Free Scorched Fury: A SkinWalker Novel #5 (DarkWorld: SkinWalker) by T.G. Ayer Page B

she'd see me in less than an hour. Apparently she was closer than I thought.
    I used the time to shower, change and throw a bunch of clothes into the wash. With Logan at my father's house I'd taken to keeping enough clothes in my old closet to be safe. I was glad for the work though.
    Chores were calming.

    Darcy knocked on the open door. I looked up and knew immediately why she was in Chicago. I'd know the scent of my brother anywhere, and finding the beautiful blonde enveloped in Iain's musk made me want to throw a bunch of inquisitive questions at her.
    But I didn't.
    I quashed the urge and waved her inside, trying to subdue the grin on my face.
    Darcy walked to me, her gaze drifting over Logan's sleeping form, and in her eyes I recognized sadness and regret. She sat on the loveseat beside me.
    "I'm assuming this is to do with Logan's condition?" She glanced at him again, her expression now revealing something I was sure I was misinterpreting.
    Guilt.
    I had no time to pursue that line of thought. "Yeah. But it's worse than what you can see."
    "How do you mean?" Her gaze was still locked on Logan's unmoving form.
    "He's got this weird fire under his skin," I said, absently rubbing my forearm and wrist.
    The cushion moved as she shifted next to me. "That makes sense considering he's a fire mage."
    "But do fire mages have fire living inside their bodies?"
    "I'm not sure." I could have sworn I felt her stiffen. Then she let out a sharp breath. "It could be a side effect. Maybe his power is trapped inside him. He's been unconscious for a while. So that would make sense."
    My forehead knitted. "I hope it's just that. And I hope it doesn't mean he's going to spontaneously combust or something." I went for the joke, knowing it was something Logan would have found amusing, but for many reasons it fell flat.
    Even Darcy didn't reward my effort with a smile.
    Instead, she got to her feet and walked to Logan's side. She spent a few moments looking at his face. She seemed about to say something, then hesitated. Instead, she took a few calming breaths, her shoulders rising then falling.
    "You okay?" I asked, going to stand beside her. Whatever troubled her was concerning and though we weren't technically friends, I wanted to help.
    But she shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm going to need a chair so I don't fall flat on my face, or Logan, while I work." She made a face. "There is a tendency for the mindmelder to faint at inopportune moments."
    I smiled and fetched a chair from the hallway. A long time ago, probably a century now, someone had placed a matched pair of spindly-legged chairs on either side of a table topped with a ragged slice of a redwood, felled to make way for the house. The smoothed and varnished surface, bore a giant sized arrangement of dried flowers, equally ancient.
    The chairs with their dainty, soft upholstery with delicate gold-printed cream fabric were astoundingly mismatched, rugged wood set against a chair that looked like a feather would be too much weight for it.
    Even Darcy raised an enquiring eyebrow at the chair as I hauled it to her side. "Don't ask."
    "Antique?"
    I nodded. "In all my years it never once crossed my mind to use it as an actual chair."
    "You sure it's not going to fall apart?" she asked, concerned as she studied the chair, her butt hovering a few inches above it.
    "I think it's sturdy. You'll know for sure when you sit." I smothered a giggle, watching Darcy perch gingerly onto the chair as she held her breath and waited for it shatter beneath her weight.
    It didn't.
    We both sighed, relieved.
    Darcy sobered as she studied Logan's face again. I did too. His dark hair, though lacking its usual life, was still thick and tempted me to brush my fingers through it. His lips, once full and firm were much softer now, and paler. How long had it been since I'd last kissed him? This awful sleep kept us excruciatingly apart.
    Darcy shifted as she leaned forward and placed her fingertips on either side of