Logan (5 page)

“Maggie is very worried about Meg.”
 

“Why?”
 

He shrugged in that way that had been driving Logan crazy for several centuries. Angus thought he could fool people with the gesture, but Logan wasn’t It was Angus’ way of avoiding straightforward questions.
 

“Not sure, but I do know that Meg had a bad time of it in Paris. None of them will talk about it, but it wasn’t a good time.”
 

“Okay. Is everyone ready?”
 

Angus laughed. “We’re traveling with women, Logan. While they might be witches, they both like to keep men waiting. And we aren’t leaving until tomorrow morning.”
 

Logan frowned. He had no patience for the task, and it was making him irritable. Add in the erotic dreams about Meg, and he was not having a good time of it.
 

“You want to talk about it?” Angus asked, as he sat on the window seat. Great, he wasn’t going to leave.
 

“No. Wait, talk about what?”
 

Angus offered him that older brother smile that always irritated Logan. It had gotten worse since his marriage. “Meg and your attraction to her.”
 

“I’m not attracted.”
 

“Really? You could have fooled all of us.”
 

“She’s a witch.”
 

“You say that as if it is a bad thing.”
 

Logan looked at his brother and saw that he was smiling.
 

“Are you forgetting how irritated you were with Maggie? You did not like the Magickal side of her.”
 

Angus shook his head. “No, I didn’t. And I wasted precious time.”
 

“I don’t trust her. The idea that she made all that money stealing from other people makes me uncomfortable.”
 

Angus smacked him on the back. “Maybe you should ask her one day how she made all that money. You might be surprised.”
 

As his brother stood and started to walk to the door, Logan stopped him. “Wait, what do you mean? She didn’t get it by stealing?”
 

Angus shrugged. “I do know that Maggie said they never stole from anyone who didn’t have the money and didn’t deserve it.”
 

And with that, Angus left him alone with his thoughts.
 

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back trying to get his mind and body under control. He wasn’t the one who had those pesky control issues. That was Callum. Logan had always been the kind of man who liked to, as Americans said, go with the flow. He didn’t feel like that lately.
 

As he thought about the woman, and what it could mean for his life and the quest, Logan couldn’t seem to push past the thoughts of Meghan. With each passing day, the hunger he had for her grew. He didn’t know what he could do about it, though. The idea of playing her lover made his head hurt. Of course, other parts of his body were rejoicing.
 

He just hoped he could keep his wits about him while they were there. The stakes were high, even higher now.
 

He would never forgive himself if he failed anyone now.
 

*  *  *  *
 

“Callum and Phoebe are going to be taking care of you while we’re gone,” Maggie said to Jack, who sat beside her suitcase on the bed.
 

Jack nodded and swung his feet out from the side of the bed. Each time they came back, they landed with a thud. The sound and the action were fraying Maggie’s nerves even more.
 

“Like when you went away on your honeymoon. This time, though, you have to steal something.”
 

Lord help her. The boy had always been like this, but she would never get accustomed to his blunt statements. Maybe in time she could teach him to be more delicate with the truth, but she wasn’t sure that would happen anytime soon. His age and the fact that they lived with five immortals trying to break the curse, made it hard for Maggie to work with him. There was also a part of her that did not want to hinder his Magickal development. It went against everything she had learned. There was also the chance that trying to suppress his willingness to tell her what he saw could make him withdraw. She never wanted that.
 

“Yes. Well, Meg is going to help.”
 

He stopped swinging his feet and continued to watch her pack. She knew that he was thinking about something he needed to tell her but didn’t know how. In the past, Maggie had learned to let him think it out. Forcing the issue never worked.
 

“You need to watch over her, Mum.”
 

She paused, then continued folding her sweater. “Is that so? Is there something wrong?”
 

“Not sure. I do know that she is hurting.”
 

She knew that, and she also knew that Meg’s time in Paris had changed her, fractured her in some way.
 

“We all hurt sometimes.”
 

“Yes, but you have Angus to help you now. He takes away that ache. She needs Logan.”
 

She snorted, then looked at her son. He was serious.
 

“What do you mean?”
 

He shrugged and played with the zipper on her suitcase. “She needs him to save her. Save everyone.”
 

“She isn’t part of the curse.”
 

He raised his head. The resolute expression stamped on his face told her he was positive about his predictions. “But she is, and she is Logan’s soul.”
 

Something caught in the back of her throat, and it felt as if something heavy had leveled on top of her soul. Deep within her, she knew that what Jack told her was absolutely correct. She wanted to ask him more, but he had other plans. He jumped off the bed and practically bounced toward her bedroom door.
 

“Belvidore said we’ve some scones for tea.”
 

He hurried off, and she stood by the bed, her sweater still in her hand. Something frozen danced over her nerve endings, but she couldn’t seem to comprehend what Jack had been trying to say to her. Were they in danger? Of course they were. They were going to steal a jewel from a man who made it impossible to steal from him.  Now Jack was saying Meg was Logan’s soul, and she was part of the curse.
 

Before she could sort it out, Angus stepped into the room. His smile faded as he rushed over to her. “What’s wrong?”
 

She shook her head. The words lodged in her throat. Angus grabbed her and pulled her closer into his embrace. She dropped her sweater. The warmth of his body surrounded her
 

“What? Tell me.”
 

She sighed. “Jack.”
 

Angus sat them both on the bed. “Tell me.”
 

“He’s speaking in riddles again.”
 

“He always speaks in riddles.”
 

She smiled. It was hard to believe that less than a year before she had been on her own. There was not one person she could trust with her secrets, and now she had regained her friends and found an entire family.
 

She leaned back into his embrace. “That he does.”
 

That evening they sat around the dinner table even after the platters of food had been removed. None of them wanted to leave. Tomorrow morning they would be separated once more. It was always like this when they had a trip, Logan thought. They might have their issues as a family. You can’t spend several hundred years together and not have issues. All of them would get on each other’s nerves from time to time. Still, they were a family, and for most of the years, they had only had each other.
 

Of course, that had changed in the last year.
 

He looked around the table noting the differences. First, there was Phoebe, the first ripple in the calm of the McLennans. And it was good. She had become the center of the family, standing beside Callum and making him a better man. Making them a better, stronger family. She was already showing and there was that glow of vitality about her now. Not to mention that Callum was now happier. He leaned closer to say something privately to her, and Logan watched a blush steal across her cheeks. Logan smiled.
 

His gaze moved onto Angus’ family. Who would have thought he would gain a sister-in-law and a nephew in one? Jack had brightened the house with his laughter and his visions, even if he could be a bit ominous about it. Maggie had lightened Angus’ load, as he for her, and the two of them made a brilliant pairing.
 

And with Maggie came her friends. They had appeared during those tumultuous nights when they gained the emerald, and Logan hadn’t known what to think of them. He still didn’t understand them completely.
 

Rena the Fae was lethal. He knew the stories about the Fae. Modern day fairy tales portrayed them as cute, pixie dust dispensing, creatures. In reality, they were not. They usually lacked empathy for everyone, even their own kind. Rena was different. She appeared to the world as a cold Fae, who was hired for years to be the muscle for an organization. But, Logan sensed the human side of her made her different. He didn’t
know if there were many human/fae creatures, or any at all. And while she was standoffish with everyone, she showed warmth to Maggie, Jack, and Meg.
 

Meg
.
 

He watched as she laughed at something Anice said. He didn’t understand his attraction. Well, he thought, as he let his gaze roam over the bodice of her blue dress that seemed to fit every curve perfectly; he wanted her…beneath him…moaning his name. His attraction was understandable. He sighed and shifted in his seat. He grabbed his glass and took a sip of wine, trying his best to dash something cool on that fire. The woman had him burning hot for the last few months, and he should just take her to bed and get her out of his system.
 

 But she was complicated. Complications right now were not something he could afford. And there was that ability of hers—a woman who could woo men to their deaths. That was enough to make any man’s ballocks recede.
 

As if she had heard his thoughts, she glanced at him. She was laughing still, her eyes dancing with pleasure and maybe a little bit too much wine. Their gazes met, and her smile faded a little. It was as if all the air had been sucked from his body. The rest of the people in the room faded away.
 

Then, in the next instant, she looked away. Her face was pale, as she grabbed her wine glass and chugged the rest of the contents.
 

“So, for the plan?” he said, looking at Callum. “How are we going to approach Morin?”
 

“We aren’t going to try and outbid him?” Angus asked.
 

Rena shook her head. “That would be impossible. If he is interested he will be very determined. This man lets nothing out of his grasp.”
 

Without probably realizing it, she glanced at Meg. Something more than what they had told them had gone on in Paris.
 

“We need to know how we are going to get it.”
 

“Yes, explain it to us,” Angus said.
 

“First you and Logan will approach him without Maggie and Meg,” Callum said.
 

“I don’t know if that is a good idea,” Meg said.
 

“Why not?” Logan asked.
 

“Pierre appears to be refined. You’ve met him. People underestimate him.”
 

He had seen him in an auction and the man had been ruthless. There was no doubt in Logan’s mind that Morin would destroy anything in his path.
 

“No, I think he would be a very dangerous enemy.”
 

Maggie nodded. “That’s why you need the witches.”
 

“No.” Callum said. They both looked at him. “I want him to think nothing of Angus and Logan other than their reputations.”
 

“He’ll find out I’m there.”
 

“Yes, but it will look more natural,” Callum said.
 

“He wants Pierre to think that Logan doesn’t know of your connection to him,” Rena said. “And that gives you the chance to use your voice on others if needed.”
 

Maggie made a sound of disapproval before saying, “I don’t know—”
 

“I can do it, don’t worry, Maggie,” Meg said.
 

“I’ve yet to see it,” Logan said, knowing he sounded like an ass and not caring. “So, are we sure it works still?”
 

“Of course it does,” Maggie said, her irritation easy to hear in her voice.
 

“It’s okay, Mags. You know it doesn’t bother me.”
 

Meg smiled at him, then stood. He expected her to talk, say something, but she didn’t. Instead, she drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to sing.
 

It was an old Irish ballad he recognized easily, but he felt no compulsion to do anything for her. When he looked around the room, he realized all the men, including Belvidore, were focused on her. He frowned as she continued, wondering if the others were pulling his leg, but they did not take their gazes from Meg as she finished the song.
 

When her voice trailed off, the men in the room gave a collective sigh, sounding more like teenagers with a crush. She opened her eyes and smiled.
 

“I think that explains it.”
 

He glanced around, then brought his gaze back to her. “What do you mean?”
 

“Oh, so you didn’t feel anything. I know that I didn’t put the full force behind it, but you should have felt it.”
 

“I did,” Fletcher said, smiling at her.