Yes, this chapter is divided into two parts. It's not because it's too long, but because I have been too emotionally exhausted to complete it in one go. I'm already late in updating so I decided to send the first part in.
Thank you for your constant support though <3
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"Collen", Logan's gentle voice breaks through my haze, his breath warm against my temple as he nuzzles me softly, "You're zoning out again while tracing the scars."
With a blink, my eyes finally come into focus. The moisture returns and clears away the dryness, sharpening my vision. My thumb, lazily brushing over his right forearm, continues to caress the two scars—long and nestled closely together. They hadn't been there before Logan left my house after the pool party, and they weren't the result of any hunt. Deep down, I know these are the scars that left droplets of blood in my room that day.
With a heavy exhale, I avert my head, burying my face in his neck. "I'm just...worried.", I reveal, my words muffled against his skin.
The male takes my hand in his left one and tenderly presses his lips against my knuckles, "What's bothering you?"
"It's the thought that you're only two scars away from leaving me again.", I admit, the words catching in my throat. I bite down on the inside of my cheek, fighting to maintain composure and prevent my voice from cracking under the weight of my fears.
His arm around my waist tightens, drawing my naked body closer to his own beneath the covers and I lift my head to look at him. His solemn, leaden-blue eyes are now fixated on the newly acquired scars as well, before eventually flickering to meet my steel-gray ones. "Do you love me, Logan..?", I ask and observe the subtle tension that grips his features. His jaw tightens, a silent acknowledgment of the weight of my inquiry, followed by the unmistakable bob of his Adam's apple as he swallows hard.
"The day we got assigned as each other's partners—", Logan begins to narrate instead, his words carrying a weight of memories, "—when you came to stand beside me...I immediately felt the overwhelming need to protect you." His confession catches me off guard, and my eyes widen as I find myself hanging onto every word. Reaching out, he brushes the back of his fingers against my jawline, his touch filled with longing, "You were there, so...so perfect...and all I wanted was to shield you from the tendrils of darkness and danger. Ever since then, I've yearned to hold you close...to find solace in your embrace."
"Logan..?", I stare at the hunter in disbelief. In the next instant, he takes hold of my waist, pulling me on top as he shifts to lie down on the bed.
Gazing up at me, vulnerability radiates from his eyes. "Hide me, Collen...", he whispers, his voice filled with a plea that tugs at my heartstrings. My chest tightens with emotion as I reach out, gently cradling his face in my hands. However, this time it's Logan who unabashedly displays the impact I have on him, his head tilting back, and a shiver coursing through his frame as my touch electrifies him. His breath quickens, and he instinctively shuts his eyes, succumbing to the sensations.
Heeding the way his body responds to me, I seize one of his wrists, aggressively pinning it above his head. He groans in a fusion of desire and surrender, his body yielding to my command. As I slowly dip in to capture his parted lips, tantalizingly close to achieving my goal, the abrupt blare of his phone on the nightstand halts me.
My irises dart momentarily in its direction before returning to the male willingly ensnared beneath me. He doesn't seem to be fazed by the call as he continues to arch his neck for me, silently begging me to leave my mark on his skin. I choose to comply, latching my lips to where the heat is trapped under his flesh, assisting in releasing it with a deep, bruising hickey, painted in a shade of painfully dark blue.
