“You won’t touch her again,” Logan shouted as Aiden slid his hands underneath Della’s arms, dragging her backward as they both got sucked into the fractured portal in the center of the classroom. A rush of wind spun around the classroom, sweeping sheet music, instruments and wooden stools into the rapidly shrinking gateway. Logan grabbed me around the waist with one hand, shielding me with his body. Items smashed into each other in the vortex, scattering debris around the room as objects fought for a place in the diminishing doorway to another world.
Guitars collided with cymbals and horns, creating a discordant, off-key cacophony. The portal continued to shrink, spinning in tight, rapid revolutions, as the wind whipped my hair around and blew the cap off Logan’s head. Black spots dotted my vision; my consciousness began to slip away. I felt myself slumping in Logan’s arms, and he pulled me against him, protecting me from the shattered, broken things taking flight in the wind whirling around the room.
“Stay awake. Stay with me, please,” he begged, his hands clutching the back of my sweater as I tried to keep the heavy blackness at bay. With a flash of light and the grating sound of tearing metal, the portal snapped shut, leaving scraps of shredded paper fluttering to the ground around us like confetti.
I buried my face in Logan’s neck as he held me, supporting me as I panted for air. My uneven, shallow breathing steadied as the strength slowly trickled back into my muscles. When my breathing had resumed a somewhat normal—if a little shaky—pace, Logan rested my back against the wall underneath the shattered chalkboard, hovering over me as his hand gently skimmed my cheek.
“Where else are you hurt?” Logan’s voice was frantic but his touch featherlight as he crouched on one knee in front of me, his fingers skimming over my slashed cheek before tilting my chin up to inspect where the blade had bitten into my throat. I flinched when the pads of his fingertips gingerly traced the raw skin.
“I’m okay. It’s no big deal,” I croaked. I attempted to push myself up into a standing position as a sharp pain shot up my forearm from where Aiden had twisted my wrist.
“Will Rego’s ointment work on sprains, too? I still have some at— Whoa.” I fell back onto my rear as I was overcome with a woozy head rush. Logan grabbed me around the waist, his other hand cushioning my head before I whacked it on the wall.
I frowned, letting my hands drop uselessly into my lap. “I feel so weak. Why do I still feel so weak?”
Logan placed his hands on my shoulders, gently pushing me down as I tried to get up again, and gave me a reproachful look. “Just rest for a second, please. A demon just used you to open a portal to another dimension and sucked all the strength out of you to do it. Please, Paige, take five stupid minutes to sit down and recharge.”
“But we have to get out of here. What if someone comes?” I asked, studying the disheveled classroom.
“It’s lunchtime. Everyone’s in the caf in the basement. Besides, this floor is off-limits and this room is soundproof,” he reminded me, adding gently, “We’ve got to leave across the roof again, and you’re not strong enough to go anywhere yet.”
“But—”
“But nothing. I’m begging you, just relax. I’ve got you.”
I sighed, letting my head fall against the wall as Logan pulled out his sword, lifting up his sweater to slice off a chunk of his shirt. He snaked one arm behind me as he settled against my side, his hand finding a place at the small of my back. He gently pressed the cloth against my cheek, wiping away the blood. I tried not to wince in pain.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked, remorseful.
“I’m okay,” I promised, but I flinched as he touched my cheek again.
“Don’t worry. Rego can fix this. You’d never even know Della touched you,” he said, his gentle touch somehow softening the hard edge in his voice.
“She’s dead now, right?” I asked hopefully. My cheek muscle twitched, and I squeezed my eyes shut when I felt the skin tug against the gash.
“I doubt she’ll make it to a healer in time. That is, if the trip through the portal doesn’t finish her off first.”
“Good.” I felt my shoulders relax at that, and I took a deep breath, wincing when I felt a sharp pain shoot through my aching side.
“I’m hurting you, aren’t I?” Logan asked, quickly pulling the now-bloody cloth from my face and setting it down on his knee.
“No—it’s my side. I guess Aiden kicked me harder than I realized.” Now that I was focusing on the pain, my ribs throbbed, eclipsing the pain in my shoulder from when I fell down the stairs. I pressed my palm against my side, prodding my ribs and feeling the familiar pain that I’d endured after saving Dylan’s life.
Logan scowled, biting his lip as he studied the bloody cloth in his hand. I could practically hear Logan beating himself up. And I’d seen him in battle—so I assumed Logan was delivering himself one hell of an ass-kicking.
“I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, his eyes downcast. “I’m supposed to be protecting you, and this is twice now that you’ve gotten injured. I can’t believe I didn’t—”
“Stop it. Your insistence on blaming yourself is taking valuable time away from me thanking you for saving my life,” I interrupted before he could start cruising down Self-Critical Highway. Clearly, it was a road he knew well.
“And, hey, you’re the one who taught me the whole head-butting trick. So, high-five yourself or something, because that really worked.”
Logan smiled, shaking his head as strands of hair fell into his eyes. Now that his hat had found a new home in another dimension, his dark brown locks were a riotous tangle on top of his head. I automatically reached my fingers up to brush his hair out of his face, awkwardly pausing when he blinked in surprise at my gesture. I quickly ran my hand through my own disheveled hair as if that was my intention all along, and Logan’s cheeks flushed slightly. You’re about as smooth as sandpaper, Paige.
I chastised myself for nearly crossing the line—a line that got thinner with every minute I spent with Logan. At least my battles with demons were over...and just in time, because the unreadable expression on Logan’s face, as he gazed at me with soft brown eyes, made it very easy to forget that the sweet boy holding me would be leaving, now that Della and Aiden were gone.
The realization slammed into me, and I shut my eyes, feeling my shoulders hunch forward, bracing myself against the loss as a dull ache echoed in my chest. This hurt more than it should.
“How bad is it?” Logan’s voice was layered with concern.
“Pretty bad. I, um...I’m annoyed at myself for getting so hurt. I thought I was stronger than this,” I admitted, screwing my eyes shut more tightly when I realized there were two ways to interpret what I’d just said. “I’m just really sore,” I added, hoping to mask my slip-up. But who was I kidding? That line between friendship and...something more...had pretty much evaporated, at least for me.
If Logan grasped my double meaning, he didn’t let it show.
“Seriously, you’re annoyed at yourself?” he repeated, incredulous. “You fought two demons. Hell, you gave one third-degree burns and then broke her nose. You did awesome.”
“I guess that means you’re an excellent teacher. So, stop sulking, you big sulky sulker, you.”
“Okay, but only because you asked so nicely,” he replied playfully. I opened my eyes to see that Logan was grinning at me, all traces of his earlier remorse gone. I had to return his infectious smile, and he slid his hand up my back, over my bare neck and into my hair. My skin tingled in the wake of his touch, and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning as his fingers massaged my scalp. Damn you, Logan, and your stupid magic sexy fingers.