Night Witch (Weatherstone College, #2)(74)

“What the Hel?” I gawked, trying to figure out when he’d had the time to set this up.

Slipping on a matching set of lacy black panties and bra, I grabbed light blue jeans with rips across the thighs and teamed them with a black slouchy shirt that hung off one shoulder.

The house was warm thanks to Logan’s magic powering through it, so I padded barefoot down to the kitchen. Logan had pulled on a pair of gray sweats, and I paused in the doorway, enjoying the view of him flipping pancakes and pouring juice.

His magic wrapped around me as he opened the huge industrial fridge and pulled out a bowl of already diced fruit. The play of golden muscles in his back kept me mesmerized until he shot a smirk over his shoulder. “Feeling a little objectified, Precious. My eyes are up here.”

A snort escaped me, and I strolled to him, pressing my hands against his back. “Aw, baby. Don’t you like being my sex toy?”

His smirk faded as he dropped the fruit on the bench and hauled me up next to it, pressing his big body between my legs. His magic handled the pancakes and bacon as he dragged his hand across the bare skin of my exposed shoulder. “The only reason you’re not naked and screaming under my mouth, Paisley Hallistar,” he whispered, grazing his lips across my throat, “is that I promised to feed you first. But don’t tempt me.”

My core clenched as I dug my nails into his arms. Logan’s eyes darkened, and I swear that even I could scent my arousal. “Shit,” I gasped, pushing him back so I could slip off the bench and race around to the other side.

He’d already set a place for me with juice and toast, so I slid onto the stool and tried to regulate my breathing. Logan’s laughter followed, but he stayed on his side to finish cooking. When he was done, he set an overflowing plate in front of me, before joining me with his own.

The pancakes were fluffy, the eggs light and mildly spiced, the bacon crispy, and the juice sweet and fresh. “I had a moment upstairs thinking about how stupidly rich you are,” I said around a bite of perfect eggs. “It’s an imbalance between us, which bothers me. But I really should have freaked out about how well you cook. That was the one skill I thought I could bring to the table.”

Logan’s expression was soft as he stared at me for an extra-long moment. “Baby, there’s no imbalance between us. If anything, you’re too perfect for an asshole like me. But I can’t let you go. I tried, and I couldn’t do it, so . . . I’m keeping you. I’ll always cook if you want me to, and my money is yours, so you’re stupidly rich now too. There’s nothing in this world, or the other planes, that I won’t give to you, because you’ve given me everything.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks, the saltiness catching on my lips. Logan dragged his fingers across the wet paths on my skin and leaned in to taste their saltiness. “I love you,” he said, looking more serious than I’d seen before. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you too.” More than I’d ever fathomed being able to love another.

Even the love I had for my family, while unbreakable and deep, wasn’t the same as what existed between Logan and me. “I don’t know if the right path for us is returning to Weatherstone,” I admitted as he held me close. “I’ve been so desperate for college, to find my place in the magical world. But . . . my affinity will never fit into their mold, and I’ll always be an outsider even when I try to conform.”

Logan ran his hands over my back, his touch both soothing and arousing. “You don’t have to go back, baby. I’ll never join a coven. Spellcasters rarely do. We can form our own with the friends and family we trust.”

I’d always expected to be part of a large coven, but the revelation of my affinity changed everything for me. Even if we could somehow convince the council not to murder me, I’d never fit into a regular coven. I did still have a lot to learn, though, and maybe Weatherstone was the best and only place to do that. Even if it would only ever be part of my power.

Logan brushed a few strands of hair off my cheek, tucking them gently behind my ear. “You don’t have to decide today,” he said, sensing my confusion. “Why don’t we just go back for now, catch up with our friends, and then see how you feel after that? We should also start working out our game plan to garner support from powerful witches and warlocks in our community. Unless you want to suppress your magic again?”

I shook my head before he even finished speaking. “I can’t. Not only does it impact our bond, but I also don’t believe it’s a sustainable long-term solution with how much power we share between us. Other reapers might have been able to lock themselves down for an eternity, but they didn’t have you as their mate. We need a different path.”

Dealing with the council and my affinity wasn’t going to be easy, even if we did manage to gather enough support to make a stand. The fear of my affinity was ingrained deeply in our past, and unless I could offer them a deal they couldn’t refuse, I would have to either fight or run.

Not just me, but Logan as well.

I didn’t want that life for either of us. We might not be destined for covens, but we had bright futures waiting out there. Futures I would not let them steal.





Chapter 35




Logan and I walked through Weatherstone’s front gates holding hands. It was the first time we’d been here with both unlocked magic and our mate bond visible to the world.