Read Online Out of the Ashes by Kelly Hashway - Free Book Online Page A

for the first time since we left the house. “Oh great.”
    Logan is walking toward us with Linette in tow. He must hate having a constant chaperone. His eyes light up when he sees me, and my chest tightens. I can see the hopeful look on his face, like one of these days I’m going to see him and remember everything. It pains me to even think about it.
    “Where are you two off to?” Linette asks us.
    “Out for a walk,” Jeremy says. “Then we’re hitting Monique’s for some food.”
    “We were on our way there if you’d like to join us.” Linette looks at me, and I can tell she thinks she’s doing me a favor by allowing me time with Logan. After our conversation last night, I’m not sure my plan to be his friend is a good idea after all.
    “What do you say, Cara?” Logan’s eyes plead with me.
    Jeremy’s stomach growls, and he pats it with a smile. “You’re outvoted, sis. We’re all hungry.” He drapes his arm across my shoulders and turns me in the direction of the café.
    “You know, I’m not feeling well,” I say. “I think I’m going to head home and lie down.”
    “Come on, Cara,” Jeremy grumbles. “I’m starving.”
    Linette sighs. “Jeremy, you go eat with Logan and I’ll take Cara home.”
    Logan holds his hand up. “I’ll take Cara home. I mean, we’re friends, right? Friends walk each other home.”
    Linette shakes her head. “I don’t know, Logan. Garret wouldn’t like this.”
    “Garret said I needed to be under constant Phoenix supervision. He didn’t say by which Phoenix. Cara’s one of you, so it should be perfectly acceptable.”
    “You know that isn’t true,” Jeremy says, leveling Logan with a glare.
    “Logan’s right,” I say, surprising everyone, myself included. All eyes fall on me. I’m taking a big risk, but I can’t hide from Logan. I need to do something about our relationship, set him straight before this gets any worse. “We’re friends. There’s no reason why he can’t walk me home. Linette, you can pick him up after you and Jeremy finish eating.”
    Linette steps toward me and takes my hand. “Honey, are you sure about this? Don’t put yourself in a situation you can’t handle.”
    “I can handle Logan. He cares too much about me to hurt me.”
    “I wasn’t talking about him hurting you.” She gives me a knowing look, and my mind goes back to the almost kiss at the falls.
    “It’ll be fine. I promise.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince Linette or myself.
    She purses her lips, clearly not liking this idea at all.
    I motion for Logan to follow me, which he does without hesitation. I can feel Linette and Jeremy’s eyes on us until we turn the corner.
    Logan bumps his shoulder into mine. “Thanks for fighting for us.”
    “It’s not like that.”
    “Then what is it like?” He reaches for my hand, and before I have time to stop him, his fingers are laced through mine.
    “Don’t.”
    “Don’t what, Cara? Care about you? You can’t ask me to do that.”
    “Friends don’t hold hands walking down the street.” I don’t remove my hand from his. My body is defying my words.
    “No, they don’t. You can tell yourself we’re just friends, but you know it isn’t true. You feel something when we’re together. I can tell.”
    I do, but I have no clue what it is. My emotions are such a mess, and I can’t sort through them. “We have to keep things platonic, or this isn’t going to work.”
    “Are you saying you’ll pawn me off on Linette or one of the others?” He stops and tugs my hand so I stop too.
    “While I know this whole thing sucks, we can’t change it. I hate that I’m hurting you by not remembering what we had, but I can’t force those memories to return.”
    “You don’t know that.” He steps into me, and the warmth of his body calls out to me. “You feel that too. I know you do. Why are you fighting it?”
    Because everyone close to me is at risk of dying. Because falling for Logan means ending up