by S W Vaughn
Logan stood and smiled. “Yeah, for a whole week now,” she said.
“Oh my God.” Melody’s eyes widened. “You really are her. I mean, you’re you. I just…I can’t…I’m so sorry. I was terrible to you!”
“No, you weren’t. The pie was great. Right, Jaeryth?”
“Absolutely.” He tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible. The waitress looked on the verge of tears and he felt something for her that might have been sympathy—though he had no idea what to do about it. “It was the best pie I’ve ever had.”
“It was? Oh. That’s good.” Melody blinked rapidly. Her gaze swung to Logan and she actually smiled. The expression made her beautiful. “Wow. I can’t believe you’re here, in person.”
“Well, I have to get pie somewhere.”
A sniffle escaped the waitress, but her smile remained. “I wish I could’ve gone tonight,” she said. “I heard you on YouTube, but it’s not the same.” She squeezed her hands together and stared at the floor. “I don’t suppose—no, that’s stupid. Never mind.” She looked up again. “Can I get you something else? I could make fresh coffee. I’m really sorry about…earlier.”
Logan reached out and brushed the other woman’s hands. “What were you going to ask? I won’t think it’s stupid. Promise.”
“Oh, it’s really dumb.” Melody’s face flushed red. “I was wondering if you’d sing something. Like a few lines.” She raised her head. “Told you it was stupid.”
“No, it’s not. And yes, I will.”
“Y-you will?”
“Sure.” Logan cast an uncertain glance around the place. Only the girl in the back booth and one truck driver remained. Neither were paying attention to the miniature drama unfolding at their table. “What did you want to hear?”
“Um.” She swallowed. “Do you know ‘My Immortal’—the Evanescence one?”
“Every word.” She turned to Jaeryth and smirked. “So I know you said you’re not musically inclined. Can you whistle or anything?”
He laughed. “Not a single note.”
“Guess I’m going a cappella, then.” She took a breath. “Okay. Just to warn you, this could be really bad. I usually have backup.”
“Oh! Wait a second.” Melody produced a cell phone from her pocket and her fingers moved across the screen. “I think—yeah, here it is. I’ve got the karaoke version on here.” She blushed even brighter than she had before. “Er. I sing in the car sometimes. Badly.”
“That’s way better than whistling,” Logan said with a smile. “Fire it up.”
With a slightly trembling hand, Melody touched the phone. A haunting piano melody drifted from the device.
Logan closed her eyes.
“I’m so tired of being here…
Suppressed by all my childish fears…”
Her voice rang out clear and enchanting, filling the room with its light. There was a poignant edge to the words, captured perfectly in Logan’s sweet, signature tones. Jaeryth could feel her power in the core of his being—an almost painful warmth, as though he’d gotten too close to a raging fire.
And he was not the only one. The man at the counter turned to stare and the lone girl at the back table rose from her slouch, pulling her headphones out as she drifted toward the impromptu performance. Both Melody and Matt stood with mouths slightly open, their hands linking as though neither could remain on their feet unsupported.
Logan sang not a few lines, but the entire song. When she finished, and the last few notes of the piano faded, every member of the small audience burst into cheers and applause.
“Thank you.” Melody replaced the phone in her pocket and stepped forward, her face glistening with tears. “You have no idea what that meant to me,” she whispered.
Instead of replying, Logan embraced the woman.
Eventually the group dispersed, after each of them complimented Logan into blushing, stammered thanks. When they were finally left alone, Jaeryth slid from the booth and stood—and Logan threw her arms around him. “If you weren’t here, I never would’ve done that,” she said. “Thank you.”
He held her and breathed in the scent of her, unable to come up with the words to express his feelings. They went far beyond gratitude. He only hoped she could sense what he felt in his touch and his reluctance to let go.
It seemed an eternity before she eased away. “I have to pay the check,” she said. “I’ll just be a second, and then we’ll head out, okay?”
“All right.”
He watched her walk to the cash register at the far end of the counter, where Melody waited. When Logan tried to hand her money, the waitress shook her head. She leaned over and spoke, too low for him to make out the words—but Logan’s expression changed from bemusement to empathy, and when Melody finished, she circled the end of the counter to hug her again. They exchanged a few quick words and both were smiling when Logan walked back to the table. “You ready to go?”
“Anywhere, as long as you’re going.”
He followed her outside, where she took his hand and linked her fingers through his. “We’re looking at a half-hour walk here,” she said. “Are you up for it?”
“Of course.”
“Good, because the buses don’t start running for a few hours yet.”
They crossed the street and hit the sidewalk, and she didn’t let go of his hand. The constant contact made him ache for more. He couldn’t believe the intensity of his feelings—she’d turned on something within him that had never been touched, and it was at once exhilarating and frightening.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Logan said, “Melody told me that I saved her life.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I thought she was exaggerating, but…” She breathed out hard. “She had it all planned out, she said. After her shift, she was going to go home and take an entire bottle of Vicodin. And wash it down with vodka.” A violent shiver moved through her. “But after the song, she just…felt better. She said it made her believe life was worth sticking around for.”
Jaeryth gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I don’t believe she was exaggerating,” he said. That was what he had first sensed from the woman—her suicidal despair. “You did save her life.”
“Well, if I did, I’m glad. No one should feel so terrible that they’d rather be dead.”
“Agreed.”
They lapsed back into quiet, simply enjoying the walk. Not long after, Jaeryth came to a realization so startling and complete that he nearly halted in his tracks. He managed to keep moving casually, though he felt as if he’d been struck by a hundred bolts of lightning all at once.
He loved Logan.
Kobol had been right. He loved her—he had always loved her. His obsession with turning her had been nothing more than a desperate attempt to separate himself from this feeling, the one emotion demons despised above all else and obliterated whenever mortals and angels tried to spread it. The impossible had already happened.
And his love was also his sentence. He would never be permitted to love a mortal…and the punishment awaiting him was far worse than Kobol’s.
Chapter Seventeen
The sun was coming up by the time they reached the house. Logan didn’t even realize how exhausted she was until they got inside. Jaeryth looked just as beat and there was no way she’d make him sleep on the couch. She led him into the bedroom, where he sat down heavily on the bed while she headed to brush her teeth.
When she came out, he’d taken his boots off and curled up on the far side of the bed, already asleep. She emptied her pockets, tossed her phone and cash on the dresser, then crawled in next to him and promptly blacked out.
Eventually, consciousness returned, and with it came an incredible reluctance to move. She’d never been this comfortable in her life. It took a minute to figure out that the warmth blanketing her came from Jaeryth. Somehow she’d ended up pressed along the length of him, his body cradling hers. One of his arms draped across her waist and his fingers
curled loosely around her forearm. She felt completely safe.
Not wanting to wake him yet, she lay there letting the drowsiness bleed away and remembered last night. Well, technically this morning. Life was funny sometimes—a couple of words on a candy wrapper had led to the best time she’d had in years. Being with Jaeryth was seeing the world in a different way. She’d rediscovered so many little things that used to make her happy just by watching him experience them. He’d saved her sanity and held her up more than once, just when she would’ve fallen. Literally and figuratively.
She didn’t even know his last name. And she was falling in love with him.
“Good morning.”
Jaeryth’s voice rumbled against her back, stirring places in her that definitely shouldn’t be stirred at the moment. “I’m pretty sure it’s afternoon by now,” she said.
“Is that all? We should sleep more, then.”
“I wish. But once I’m awake, that’s it for me.” She pulled her hand back and twined her fingers through his, then shifted under his arm to face him. “Did you think I was going to run away?”
He offered a slow smile. “You were shivering and you’d laid on top of the blankets. I didn’t want to wake you. So I was keeping you warm.”
“Oh.” She returned the smile. “Well, it worked.”
“Good.”
She should probably say something else. Like offer to make breakfast or announce that she was getting in the shower. Anything that would get her moving. But despite her intentions, she was just lying here, staring at Jaeryth and thinking about how much she’d like to kiss him.
And the look in his eyes suggested his thoughts were the same.
Just when she’d decided to go for it and see what happened, her phone went off. She groaned and debated not answering—but it could be Miss Turner. Her caseworker would not be happy if she didn’t pick up. “I have to get that,” she said.
“Do you?”
The disappointment in his voice almost changed her mind. But she couldn’t risk pissing off the one person who could keep her from performing. “Unfortunately,” she said and twisted away before she could give in to temptation.
She padded over to the dresser and grabbed the phone. It was Tex. After last night, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to him just yet—but he had mentioned band business or something. Reluctantly, she hit the answer button. “Hello?”
“Hey, Frost. You ready?”
She frowned. “For what?”
“We’re getting together, remember?”
“Yeah. Tonight, isn’t it?”
There was a pause. “It’s six o’clock.”
“What?” The alarm clock was facing the wall. She must’ve bumped it when she was putting stuff on the dresser. She turned it around and saw five fifty-eight. Shit, how could she have slept so long? “Sorry. I must’ve lost track,” she said, hoping she sounded casual. “So you’ll pick me up at seven, right?”
“Actually, I was going to head over now,” Tex said in measured tones. “I have an appointment tonight, so we have to make it quick, but I’ve got some stuff you guys need to hear.” He paused again. “Frost, are you all right?”
“Sure. I’m fine.” She still wanted to have a talk with him about the way he’d acted with Jaeryth—and after the show—but that could wait. It was a half-hour drive to Blue’s place. “When will you be here?”
“About twenty minutes.”
“See you then.”
They hung up and she tossed the phone back on the dresser. Damn it. She couldn’t insist that Jaeryth come along, especially if she was going to ream Tex out about him. But the idea of leaving him alone worried her. Not that she thought he’d do anything wrong, but those black-eyed freaks obviously knew how to find him. She turned to break the bad news—only to find him standing right behind her. “Jesus!” she gasped as her heart lurched in her chest.
He smirked. “No. I’m Jaeryth.”
“Ha ha. Warn me next time you’re going to sneak up on me.”
“Then I would not be sneaking.”
She let out a real laugh. “I guess you have a point. Look…um, I have to go out for awhile. For the band thing. Tex is going to be here in twenty minutes.”
“Tex.” He practically spat the name. “As I recall, he was quite firm about excluding me from this. I assume I’ll be staying here.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Will you?”
Be spontaneous. Smiling, she stepped closer and put an arm around his waist. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach him. “Yes,” she said, and kissed him.
She didn’t expect it to feel this incredible—as if his lips had been made for hers. Tingling warmth infused her from head to foot in a dizzying rush, and for a moment she thought she’d collapse from it.
When she drew back, he shuddered and caught her hand. “Must you leave?” he said in ragged tones.
“If there was any way I could get out of this, I would.” Right now, she wanted nothing more than to grab Jaeryth, bring him back to bed and do a lot more than kiss him. “But I won’t be gone long. Promise.”
“All right.” He smiled. “You are worth waiting for.”
It took a lot of willpower to make herself move. But if she wasn’t ready when Tex got here, he might want to come in—and then he’d find out that her “neighbor” was staying in her house while she went out. That would cause a lot of problems she didn’t want to deal with right now.
She grabbed clean clothes from the dresser and took the fastest shower of her life. By the time she finished dressing, saying a reluctant goodbye to Jaeryth and grabbing a quick snack, twenty minutes had passed. She stepped out the front door just as Tex pulled into the driveway.
He didn’t say anything when she climbed in and not a word as he navigated the residential streets. Finally, when he neared the highway onramp, he said, “So I guess you’re still mad at me.”
“What gave it away?”
“Well, the death stare was kind of a tip-off.”
She let out a sigh. It was hard to stay mad at Tex, even when she wanted to strangle him. But she couldn’t let this one go. “You were trying to talk me into drinking,” she said. “You know I can’t do that. You shouldn’t have even asked.”
“You’re right.” His expression was utterly miserable. “I’m sorry, Logan. I was a world-class asshole. And I have no idea what I was thinking.”
“Probably that you wanted to celebrate.” She managed a slight smile. “I’ll forgive you this time, counselor. Just don’t let it happen again.”
He drew an invisible X on his chest. “Cross my heart.”
“Good.” She actually believed the drinking thing had been a mistake, a heat-of-the-moment reaction. Tex wouldn’t deliberately try to sabotage her recovery efforts. But now she had to bring up Jaeryth, which was a tougher subject. Especially since she was more or less lying about her relationship with him. Still, Tex’s animosity toward him had to stop, because Jaeryth wasn’t going anywhere.
She cleared her throat. “While I’m yelling at you, there’s one more thing.”
“Oh, great.” Tex let out a good-natured groan. “What did I do now?”
“It’s about Jaeryth.”
Every trace of humor left him instantly. “Oh, right. Your neighbor.”
She could hear the air-quotes around the word neighbor. “Yes, him,” she said. “What’s your problem there? It’s obvious you don’t like him.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t even know him!”
“Neither do you, Frost.”
He didn’t shout—and he didn’t have to. She heard the message loud and clear.
“Have you been to his place?” Tex said without looking at her. “Because he couldn’t tell me which one was his.”
“Couldn’t, or wouldn’t?”
“It doesn’t matter. He was obviously lying.” His fingers drummed the steering wheel, sharp and impatient. “Have you
met any of his friends? Do you know where he works, or even what his last name is? He didn’t tell you that, either—right?”
She didn’t have an answer for any of that. And it worried her all over again.
“Something isn’t right about this guy. People don’t come out of nowhere.” Tex let out a breath and glanced over. “I’m worried about you. I’m your friend. That’s my job.” He patted her leg. “I just want you to be careful, okay?”
She nodded. “I can do that.”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart.”
An uneasy feeling settled into her and stayed for the rest of the ride. Tex was right. The only thing she really knew about Jaeryth was that he could see the black-eyed freaks. At least one of which knew him—the one who had been in her house. For all she knew, he could be on their side. And she’d been ready to jump into bed with him.
She definitely had feelings for him. But until she got some answers about who he was and what he was doing, she couldn’t act on them. The risk was too big.
So much for being spontaneous.
* * * * *
Jaeryth remained quietly in the bedroom until he heard the car drive away. Much as he loathed the angel, he would respect Logan’s wish that Tex not know he was here.
She’d kissed him.
He could still feel her lips against his, sweet and soft, painfully tantalizing. How difficult it had been to let her go. But she would return soon—and he hoped to pick up where they left off. For the moment he chose to believe that this could last, that he and Logan could be together.
With time to kill, he used the bathroom and showered until the water was no longer hot. He dressed in the same clothing and lay down, thinking he would sleep until she came back, but sleep would not come. Eventually he realized he was hungry.
The kitchen was unfamiliar territory. He knew there were things in it that could be eaten, but he wasn’t sure how to make them edible. Cupboards held cans and boxes that required preparation. He tried to read some of the directions and soon decided he didn’t understand them enough to attempt them.
In the refrigerator, he discovered more promising selections. Apples did not require cooking. He took two from the bag and sat at the kitchen table to eat them. Perhaps he could ask Logan to show him how to cook a few things.