Page 38 of Bloodline Unbound

“What happened?” Seth asked, squeezing my hand tighter.

“Little visit from a goddess.” I focused on breathing Caden in. He was my anchor.

I turned to Seth.

Mine.

I still didn’t understand, and the idea of trying to bring it all up with Caden made my stomach turn. I trusted him to not be mad, but I didn’t want to hurt him.

“What did she say?” Seth asks.

“We won’t survive without each other, and more are coming to help us.” I kept the rest to myself. I needed the right moment to talk to Caden, and cowardice tasted too sweet on my tongue to tell them anything more.

I’d hoped that Logan’s de-stressing would have lasted a bit longer. Whatever she’d seen while communing had made her twitchy and she couldn’t seem to look Seth or I in the eye. I did my best to ignore it. After getting her situated on the porch with some tea, I helped Seth make some food for us. Luckily the cabin provided some of the basics and had a barbecue on hand. We’d picked up all the ingredients for steak and baked potatoes, and I was more than ready to stuff my face.

It was nice to work peacefully next to my brother. Our talk and ‘zoomies,’ as Logan called them, had obliterated most of the lingering tension and we seemed able to exist comfortably around each other for the time being.

In other circumstances, this would have been an incredible vacation. The lingering specter of death and danger put a damper on the mood, but I was determined to steal moments of peace and happiness where I could.

We brought out foil-wrapped potatoes and the seasoned steaks to toss on the grill. I kissed the top of Logan’s head and she lifted her face for another. She tucked her fingers into the collar of my shirt and held me there, taking her time brushing my lips with hers until I was in a dreamy state and Seth loudly cleared his throat behind me. I flipped him the bird before scooping a giggling Logan into my arms. In life-or-death situations, you took every kiss you could.

I parked myself in her seat and held Logan in my lap, letting Seth man the grill. She nuzzled the side of my face and pressed a kiss to the stubble.

“I wish this was a vacation,” she said with a sigh. “I love the mountains.”

“I vote if we survive this, we spend a solid week on vacation,” Seth said.

“Yes please.” Logan grinned and cuddled closer to me. “In lieu of that, for now, can we have a movie night?”

“Anything you want.” I stole another kiss.

“If you two are going to canoodle the whole fucking time, I get to pick what we’re watching.”

“I’ll let you pick if I can have veto power in case you have the worst taste in history,” said Logan before she laughed as Seth tossed an oven mitt at her.

“Watch the food,” Seth said, nudging my leg with his foot. “I’m going to poke through the DVDs they have here.”

I reluctantly settled Logan on one of the patio chairs and went to stand guard at the barbecue. Not content to stay seated, Logan joined me, looping her arms around my waist so she could stay snuggled up. The food smelled incredible. My stomach grumbled, impatient for it to be ready. I rotated the potatoes, desperate for them to cook faster so I could add the steaks into the mix.

Logan nuzzled her face against my chest. “We should get a fancy grill like this at home.”

“I’d cook for you on it every day it isn’t cold enough to freeze my balls off.”

She slid teasing fingers over the front of my jeans. “I’d keep them warm for you.”

“Quit tempting me when there’s food ready to burn.”

She grinned and gave me a playful squeeze. “What will you do if I don’t?”

A growl rumbled in my chest and I grabbed a handful of her ass. “If you don’t stop, you’ll find out tonight.”

“I got one!” Seth leapt back onto the porch, snaring my attention away from Logan. “How do we feel about A Haunting in Connecticut?”

“You want to watch a horror movie while we’re fleeing for our lives?” I asked.

“Listen, I’d rather be terrified of fictional fuckery than the very real beastie that’s hunting us,” Seth countered.

“He makes a valid point,” Logan said quietly.

---