Logan by Melissa Schroeder Page A

don’t you use your Magick like you did this morning?”  
    She shrugged. “I was always taught not to show off talent.”  
    “Why?”  
    “Daddy taught me to be careful. We didn’t always travel in the best circles. His worry was that people would see what I could do, and that would put me in danger.”  
    “What was he like?”  
    She glanced at him, and he was still working. “My daddy?”  
    He nodded, but kept drawing.  
    “He was a good father. Not the best, but good. It was just the two of us for most my life.”  
    “What happened to your mother?”  
    “Died in a wreck, drunk driver.”  
    “I’m sorry.”  
    “I was so young, I barely remember her. I do remember her abilities though.”  
    “Singing. A siren like you?”  
    She nodded. “Yep. I remember hearing her sing, watching men just melt when she did. But, Daddy didn’t want me to do that. He didn’t want me to draw attention to myself. So, we went on our way for years. We mainly stayed in the south. Daddy came from a long line of con men, and he carried on the tradition.”  
    When she stopped talking, she looked at him. He was watching her now, done with his piece of work.  
    “Lemme see that,” she said. She’d expected him to hide it, but he easily offered it to her.  
    When she looked down at it, the breath tangled in her throat. It was her, but not her.  She recognized the shape of her face and her eyes, but there was something else there. Soon, the picture wavered and she realized she had teared up.  
    She looked…Magickal. She also looked innocent. It was a simple pencil drawing, but somehow he had created something beautiful in just a few minutes.  
    “What do you think of it?” he asked.  
    She raised her head.  
    “Meg?”  
    She shook her head, and that’s when she realized she was crying. “It’s not me.”  
    He slipped out of the chair and sat on the bed beside her. “That’s how I see you.”  
    “No, this is too…”  
    She couldn’t say the words, so she turned away. She needed to get away, to hide. Showing Logan her tender underbelly wasn’t something she could stand. He didn’t let her go, the stubborn Scot. Instead, he grabbed her arm and held her in place.  
    “Let me go, Logan.”  
    “No.”  
    “Please.”  
    “Not until you hear this.”  
    When he didn’t continue, she looked at him. His gaze was steady and his expression was serious.  
    “I’m waiting,” she said.  
    His lips did that little twitch that told her she’d amused him again.  
    “This is how I see you.”  
    The simple words sent warmth to her heart. She wanted to believe he did see her that way, but it was too much to hope for. She pushed those thoughts away. Hoping for things that would never happen ended in heartache.  
    “Are you on crack?”  
    He shook his head. “I see you as you truly are.”  
    Meg twisted her hand trying to release her wrist, but she couldn’t get him to let go.  
    “Yeah and you think of me as some kind of innocent fairy sent here to save you?”  
    “No. But, I think you’re not as tough as you think you are.”  
    “Don’t be fooled because we slept together.”  
    Something she couldn’t discern came and went in his eyes. He let her go.  
    “I think we should go out, play the role.”  
    He nodded. Disappointed that he didn’t at least try harder to fight her, she scooted out of the bed.  
    “I’ll freshen up and get dressed.”  
    He nodded, still not saying anything. Just before she stepped into the bathroom, he said, “You can’t run forever, Meg.”  
    She said nothing and closed the door. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against it and prayed he wasn’t right.  
    *  *  *  *  
     Callum didn’t mean to snoop. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. That was a lie. He had meant to snoop, but he didn’t think he needed to justify it. Phoebe had something on her mind since yesterday, and it had nothing to do with the others in