I spit a leaf out of my mouth and looked up to see what happened. Two men were closing in on us. Logan faced off with one of them, while the other Mage moved to the side, walking in my direction.
In the pale moonlight, Logan’s eyes were wide and animalistic. All four incisors gleamed as the men considered their strategy.
The Mage swiped his arm and Logan ducked. I heard a blade slice through the air with chilling intent.
I pulled myself up to fight when Logan shoved me to the ground and forced himself over me.
“Don’t you dare!” I shouted.
That’s when I saw them. His eyes were as black as midnight ashes. Logan was no longer present—replaced by the primal creature that lived within him. Not a single fleck of gold remained.
“Logan, let me up!”
I reached out to the man with the knife, trying to pull the blade, but the metal would not yield. It was made of something I couldn’t manipulate the energy from, or it was tempered with magic.
The Mage on our right tossed a flashlight to the ground, blinding us. He made a quick move and Logan lunged at him, shouting out when the other Mage plunged the knife into his side.
I screamed.
“Keep it up. We can get him this way!” one of them said.
They cut him again.
As fresh blood trickled down his arm, and dampened his shirt, it became evident that Logan Cross was willing to lay down his life to protect me.
Me—his enemy.
That fact sank in each time the blade sliced through his flesh.
The Mage continued to bait him and I fought against Logan to get up, but he muscled against me with the weight of his body. They were using his instincts against him.
Logan rose to his feet, tall and brave, as a man who knew no fear. The Mage sliced the cold blade across his chest. When Logan cried out, it shook me to the core. It was not the feral roar of a warrior—one I had heard him use. This time, it was filled with pain. It struck a chord so deep within me that instinct kicked in like an adrenaline rush.
I flew at the unarmed Mage and popped him in the jaw. In a heartbeat, he wrapped his long fingers around my neck. I choked, and that singular sound provoked an explosive reaction.
But not from
me
.
Caged fury spread across Logan’s face like a pandemic, hardening the lines around his jaw as he peeled back his teeth. Raw malice glinted behind dark Chitah eyes. I readied myself to fight by his side, but instead of attacking, he knocked the Mage away and smothered me with his body. His chest was wet and warm, and his breath ragged as he struggled for air. The blood loss was taking its toll, and it was everywhere—on his chest, arms, and a gash across his forehead. The intensity in his gaze was so overwhelming, I was afraid to look at him.
“Give her up, Chitah. We have the upper hand. You can walk out of this alive, or die—
your choice
—but the woman belongs to Nero and we’re not leaving without her.”
Logan’s fangs shone in the moonlight like daggers. He dragged my body even tighter beneath him. I couldn’t move, not one inch. He spread across me like a shield.
Logan flicked his head from one Mage to the other. He could kill them and I knew it because I had been a witness to his unmerciful violence. I cursed Logan once for never having told me what a Chitah’s weakness was. In that moment, I discovered what could bring him down.
His weakness… was
me
.
Everything clicked in that moment. I never asked how his woman died, or the guilt he must have carried from her death. Did he try to protect her? Did he even get the chance? Logan could have abandoned me to fight, but that never happened.
Someone burst through a thicket of bushes.
“Brother!” Levi roared, colliding with the Mage wielding the knife.
Simon stumbled across a fallen limb and skidded to a stop. “
Bloody hell
.”
“Simon, get the other one!” I yelled, and he vanished.
A man screamed, and Levi drove his fangs into his victim—releasing a punishing death sentence.
Logan flicked his attention behind the tree where the sounds of struggle ended. I rolled to my side, but he held me down, pressing his forearm over my clavicle. He was firm, but gentle. Rich, black eyes focused on me for a moment, and his hair tickled my face. He wasn’t in there anymore, and the savage growl that sounded from his chest sent shivers across my spine.
Justus charged through the shadows, stalking forward as he looked between Levi and Logan. Levi crouched with a twitching body in his arms. Logan was covered in blood and covering me.
“Silver!” Justus yelled. The look on his face was familiar, one I never wanted to see again. “Come at
me
, Chitah!” Justus challenged. “Fight me like a man.” The fingers on his large hands flexed.
Logan’s body tensed, ready to spring.
“Get back,” Levi warned. “His switch is flipped; he’ll kill
anyone
who gets near her. If you die, she’ll have no Ghuardian.” Levi’s voice was calm, as if he were merely discussing the weather report.
But that’s exactly what Justus was trying to do—get Logan away from me.
I had to do something.
“Logan, you’re bleeding.” I reached up, caressing his cheek with my knuckles. “Please look at me. This can’t be normal. Let me help you,” I pleaded.
His hollow gaze fell on me and my heart quickened. There was something so primal in his body language, expression, and eyes that I had little hope of getting through. He leaned forward and breathed in my scent. The short bristles of stubble pressed into my cheek as he nuzzled—such an unexpected gesture given the circumstance. He had a power over me I couldn’t explain, and my body yielded to his touch. I relaxed, slowing my breathing, feeling his body over mine, and a strange calm sank into my bones. Logan’s head snapped up to the men circling around us.
Simon emerged from between two trees, brushing dirt from his shoulders with a casual flick of the wrist.
“Sodding bastard. Did you know he actually tried to pull a gun on me? Well that takes care of—”
Logan whirled around and reached for Simon.
Another step closer and it would have been over, but Simon spun out of his grasp and threw energy into him. Logan shook like a bolt of lightning struck him, and I felt the residual power of Simon’s light in every part of his body that touched mine. His eyes flicked between all of us with no recognition.
I knew in my heart he was suffering.
“Levi, do something!” I begged. “There’s too much blood.”
“It’s beyond me. You’re the only one he is protecting, and only you can bring him back. He’s running on pure instinct now. He’ll kill us if we don’t kill him first. Control your emotions because that’s what he’s feeding off of. Don’t be afraid, and uh… try not to
provoke
him.”
“As compelling as that thought is, I’m not in the mood for Chitah jokes,” I said through clenched teeth.
“He’s in there. Just talk to him.”
I spread my fingers across his bloody cheek, and spoke in a soothing voice. “You need to let me go. There’s no one left to fight, Logan. They’re all dead.” I slid my leg up and he shifted his body, growling at the empty space beside Justus.
Adam appeared, and the tension snapped.
“What the
fuck
is he doing?” Adam shouted.
Simon and Justus caught his arms, pulling him back before he got any closer. “Get him off of her! What the hell are you just standing around for?”
His words and scent were inciting Logan to violence. They placed hunger on his pallet and thirst in his eyes.
“Relax,” Simon said. “Think of your mouth as gasoline and that Chitah as a raging fire. Silver is the only water who can put him out.”
Well said, I had to hand it to him.
I grabbed Logan’s jaw and turned his head. “Hey
you!
Don’t look at them; look at me you big ol’ pussycat.”
“Back off and give us some privacy,” I said. “He’s not going to calm down with all of you crowding him.”
They dismantled from their huddle, nearly dragging Adam with them until we were alone.
I stared up once more at his long, white teeth. “Logan, I need to tell you something important. Maybe all you can understand is the tone of my voice, but I need to be honest with you.”
His eyes drifted over my expression and he sniffed, as if that were the only sense he had of what I was saying. I tested the sharpness of his tooth with my thumb. Logan lifted his chin away and snapped his jaw shut.
“I once told you I didn’t want you, remember?”
He licked his lips and I averted my eyes.
“I lied. This is something I’ve struggled with, because I haven’t had much luck in this department. I want you, Logan, and I haven’t felt like this in a long time about another man. That’s a big deal, in case you didn’t notice. I don’t know how much of myself I can offer you because I’m not ready to be pushed into something serious.” I took a deep, shaky breath, not realizing how hard it was to confess my feelings. Logan was not the type of man I would have imagined myself falling for. “You need to give me time if you’re serious. I just want you to know that your efforts aren’t in vain.”
I couldn’t explain why I felt such a connection to Logan. I made so many mistakes in my life that I was afraid to make a choice that could end up in me getting hurt. It was easier to admit the truth when I knew he wasn’t listening—like a confessional—and a burden lifted from my shoulders.
Except when I looked back up, two golden eyes were staring into mine. The coloring of his skin was normal, his incisors pulled back, and a strong, wounded arm pulled me against him.
“It’s about time you admitted it.”
That cocky bastard.
As much as I wanted to slap him, all I could do was stroke his jaw.
Levi ran in first and slid to his knees. “Lo, how you feeling?”
Logan smiled weakly. “Good to see you, Levi. What took you so long?”
***
“Where did you get the van?”
“It’s an old standby of mine,” Simon replied. “We needed something with enough room for the lot of us. The engine was rebuilt for speed, although you have to hang on during the turns,” he added with a smile. “That’s how we roll, as they say.”
“Somehow, that just doesn’t sound the same coming from
your
mouth.”
Levi attempted to heal the superficial cuts on Logan’s face and arms, but he could do nothing for the deep wounds on his side and stomach. My skin went ice cold as I looked at the quantity of blood loss.
Simon pressed a towel against the wound, and Logan’s radiant skin was now chalky.
Why wasn’t he healing?
“We’re almost home, Logan. We’ll get you some help,” I said in a determined voice. “The next time you sit on me and keep me from fighting, I’m going to kick your ass.”
Logan tried to smile.
“Can he die from this?” Justus asked Levi from the front of the van.
Logan’s brother pushed his palms against the dash. “Something’s wrong,” he whispered to Justus. “A stab wound won’t kill us; he should have started healing by now. If he continues losing blood…. What the hell was he stabbed with?”
“Magic,” I blurted out. “They kept me in chains that blocked my abilities. Finn implied it worked on everyone, not just Mage.” It was possible that when this type of metal mingled with our blood, it would delay healing, or prevent it. Logan was bleeding out. That was a fact.
“Hey,” I said, brushing my thumbs over his high cheekbones.
When he saw the worry in my eyes, he kissed my palm. That single gesture opened up the dam, and I turned my head away from everyone. I held my breath and shut my eyes as hot, stinging tears slammed against my lids. My cheeks burned and my chest swelled with a flood of emotion. The reaction was so unexpected that I couldn’t control it.