She watched in disgust as the limo pulled away. It was going to be a long walk, but she'd rather crawl home than ride with him. She then realized, "I don't have any money." The skirt she wore was far too tight to hold even a penny, and Henry hadn't given her a purse for her outfit so she didn't have her cellphone.

Kara started walking, thankful it was a cool day.

Honk. Honk

A cobalt blue sports car pulled up next to her. She immediately recognized the face behind the wheel: radiant green eyes and a slight cleft in his chin. Logan! She gave a sigh of relief, ignoring the absurdity that she was happy to see a vampire.

"What happened to you?" he asked. Perhaps it was her imagination, but he truly seemed concerned.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." She threw vampire etiquette aside and hopped in the car without asking or being invited. As he pulled away from the curb, she gazed out the window, dreaming of when this would all be over.

"I won't press, you but I'm not going home right away," he said.

"That's perfectly fine with me," she said. "I'd rather not go back there just yet. Where are we going?"

"The beach," he said. "I found my vintage camera and film, and I'm going to take some photographs."

That piqued her interest. "I didn't realize that you were artistic."

"How did you imagine me then?" He sounded intrigued.

"I suppose I thought you were more like Michael." The thought seemed silly to her now.

"All vampires are not the same, just as all humans are not the same."

Kara wondered if he were trying to imply something. She was excellent at reading people, but either vampires were trickier or the situation was getting to her head, altering her judgment and senses.

They pulled up to the vast sandy beach, and Kara didn't waste a moment. She jumped out of the car and ran toward the ocean, allowing her bare toes to dig into the gritty sand. She used to go to the beach all the time, but lately, work had taken over her life, and she grew angry at herself for not going to the beach more often. What was the point of living near the waters if she never enjoyed it?

She lost herself in the moment and felt her lips pull back into a smile as she stretched her arms out wide to caress the breeze.

Click, click, click.

Logan had managed to set up his camera and was snapping candid shots of her. She spun around, startled and he clicked one more.

She walked over to his side. "It's not nice to take photos of someone when they're not expecting it," she said.

"It's not my fault you were blocking my view of the ocean," he replied with a smile. Kara began to understand her sister's fondness for him.

With a smile, she walked back down to the shore and sat down on the moist sand. The water lapped over her feet and gave her a peace she hadn't felt in a while. Behind her, Logan continued taking shots of the ocean and various people enjoying the beautiful day.

Logan gave her some time to herself before he joined her at the shore. He kicked off his shoes and slid his toes into the wet sand. "So, you ready to talk yet?"

She didn't want to. While he was nothing like Michael, he would probably chastise her for not listening to her master. After all, he was still another vampire, even if he was nicer. However, she did want to talk to someone about it, and perhaps he could offer some advice, even if he did get upset for not listening to Michael.

However, after she explained the situation, Logan burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" she demanded. She didn't expect him to laugh at her painful story.

He managed to compose himself. "You know why you keep ending up in these situations?"

"I don't know, probably because Michael is a sadistic, egocentric jackass," she responded.

"While that is true, it's not the only reason. You weren't prepared to deal with the predicament you put yourself in. Why do you think I was so against this arrangement, to begin with? You will never get through this until you quit fighting and learn to accept what you cannot change. I'm sure that you have done undercover work as a detective. I imagine you had to do things that you would consider unethical. Think of this as going undercover. Convince Michael you do want to serve him by doing what he says. Make the sacrifices needed to reach your goal: protecting your sister."

While she hated to admit he was right, his words moved her. "So, you are artistic, funny and wise."

"I've made better use of my three-hundred years of life than some others might have," Logan replied, looking out onto the horizon.

"It's hard to believe Michael is your brother."

"Like you and Alyssa, we were not born siblings," Logan said.

"That makes sense, so how did you become part of the Caswell family?"

The expression he wore looked pained. "It's a long story." He looked away at some gulls in the distance, trying to escape her question, but she refused to relent.

"I would love to hear it," she said.

He sighed "Michael and I were childhood friends."

"Are you saying that you knew each other when you were both mortals?" Kara looked on in curiosity.

Logan had a strange gleam in his eye, and Kara could not tell if he was proud or upset about what he was about to say. "Michael has never been human."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I thought all vampires started out as humans."

"That's usually the case, and Michael's situation is a rare occurrence. Occasionally two vampires can conceive a child. The child eventually grows into adulthood, but very slowly. Michael and I were both children when we met. He was actually much older than I was, but he looked the same age. As time passed, I grew up, but he remained the same. Eventually, I couldn't ignore it any longer, and I pressed the matter. We were close, so he felt comfortable telling me all his secrets, including the one regarding his birth."

"Wow, so he really trusted you," she said. "But how did you become a vampire?"

"One day, I become very ill, and the doctors had no idea what caused it or how to save me. I never asked him to do it, and by the time he did, I was unable to. I was at death's door, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing me. I was his only true friend, so before the illness took me, he saved me and brought me into the family."

Perhaps Michael wasn't always so unpleasant. She glanced at Logan, a thousand questions bursting through her head. She'd wanted to ask them since she first met the Caswell Clan, but it never seemed appropriate. Now, however, seemed like the perfect time. Logan appeared quite amiable to answer her pressing questions.

"How is it that you and Michael can walk around in daylight? I thought that the sun was a vampire's worst enemy."

Logan smiled. "I do not know everything, and it's a bit complex. Original vampires are daywalkers and their born pureblood children are also daywalkers. However, after that, more and more humans entered the mix, tainting the blood. If a normal vampire drinks enough blood from a pureblood or an original, they also gain the ability."

"Okay, I understand. Michael is a pureblood, and since you fed from him, you get to be a daywalker," she said as if it were a completely normal topic. "Wow, this is so strange."

"It is strange." Logan chuckled in his soft, deep voice, but then he looked at her seriously. "I've told you so much, and now I have a favor to ask of you. Please don't tell Michael about this conversation. It is very rare for a normal vampire to become a daywalker because purebloods and originals rarely give anyone a taste of their blood. Michael will be disappointed in me if he found out I told you."

"Of course," she said.

Kara's heart sank. "I guess, you're right."

The drive home was silent, but it was a peaceful silence as both contemplated different things. Kara dreaded returning to the mansion and facing Michael again. Even as Logan led her back to her room, she wished they were back on the beach.

"Thank you for saving me today and for keeping me company. I don't know where I would have ended up otherwise," Kara said.

"It was really no problem for me. I enjoyed your company as well. Have a pleasant night."

Kara watched him leave, feeling somewhat confused. His manner at the beach had been so casual. He reminded her more of a human than a vampire. However, now, his demeanor was formal once more. It was probably some vampire thing she didn't quite understand yet.

"Goodnight, Logan," she called after him.

Logan turned back around and smiled a pleasant smile. "Goodnight, Kara."