Chapter 6
Since the bloom of my power last year, I’d been plagued by dreams. Most of them were sexy. Some were downright terrifying.
A lot were both.
The two sides of my world collided in ways that drew screams from my lungs even in the middle of sleep. This night with Logan,
though, not a single dream marred my slumber.
I had no idea how long I even slept. I only roused when a phone buzzed on the side table.
Snuggling deeper into the delicious heat surrounding me, I realized I was wrapped around the spellcaster. My head rested against
his chest, the low thud of his heartbeat soothing under my ear. His hard thigh was pressed between my legs, and I barely managed
not to moan as his muscles nudged against my sensitive core.
My lack of underwear beneath his shirt was never more obvious than when I felt my slick heat soaking his thigh.
Not ready for reality to intrude, I kept my eyes closed, hoping for a few more seconds of peace—a few seconds before Logan
returned to being the son of my family’s enemy and I became a witch with an affinity that would get me killed if anyone found
out.
The bright light of day would destroy this perfect, peaceful bubble.
I wasn’t ready for that.
Last night, Logan had been open and caring toward me. It had cracked through my walls, and if we went back to hating each
other today, it would destroy me.
He’d called me mate.
And told me that this was my house.
“Stop thinking so hard, Precious,” he murmured.
I opened my eyes, needing to see his expression, only for another sight to completely steal my attention. “What in the world?”
My heart slammed hard as I jerked into a sitting position and looked around the semidark room. Blinds covered the windows,
but I could still see the mountain lion–sized cat sprawled across the end of his bed.
“Logan . . . is that a cougar?”
He pulled himself up to sit behind me, dragging me back against his body. “Misti likes you,” he said, in his husky, sleepy
voice.
A shiver traced down my spine, and I glanced over my shoulder. “Misti . . . ?” She had a name like a pet . . . only there
was nothing domesticated about this creature. I could see the wild energy in her gaze as she watched us.
She got to her feet and stretched languidly, and I found myself breathlessly waiting for her next move. Turned out, it was
morning scratches behind the ears. She prowled forward, headbutting my hand. “Hello, pretty girl,” I crooned, my fear fading
as she purred. “You’re just perfect, aren’t you. A pretty baby girl.”
Logan chuckled from behind me. “Never thought I’d be jealous of a cougar, but here we are.”
I shot a knowing look. “You want to be a good boy, Logan Kingston? You need some praise in your life?”
His eyes darkened as his chest rumbled. “You’re playing with fire, baby. But I can definitely be a very good boy for you.”
Fuuuck. Well . . . that backfired.
Returning my attention to Misti, I scratched her until she was on her back, purring and pawing gently at me. “Trust you to
tame the wild beast,” Logan said, watching us both. “Misti is not bonded to me, but she comes around every now and then. I
have no idea where she goes when she’s not here though.”
He was wearing an adorable lopsided smile that only added to his sexiness. I’d never seen him rumpled and half asleep, and
his full lips were so close that I only had to lift my head an inch to touch them.
Drawn to his power, I almost kissed him, before he brushed his hand along my cheek. “That was your phone ringing before,”
he told me, and I jolted at his words. “I brought it up last night. You should check your messages.”
Oh shit.
Mom would be wondering where I was, since I hadn’t come home last night or called in this morning. I also needed to make sure
Sara was okay.
Logan clouded my mind until I forgot anyone else in the world existed. Which was dangerous for more than just me.
Grabbing my phone, I swiped a finger to unlock it and groaned at the multiple messages and missed calls. My ass was in big
trouble.
Logan pulled himself out of the bed and opened the blinds with the press of a button.
As the morning sun filtered in, I sensed he was done being my sweet spellcaster.
His expression remained carefully blank as he rubbed his hand across Misti, before opening the door so she could head out of the room.
When he entered the bathroom, I let out a sad huff and called my mom. It rang twice before she growled down the line. “Paisley
Hallistar, you better be in the hospital.”
I managed to swallow my laughter, lest I fanned her current anger into a volcano of rage. “Mom, shit, I’m so, so sorry. Sara
and I got a little hammered last night and ended up at a hotel. We didn’t want to navigate across town so drunk.”
It was a reasonably safe lie, because as I’d dialed Mom, I’d noticed a text from Sara saying she was at a hotel and safe in
all ways except for her vagina. Which was about to be demolished. Her words, not mine.
“Honey, you know we have one rule about nights out. You have to let us know if you’re not coming home, so we don’t freak out
and think you’ve been murdered.”
“I know, and it won’t happen again. I’m sorry I stressed you out with everything else that’s going on.”
She paused, breathing deeply. “It’s okay. I understand your need to escape for a few hours. As long as you’re safe, then we’re
all good. Will you be coming home soon?”
“Yep,” I said, resigned to the fact that my time with Logan was coming to an end.
“Okay, good.” I could hear her relief. “We need to pack for a few nights in the city for Dad’s trial. It starts tomorrow,
but they’re expecting it to run for at least three days.”
Three fucking days for a simple expulsion from Weatherstone. This entire charade was outrageous.
I kept my thoughts to myself because she was already worried enough. “Okay, Mom. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“I love you too, Paisley.”
The line went dead, and I let out a low breath of frustration. For one brief night, consumed by Logan Kingston, I’d forgotten that my family’s entire future rested on this trial—which probably wouldn’t go well because Dad was guilty of what they accused him of.
I couldn’t understand why anyone cared though.
The bathroom door opened and broke me from my darker thoughts. I lifted my head to find Logan in a white towel, which contrasted
against his gorgeous jewel-toned tattoos.
“Everything okay?” he asked, and I was happy to see that he wasn’t completely icing me out.
“Just Dad’s trial tomorrow,” I said shortly, pulling myself out of bed. Logan’s shirt brushed my bare legs and I tried not
to remember the way his hard thigh had pressed against my center. “I need to get home.”
He nodded. “I’ll take you.”
When I entered the bathroom, I closed the door so I could pee and brush my teeth. Retrieving my dress from last night, I slipped
it on but left my panties in Logan’s wash basket.
No way was I putting on dirty underwear, not even at the risk of flashing the world my goods.
When I stepped out, I had the shirt in my hands. “Here’s your shirt. Don’t say I never return your clo . . .” I trailed off
as I noticed the view outside the windows.
What I hadn’t been able to see last night in the dark was that beyond Logan’s gorgeous farmhouse mansion was a field of lavender
in bloom. I crossed the soft carpet to press my hands against the glass, staring across the purple expanse.
Logan stood at my side, and while he didn’t touch me, it also didn’t feel awkward. We might not still be in the bubble, but
we also hadn’t returned to what we were before.
There was progress, and that was enough for now.
He let me look for many long minutes before he said, “Let’s get you home, Precious.” Closing my eyes, I fought for composure, and by the time I turned toward him, I’d gotten myself under control.
“Thanks. Mom was about to send out a council search party to find me. She probably would have if she didn’t think I’d lose
my head at the same time.”
Logan’s expression darkened. “Don’t even joke about that, Paisley. I’ll never let them touch you.”
He wasn’t touching me either, keeping his distance as we left the room and headed downstairs. I had my bag in one hand and
my shoes in the other as I followed him out the front door.
As we were leaving, I tried not to drool over his property, with its lavender fields stretching on all sides and a creek meandering
behind the house. It was easy to see why Logan’s mom had loved this place, and why she’d left it to Logan.
“She left you with her heart.” The words slipped out before I’d realized, and as Logan ground to a halt, I wondered if I’d
just majorly fucked up.
He spent endless seconds studying me, and I was about to apologize when his expression cleared and he was moving again. “Come
on,” he said, striding toward the gate. “Let’s not worry your family any longer.”
I followed quietly, knowing that despite his promise of answers, all I had were more questions. Typical. At least I’d gotten a night of amazing food and sleep.
With the unpredictable spellcaster, that wasn’t a half-bad deal.