Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 19

Logan turned Angelique around, but when he noticed her eyes, he dropped to his knees. "Your highness, he does not understand our ways yet. Don't be too harsh on him."

"So, I'm supposed to let him touch—" Angelique shook her head and shouted as she regained control of herself. "I am sick and tired of others taking over my body and voice!"

His large hand enclosed her cheek. "She needs to shift."

"Tough cookies. Michael is my only priority at the moment and if she ever wants to see the light of day, she better back the hell off."

A disgusted huff echoed in her mind, and then Angelique had to grab hold of Logan's arm to steady herself when her wolf retreated to wherever she hid over the last thirteen years.

She swallowed to wet her throat when his rock-hard, naked, hairy chest moved closer to her. Remembering he only wore a towel, she squeezed her eyes shut and waved towards the till counter. "You really need to go get dressed, unless you have suddenly become interested in boys. I'm sure that would please Ty."

When Ty turned to look at Ben, she shook her head. "Don't even think about it. Jamie will claw you to pieces. He tried to hold my hand, and she almost shredded me with one look."

"It never hurt to look," Ty said, trying to sneak a peek behind her.

She shifted to block his view, but then flung her arms out to regain her balance. Everything around her disappeared in total darkness.

"Logan, I think he's coming. I thought Mrs. Garcia said he can't sense us inside Mama's diner."

"Your mother warded most of the businesses around the west, so he can't come in, but he can still feel or smell you when you do magic," Mama said.

"He might have seen us at the Harlows," Ben added.

The mothers invaded her mind with images of Thomas, so she stretched out her hand, hoping to grab onto something.

Ty grabbed her hand and asked, "What the hell is wrong with your eyes? First, they turned yellow and now they are white."

Logan's scent surrounded her before his arm enfolded her waist. "There's no time to explain. Get in the truck."

Andrew and Ty objected, demanding answers, but Logan steered her away.

"He's in Jamie's car. He just left The Grill." She pushed away from him and pointed behind her. "I'm fine for now. Go get Michael. Please be careful of his back. I couldn't heal it here, but I stopped the bleeding for now."

Logan left her by the door and ran back to get Michael. Andrew and Ty cried out, and then Mama started scolding them for wasting time. She seemed like the motherly type who would grab hold of an ear or smack them upside the head for not listening. Angelique shook her head, but she kept her concentration on the vision playing through her mind.

"Logan, put Michael in the front with you. We have to go through the mountain, not around. That should cut our drive but at least an hour."

He suddenly spoke from beside her. "If I use the back roads to the mountain, it should take twenty minutes, but those tunnels are dangerous. And two giant boulders block the entrances."

"The mothers are still guiding me, so they won't stay blocked for long. He's almost at Devil's alley. Hurry."

"What's Devil's alley?" he asked as he strolled ahead of her.

She grabbed onto an arm as someone passed her.

"It's the stretch between the east and west. Some kids at school started the myth before Angelique arrived at Slumville," Andrew said. It was his arm she held onto as they followed Logan's heavy footsteps to the truck. "They say the devil claims his victims on that road, but it's actually just irresponsible kids driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Sometimes both. They misjudge the corners and either pin themselves in the car they wrapped around a tree, or they fly through the window. It's worse when it's an open van with kids sitting in the back."