Zaun's Lanes, Black Alley.
If you walked about two-thirds of a mile north from Hope Community, you'd reach the former home of Zaun's old ruler, Logan—now Jinx's place.
The Enforcers who used to guard the area were gone. They'd gotten orders from above, and were now searching everywhere—across the Twin Cities, even beyond the city—trying to find Jinx.
But hours had passed, and Zaun still had no news of her.
Inside the Zaun Council building, Silco sat in a chair with a storm-dark face. Vi and Vander stood nearby, along with Isha, who'd been called in for questioning.
"So where is she?" Vander roared. "Marsen—where is Jinx? Where's my daughter?"
Marsen looked embarrassed, head lowered. "We've searched everywhere. We didn't even spare Zaun's underground pipes. We opened up ventilation shafts and went in to check. But we still can't find any trace of Jinx."
"Then go look again!" Vander snapped.
Silco, face still iron, waved a hand. "Enough. Marsen, you don't need to go."
Silco, you know what you're saying?" Vander rounded on him, fury written all over his face.
"Use your head, Vander." Silco looked like he had a headache. "She's your daughter, yes—but is she not my daughter too?"
Silco stared at Vander. "How she's lived this past year—do you really not know?"
"You and I both know it, Vander. She's exhausted. She knows I've been sabotaging her, and she didn't even get angry with me. She just kept sneaking off to do her experiments in silence. I wouldn't allow anyone to help her, so she did it alone. Vander… she understands better than anyone what she's doing."
"We're a cage to her. Now she's pushed open the door with her own hands and walked out. Even if you drag her back, she'll just run again next time. She's let go of everything already. Not leaving in front of us… that was the last bit of gentleness she gave us."
"That still isn't a reason to throw her life away!" Vander's voice broke with rage and pain. "I know she's hurting. If I could, I'd die in Logan's place! But I can't allow my daughter—can't allow her to do this—"
Vander's huge hand covered his face as his voice dropped into something raw and helpless. "What do you want me to do?"
Vi stood with her head down, biting her lip so hard it turned pale, unable to force out a single word.
Her sister—the crazy, chaotic sister—was gone. A letter left behind, everything abandoned, and she'd walked away.
And Vi knew it too: if Jinx truly decided to leave, no one could stop her.
She was stubborn. Stubborn like a bull.
So was this really how it ended?
At the very same time, while everyone in the Zaun Council building mourned Jinx's disappearance, inside the big house that once belonged to Zaun's ruler, Logan was sweeping the floor with a broom.
There was a whole human being hanging off his back.
One second he lifted an arm to brush dust and cobwebs from high corners, the next he used his hands to haul heavy things aside and scrape out the grime and trash wedged in the gaps.
Jinx clung to him the whole time. Ever since she'd seen Logan, she hadn't climbed down once.
Now she stared wide-eyed at him doing all of it, a huge smile hooked on her lips—so happy she could barely contain it.
Logan was back… really back.
She wasn't dreaming.
And no language felt big enough for what she was feeling, so she just dipped her head and pressed her warm mouth hard against Logan's cheek—then sucked on it with all her strength.
Her pink tongue slid over his skin.
Then she pulled back and spat to the side. "… so salty."
"Of course it's salty." Logan turned his head, amused. "We're covered in salt right now. It's in our hair too."
Then he thought about it and said, "I've been carrying you for forty-three minutes, Jinx. Shouldn't you take a shower and change clothes?"
"Don't you like this?" she asked.
"I want you to carry me." She tightened her grip around his arms, clinging like an octopus and burying her face into his back. Her voice came out muffled. "I don't want to be away from you."
"I already told you—I'm not leaving you. I promised." Logan sighed.
He was uncomfortable too. The seawater had mostly dried, and the fabric rubbed against his skin as he moved. The gritty salt crystals scraped and itched in a weird, maddening way.
"No. If we have to shower, then you carry me in. I'm not getting down," Jinx insisted.
"Fine. I'll carry you in." Logan laughed, set the broom aside, and slid both hands back to support her as he headed for the shower room.
Once inside, Jinx finally climbed down on her own. Logan moved to leave—planning to finish cleaning, then shower after she was done.
A small hand grabbed his palm.
Logan turned back. "What is it? Clothes? It's fine—I'll get them. You start washing. I'll—"
Jinx covered his mouth with her other hand so he couldn't keep talking.
She stepped closer, bare feet on the wooden floor, rising onto her toes to get right up to him. Her eyes were still red from crying, now wet and shining. Her lips—chapped and peeling—parted slightly as she whispered, "Help me."
"…Huh?" Logan didn't understand.
"I mean… together." Jinx looked him straight in the eyes. "Logan, help me wash my hair."
She didn't care about embarrassment anymore. She didn't care about pride.
Before, she could cling to Logan and steal his bed—so now, she was going further.
Truthfully, even now, Jinx still didn't feel safe. She knew she wasn't dreaming. Logan really was back.
But she was still afraid—afraid it was fake, afraid it was just her own fantasy.
So she wanted to do everything she could to stay in contact with him, to make sure he never left her sight.
"Help me," Jinx said again, more firmly.
Logan drew in a cold breath and narrowed his eyes. Then, seriously, he said, "Wait here. I'll go grab clean clothes first. And—Jinx, are any of my clothes still in the wardrobe?"
"Yes." Jinx nodded quickly. "I put them away."
Logan turned and stepped out of the shower room.
Jinx did not obediently wait. She followed him.
Back in the bedroom, Logan took a look around.
The graffiti on the walls had faded a lot. The bed had only blue sheets and a blue blanket. And the gifts Logan had given Jinx were all packed into her backpack.
The whole room looked empty—plain, almost austere. It didn't feel like Jinx at all.
Logan thought for a moment, then looked at her. "After you shower, I'll blow-dry your hair. Then we'll go out and buy things—food, paint, all of it."
He pointed his chin toward the wall. "The drawings are fading."
Jinx nodded hard.
Logan opened the wardrobe. In one corner, his clothes were stacked neatly.
He grabbed a piece at random—then froze at the feel of it.
It felt strange. A little stiff, a little dry.
He pulled it out and unfolded it. It was clean, no musty smell at all. Logan lowered his gaze, and his eyes shifted.
On the clean fabric were two large marks—stains left behind after it had gotten soaked and dried without being properly treated.
Logan knew what those were.
He set that piece aside, picked out two outfits for Jinx, then took her hand and led her back into the shower room.
When he started helping Jinx undress, Logan's heart raced—because even after all that time together, he'd never actually seen her body.
But as the clothes fell onto the wooden floor, the excitement drained from his eyes, replaced by something heavy.
Heartache.
Thin. Too thin—so thin her ribs stood out, sharp and obvious.
And yet, despite that, her small curves still sat high, soft, shaped like little teardrops.
"I really do have to fatten you up," Logan said, looking down into her eyes. "Look at you—thin as paper. I swear I'm scared a gust of wind's going to blow you away."
Jinx hummed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her body against his. "Then you have to cook for me every day."
"Of course." Logan smiled. "Wasn't I the one cooking before? I like cooking."
Jinx's eyes narrowed a little at that, and she stretched her neck forward, reaching for him.
Logan paused—then lowered his head too.
Their lips met: dry, but soft.
Logan kissed gently, tapping and coaxing, and after a moment the dryness turned damp and warm. Then he pulled his tongue back, ending it before it could spiral.
He pinched Jinx's cheek lightly and stopped.
Jinx stared at him in a daze, not understanding why he wouldn't keep "practicing."
"Alright," Logan said, voice firm. "Be good and take your shower."
"Sit down."
Jinx sat down obediently, her smooth pale back facing him—then she said something that made Logan's hands freeze mid-motion as he reached for his own clothes.
"You still haven't shown me that."
Logan blinked hard.
Oh no.
He'd promised that "little Logan" would be the first thing he showed Jinx… but he'd already broken that promise.
Ahri, Lamb, and Wolf had all seen it already!
No—wait. They weren't human.
So that didn't count.
Logan coughed, then stripped.
Jinx's eyes spun and spun as she stared downward—
—and Logan smacked her lightly on the top of her head.
"Stop looking," he said, exasperated. "Sooner or later, it's yours."
"It's… really big," Jinx muttered, suddenly a little timid.
She wasn't seventeen anymore.
She was an adult now, and she understood a lot of things—especially with the workshop she managed having plenty of delicate handwork that required women, and those older women… well, what they talked about when they gathered together…
Yeah. They'd given Jinx a lot of "inspiration."
Now she finally understood what Logan had been refusing to show her.
Too big.
So Logan had been protecting her.
"Haa—Jinx." Logan gritted his teeth. "If you keep talking like that, you're going to be in danger."
He crouched down and turned on the water. Hot spray poured out.
Hold it in. Not now.
She was too weak. She needed time to recover properly.
Tonight… lamb chops. And fruit, too.
Truthfully, Jinx could eat a lot. She used to be thin, but her body had been beautiful—long legs, strong legs, a firm round butt, and a sharp little line of abs. The one "flaw" people might point out…
Logan considered it an advantage.
So what if they're small?
Small can be gorgeous too.
He grabbed the shampoo and started washing Jinx's hair.
In the shower room, there was only the sound of water—
—and voices.
"Stop sneaking your hands around. I'm saying it again: behave. Touch again and you really will be in danger."
"But I'm not afraid of danger, Logan."
"I am!" Logan snapped. "Alright? I'm afraid!"
"Logan! The foam got in my eyes!"
"Don't move, don't move—I'll blow it out. I told you to close your eyes, and you just had to open them. See? This is what you get for not behaving."
"It's my first time seeing it…"
"So what?"
"It's so ugly." Jinx sniffed. "Like a big worm."
"JINX!"
"Heehee—okay, okay. I'm done, I'm done, Logan."
"We're done here. Dry off, then get dressed."
"No. I want to wash you too."
"Don't." Logan's voice turned rough. "I'm begging you. I'm already having a hard time. If you don't want to go out, then stand there and watch—but don't make a sound, okay?"
"…Okay."
"Then wash. I promise I'll watch."
Logan: "…"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 10 extra free chapters //[email protected]/Razeil0810.