Altered Souls (8 page)

“I never expected this either.” Logan shook his head.

“When you were injured, you mentioned that I shouldn’t trust my aunt. Was that your delirium speaking or did you figure something out?” I stepped back from Logan, rubbing the dampness from my eyes. I couldn’t let the weakness take over.

“Nothing concrete. Probably the same observations as you,” he replied, pulling me toward the back of the house.

The couches beckoned me, and I slumped onto the nearest one. Logan sat next to me. It was nice — normal almost. It was too bad it couldn’t really be like this. There was nothing carefree about what we were facing.

The evening had settled in, replacing the beautiful lake with an eerie darkness. Not the atmosphere I really wanted at the moment.

“I find it odd that my father took my mom and your mother, but not my aunt. My mom and aunt were so close,” I began.

“Like he already had her? Almost like your father let her remain on the outside working for him,” Logan offered. He leaned forward on the couch, resting his forehead in his palms.

I nodded. The quietness of our surroundings allowed me to think about my aunt. Truly analyze her actions.

“She was so quick to trust the coven when my mom disappeared. She could have stopped the memorial, but she accepted its speed. If my aunt was in contact with my father, following his plans, that would make the most sense. It’s not that my father was all-knowing, it’s that he’s got an informant.” The anger was mounting inside.

“It does make more sense. From the very beginning, actually,” Logan said.

I closed my eyes, letting my mind wander back to everything that had happened to us since my mom’s disappearance. Whenever I was going to be somewhere, she knew.
The beach, the florist shop, the cottage
—
how could I be so naïve?

“How could she do this to her own sister?” I asked letting the realization settle over me. “And for how long? Was everything one big charade?”

“It all fits though, doesn’t it?” Logan’s voice was low, hiding the anger that I too felt.

“It does,” I paused. “She was the only one who knew I went to the florist shop after the memorial. She never answered —”

“You think she sent the spirit after you too?” he interrupted, his eyes scanning mine with a mixture of relief and worry.

“Possibly. The library incident even! I bet she alerted them that we were there,” I replied.

“That’s a logical reason for Trevor finding the cottage.” Logan grabbed my hand.

“And since she hadn’t heard from Trevor since his attempted attack, she probably came to check on everything at the cottage.” I looked at Logan and saw the same emotion I felt — relief. My father wasn’t
that
capable. He had help.

“Well, since everyone knows we’re here, I guess we need to be extra careful,” I said, turning my attention to the darkness outside. “Right now, we are on stage for the world to see. Let’s close up the curtains. It’ll make me feel better
at least.”

Logan hopped up and rather than move toward the curtains, he went behind us and flipped a switch.

“Nice,” I said, watching the drapes close automatically. “I should have known.”

Logan’s lip turned up slightly. He looked good — really good. My gaze dropped to the floor not wanting to tempt myself any more. Oh, how I wanted to be a normal eighteen year old with nothing to worry about except a college exam and what to wear on a date. Instead, I was plagued with bringing home a mother who didn’t want to be found and the prospect of a father willing to unleash dark sorcery on his own daughter. Welcome to adulthood, Triss.

“Seems like you’re getting wrapped up in your Triss world again,” Logan said softly.

I blinked up at him in confusion. How did he always know when I went to that other part of my mind? He was one of the few people who could get me out of the place of worry I trapped myself in.

“You know, I never did show you the guest house.” He held out his hand.

“You mean guest house turned Loganhouse,” I said, allowing him to pull me to my feet. “Is it safe to go out there at night? I’m not sure I actually want to go outside. Between being paranoid about family members and unwanted visitors…”

“My father had an underground hallway built beneath the driveway. He didn’t want guests to have to go outside to get there.”

“Of course he did,” I replied. “Lead the way.”

“Very few people have actually seen this place.” His eyes mischievous, lifting the gravity of the situation.

“I’d hope that’s the case,” I scolded him.

Hopefully Caitlin wasn’t one of the people who set foot in his home away from home. The idea of her perfectly-coifed self wandering around here irritated me beyond belief. I squinted my eyes at Logan, trying to determine how she actually did play out in his life. Did I want to know? Why was I being so childish? It’s not like he didn’t have a life out here.

“I can’t get over my aunt. My mom trusted her with everything she had to give. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it. I hope we’re wrong.”

“It does explain a lot of things.” He tugged on my hand directing me down the hall. And then it spilled out before I could stop it. So much for being mature.

“So how well did you know Caitlin?”

Catching him off guard, I saw a flash of remorse in his eyes before he turned away.

That was not the reaction I expected.

Chapter 9

Following Logan through the hallway, it was easy to forget that it was underground. It wasn’t, however, easy to forget that Caitlin might have been on this
same
walk with him. I was trying desperately to be an adult here, but it was difficult. As ridiculous as it may seem, I wanted to believe that I was his first love. I liked the little story I had created in my head about him and his feelings for me. Granted, he’d placed it there, but I believed it.

“You’re certainly quiet.” Logan stopped and turned around to look at me. “It’s probably not what you’re thinking.”

I looked up at him wondering what he thought I was thinking because I wasn’t even sure myself.

“Let’s keep moving. It kind of creeps me out to stop in the middle here.” I lied.

“Okay,” he nodded. Looking pained in his expression, he pressed forward but then came to an abrupt halt resulting in me almost crashing into him.

The door was only a few feet away, and I was anxious to see where Logan called home before coming out to Seattle. I would shove all of these ridiculous thoughts about Caitlin out of my mind. It didn’t matter. He was here with me now.

“You know what?” Logan startled me. His was voice gruff. “I’m not gonna move until you tell me what’s up. Remember the whole communication thing we promised each other?”

I began fidgeting and shoved my hands in my pockets to stop myself from feeling so ridiculous. I could see the frustration playing out on Logan’s face. I better say something. Oh my God, the embarrassment my paranoia was going to land me in was going to be brutal. This was the least of our problems, and I was bringing it to the forefront.

“Triss?” he asked softly.

Here it goes.
Nothing like acting like the jealous type.

“There seemed to be something between you and Caitlin, and I can’t truly expect you to have waited for me. It sounded nice when you implied that, and I liked the idea of it and all, but I know it’s not realistic.” I smiled at him. “I can’t believe I’m even letting it bother me, but… it is. I’d rather know. I’m nosy like that.” I gave my best effort at trying to downplay what I was feeling inside, which was a tormented jealousy that I was completely bewildered with.

Bracing myself for an answer I probably didn’t want to hear, I impatiently waited for his response. The anticipation continued to build inside of me, but he gave no sign of which way his words were going to lead. He stood there watching me, looking completely bemused. Reluctantly, I glanced at one of the paintings hanging on the wall to avoid looking into Logan’s eyes any longer.

Still not saying a word, Logan turned back toward the door and unlocked it, opening it wide for us to follow through.

“After you,” he finally replied, escorting me through.

The staircase looked quite steep, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about going up it first, but it seemed like he wasn’t going to answer me until we got inside. I started up the stairs, but he closed the door behind us and locked it, making the small area pitch black. There was no way I was going to continue going up the steps. I’d certainly trip over my own feet.

“Lights, please?” I squeaked out.

I knew he was near. He had to be. This area was so confined he was only an arm’s reach in any direction.

“Nope,” he said softly from behind me.

“Seriously, Logan. This isn’t funny.” My heart started racing, but not because I was afraid. “I’m not that coordinated.”

I knew he moved closer. I could feel the heat of his body and the breeze from his movements gracing my skin. The continued silence was bristling a different type of activity, preparing for something larger. Something I really wanted.

He slid his finger along the waistband of my jeans, and I pulled away slightly in protest for extra effect.

“Everything I’ve told you is the truth,” Logan whispered. “Remember, I’m the one who left this big house for you.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“There was something there when she was talking. I could tell that—”

He moved up on the stairs to meet me. I could only see his shadow.

“You’re right. There was something there,” he interrupted. His lips were so close to mine. “That
something
can only be summed up as hate now.”

I wasn’t going to allow him to distract me from getting the answers I wanted.

“Hate now… but what about before?” I asked frustrated at his cryptic technique.

“Before the deceit and betrayal?” his words were icy.

“That’s a little melodramatic,” I said, letting his hands trace around my waist. There were some emotions impossible to turn off.

“Not really for what she did,” he dropped his hands. “Seriously want to know huh?”

I nodded hoping my desire to learn every detail wouldn’t ruin what I hoped could be our future.

We only shared silence for a few moments, not words. My eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness. I wanted to see what his eyes would tell me. He bit his lip as he deliberated — thinking but not speaking.

The silence was excruciating. I prepared myself for him to tell me all sorts of crushing things. That they had been together, and that he had loved her. That she had broken his heart, or she had chased him out of Illinois to Seattle. I readied myself for anything but what he was about to tell me.

“She’s the one who introduced me to your father’s practices,” he sighed, “in a roundabout way.”

“I thought you found him on your own,” I replied, feeling faint and really wishing the lights were on for this discussion. I needed to find the wall to support myself. Instead, I found Logan to lean on.

“I don’t know what to think any longer. I kind of did. She became my support system after my father’s death,” he started.

My fault. Completely my fault. His words hit my heart like a jackhammer. My insides churned and the hate toward her began multiplying, but not before the insurmountable guilt came crashing down on me. I hadn’t been there for him. What did I expect? He had to find support somewhere.

“I’m so sorry, Logan,” I whispered.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize about,” he continued. “It’s my own fault. In hindsight, I can see it all was a setup. She probably didn’t even completely realize it. But it has your father written all over it. Especially seeing things unfold now.”

“Don’t stick up for her,” I replied, surprised at my own reaction.

“Believe me, I’m not. I can’t stand her. I just —”

“I get it. It’s like the Trevor thing.” I rolled my eyes for only the darkness to see.

“If I had been there for you this never would have happened,” I whispered.

“We were both so
young. Don’t even go there.” His
finger slid along my cheek. “She only confirmed how wonderful you are.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s what was going on,” I laughed.

He shrugged. “You can accept that this is the truth or not.”

“So she was there for you and I wasn’t, yet you have feelings for me and not her? I look like the real prize here. It’s hard for me to think that you never had feelings for her. I mean, I don’t blame you if you did. I would understand.”

“Nothing happened between us, Triss. I’m not going to continue pleading my innocence to you. But there never was anything. She tried, but I never went there. Ever. There’s not going to be any surprises that you find out about either. No spells to dig anything up.”

The last words dug deeper than they were probably intended.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice,” he replied, trying to hide his laughter. “Guess I’m not quite over it either.”

“Well. Good. Then we can both just stand here miserable and jealous of things that never happened.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Logan said, flipping the light on at long last.

The comfort his words brought infused my heart, and I could no longer let myself worry about a past that I wasn’t included in purely by my own doing.

He grabbed my hand and slid by me on the stairs, pulling me up to the top. I let myself enjoy what he was insinuating regardless of what was in store. We both were carrying a heavy burden, but it was as if neither of us could bear to think about it any longer.

He unlocked the door to his makeshift apartment, and I pushed the door open amazed at what I saw.

“Really roughing it out here,” I giggled, taking in the beautiful slate floor that was encircling me. “You had your own kitchen?”

“I didn’t use it much.”

“Huh. I had no idea that Ellsy would let you get away with this,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “Seems suspicious.”

“I think she was happy that I was out of the house, to be honest. She sensed a change in me.”

“When you were studying the dark arts?”

He nodded. “After my dad died, I really didn’t see eye to eye with most of what my mom was studying. She was trying to find answers in the goodness of our beliefs, and I refused to see the positives. I tried to hide my views, and I think I did a pretty good job of it, but anyway this seemed like the best option to avoid any potential conflict.”

“I can’t believe my mom didn’t tell me,” I replied.

“I doubt my mom told her. She wasn’t proud of it. I think she felt like a failure.” His words were riddled with guilt..

“My mom would never think that about your mom.”

“All your mom ever did was brag about you, so I’m sure there wasn’t really a moment where my mom would want to divulge that info.”

“So that’s where you got all of your misinformation about me. I’ll have to thank my mom for that.”

Promise flickered in Logan’s eyes as his arms wrapped around me.

“She did a pretty good job of convincing me of your perfection,” he teased. “Now let’s move on to the rest of the place.”

“I have to be honest. I think I’d rather stay here than the main house. That other is so big.”

I stretched to place a kiss on his cheek, before the rest of the tour began, and I caught a bit of the sparkle in his eyes. I hoped someday soon we would both be able to enjoy the simplicity of normalcy.

He flipped on the lights exposing the rest of the main floor. The kitchen opened up to a large great room that housed an overstuffed chair and couch, along with a desk that had been used quite a bit, judging by the wear marks on the wood. There was a set of double doors that were open to what looked like a solarium.

“Is that what I think it is?” I asked.

He nodded and led me through the great room to a beautiful glass space that was full of foliage every direction I looked.

“An indoor greenhouse?”

“Of sorts,” he replied coyly.

“Did you take care of these?” I asked, letting my hand glide along the glossy leaves, wondering what other surprises Logan might have in store for me.

“I always wanted to have something like this,” I mumbled, walking into the magical space.

“You’ve got herbs too?” I asked, seeing one of the corners taken over by a table of hard to come by varieties.

“I knew you were interested in that, and I thought it would be a good idea if I sharpened up my skills a little. When I left, my mom had to hire a gardener to help keep them going though. I guess they’ve done a pretty good job of it so far.”

“I’d say so,” I was giddy with excitement. “Let’s finish up with the tour so I can come back here and stare.”

“There’s not much more to it. Upstairs is the bedroom and another bath.” He went back through the kitchen to where the front door was, not the door leading to the other house, and turned the corner. Must have been where the stairs were hiding.

My heart started racing, and I scolded myself for being so ridiculous. But I was thoroughly flustered at the thought of seeing Logan’s room. I didn’t know what I thought would happen in there, but I was thoroughly intrigued.

“I’ll sleep downstairs, and you can take my room,” Logan hollered.

I rounded the corner to see him waiting for my reaction with his brilliant smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

“Nice try. I’m no less scared here than I was at the cottage. I’m not sleeping alone.” I swatted him but missed as he climbed the stairs two at a time.

“We’ll see about that,” he replied. “I might want some space to stretch out.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked. “Fine. I’ll sleep in your room all by myself.”

He waited at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed in front of him and the grin that melted my heart every time I saw it. So nice to see it surface again and remain for longer than a minute. Maybe we could pretend things were all right for now.

The entire upstairs was a loft. One wall was covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves that led to a window overlooking the lake. In front of the window was a king size bed, begging to be used.

“Wow. This is pretty spectacular — again,” I teased, pointing at the surroundings.