Page 44 of Guardian

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Logan flipped the deadbolt. They were alone again, in the twins’ apartment. After the incident in Gabriel’s house, Winter had barely spoken, clearly shaken by what had happened. He’d been rather silent himself on the walk back, mulling over what Gabriel had said: that Winter’s mind was like a fortress that could withstand any invasion. He considered this a good thing, even if it had resulted in injuries to Gabriel and an attack on Winter by Maya. Winter was strong. Maybe stronger than he’d thought at first. Strong enough to hear the truth, the truth about why he’d come to her shop.

It was time. The guilt of keeping this secret from her was weighing heavily on him, particularly since they’d made love the night before. He’d been looking for an occasion to tell her the truth ever since, without having to worry about the weight of it crushing her and making her run from him. But now, after seeing how strong Winter was, he knew she would be able to handle the truth. Whether she could forgive him, he wasn’t sure, but as long as she didn’t run from him, he’d accept the consequences of his deception. Even if it meant she would never allow him to touch her again.

“Winter,” Logan said softly and looked across the open-space living area that connected to the kitchen. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

She met his gaze, her body rigid as if she already knew what was coming. “What is it?”

He reached her and took both her hands in his.

“Is it about what I did to Gabriel?” She shook her head, more tears brimming in her eyes. “I couldn’t control it, Logan, I felt like I was in somebody else’s body. It just happened. I didn’t mean to hurt your friend.”

Logan put a finger over her lips. “Shh. Don’t worry about Gabriel. He’s a big boy, and vampires heal faster than any creature I’ve ever met. Trust me, for him, it was just a scratch.”

She let out a mirthless laugh. “You say that so easily. But I feel terrible. I’ve never hurt anybody.”

“I believe that.” He brushed a strand of her silken hair from her face. “You were only defending yourself. It’s self-preservation.” He sighed. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. It’s about what I did. Or rather what I was supposed to do.”

She gave him a quizzical stare. “What do you mean?”

“I need to tell you why I came to your shop. Why—”

“But you already told me, to save me from the demons.”

His heart clenched. This would hurt, maybe him more than her, because she would lose faith in him and see him for what he really was.

“I was there to…”

Winter’s eyes widened, her lips parting. “Demon!” She pointed to a spot behind him and screamed, “Demon! Oh no!”

Logan spun around, pulling the dagger from inside his jacket, ready to slay any demon. When he laid eyes upon the intruder, however, he froze in mid-movement and a ragged breath tore from his chest.

“Shit!”

“Yeah, no shit, Logan!” Manus glared at him. “You really thought I wouldn’t find you?”

“Kill him, Logan, kill him before he kills us,” Winter cried out behind him.

Manus tilted his head a little to one side and glanced past him. “A bit bloodthirsty, your girlfriend. And where are your manners, buddy? Aren’t you gonna introduce us properly?”

“Shut up, Manus.” Logan suddenly felt Winter’s hand on his arm.

“You know his name?”

Logan put his dagger back into his jacket.

“What are you doing?” Winter asked, panic coloring her voice.

Logan turned to her. “He’s not a demon. He’s the same as me. He’s a Stealth Guardian.”

Winter stared at him in disbelief, then gazed past him to Manus, shaking her head. “That’s impossible.” She pointed to Manus. “I recognize him. He’s the one who tried to kill me in my apartment. He was with them. With the demons.”

“It’s the truth,” Logan said with a sigh.

“You let her believe I was a demon?” Manus threw in. “Not cool, bro, not cool at all.”

Logan glared over his shoulder. “You mind shutting up for a second?”