Logan stopped in front of the counter and tucked his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans.
"Hi," he said in a soft voice.
"Hi."
He stared at me, and I looked right back at him, wondering if this was the last time I'd ever see him. But after a few seconds, I couldn't stand the silence anymore - or the way my heart clenched with dread at the thought of him leaving again.
"Come to say good-bye?" I asked, wanting him to just say the word and go. At least that way, I could hurry off into the stacks where no one but Alexei and Aiko would see me cry.
Logan shook his head. "No, not to say good-bye - to apologize."
I frowned. "Apologize for what?"
He looked at me, his blue eyes serious. "For running away, just like you said."
This time, I shook my head. "I didn't mean that. Not really. I know you needed some time to think about things. I'm the one who should be apologizing. You were the one the Reapers hurt - not me. I was just being a selfish, whiny bitch, back in the cavern. You're the strongest, bravest person I know, Logan. What the Reapers did to you was horrible, but you survived it. That's the only thing that matters. I'm sorry for all of the mean, hurtful things I said to you - sorrier than you will ever know."
Over the past few days, I'd had a lot of time to think about me, Logan, and what the Reapers had done to him. Yeah, I was still hurt and angry, but I'd also realized that part of me was jealous of Logan - and the fact that he could walk away from the Reapers and everything else when I couldn't. But being in danger, being a target, being hurt over and over again, was part of being a Champion - part of being Nike's Champion. And it was something I was just going to have to deal with until the second Chaos War was decided - one way or the other. But in the meantime, I wasn't going to take my emotions out on Logan, not when he'd suffered just as much as I had - maybe even more.
I drew in another breath. "So anyway, I'm just - I'm just sorry. For everything. I hope you can forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive," Logan said. "Because you're right. I did run away. It was easier to leave, rather than staying here and facing you."
"You didn't want to see me and be constantly reminded of how you'd hurt me. I get it - really, I do. I probably would have done the same thing, if our positions had been reversed."
He shook his head again. "No, you wouldn't have. You would have stayed here. You would have sucked it up and done what you had to do in order to defeat the Reapers and keep everyone safe. Because that's the kind of person you are, Gypsy girl. And it's the kind of person I want to be too."
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
"I'm saying that I'm back," he said. "I'm back at the academy, and I'm back in the fight, right here by your side, Gypsy girl. I love you, and I don't ever plan on leaving again."
So many emotions surged through me at his words - hope, relief, happiness, and just a touch of fear. That it wouldn't last. That something else would happen. That he would leave again. But I made myself stare into his eyes, and I let him see how important this was to me.
"Promise?" I whispered again. "Promise that you'll stay no matter what happens? Because I don't know - I don't know what I'll do if you leave like that again."
"I promise."
He drew an X over his heart - the same sort of off-center X that the scars on my own chest and hand made. Then, he grinned, and it was his grin again - Logan's crazy, crooked, sexy, teasing grin that I loved so much. There was no guilt in his blue eyes. No hurt. No fear. Just his determination - and his love for me.
And just like that, all the anger, hurt, and guilt I'd been carrying around ever since Logan had stabbed me and left the academy vanished. Maybe it was crazy, but all the pain was just . . . gone, and all I felt in its place was a dizzying rush of love and concern for him, the emotion so intense that my body trembled with it. Logan had told me once that we'd already spent enough time being apart, and he was right.
I closed my eyes and drew in a breath. Then, I shuddered it out, hopped off my stool, ran around the checkout counter, and threw myself into his arms. Logan stepped forward to meet me, burying his face in my neck. The heat of his body melted into my own, driving away the chill I'd felt in my heart ever since he'd gone away.
I pulled back, stood on my tiptoes, and pressed my lips to Logan's in a hot, fierce kiss, not caring who saw me or what they thought about it.
His lips met mine, and everything else just fell away. All I was aware of was the press of his lips on mine, our breath mingling together, our arms holding each other that much tighter, and all the warm, soft, fizzy, dizzying rush of love flowing from him to me and back again.
Finally, the kiss ended, and I stared up into his face.
"I love you," I whispered.
He gave me another crooked grin. "You know, I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me. In person, anyway. I thought girls were supposed to say I love you first, along with all that other mushy stuff."
I rolled my eyes, stepped back, and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "There you go again, Spartan. Ruining the moment."
His grin widened.
I stood up on my tiptoes and pressed another kiss to his lips. Then, I jerked my head at the checkout counter.
"What is it?" Logan asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said. "But now that you're back, we have work to do. Feel like helping me with something?"
He grinned again. "Always, Gypsy girl. Always."
I threaded my fingers through his, then led him around the checkout counter to show him the map of artifacts that we were going to go after - together.
BEYOND THE STORY
Wondering how Gwen retrieved Ran's net before the start of Midnight Frost? Read on for a blow-by-blow account.
GWEN'S DIARY
Today, Daphne, Alexei, and I went to the Crius Coliseum to look for a possible artifact, but things didn't turn out quite like I expected...
"Do you really think the artifact is here?"
I shrugged. "I don't know."
Daphne Cruz, my best friend, stopped in the middle of the room, put her hands on her hips, and glared at me. Princess pink sparks of magic streamed out of the Valkyrie's fingertips, telling me she wasn't exactly happy with me right now.
"Well, if you don't know, then what are we doing here?" she asked. "And by we, I really mean me."
Here was the Crius Coliseum, a museum on the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina, devoted to all things mythological. Most folks who visited the coliseum thought it was an interesting look back at ancient times, with its rooms highlighting Greek, Norse, Russian, Roman, Japanese, Chinese, and all the other peoples, cultures, and gods of the world.