The Seed of Hope

Chapter 29: Starlight and Fireflies

Logan landed on a tall hill on the side of the road. The night sky quickly descended upon them, it being the only witness of their location. Kate sighed as Logan put her down slowly.

-"You didn't have to carry me like that, my stomach hurts..."- Kate pouted and rubbed her belly.
-"Besides, what are we doing here?"- She looked around.

-"I wanted to show you something..."- Logan began walking further uphill. Kate sharply exhaled.

-"You interrupted my conversation with Rai so you can show me something?"-

-"No, he was going to take you and I beat him to it. Anyways, I saw this from afar and I thought you'd like it."-

-"Don't change the subject! You know how much I've been in emotional turmoil and when I finally have some sort of closure you pull me away!! I needed to--"-

-"Shut up and take a look, damn it!!"- Logan pulled Kate by the wrist. -"Stubborn brat..."-

They reached the top of the hill and Kate was greeted by a glowing landscape. A beautiful valley surrounded by white peaked mountains. She could see shimmering lights both near the coast and between the mountains.

-"Oh...Logan...this is beautiful!"- Kate kneeled, amazed by the scenery. -"Are those towns? Cities?"- She asked.

-"Mhm..."- Logan confirmed as he sat next to her.

Kate squinted to see what looked like light currents moving steadily around the valley. -"What is that!?"- Kate pointed excitedly.

-"Those are fireflies, looks like they thrive here."-

-"I've never seen so many! We are so far off but we can see them so clearly...that means there are millions no, pfft, billions of them!"-

Logan glanced at Kate's glowing cheeks. She was no longer sad, the negative feelings were replaced with excitement and happiness. Goal achieved, he thought. He wanted to carry her away from her problems and stress, take her to her happy place where she can be herself and admire what she truly loves more, which is the different lands she would love to explore. Explore together, with him, no one else.

-"I knew you'd like it..."- Logan whispered.

Kate overlooked the horizon, noticing how the mountains blended in with the dark sky and its many stars. She turned to Logan, whose hair moved gently in the chilly breeze. The amber eyes that intimidated her before were now gentle and soft but for her and only her.

-"Thank you..."- Kate whispered. Logan turned his head to her with a low humming sound coming from his closed lips.

-"For?"- His cold tone peeking through, hitting Kate with the familiar rudeness she has grown to love.

-"Pulling me away when I couldn't see clearly, when I needed to escape the most..."-

Logan scoffed. -"I wasn't gonna let you receive any more emotional turmoil than what you already have."-

Kate silently thanked him again but also asked why Logan was always going out of his way for her. She didn't think she deserved it. These negative thoughts brought back what Rai did earlier, which caused Kate some discomfort, she exhaled sharply as she lay down looking up at the stars.

-"Logan?"-

-"Hm?"-

-"Did you tell anyone about your past?"-

Logan shook his head as he looked down at the blades of grass caressing his hand.
-"I don't know how they'll react, no one is as empathetic or nonjudgmental as you."-

Kate took a deep breath and smiled at him. -"You should tell them though, we share our trust and living space so, I believe they deserve to know..."-

Logan lay next to her, looking up at the twinkling stars and the darkness in between.

-"You've changed so much, Logan."- Kate chuckled.
-"Don't remind me..."- Logan rolled his eyes.

-"I like it..."- Kate poked Logan's ribs playfully.
Logan turned his head to glare at her. She began to giggle and hid her face behind her laced fingers, smiling mischievously.

-"You still haven't answered my question..."- Logan growled as he grabbed Kate's hands and moved them out of her face. He looked deep into Kate's blue eyes, the stars and the fireflies reflected on them, it looked like an entire galaxy within her gaze. She looked like a Celestial being, and Logan felt he was unworthy of her presence. His breath suddenly became shaky as Kate looked up at him without a single strand of fear or judgment.

-"Logan, what do you want to hear?"- Kate laced her fingers with Logan's, feeling how his grasp slightly tightened at her touch. He looked down at Kate's lips as he craved to feel them, to kiss them, to taste them. He discreetly licked his own, stilling his beating heart.

-"I want..."- Logan began as he grew closer to Kate. Their noses touch each other. Kate began to internally vibrate, her heart pounding against her ribs and her nerves jittering. -"...to hear you say it."- Logan ended.

Kate knew it was too early and too drastic to admit her feelings for Logan even after what just happened with Rai. She began doubting her feelings toward the situation. How Rai never made a move to be with her. How when he asked her to be his was at the wrong time, how Rai went to see his ex while Kate was in the hospital. It made her angry, but before her was a man who never abandoned her, never betrayed her, to a certain degree. This cold, rude, rough, intimidating man wanted to spill his unfamiliar feelings for her, how much he cared for her, and how he would go through hell and back for her, burn the world down for her.

Kate caressed Logan's cheek softly. Pulling him in ever so slowly.
Logan placed his finger on Kate's bottom lip, slowly sliding it side to side, feeling how soft they are.
Kate jolted and her eyebrows pushed together.

-"...But, Logan...I'm not--"-

-"Fuck it!"- Logan growled loudly as he became frustrated and impatient and slammed his lips onto Kate's, earning a moan from her.

Finally, his lips felt her warmth, heat radiated into their cheeks as they basked in their essence, their scents, and their auras. They opened their mouths to taste each other and, it hit her, Kate tasted his addictive flavor. Besides the fact that he smoked, Kate couldn't tell, Logan was sweet, warm, and refreshing. He was many things all at once, overwhelming her entire body, she saw light behind her eyes, the adrenaline and the pleasure she felt was beyond anything she has ever experienced. Her toes curled and her fingers trembled.
Kate never thought kissing Logan would feel so otherworldly, it was an experience. As their tongues danced together, Kate felt Logan's sharp fangs brush against her delicate muscle. They were sharp, which she never noticed until now.

On Logan's side, Kate felt forbidden, her nectar pouring down his throat in sweet bliss. He just couldn't get enough of her, he wanted more. He ran his fingers into her hair and pulled her to him, further deepening the kiss.

The horizon, the stars, the fireflies, and the backdrop for them played with their senses. How the natural glow of everything around them made Kate's skin look like it was made of stardust. Twinkling ever so seductively for him as beads of fine sweat formed on her skin due to their heat exchange.
They parted from each other in panting and breaths, looking deep into their eyes.
-"You really are starlight."- Logan whispered as he went from Kate's lips, down to her jaw and neck.
-"You taste so good, Katerina..."- He growled into her ear as he went up, his free hand running a marathon from Kate's thigh to her ribs, lifting her top and feeling her soft skin. Kate moaned as she arched her back, pressing her ribs on his hand.

-"I didn't know that this was how you truly felt..."- Kate smiled as Logan found her lips again, kissing her.
-"Look what you do to me...I don't even recognize myself anymore."- Logan said as they pressed their foreheads together. Logan's hair strands tickled Kate's face.

In a thunderous flash of light and rumbling noise, the wind began to blow violently as a crack of light appeared in front of them, suspended in mid-air. A crack where Ariel busted out of, her eyes blank in ferocious rage, her wings hyper expanded and her arm stretched back, gaining momentum to swing her sword.

-"Ariel!"- Kate gasped as she quickly got up on her feet.

Ariel dashed toward Kate and swung her sword. A loud clang was heard as a flash of light blinded her eyesight. Kate transformed, her sword blocking Ariel's attack.

Logan lunged toward the angry Archangel.

-"Back away from me, monster!!"- Ariel lifted her arm and with a ball of lightning, blasted Logan back and off the edge of the cliff.

-"Logan! No!!"- Kate pushed Ariel back and jumped off the cliff but the Celestian Woman grabbed her by the ankle and lifted her.

-"No!!! Let me go!!"- Kate folded upward and with one hand, blasted a Divine Beam onto Ariel's face. The Celestian managed to tilt her head, dodging the attack, part of her ear and shoulder taking damage. She squeezed Kate's ankle with unmatchable force, dislocating it with a loud crack.
Kate began to scream, the pain radiating from her ankle and up her thigh. Ariel began slamming Kate on the solid ground over and over again in anger. It felt personal, sloppy, and desperate. Then Ariel lifted her again to look her in the eyes. Kate bled from her eyebrow, nose, and head as she panted.
-"It's all because of you, Seed!! Yenziel paid for his sins!! Sins that you corrupted him to commit!!"-

Kate glared at Ariel as she coughed and spat blood, bruises appearing on her skin and confusion taking over her mind.

Suddenly, from behind the bright lights of a vehicle bounced uncontrollably as Naoko and Ivee did their battle cry, which was just them screeching. The car revved up and speed up the grassy, tall hill. Rai was in the backseat, scared for his life with these two crazies in the front.

Naoko maneuvered the car to a nearby dip and floored the accelerator. The bump made the car air born and hit Ariel, pinning her on the ground.

-"What the fuck!!"- Kate fell to the ground and quickly crawled her way toward the edge of the cliff and leaned to look to the darkness below.

-"Logan!!!"- Kate shouted, beginning to cry. -"Shit!"-

Kate turned around to see Ariel who was trying to free her wings from under the car.

-"Kate, you okay!?"- Naoko jumped out of the car and ran to her. She noticed the oddly shaped ankle and hissed cringing at the painful sight.

-"Your ankle..."- 

-"Don't worry about me! Logan, he fell! I don't know if he is alright! We have to get to him!!"-

-"I'll get him!"- Ivee made her way down the grassy part of the cliff.

Naoko eyed Ariel, suspicious of why a Celestian would attack Kate, who was basically on their side.
-"What's going on?"- Naoko asked.

Kate shrugged and hissed at the pain all over her body.
-"Ariel! This isn't the first time you have attacked me! Explain to me what the hell is wrong!?"-