The Demon's Half

Chapter 24

Beneath the moon's soft caress, I abandoned my shoes, eager to feel the sand against my bare feet. The cool grains shifted beneath my toes, the ocean's breath curling around my ankles in rhythmic pulses. I inhaled deeply. Salt and brine filled my lungs, wrapping around me like a memory. Mia's favorite scent.

She always loved the ocean—the way it moved without warning, playful one moment, ferocious the next. She was like that too. Beautiful. Unpredictable. Wild, but calm when you least expected it.

I curled my toes deeper into the sand, grounding myself in the thought of her. Soon. I'll help her soon.

Behind me, the flicker of firelight cast shifting shadows across the beach. Logan moved effortlessly within them, arranging our impromptu feast—a spread of aged cheese, savory meats, and a bottle of deep red wine. When I turned back toward him, the sight stole my breath.

The bonfire's glow kissed the sharp lines of his face, flickering across his strong jaw, the soft curve of his lips. The breeze toyed with the hem of his simple white shirt, the fabric clinging to his frame, barely containing the strength beneath.

Heat stirred low in my stomach, unexpected and consuming. A different kind of thirst crawled up my throat, one no wine could quench.

Logan uncorked the bottle with practiced ease, pouring two glasses without taking his eyes off me. "What's with that look you're giving me?" His voice was all amusement, but there was something else beneath it—something sharper.

I dropped onto the blanket opposite him, feigning innocence. "What look?"

His smirk widened as he passed me a glass. "You know exactly what look."

I took a slow sip, feeling the warmth of the wine bloom in my chest. Logan didn't break eye contact as he reached for my hand, his fingers calloused and warm against mine.

"Come here."

Before I could overthink it, he pulled me between his legs, my back against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, steady, unshakable, his breath warm as it skimmed my ear.

"I really like you, Morgan."

My pulse stuttered. The words settled in my chest, too big, too real. I had never been liked by someone I liked back. The weight of it left me breathless, suddenly unsure where to put my hands, how to sit, how to be.

"I like you too," I murmured.

I felt his smile against my skin before his lips brushed my earlobe, slow and deliberate. Goosebumps erupted across my arms.

Logan sighed, forehead resting against the curve of my neck. The waves crashed softly in the distance, the world stretching open before us—vast, endless, perfect. This was exactly what I wanted.

So why couldn't I shake the feeling that something was wrong?

I worried my bottom lip between my teeth. Should I tell him about the spirit dagger? About what happened with Alexander?

For once, he hadn't erased my memories. Was this a gift? A mistake? Or something else entirely?

A cold whisper curled around my thoughts, a warning I couldn't name. Some things were better left unsaid.

Logan's voice pulled me from my thoughts as he pressed a kiss to the back of my head. "How's the mind-reading going?"

Before I could answer, his thoughts spilled into mine. "God, she smells so good."

I bit back a smile, my legs stiffening against his. "It's getting better."

"All I want is to kiss her."