The Wolf's Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna

by R. E. Butler

Logan pushed a scrap of shirt material towards him. “This is the other half of the shirt. Can you do anything with it?”

  Teller picked up the fabric. “Yeah.”

  Logan didn’t know exactly how Teller’s tracking abilities worked, but he’d seen them in action. Teller could find anyone, anywhere.

  They spoke for a few more minutes and then Teller headed out. Logan knew that he would call when he had information. He locked the front door and walked back to the bedroom. Jenna was sleeping soundly, her hair like a dark curtain around her and her pink lips parted slightly.

  Stripping, he climbed carefully into bed so he didn’t wake her. He curled around her back, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder and slipping his arm around her waist. He fell asleep quickly, thankful for her safety.

  * * * * *

  Logan sat with Bo, Jason, Michael, and Toby in an SUV two blocks away from the house at 149 Robin Drive. The other address had been a bust — the home of two elderly humans who had no pack connections.

  Teller had left the SUV, melting into the shadows and disappearing.

  After several tense moments, Logan’s phone beeped with a text from Teller.

  House smells empty. Do you want to go in?

  Logan repeated the text out loud.

  Jason cracked his neck. “Someone needs to stay in the truck in case we need to bolt.”

  Toby said, “I will, Jason.”

  “Good man,” Jason said, getting out from behind the wheel. Logan texted Teller that they were joining him. The rest of them exited the vehicle and crossed the street, trying to stay in the shadows of the trees the way that Teller had. Toby stayed behind, sitting in the driver’s seat.

  They found Teller crouched near a back patio, holding the swatch of fabric. “He definitely lives here, his scent is really strong. But I don’t hear or smell anyone, so the house should be clear.”

  Jason jimmied the back door open and they walked silently inside. When the door was shut, Logan and Bo went to check around upstairs while Teller and Jason checked the first floor and Michael took the basement.

  The second floor of the house was empty. Logan called down that no one was there, and he and Bo headed back down. Teller and Jason said the first floor was empty, too.

  Michael called up from the basement, “You guys better come down here.”

  They moved into the basement and Logan’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight before them. A young male was chained to a metal pillar in the basement, gagged and bound tightly with thick chains. White feathered wings were unfurled from his back, and both of them were hanging at strange angles.

  “Is he dead?” Michael asked.

  “He’s still breathing,” Jason answered.

  Logan walked over to the male on the floor and looked down at him. “His wings are broken.”

  “Ouch,” Bo mused.

  Logan moved behind the male and looked at the padlock. He said, “Anyone know how to pick a padlock?”

  “Sorry, I just do doors,” Jason said.

  None of the wolves could, so they began to walk around the basement, looking for something that would break the padlock. The basement walls were plain concrete blocks and the floor was covered with thin, stained carpeting. Metal shelves lining the walls held boxes and tubs, and old furniture was scattered around the small area of the half-basement.

  They began pulling boxes from the shelves and opening them. Most of them were filled with photo albums, clothing, and linens. Michael said, “Eureka!” and held up an old claw hammer.

  Jason snorted. “Eureka?”

  “What else do you say when you find something you’re looking for?” he asked indignantly.

  “I don’t know, maybe something simple like ‘here’s a hammer’?” Jason offered.

  Michael flipped Jason off. Logan took the hammer from Michael and knelt down behind the fairy, which he assumed was Maximus. Only Jenna would know for sure, but he didn’t think it was a coincidence that the male who had betrayed Logan’s mate was chained up in the basement of one of Jasper’s crew.

  The chains were too thick to be broken with a hammer, but the lock was old and rusty, and a few well-aimed strikes split it apart.

  “Is this the guy that betrayed Jenna?” Teller asked, helping to unwind the chains.

  “I think so,” Logan said.

  “We should fucking leave him,” Michael said.

  “I would, except I promised Jenna’s parents that I would bring him back to the realm for trial if I ever found him.”

  The male slumped forward onto the concrete floor once the chains were free. Logan lifted him over his shoulder and followed his pack out of the house. Toby had moved the SUV closer, and when they walked out of the house, he pulled in front of it and pressed the button to open the back hatch.

  Bo said, “You think the neighbors will call the cops?” All of the surrounding houses appeared dark, but that didn’t mean that no one was home.

  “I doubt it,” Logan said, setting the fairy into the back and closing the door. Another vehicle pulled up behind them and Peter got out. Jason said, “Michael’s going to stay with you, Dad. Stay out of sight and keep an eye on the place and let me know if anyone shows up tonight.”

  Michel and Peter got back into the car and pulled away down the street, turning a corner onto another street and stopping. Jason said, “I’ve got a couple guys coming to relieve them in the morning. We’ll watch the house until they come back.”

  Toby asked, “You so sure they’re going to come back?”

  Jason grunted. “I don’t know. If they do, we’ll see what’s going on. If not, then maybe the half-dead fairy here will regain consciousness and give us a clue where Jasper and his pack are.”

  After climbing into the SUV, Logan texted Jenna to let her know they were on the way home. She’d been worried about him going along, afraid that something would happen to him. But there was no way he was going to let his pack go hunting for these assholes while he sat home and twiddled his thumbs. Jenna was his responsibility.

  Toby pulled into the parking lot of Jake’s, where they had met up that night. Teller offered to help him take the fairy home, and Logan welcomed the help. Logan had caught a ride with Bo, so he said goodbye to his friends and got into Teller’s SUV.

  Logan and Teller unloaded the still-unconscious fairy from the back of Teller’s SUV when they arrived home and carried him into the garage.

  “Inside?” Teller asked as he held the fairy’s feet.

  Logan frowned. He didn’t really want this asshole anywhere near his woman, but he couldn’t exactly just leave him lying around. “Fuck. I guess so.”

  The door into the house opened and Jenna stuck her head out and then gasped in alarm. “Logan? D-did you hurt Maximus?” She looked ill.

  “No, baby. I didn’t touch him. Jasper and his crew left him like this.” He walked backwards into the house as Jenna moved quickly into the kitchen ahead of them. She wrenched open the back door and moved onto the porch.

  “Where are you going, baby?” Logan stopped moving.

  “I have to call my parents. We have to take him home immediately!” She sounded panicked, and Logan looked down at Maximus and then at Teller.

  Teller shrugged.

  Following Jenna out onto the porch, Logan and Teller settled the wounded fairy on his side on the soft grass and stood outside of the garden. Jenna was already stripping her shirt off and kneeling in front of what she called the fairy ring, which was some kind of portal that worked not only like a door into the Fae Realm but also like a video phone.

  “Jenna?” Logan said, a little more sternly than he meant to. He was frustrated that she seemed overly concerned about the asshole who’d caused her abduction.

  She looked over her shoulder at him. “You don’t understand, Logan. Both of his wings are broken. If he’s not taken to a healer right away, he could die.”

  Logan snorted derisively. “I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but he deserves it. That
asshole sold you out to a psycho wolf. He’s lucky they didn’t kill him or that I didn’t leave him to die.”

  Her chin lifted and anger flashed in her eyes. He expected her to argue with him, but what she did felt far worse. She dismissed him by silently turning to face the ring and releasing her wings from her back. When the wings spread out, it felt like a wall had just been thrown up between them.

  The portal looked like a piece of glass. Through it, he couldn’t see anything but black until it cleared suddenly and he was looking into a room inside a home. Jenna’s mother said, “Darling? It’s very late. Is something wrong? Are you ill?”

  As she told her mother what was wrong with Maximus, Teller said in a low voice, “I guess wings are serious business to fairies.”

  Unease settled through Logan. Did Jenna blame him for what happened to Maximus? Or did she think him some Neanderthal because he thought the jackass got what he deserved?

  A little green bug buzzed in front of his face. “You! Brute! Did you harm that he-fairy?”

  “Hello, Darlie,” he sighed. He wasn’t in the mood to play nice with the obnoxious sprite.

  “Don’t try to sweet-talk me, brute.” She flew a little further away from him so he could see her more clearly.

  “I’m not, Darlie. And no, I didn’t hurt him. He’s the one who betrayed Jenna to the wolf pack.”

  Darlie huffed. “You wolves are nothing but brutes. All of you.”

  The tiny creature buzzed angrily at him and flew over to Jenna, resting on her bare shoulder. Moments later, the portal began to grow. It lengthened and widened until it was the same size as a door.

  Jenna turned and said, “Bring Maximus quickly, please.”

  Logan said, “I’ll do it, Teller. Keep an eye on the house for me and let Jason know that I’ll be back when things are settled in the Fae Realm.”

  “You bet,” Teller said.

  Logan went to Maximus, hefted the male over his shoulder and walked to the garden, stepping over the fence and joining Jenna. He could see her parents standing in a room watching them.

  Jenna said, “Teller, if you need to speak with Logan, come to the garden and find Darlie and she’ll contact me.”

  Teller nodded and Darlie preened with delight at being given a responsibility. Jenna took Logan’s hand and stepped through the portal. He had to crouch forward slightly so he didn’t bump Maximus’s wings against the top of the portal. Going through the portal felt like pushing through extremely cold, thick air. As Logan looked behind him, the portal closed, and he was looking at the wall of a room.

  The front door opened and a handful of other people walked into the room, two of them carrying a wooden stretcher between them.

  Logan was directed to lay Maximus on his side on the stretcher, and he did so, being as careful as possible considering he was under the watchful gaze of so many fairies. He stepped away from them and moved next to Jenna.

  “Get that beast out of here!” a man with graying blond hair shouted as he looked down at Maximus, who was being tended to by the two men who had carried in the stretcher. “He’s responsible for my son’s wounds!”

  Jenna’s lips curled back and she linked her arm through Logan’s. “He most certainly is not, Representative Eitri. My truemate rescued Maximus, where he had been beaten, chained up, and left to die by a wolf pack that he betrayed me to.”

  Jenna’s father stepped forward. “Do not insult my cher, Eitri. He brought him home when he could have left him to die. And he should die, for what he tried to do to my only daughter!”

  Eitri sniffed. “I don’t believe it. Maximus is an honorable fae from a long line of war heroes.”

  Logan snorted. “I hate to burst your bubble, but your son is an asshole of the highest order.”

  Jenna elbowed him with a grimace as Eitri’s milky white face turned beet red. Jenna’s father stifled a chuckle under a short cough and said, “I’m sure you want to get your son to the healers, Eitri. We wish him a quick recovery.”

  Eitri made a face that looked like he’d smelled something awful and adjusted the lapel on his jacket. “Yes, he certainly won’t recover in a hovel like this. Good day.”

  With a flourish, he swept out of the house and the fairies followed quickly, the still-unconscious Maximus on the stretcher.

  Logan looked around the house. Hovel? It was a small, quaint home.

  Jenna saw him looking around and sighed. “You know how in the Mortal Realm they have the wrong side of the tracks?”

  “Sure.”

  She shrugged. “This is the wrong side of the tracks in the Fae Realm. The fae that work for a living and do not have spell-casting abilities and are not part of the political machine of the fae ruling system are considered unsavory. Max’s dad never could handle that Max wanted to be with me.”

  Logan looked down into her silver eyes and cupped her cheek. “I guess we’re not so different.”

  She smiled, but there was still a hint of worry in her eyes. “Baby?” he prodded gently.

  She let out a long sigh and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his chest and resting her ear over his heart. “When a warrior fae’s wings are broken, a chemical is released into their bodies. It’s like a toxin. It will literally rob them of their strength. If left untreated, the chemical can kill them. Even if the healers can save his wings, he’ll most likely never be able to fly again, which means he’ll lose his place in the military.” She looked up at him with drawn brows. “I know he was a sniveling toad, but no one deserves to be crippled for amusement.”

  Logan brushed his lips across hers. “You are more compassionate than I could ever hope to be.”

  After a few quiet moments, her father cleared his throat. “Don’t you think you should introduce us, Jenna?”

  Jenna chuckled. “Sorry.” She moved to his right side, one arm still around his waist. “Mom and Dad, this is Logan Anderson. Logan, these are my parents, Brokk and Rhoswen.”

  Logan extended his hand to Jenna’s father and he shook it heartily. Her mother took his hand, looked at it for a moment, and then said, “You saved our daughter’s life. We’re forever grateful to you, and welcome you to the family, cher.” Rhoswen hugged him tightly around his middle and then stepped back to her husband, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Cher?” Logan asked, looking down at Jenna.

  Brokk answered, “It means son.”

  Logan was given a tour of the small home. It was two stories with two bedrooms, one on each floor, and a large open downstairs with a kitchen and living area. Her parents left them in her room, saying that dinner would be ready in an hour. Jenna sat down on the end of the bed and looked up at him.

  He looked around the bedroom where she had grown up. The floor was dark hardwood polished to a high shine, with colorful throw rugs in muted metal colors scattered around. The four-poster bed was made of thick branches that were bent and twisted to form an intricate pattern. A vanity stood against one wall with a small embroidered stool in front of it. The top of the pink-painted wood was overflowing with bottles and containers, and pictures were stuck around the edge of the ornate mirror. He walked over to it and peered at the pictures. Several were of her with her parents, but most were of her and a young woman with bright blonde hair.

  “That’s Kari, my best friend. She was there when I was taken, and Jasper had one of his men drug her to stop her from casting a protection spell.”

  “Tell me about the powers. You are incredibly powerful. Why are you considered from the other side of the tracks?”

  Her cheeks pinked. “The power to unlock things is considered a non-noble power. It’s a service power. My family and I don’t have much in the way of spell-casting abilities, although I can do some spells, like the truemate spell, which is meant for all fae and not just spell-casting fae.”

  He frowned. “So you’re considered lower class because you can’t cast spells? What can your friend do?”

  “She’s a blosomfae, she can make any
thing grow. The upper class are those that have spell-casting power, and those are the rulers of this realm, like Maximus’s father. The spell casters make up the army that protects us, govern our realm, and make it beautiful.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. It was the way things were here in this realm. He didn’t like that anyone considered his mate to be a lower-class citizen when she had the ability to do something that he considered incredibly cool. In the wolf pack, fighting ability separated the wolves, not family lines or fur color.

  He sat down on the bed next to her, sliding his arm over her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. “I am far more impressed with the ability to unlock things than I am with growing flowers.”

  She looked at him, cocking her head to the side. “Really?”

  “Of course. Not only are you gorgeous, with stunning silver eyes, but you can unlock the house if I ever forget my keys. A far more valuable talent, in my opinion.”

  Her lush mouth split into a slow smile. “You’re sweet.”

  “Honest.”

  “That, too.” She paused and then said, “Thank you for trying to find Jasper and his pack, and for bringing Max back here. You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

  “He has to answer for his crimes, love.”

  She tilted her face up to his and kissed him. He deepened the kiss, loving the pleased hum that came from her throat when their tongues met. Her hands curled into his shirt as he slid his hands down her back and his fingers delved under the hem of her top.

  She moaned when his fingers trailed up her spine, drawing the shirt up. She pulled her mouth free, panting. “We can’t. Dinner.”

  Dropping his head to her shoulder, he drew her close. “Later.”

  “Definitely.”

  They joined her parents in the kitchen, and Logan held out her chair and pushed her close to the table. The table was set with one large platter containing a roast surrounded by vegetables. Small bowls and dishes contained other things that he didn’t recognize. Jenna’s father stood at the head of the table with a serving fork and carving knife, and began to slice the roast. A thick blue-tinted bone ran through the reddish-brown meat. When Brokk placed a thick wedge on his plate, Jenna said, “It’s wild blue boar and tastes like pork.”