongue traces in lazy circles, making a slow path from my chest to my navel. And then lower.

  His hands are a blur of pleasure, squeezing, rubbing, and then moving down to part my legs. He leans up, meeting my eyes before he eases inside of me. I lift my hips to meet him, to get as close as possible. Too feel him fill me up.

  Logan slides in and out, the muscles of his shoulders bunched as he takes his time at first. He circles and presses a kiss to my lips before he picks up the pace, making me shut my eyes as the feeling builds and builds.

  “Logan,” I whisper.

  “I love you, Willow,” he answers.

  And his thumb presses against me as he enters me again and again, heightening the sensation until the world shatters around me. His body tenses up. He holds me close as he empties inside me, all the tension leaving his body, before he collapses on top of me.

  After a long moment of silence, he says, “Are you tired now?”

  “Re-energized. Which is good because…”

  I can’t form more words before the images start rolling through my mind. One of the girl from downstairs. Her hands are out and she’s trying to talk to someone. No, to bargain with them.

  Kane.

  He shakes his head, gives a wickedly twisted smile, and lunges for her. She screams as he digs his fangs into her neck. Without remorse, but with control. When he’s finished, he wipes his mouth and leaves her on the floor.

  “Willow!”

  My vision comes back into focus. Logan shakes my arms again.

  “I’m here,” I whisper. My throat is dry and now my head is pounding. Kane left that girl to die. How come she didn’t become a vampire, too? Or maybe he didn’t want that?

  “Dammit, you looked like you passed out.” Logan pulls me to his chest. “What’s going on?”

  “Another vision,” I mumble. “Kane.”

  He makes a noise low in his throat but doesn’t say anything right away. When he pulls back, he brushes hair from my eyes and says, “You’re connected to him.”

  “Not just him. I think maybe it’s everyone from the circle last night.”

  His eyes search mine. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because I had to draw power from everyone.”

  I press my fingers to my temples, closing my eyes for a brief minute.

  “This isn’t good for you.”

  I focus on keeping my breathing even. “I don’t know how to stop it.”

  “We should talk to your mom.”

  “My mom,” I say, opening my eyes. I start to crawl out of bed. “I should check on her.”

  Logan catches my wrist. “Wait.”

  I meet his eyes. “Yes?”

  He lowers his chin, concentrating on his finger as it rubs my wrist. “Are you going to get mad at me if I ask you to stay here for an hour or two and try to sleep?”

  “I’m not tired.”

  “That means something is wrong.”

  “It’s the energy. It…” My voice trails off when I realize what he’s doing. He’s staring at the veins in my wrist. “Do you think, uh…” I clear my throat and lift my other wrist toward him. “It might help if you just…you know…”

  His eyebrows come together, and then he jerks his chin up when he realizes what I’m saying. “No.” He gets off the bed, hunting for his clothes. “I’m not touching you like that.”

  “I don’t think you’re going to hurt me.”

  “Are you serious?” he asks, ducking again to grab his pants.

  “They do it all the time in the movies and on TV.”

  “Does it look like we’re in a movie, Willow?” He yanks his shirt over his head. “I don’t even know what I’m doing.”

  “You could try. Maybe–”

  “No.” His eyes harden and he crosses his arms. “We’re not discussing this anymore.”

  “But what are you going to do if it gets worse?”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  I climb from bed, too, retrieving my clothes from the bathroom. When I step out, Logan’s there, eyes still narrowed on mine. “Let’s make a deal.”

  His laugh doesn’t have any humor in it. “You and your deals. You really think I’m going to do something that might hurt you?”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not so fragile anymore. I killed a man.”

  “You didn’t have a choice,” he growls, gripping my arms and meeting my eyes. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. If you had let that vampire go, I can guarantee someone would have gotten hurt.”

  I touch his jaw. He needs a shave, but he looks good rough. “Then compromise with me. By tonight, figure out what to do. Or get together with Myra and…find a solution. Otherwise, take my help.”

  “Willow,” he warns.

  “It’s necessary. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late.”

  “What are you going to do in this compromise?”

  “I’ll stay here tonight. Try to get some sleep. I’ll have my mom help me make a sleeping spell or potion or something if I have to.”

  He sighs.

  “Do we have a deal?” I ask.

  His grip loosens. “Hard bargain.”

  “We’re taking care of each other. That’s what we’re supposed to do, right?”

  The hardness leaves his eyes. “You’re right. Okay, deal.”

  I kiss him on the lips, then put on my pants. He pulls me close for another kiss, and then I put a finger to his chest. “No time for that. Everyone’s downstairs and I bet they’re just as ready for a plan as I am.”

  He grumbles but follows me downstairs. I walk hesitantly into the kitchen until I discover there’s nothing left of the blood that was there earlier. There’s also no evidence of the girl Kane left for dead.

  Myra’s at the counter cutting vegetables like nothing ever happened while Ryan assures her they’ll fix the store. My mom sits with a cup of tea at the counter, paging through her Book of Shadows.

  “Where’s Cheyenne and James?” I ask.

  My mom smiles when she sees me, and gestures to the outside of the house. “They’re out in the clearing.”

  “Were there others?” I ask. When no one says anything, I continue, “More bodies?”

  “Willow,” Logan says softly.

  “No, it’s important. We need to know how many paranormals are left in Shadow Hill.”

  “Two others,” Ryan says. “Cheyenne thought it might be a good idea to burn the bodies. We…don’t know if they’re really dead. And we don’t want any questions from the sheriff or anyone else who might come around.”

  “Which means we need to find Kane soon to stop anything else from happening.”

  Myra continues to chop. “Any clue how we’re going to do that?”

  “A location spell.”

  She nods. “Sounds simple enough. But then what? Ask him to play nice?”

  Logan frowns. “Myra.�
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  “Well, we need to figure this out. If you take away his power, he’s just going to try to figure out another way to get it back. And he won’t be happy in the meantime. We have to stop him for good.” She flicks a glance at me before pulling over a stalk of celery to chop.

  “You mean kill him,” I whisper.

  My fingertips buzz with energy. Logan looks down at our linked hands like he can feel it too.

  “You mentioned something about blue fire.” Faye points to a page in her book. “I think I might have found something.”

  At that moment, James and Cheyenne return to the kitchen. Cheyenne smiles when she sees me, nothing but her normal cheerful greeting. She’s become one of my most important friends because she doesn’t judge me. Even when I’m judging myself.

  “What is it?” Logan asks.

  “Basically, that the only person who can wield the blue fire is a Keeper of the Flame,” she says.

  I notice James shifts his feet, and then walks to the refrigerator casually as if he has no idea what we’re talking about.

  “Is it…” I frown, trying to find the words. “Is it something we’re usually born with?”

  “No. It’s something that’s acquired. Usually by witches who do black magic. If a witch who’s in contact with all four paranormal forces uses their energy, she can steal part of their essence. Which would, in turn, connect her to those forces mentally and physically.”

  “I’ve been having visions–or–or memories. From people who were there last night.” I sink into a chair at the round table near the windows. “But I didn’t–I mean, I wasn’t trying to steal anybody’s energy.”

  Faye gives me a gentle smile. “It can happen unintentionally, Willow. You did what you had to do.”

  “So, Willow’s visions or the memories are the mentally part,” Cheyenne says. “What’s the physical part?”

  “I would imagine it means she absorbs some of the characteristics of each paranormal as well.” Faye looks at me. “Have you been having any kind of side effects?”

  My stomach twists. “I can hear things better.”

  “And you healed your hand without even trying,” Myra pointed out.

  “And she hasn’t slept in two days,” Logan says.

  “I don’t know if that has anything to do with it,” I mumble. But I’m not so sure anymore.