Page 82 of The Omega's Bloodline: Part One

“Mhmm,” I managed.

Logan snickered and gave me a quick kiss before sliding out of bed to go brush her teeth. I let myself rest until she was finished before I forced myself up, tucking myself into my pajamas. Staggering into the kitchen, I parked my ass at the table while she turned the oven on to preheat and got out a mixing bowl and a couple of frying pans.

Domesticity wasn’t something I’d ever really gotten to indulge in. Bouncing from one friend’s couch to another for decades didn’t inspire a lot of cozy mornings with decadent breakfasts. Hell, I was lucky if I got cereal. Even toast was a luxury in some of the places I stayed.

Nowhere ever felt like home, so it was hard to psych myself up into finding a proper job and apartment of my own. Maybe it wasn’t aplaceI was looking for. Maybe it was just this. Logan always felt like home. I was so afraid that if I left or lost her, I’d never know what home felt like again.

I gained enough strength to pour us both coffee and stole a kiss before sitting down again. Caden arrived a few minutes later with a heavily laden grocery bag in tow.

I offered myself for cleanup duty and sipped my coffee while the two of them cooked. They moved like a well-oiled machine, navigating each other in the small kitchen with an ease brought by familiarity. I bet they cooked together like this all the time. Caden cracked eggs and whipped them into a scramble in the big mixing bowl while Logan laid out the bacon in tidy lines on a baking sheet. They put me in charge of cutting off the strawberry tops.

The whole cabin smelled like bacon after a few minutes of it roasting away in the oven. The grease was harvested when it was done to give the eggs an extra kick of flavor. The potatoes crackled in their pan, moved about with an old wooden spatula.

I was practically drooling by the time everything was on the table. There was so much food I didn’t even feel bad wolfing down the actual amount I wanted.

“You’re going to choke if you don’t slow down,” Caden said between bites. It whipped me right back to childhood when I’d inhale anything he’d make for me. Every so often, a hunk of food would get beyond my control and he’d have to whack me on the back and pass me some water.

“Then I’ll die happy.” I shoved a slice of bacon in my mouth and Logan giggled, tucking a strawberry between her lips.

This was probably the most perfect morning in my whole damn existence. Waking up to Logan, a surprise blowjob, and amassive breakfast with my two favorite people was as close to bliss as I was ever going to get.

“What’s the plan for today?” I asked.

Logan spread peanut butter on a slice of toast and added neat rows of strawberry slices. “I should probably get some magic practice in since I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.”

“Agreed,” said Caden. “And we’ll head out tonight.”

“To where?”

He shrugged. “South, I guess. Logan’s passport is expired so we’re kind of limited.”

I chewed another piece of bacon thoughtfully. Running wasn’t the worst. I’d done a slow version of it for decades. As long as we could keep Logan safe, I’d follow them as long as it took.

Standing naked in the middle of the forest was weird. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it. Naked might not even be a requirement, but it would be awkward if I accidentally incinerated my clothes and had to walk-of-shame it back to the cabin where people might be.

The trees did that strange acid trip wave if I looked at them for too long, so I closed my eyes and sat down in the moss. Mytiger’s eye pendant hung cold and heavy between my breasts. A slow, deep breath had me feeling like I was sinking straight into the earth, so I dug my fingers into the moss as an anchor.

Hecate. I need guidance.

Soft starlight filled the grove, pinpricks of light floating like will-o’-the-wisps around us. Seth yelped, but he sounded far away.

Hecate coalesced in front of me, sitting herself in the moss.Hello, Logan. I see you’ve begun embracing my second gift.

Heat rushed through my body.Yes.

Her smile was gentle, playful.I’m glad. He’s been lonely. You were meant to have him earlier, but Caden wasn’t ready. I waited as long as I could to set things in motion. It was hard for Seth. He didn’t know he was waiting, and it was an uncomfortable period of his life. I tried to guide him to safe places while we waited for Caden to grow. I’m pleased you’ve not let fear stand in the way of what you all need.

You said more are coming?

She nodded, reaching her hand to rest it against my cheek.The others will not all be so easy. They will teach you what you need to know to fulfill your destiny. I hope they will love you as well, but that is not something I can control.

Her words made me shiver.

Will one of them teach me magic?

You will learn it yourself in time. Each witch’s magic works differently. They may be able to guide you, as Melinda did, but the rest you must find out for yourself. Try now. You may find it comes easier now that you know what to expect.

I focused on the quiet smoldering in my belly, coaxing the embers until they flared to life, inflating from a candle flame to an inferno that warmed my skin and made the moist ground steam around me. With the heat came desire, the craving for the power to build until I was overwhelmed with it.

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