He used to watch you like a starving man who wants meat. Now he looks at you like he wants seconds. Richelle Mead, Thorn Queen
I sat on the window seat, reading my book as the rain continued to pour outside. Logan was out somewhere, and I was thankful for a little bit of time to myself. There was so much going on inside my head, and I just needed to get out of my thoughts for a while.
A clap of thunder echoed through the room, and I put my book down to watch the storm. It reminded me of how Isla and I would sit under her verandah and practice during storms.
After a few minutes, the door opened and Logan walked in.
"What are you thinking about?" He crouched down beside me, handing over a coffee.
"Isla." I said quietly, taking a sip. "She told me that I was born during a thunderstorm. And that's why I've always found them so calming."
He pressed a kiss to my knee. "I'm sorry. Neither of you should have been caught up in this."
"When she sent me back here, she told me that they would come back." I looked out the window at the lightning. "I think she knew that she was going to die. She said that she would fight as long as she could to keep me safe."
"It shouldn't have happened. This is my fault."
I shook my head, turning on the seat to face him. "Don't say that. It's his fault. But if you keep blaming yourself and staying closed off from the people who care about you, he wins."
"I know." He stood up. "I just feel like I should have put a stop to this a long time ago."
"How would you have done that?" I got up off the seat, tucking my hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Would you have killed your own brother? Would you kill him now?"
He hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I don't think I could."
"That's okay, because I wouldn't ask you to." I bit my lip for a second. "But if you weren't able to do that, then there's no way you could have ended this sooner. So unless you suddenly do want to kill him, you need to stop beating yourself up. You didn't do anything wrong here."
He shook his head, pulling me in close. "I must have done something right though."
"Why?"
"Because I got you." He kissed me, lifting me up.
I wrapped my legs around him, laughing. "I thought we were having a serious conversation."
"We were, but then I decided to end it."
"One more thing." I softly pressed my lips to his. "Promise me you won't beat yourself up about this."
He nodded. "I promise."
"Good. From now on, I'm the only one who can beat you up." I whispered, digging my nails into his back.
He growled, putting me down and pushing me back until my legs hit the bed. I grabbed his shirt, throwing him down on the mattress and sitting on his waist.
I leaned over to kiss him, moaning as he slid his hand down my back to my ass. His other hand unzipped my jacket, revealing my bra.
"Do you ever wear anything under your jackets?" He asked breathlessly, sliding it off my shoulders.
"Not anymore." I sat back, throwing it aside. "Adding an extra layer of clothing just means it takes longer to get it all off."
Hooking his finger around the centre of my bra, he pulled me back down to him. He wrapped his arms around me, rolling us over. My head was just past the edge of the bed, and I tilted it back, baring my neck to him.
He tangled his fingers in my hair, holding me in place as he kissed my skin. He slid his other arm under my back, lifting me just slightly so I arched up against him.
"We're never going to get through a serious conversation without you jumping me, are we?" I breathed, clutching at the sheets as he kissed my chest.
"Probably not as long as you look this beautiful." He ran his tongue up my throat, ending with a kiss to my lips.
"So, is this where I should tell you that as long as I keep using my magic, I won't age?"
"Really?" He gave me a surprised look.
I nodded. "As long as I'm regularly using it, and I… am in the presence of blood of some type, I won't age past this. My aunt was nearly sixty, but she didn't look a day over twenty."
He sat back, lifting me into his lap. "Why did you hesitate just then?"
"I…" I sighed, getting up. "Twice a month, I have to do a ritual. It's not… I don't talk about it a lot, because it tends to freak people out. It helps me keep control and provides me with enough blood for anything major I might need to do."
"I've never heard of any sort of mutant power like that."
I bit my lip. "I'm not technically a mutant."
"Then what are you? And why didn't you tell me any of this?"
I'd never discussed this with anyone, and I figured the only person who knew outside of my family and my home village was the Professor. It wasn't exactly something I wanted to advertise to anyone, just in case.
"I only found all of this out while I was in Scotland. My parents… hoped that I wouldn't inherit any of this, and they kept me in the dark about how real my heritage is. That's why they kicked me out. Because my powers started appearing and I started asking questions." I leaned against the wall, avoiding his gaze. "I'm not technically a mutant, because my powers are passed down along the maternal side."
"What are you, Red?" He asked, walking over to me.
"I'm the latest in a long line of Celtic witches." I hesitated. "I don't know the full history of my family yet. Isla was going to teach me about it, bringing me back when it was safe, but…" I wrapped my arms around him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I guess I just didn't think it was that big of a deal."
He shook his head, resting his hands on my waist. "It's not a big deal. I just want to know everything that's happened since you left."
"There's a lot to tell." I looked out the window, seeing that the rain had stopped. "Can we go get some air?"
"Sure." He handed me my jacket.
We walked down to the front door, almost running into Scott as he came in.
"Annie? Oh good, just the person I was hoping to see." He held out a package to me. "This just came for you."
"Thank you." I took it, holding it against my chest.
He hesitated for a moment, looking at Logan. "We got everything you need for tomorrow, and the room is locked off."
I nodded, walking past him and out the front door to the gazebo. As I stepped inside, I felt Logan touch my back, and I turned to face him.
"Was that…?" He trailed off.
"Yes. I was supposed to do it the day I came to find you, but I was obviously busy." I bit my lip. "That's why I was so exhausted yesterday. I was right on the edge of losing control, and I didn't even realise it." Stepping away from him, I sat down. "I was going to kill him. I could have, and if I'd been any further along, I probably would have."
"It's your turn to make me a promise." He crouched in front of me.
"Anything."
He tucked my hair behind my ears. "If you are busy, and you forget to do it, and you start to feel out of control, I want you to come talk to me."
"I promise I will." I gave him a small smile.
"Now, are you going to open that package?" He asked, moving to the seat beside me. "I'm curious about what it is."
I laughed, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. Then I turned my attention to the package, pulling it open. Inside was a thick, leather-bound book. It was intricately decorated and I recognised it immediately.
He reached out to touch it, but I swatted his hand away.
"I'm sorry." I whispered, seeing the wounded look on his face. "This book… it has nearly eight hundred years of my family's history in it. There is magic in this book, and anyone else's energy could mess with it. But…" I pressed a kiss to his neck then whispered in his ear. "I'll make it up to you. If you really want something to touch, we can go back inside and finish what we started earlier."
"Upstairs, Red. Now." He demanded, taking hold of my arm.
I did as I was told, running up to the bedroom. I had barely enough time to put the book away before he had me up against the wall, unzipping my jacket so he could get to my bra faster.
He kissed me until I couldn't breathe, only stopping to take off his shirt. I reached down to undo my skirt, but he caught my hands, pulling them up above my head and holding them there.
"You made me wait." His voice was rough, and ragged.
"I'm pretty sure you started the conversation that stopped us last time." I laughed, breathlessly. Pressing my hand to his chest, I pushed him back to the bed and climbed on his waist.
He tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of my head, drawing me in close. I kissed him, feeling my heart pound in my chest.
"Logan, I…" I hesitated, unsure how to say what I was feeling. "I love you."
He grabbed my waist, rolling us over.
"I love you too, Red." He kissed me, just once.