The White Witch (20 page)

“Now, we wait.”

I gasp at the revelation that the ‘she’ that Gamaliel is talking about is me. “Me.”

“What dear?” Evangeline furrows her brow as she watches my face and walks over to a nearby seat , plopping herself down.

“Me. I’m the one that did that to him.” My gaze shifts from each Keeper to Logan. “I was mad that he didn’t leave my parents out of it, like I asked. They would have never died if it wasn’t for him.”

Gamaliel and Evangeline look at each other and suddenly I see Mr. Wentworth again. That gaze that tells me that he wants to say something to me, but can’t.

“You are welcome to stay and see if Logan makes it through the night.” The keeper picks up the first aid kit, the tea cup and the syringe pieces and makes his way out of the living room.

“What do you mean if? The stuff you gave him is supposed to heal him, right?” I beg as I make my way to sit on the floor next to Logan.

“It’s not a miracle, Katelyn. It will help, but the rest is out of our hands.” He turns the corner and is gone.

I look at Logan and am torn between wanting him to live because he saved me from Erebos and not wanting him to live because of what he did to my parents. I realize that I have never wished death on anyone and I’m not sure I even want it now.

I lift myself onto the edge of the sofa and look at Logan’s face. I wipe the dirt from his face and move the tendrils of hair that have stuck to his forehead, cursing myself for feeling the way I do. I take out my phone and read my dad’s last texts to me and flip through all the saved pictures I have.

I take a pillow from the end of the sofa and lower myself onto it while my eyelids become heavier and heavier.

When I wake in the morning it’s to Logan’s voice.

“No…” I hear him shift on the sofa and then groan when he leans on his wound, forcing him the other way. “Angel… No!” He screams as he jolts up on the sofa and immediately reaches for his abdomen and hisses at the pain.

I get up slowly and ease myself onto the coffee table, watching him. I want to comfort him, but the rage that is still fueled inside me keeps me from him.

I hear Gamaliel and Evangeline come into the room, likely in response to Logan’s scream.

Logan turns his head and his gaze is immediately on me, though it is only for a moment since Gamaliel steps between us.

“Lay back, Logan.” He forces Logan back and hovers his hands over his abdomen. “I do not sense any permanent damage or bleeding. “How is your shoulder?”

“Hurts.” Is all he says as he tries to look around the Keeper at me.

“That may last for a while I am afraid.” Gamaliel looks at me and then back at Logan and shakes his head. He stands again and glances over at Evangeline, giving a ghost of a smile. “I will make us some coffee.”

Logan throws his legs over and sits himself up, groaning as he leans forward.

I extend my hand, but retract it immediately. “Th.. Thank you for saving me.”

“I told you, Angel. Oh.” He clutches his abdomen again and guilt shoots through me. “I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you.” He stands, though he is barely able. “You made the same promise about my parents.”

“I did.” He drops his gaze to his feet as he chews on his lip and sighs as he walks forward slowly. “Gamaliel.”

The keeper enters the room “I have to speak with Kate if you please.”

Gamaliel presses his lips together and nods before nudging his head in the direction of the doorway.

I see Gamaliel hug Logan and realize it is likely the first and maybe the last time I will see that much emotion from the Keeper.

“Thank you.” Logan says lowly to him.

I follow Logan to the door, though I have little desire to do so, I feel as if we are still imposing on Gamaliel.

Evangeline emerges from the kitchen and looks at me, her eyes are sad and her smile is fallen. She walks up and takes me in her arms. “Please don’t forget the promise you made me.”

“I won’t forget.” I whisper onto her shoulder.

Logan opens the door and begins to step through and I follow behind, not knowing where we are going, and honestly not caring at the moment. What I really want to do is be alone with the million thoughts in my head now that I know he has lived through the wounds.

As soon as my feet hit the ground I see the familiar wooden floors beneath my dirty sneakers. I lift my head and my stomach turns as we have walked into the doorway of my kitchen. I look around at the cabinets and appliances and tables that all hold memories I never thought I would live to remember, though now, the memories taste bittersweet.

Logan collapses into a seat at the breakfast table, causing it to scrape against the floor. Almost immediately, I hear footsteps pounding down the stairs.

“Katie-Kat!?” My father’s voice echoes into the room and my eyes fill with tears. “Lynnie!” I hear Elizabeth running right behind him.

I stand stunned as my dad barrels into the kitchen without stopping and scoops me up in his arms and I sob onto his shoulder. Liz crashes into us, wrapping her arms around us both.

“How are you... But I saw you…” I manage to choke out as my dad puts me down and wipes the tears on my face.

“Logan.” My dad says very matter of fact.

My gaze shifts to Logan who is looking on with a pained smile on his face.

“I.. I don’t understand.” I shake my head, “I saw you on the boat… I saw it blow up.” I wipe my face with the back of my hand.

“What you didn’t see was your boyfriend calling me and showing up at Martha’s Vineyard the day after you two discovered what Erebos was doing.” My dad folds his arms across his chest proudly as he glances at Logan. “It was quite a surprise.”

“But, you didn’t say… You told me…” I was starting to get mad at myself for not being able to complete a damn sentence.

“When I saw what Erebos wanted to do, I knew that he would not hesitate to go after Rick and Liz. I stayed up all night trying to come up with a plan.” Logan pushes himself onto his feet. “The next morning, I called your dad as soon as I left you.” My dad shoots a glare at me and I ignore it, though I feel a blush creep up. “I also called Erebos. I told him that I needed to speak to him. I knew it would take two hours to get to your parents by boat so I went straight home, grabbed the boat and met them at the house they were staying at. I know you didn’t want to tell them about your powers just yet, Angel, but it was the only way.”

“He even showed us his powers, so we can see that you weren’t alone.” Liz interjects, smiling sweetly and wiping the tears from her face.

“I told them about Erebos, about you and I and even about Gamaliel who I called on the way to see your parents. I realized that the only way Erebos would keep some sort of distance from you, is if I was helping him. I used my mother’s illness as an excuse for wanting to get involved with him and he bought it. I never thought you would hear us talking, but it worked out for the better, because it was hard enough looking at you, knowing what I was doing and was going to do.”

“But the boat? That still doesn’t explain what I saw.”

“Erebos wasn’t going to leave your parents out of it, I know because he mentioned that he needed to get you to use your maximum powers that night so that it would be transferred to him. How else, but to make you suffer that much? So I came up with the idea of offering to pick them up on the boat. Knowing he wouldn’t wait for them to arrive, I asked Gamaliel to be the one picking them up.”

I brought my hand to my mouth. “He portaled them out before Erebos had a chance to kill them.” I finish for him, the entire plan playing out in my head, as anger wins over as the current emotion of choice. “Damnit, Logan, I could have killed you, how did you know I wouldn’t kill you?” I bury my face in my hands, tears streaming down as I picture my attack on him.

“I didn’t. But I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you or your dad or Liz.” He glances at each of them and nods at my dad.

Liz pouts her lip and walks over to Logan, putting her arms around him until he hisses and she let go. “Oh my gosh, Logan are you hurt?” She sees the bandage through his torn shirt and tells him to sit. “I’ll get you something for the pain, sweetie.” She rushes out of the room and I hear her run up the stairs.

Logan lowers himself onto the chair as pain etches itself across every inch of his face.

“I punched you!” I put my hands up to my mouth and out of the corner of my eye I see my dad’s eyes widen as he cocks his head. “That’s why you looked like you were going to be sick. You knew what it would do to me and you let me hurt you. You let me take out my pain on you.” I walk to him slowly as tears fall again and I kneel in front of him, reaching my hand to his abdomen. “I hurt you at Erebos’s. I almost killed you and you still threw yourself in front of his knife for me.”

Liz returns with the pills but leaves them on the table with a glass of water as she and my dad leave us alone in the kitchen.

“But you didn’t kill me. You had a few chances and you didn’t do it.” Logan’s lips curl into a smile. “You never even told me you hated me. Which, by the way, did make that a bit harder.” He lets out a short chuckle.

“I wanted to hurt you. I wanted you to feel my pain.” I say as I drag a chair to me and sit on it so that my knees are touching the edge of his seat and I am as close to him as I can get.

“I was hurting. I was dying inside, doing that to you, but I knew that if you thought I turned on you, if you thought your parents were dead, you would have enough rage to kill Erebos when I helped you get free.” Logan lifts a hand to my cheek. “My heart broke that day on your porch. I wanted to let you in on it, but I needed you to believe it so that Erebos would believe it too. Especially when you said you would do it to help my mom.” He shakes his head. “As awesome as it would be to do more, what I told you before is true ... The healing we can do, can’t cure that.”

“Why did you do it, Logan?” I press my face into his palm. “You risked your life. You risked me taking your life to protect me and my family.”

“Isn’t it obvious Angel?” He gives another smile through the hurt. “I love you.”

I ease myself onto his lap, careful not to hurt him and press my lips to his. Despite his bruising, he pulls me tight and I hear him groan against my lips before he releases me a bit. I press my forehead against his, looking into his eyes which are almost back to their radiant blue.  “I love you too, Polo.” I breathe onto his lips with a smile. “The whole time, even when I was mad, even when my heart was broken, I loved you with every piece of it.”

I run down the stairs and open the door to find two beautiful pools of blue staring back at me. Logan leans down and scoops me up, dropping snow on the floor as he places his lips on mine.

“Hey Harvard girl.” He says onto my lips just before he lets me go so I can reach for my boots by the door.

“Well, not yet, my first day isn’t for another couple of weeks. But it was nice to hear that they got the transcripts from the University of Connecticut.”

I slide my boots on and glide into the new black leather coat that Logan gave me for Christmas before grabbing my purse shuffling through the snow to his car.

As soon as we get in the car, Logan begins rotating his arm at the shoulder.

“Are you alright?” I reach over, rubbing lightly over the scar on his shoulder blade.

“Yeah, stupid cold is making it act up.” He turns his head to me and smiles, wiggling his eyebrows. “Are you ready?”

“Yes!” I jump up and down in my seat like a child, clutching my purse hard.

For the most part, the ride is pretty quiet with the exception of talks of the new Commercial real estate office and Investment firms that Logan and his dad are opening. I ask about his mom and he smiles.

“She’s doing much better. She’s on a medication that has been proven to even reverse some of the effects.”

I reach over and grab his hand in mine. “That is great news!”

“And how’s everything with your dad?”

Logan lets out a chuckle. “Well, I should start by telling you that he has totally attributed my new change in attitude about the business and my relationship with him to you.”

“Well, I am kinda great.” I snort.

He glances at me out of the corner of his eye and chuckles. “Yes, yes you are. It’s great, though to see how different he responds now that Erebos doesn’t have control over him and it’s a relief to finally know that he never used his powers the way Erebos did to control anyone.” He shrugs his shoulder and smirks while still looking out the windshield. “I don’t know, It’s almost made me want to work harder with him, knowing that everything he’s built, he’s done on his own, you know?”

“I know.” I place a proud kiss on the back of his hand and bring it back down to my lap. “I’m proud of you babe.”

It’s not long before we begin our drive along the cobblestone streets of the famous Beacon Hill in Boston. No matter how many times we have visited, the gas lamps and beautiful three story brick homes always take me back to a time where I picture the horses and carriages and women in beautiful gowns strolling beneath the dim street lights.

“I can’t imagine a place that is more you.” He says as he shuts off the SUV and steps out.

I smile as he gets out of the car and walks around to open my door.

We turn up the brick walkway and the eight or so black steps that lead to the tucked away front door. We knock on the door and a middle aged woman with blonde hair and bright red lipstick opens.

“Mr. Blackwell, Ms. Miller, how are you doing this evening?”

“Fine Daria, thank you.” Logan answers as we walk across the threshold.

We follow her into the home, passing the beautiful open staircase on the left next to the small office and past the old world decorated living room with the oversized sofa tables and entertainment center. We enter the breakfast room which leads to the enormous open kitchen with dark cabinets and an island and take a seat at the oak breakfast table.

Daria pushes a stack of papers toward us. “I’ve marked all the areas I need you both to sign.”

We take the pages and two fountain pens on top and Logan begins to speed read through every page, stopping only when we have to jot down our names or signatures.

As Logan reads through the contract, I see Daria glancing several times at the antique style diamond ring on my left hand. I catch her eye one time and smile, prompting her to ask a question that had been apparently sitting on the tip of her tongue.

“So how long have you two been engaged?” She leans on the table eagerly.

I glance at Logan who looks up from the papers for a moment to smile at us both.

“Two weeks, he proposed on Christmas morning during Christmas breakfast in front of both our families.” I answer with a smile so wide, my cheeks start to hurt and I’m pretty sure that’s a blush I feel.

“That is so sweet.” Daria says as she pouts a lip at us.

“Well, family is important to us.” Logan says, looking up just long enough to give me a wink.

Once we are done, we hand the stack of papers back to Daria and she hands us the key to our new home.

No sooner does Logan close the door behind her than he turns to look at me.

“Well, soon to be Mrs. Blackwell, what do you think?”

“I think the same thing as last time. It’s enormous, too expensive, and you shouldn’t have. But you didn’t listen then, Polo, so no point in dwelling on that.” I roll my eyes exaggeratingly before smiling and throwing my arms around his neck and laughing. “I think that anywhere with you is home.” I press my lips against his. “And I absolutely love it.”

He turns me around, still keeping his arms around me and we both look around our home and sigh.

“I want to show you something that I have managed to keep Daria from telling you about.” He whispers in my ear before lightly kissing my lobe.

“What’s that?” I turn, putting my hands on my hips.

He gives me a mischievous smile. “Come along.” Logan takes my hand and leads me to the third floor and takes me past our den which is wall to wall and floor to ceiling bookshelves, broken only by a marble fireplace in the center of the far wall that we have surrounded with high back chairs and small tables for us to sit and read. I smile quickly as I catch sight of the red velvet loveseat that used to sit in the coffee shop. It took some sweet talking and the promise of two other similar pieces, but Logan managed to coerce the owners into selling it.

“You wanted to show me the linen closet?” I raise a brow as I follow Logan to the end of the hallway and he takes hold of a doorknob.

“Not really.” Logan opens the door and I see a set of stairs.

“You said this was just another linen closet!”

“Well, yeah, how else would I keep you from looking around? I figured if you’ve seen one linen closet, you’ve seen them all, so you’d be ok with it.” He smiles proudly, leaning against the edge of the door.

“Alright, Polo, where does this go?”

“Find out.” He says, extending his hand toward the stairs.  Before I step foot on the first stair, I turn on the light illuminating the burgundy runner and wooden steps. It is not much bigger than a closet, but not so tight where you would get claustrophobic. When I reach the top I see a wooden door with two deadbolts.

I undo the locks and push the door open, leading me onto a small wooden deck with a roof, lending to the most beautiful view of the city I could have ever dreamed of having. On the deck there are two wicker rockers with cushions and on the matching table, sits a bucket with ice and champagne. I walk up and pick up one of the glasses to see that they are engraved with ‘Angel’ and ‘Polo’.

I giggle as I put the glasses back down and walk to stand at the rail as Logan walks up behind me, wrapping me in his arms.

“This is perfect.” I whisper and take a deep breath, letting out a soft sigh. “Absolutely perfect.”