I woke up sometime later to find Logan sitting in the chair, reading something on his phone. Stretching my arms over my head, I released a long yawn. I couldn’t believe how great I had slept, considering the place and circumstances. I should have been tossing and turning in fear. Instead, I’d conked out like a baby.

Logan looked up from his phone. He gave me a slow smile. “You’re awake,” he said.

“I guess so.” I sat up in bed, brushing my hair back from my shoulder. “God, I slept like the dead.”

“It’s the being underground,” he explained. “There’s no light. There’s no sound. It’s very conducive to sleep.”

“What about you? I mean, that chair couldn’t have been comfortable,” I said, giving him a sheepish look. In the light of day the whole thing seemed so ridiculous. So embarrassing. I couldn’t believe I had led him on like that, then yanked away. He must think I was a total freak.

But his smile never wavered. “It was fine,” he assured me, stretching his arms and legs, as if to prove his point. Instead he almost fell off the chair. He laughed and stood up. “Okay, I admit. It wasn’t the most comfortable sleep I’ve ever had. But it’s all good.”

I groaned, throwing myself back on the pillow. “Seriously, I am the worst damsel in distress ever,” I said.

“I don’t know about that,” he shot back. “And at least you’re a damn good kisser.”

Oh. My. God.

My face flamed. I grabbed the pillow and pulled it over my head. Logan laughed and grabbed it from me. I tried to wrestle it back, but, of course he was too strong. Cause, you know. Vampire.

But I wasn’t about to be thwarted. I grabbed the other pillow and threw it in his direction. It him square in the chest. He waggled his eyebrows at me.

“Oh I see,” he said. Then he grabbed both pillows and charged me. I ducked, but it was no use. I was hit with both of them square on.

“Uncle!” I protested as he jumped onto the bed. “Uncle!”

He laughed, but dropped the pillows. Then he lay, out of breath, on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, I lay next to him, so close we were almost touching, yet frustratingly still inches apart. I knew it wouldn’t take much to make that move. To cross that boundary again. To climb on top of him, straddle his thighs. To lean down and kiss him senseless.

But then what? What if my anxiety returned? I couldn’t lead him on, then push him away a second time. That would just be cruel. And what if he decided he’d had enough of me? That I wasn’t worth his time or attention?

No. It was better to wait. At least until I felt more comfortable. Till I got control of my senses. And maybe until we were out of danger. Now there was a thought. It was tough to remember, actually, that we were technically still on the run. Still in fear of our lives. This bedroom felt like the perfect hideaway. As if there was no one left in the world outside.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning over and propping his body up on his elbow. He reached out, tracing my cheek with a careful finger. It was such a simple gesture. And yet done with such tenderness. My heart squeezed.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I mean, as fine as I can be, under the circumstances.”

His face sobered. “Yeah,” he said. “Again, I’m so sorry.”

I reached out, pressing a finger to his lips this time. “No more apologies,” I scolded. “I wasn’t exactly an innocent party to all of this either. I refuse to let you take all the blame.”

“You’re sweet,” he said. “But I must insist on all of the blame.” His mouth quirked. “That’s how I roll.”

I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. “You know, I keep expecting you to say all these weird old vampire things,” I said. “And I keep forgetting you’re like the only vampire who’s not a thousand years old.”

“There are plenty of younger vampires,” he assured me. “Like your little fan Rayne MacDonald. She’s only about ten vampire years old.”

“So…that makes her, what? Like twenty-six? Twenty-seven? She looks like a teenager.”

“She was turned as a teen. She had a terrible virus and was going to die. And so Jareth made her his Blood Mate.”

“Aw. That’s pretty romantic actually,” I said with a dreamy sigh. “Just like in one of my novels.”

To my surprise Logan said nothing. When I glanced over at him I saw the playful look had vanished from his face.

It was then that I remembered what he’d said about his own Blood Mate back at his house. How she’d killed herself, bored with life. I suddenly wondered if there was more to it than that.

What had their relationship been like when she was still alive? Had she been more to him than simply a blood surrogate? Had they been together at one point? Blood Mates, lovers, husband and wife? Was he devastated when she took her own life? Did he still hold out feelings for her?

“So…your Blood Mate…” I started, suddenly feeling desperate to know. “Was she—”

Logan jerked from the bed. Stalked to the end of the room. The one that, if this were a hotel, would have had been lined with windows. But since we were underground he had to stare at a blank wall.

Okay, then. Guess we wouldn’t be talking about that.

“Sorry,” I said, walking over to him. Feeling brave, I reached out and took his hand in mine, squeezing it a little. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

He turned to me, his expression anguished. “No. I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said. “It’s just…” He sighed. “Let’s just say you’re not the only one with a painful past.”

I gave him a rueful smile, my heart swelling with affection, mixed with sorrow. It was so strange to look at him now. To see the same big, bad vampire who had come off as such an arrogant asshole when I first met him. Now I saw there was so much more to him. A depth and sadness he’d been desperately trying to hide.

I wanted to ask a billion questions. But I realized I wanted him to be ready to answer when I did. After all, I knew all too well what it was like to be asked questions you weren’t ready for. Certainly enough people had done that to me all my life.

And so, instead, I turned to him. “What now?” I asked. “Do we just…hang out in the room for the day? Until Jareth figures everything out?”

He looked at me. Then a smile crossed his face. “Not that staying in this room with you doesn’t sound amazing,” he said slyly and I felt my face blush hard. “But there are other…amusements in the Coven. Things we might do to pass the time.”

“Like what?” I asked, suddenly curious. Then I giggled. “If you say hang gliding…”

He laughed, Then he reached out and grabbed my hand. “Come with me,” he said.

And so I did.