To Hell and Back

by Juliana Stone

  She held his gaze, kissed him hungrily when he bent forward, and matched his rhythm wholeheartedly. There was an urgency to their lovemaking, knowing they were on borrowed time. Heat pooled. It liquefied and rushed through her veins and all the while her hands caressed Logan’s straining muscles. His hard abs, his amazing butt. She cupped him and held him firmly and she murmured her love for him over, and over … and over.

  The sun shone through the jungle trees, flickering across tanned skin and their wet naked bodies. As Logan rocked into her and she answered in kind, everything in her world was complete. It was perfect. And lovely. Achingly beautiful.

  Sadly, she knew that it couldn’t last.

  Chapter Seven

  * * *

  LOGAN HELD KIRA so close that her heartbeat reverberated inside him. Her scent, that heady, earthy scent so unique to her, settled in his lungs, and for a few moments he lay with her on top of him, their bodies still joined.

  He knew he’d have to leave her soon. Lilith would pull him from this in-between world only he and his mate could access. A world made possible by the blood that flowed in his veins—inherited from his mother. Blood that made him unique to his kind. Blood that would save Kira, if he was strong enough.

  She raised her head and stared down at him, her slim fingers tangling in his hair. The scars at her wrists were still vivid, still raw and ragged, but it didn’t detract from her beauty. Her eyes were luminous, her smile hesitant.

  “I wish we could stay here,” she said softly, reaching forward and kissing him in a brief touch that pulled such possessiveness from him. He knew his eyes burned as red as the blood that rushed through their veins.

  Logan exhaled and sat up, cradling her in his embrace as if she were a child. He felt the pull and knew his tether to this in-between world was thinning. District Three was calling and his mind was slowly coming awake. Lilith waited for him.

  “Did someone come for you?” he asked. There wasn’t much time and he needed to know she was safe.

  Kira pushed away, her eyes never leaving his. For a moment she was silent and then she sighed as she brushed a strand of hair from his face. She glanced back at the waterfall. At the flowers and butterflies and birds. “I knew this wasn’t real.”

  “It’s as real as we want it to be,” he replied.

  “I don’t want to leave.” Her voice broke and his heart squeezed as he watched her struggle to control her emotions. He wanted to offer comfort but knew she’d need to rely on herself. She’d have to draw on the strength she possessed to get through the coming days until he could get to her.

  She was strong. His woman.

  His fingers clasped her jaw. “Who came for you?”

  She swallowed. “A man named Priest. He helped me escape the demons who invaded the town.” Her brow furrowed. “There was another, Cale was his name.” She paused. “They know you …”

  Though he’d never met them, he knew the names. They were members of the League. Logan gave nothing away, but the relief he felt was short-lived. He’d heard whispers below. Questions had been asked that should never have come to light, including the fact he’d been in the gray realm in the first place. Lilith knew something, or thought she did, and he was beginning to suspect that there was a traitor in Bill’s so-called League of Guardians. For millennia the group had existed in secret, though whispers of their existence had been around for just as long. Had the circle been breached? Did the many who would see them destroyed know who they were?

  Who could he trust? He hated the unknown.

  Kira Dove’s future was in his hands and he knew he could trust no one.

  “Where are they taking you?” he asked softly, not wanting to alarm her.

  “I think a place called The Pines.” She searched his face. “Priest said it would be safe for me.” She bit her lip in that way that tugged at his soul. “But I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you, or …”

  He didn’t like the way her eyes shifted. “Or what?”

  “Where are you, Logan?” The sorrow in her voice was palpable.

  “I’m here with you,” he said simply.

  But she wasn’t having any of it and shook her head. “No, where are you really?” Eyes, wide and trusting—eyes shiny with confusion— stared up at him.

  “It doesn’t matter where I am. I will come for you.” He kissed her forehead. “I will return. Nothing will keep me from what’s mine.” He held her tighter. “From what I love.”

  Searing pain ripped along Logan’s back and he hissed as it burned harder.

  “Logan? What’s wrong?” Kira stood and bent over him, as another lash split his back wide open. Of course she wouldn’t see the scaled, poisonous whip, the blood, or the ripped, damaged skin. The pull intensified and Logan knew his time was up. Lilith was calling and his ability to stay here with Kira was diminishing by the second.

  He staggered to his knees and forced the pain away. “You need to find a way to escape them, these men who have you. Do you understand? Do not go to The Pines. I don’t trust the League anymore and I can’t take that chance. Not with you.”

  He saw her confusion and snarled as another wave of hurt rolled over him. Damn Lilith and her need to torture. Damn him, because he knew she was just getting started.

  “But I thought Bill and the League wanted me safe?”

  Christ, he didn’t have time to explain the intricacies of a struggle that had been in existence longer than even he. Frustrated, he ran fingers through his hair and scowled.

  “I can’t be sure you’ll be safe there. I need you to trust me on this. Do not go to The Pines.” Logan groaned and staggered to his knees as something sharp dug into his shoulder blade. His skin felt like it was on fire, and beneath his flesh, the beast stirred.

  “Logan, you’re not making any sense. You told me the League would protect me. That Bill and his buddies were the good guys.”

  He wouldn’t lose control in front of Kira and he needed her to listen.

  “I don’t believe that’s the case anymore. I think that”—he paused and stifled a groan as the pain intensified—“I think there is a traitor in their midst. Bill was right. There is a war coming and it’s already here. I’ve heard things, whispers of things, that make me question the stability of the League.”

  The only place he could guarantee her safety from both the upper and lower realm was to get her home. To his mother. No one would be able to reach her there.

  “I need you to trust me on this. Remember where I told you to go if we ever got separated?” He was breathing hard now and it was difficult to speak.

  Kira nodded slowly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

  “Good,” he paused. Exhaled. “Slip away from them. They don’t know you like I do so they won’t expect it. You have our cash?”

  She nodded.

  “Use it to get transportation. Get to Hill Valley and find the lady in blue.” His body trembled as the pain increased tenfold and he heard Lilith’s voice in his ear—poison whispers and promises of darkness. “I have to go.” His hand touched her jaw and he drew her close. “I will come for you. Don’t ever forget that.”

  Tears slid down her face and he kissed them away before claiming her mouth one last time. He tasted salt, sweetness, and, yes, strength. “Stay alive, little Dove,” he whispered, and then he pulled away. Logan made no effort to hide the pain he felt, the love and desire this small slip of a woman pulled from inside him. Logan Winters, a hellhound. And she a human. He’d never thought to see the day.

  White flashes of light danced in front of his eyes and he knew his time was up. He stepped back, every cell in agony, but nothing close to the pain he felt at the thought of never seeing Kira again.

  Her hand cradled her belly and just before he disappeared, back to Hell and District Three, he knew. He saw the confirmation in her eyes. She carried his babe. The child that both Heaven and Hell would destroy if given the chance.

  The agony in his heart was crus
hing. He held it close. He would use it to fuel the fire and he would find his way back to her.

  When Logan opened his eyes moments later and stared up into the crystalline blue of Lilith’s, something cold shifted inside him. It was different from the anger and animalistic response to pain he’d experienced in the past. This was calculated. Determined. Controlled.

  He would escape District Three. He would do whatever the hell he had to do to make it happen.

  For Kira. And for his child.

  With slow movements, Logan rolled to the side and fell off Lilith’s bed. She watched him from the bloodied tangle of white sheets, her blonde hair rippling around her like golden waves of water. Shadows moved several feet from him and he knew they weren’t alone. The smell of rotting meat and overripe fruit filled his nostrils. Mixed with the metallic scent of his own blood, it was hard to take, and he nearly gagged.

  “You’re awake,” Lilith said, a wide smile on her face as she stretched and rolled in his blood like an animal. Crimson swatches of shiny liquid glistened upon her alabaster skin and he watched, disgusted, as she slid from the bed and moved toward him. Still naked. Still horny as hell—that she couldn’t hide from him, the scent was much too strong. And still bent on breaking him.

  “Did you dream of me?” she asked languidly, her finger tracing a fresh swash of blood as it seeped from a wound near his pectoral. She suckled her finger and stared up at him.

  “No,” he answered. “That wouldn’t exactly be a dream now, would it?”

  “Always so sarcastic.” Her eyes narrowed—for a second—before her smile widened. “You’ve never been like your brothers or any of those other horrid beasts. You never played the game.” She leaned forward and he clenched his hands. “It’s why I’ve always wanted you.” Her tongue raked over his chest and she made a throaty sound as she licked his blood and sweat. “Tell me why you were banished all those years ago. Something about a child, wasn’t it?”

  He stared straight ahead and said nothing, though his ears perked up at the sound of footsteps. The shadows moved quicker now, swirling around them crazily.

  Both of her hands were on him now, fingernails digging deep and drawing more blood. She pressed her breasts against him and ground her hips between his legs.

  “I will break you,” she whispered.

  “You can try.”

  She laughed. “Were you in the gray realm?”

  He remained silent.

  “Who is the girl? The one who disappeared?” She paused, nails digging even deeper. “I have demons on her trail, you know this …”

  Still he remained silent, though inside, fear began to seep into his soul. Fear for Kira. Fear for the unborn child. How were they going to survive without Logan?

  Lilith stepped back, already bored with her game. “You will answer me.”

  Logan squared his shoulders.

  She arched a brow. “Who is the girl?”

  Logan refused to answer and stared straight ahead. The shadows swirled ever closer and he was man enough to admit trepidation. What did they hide? What new horror had Lilith conjured up?

  Just then, the door to her chambers slammed open and they both turned—Lilith cursing loudly, Logan silent as he gathered strength. His mind worked furiously, looking for a way out.

  A man stood in the doorway, and when he stepped into the light, Logan’s entire body tightened. Cloaked in leather with a powerful build, he easily topped six feet by several inches. From his waist dangled three skulls, and from his hip hung a long scabbard, swaying slowly.

  The man was fierce. Heavy eyebrows furrowed into an expression that left no doubt as to how he was feeling. With teeth bared he swung his gaze to Lilith.

  Logan heard Lilith gasp. She should be scared. She should be scared shitless. No matter that she was the queen bitch of hell, she knew as well as anyone not to cross the Overlord. Logan had been stupid enough to do it many times.

  He thought of the pit. Of his banishment. Of the endless suffering made so much worse at this man’s orders.

  The man walked into the light, his clear, nearly white eyes glittering, the coldness inside them hard to miss. His head was shaved, the eerie light in Lilith’s chambers emphasizing the lines on his forehead. It only added more menace. He didn’t glance at Logan but kept his eyes on Lilith and stopped a few feet away. When he spoke, his words were controlled and to the point.

  “I heard you have something that belongs to me.” The voice was like crushed glass beneath a boot. Harsh. Unforgiving.

  “Bad news travels fast,” Lilith murmured. She knew she was in the wrong. Hell was a hard place in which to exist—sure, it was fast and loose, but it was also governed by certain rules. Logan was a hellhound. He was not a demon. She had no claim to him and she knew it. Any punishment for his actions, or non-actions, were doled out by his overlord. By the man standing a few feet from him.

  His father.

  Chapter Eight

  * * *

  KIRA WOKE SUDDENLY, the lazy aftermath of loving on her lips. It was inside her mouth, at the tips of her fingers, and nestled deep within the folds of her sex, where she was still wet. Where she still ached.

  “Logan?” she whispered huskily as she groaned and tried to wipe sleep from her eyes. She ached everywhere. Her neck. Her back. Even her legs.

  She frowned. “What happened?”

  “She’s awake.”

  The male voice cut into her thoughts and her eyes flew open, sleep no longer a problem. For a moment she was confused, but then, slowly, she became aware. The hum of a motor rumbled beneath her. She was wrapped in a blanket, inside a truck with two men she barely knew. Men whom Logan had warned her about. Men he didn’t trust.

  Her hand brushed a strand of hair from her face and she sat up, wincing as something sharp poked into her side. She realized it was her charmed dagger. “I’m thirsty.”

  The man called Priest tossed her a water bottle from the front seat. Slowly she drank, eyes gazing out into darkness. Her heart heavy, her mind confused. Had her time with Logan been real? Or was it just a dream and nothing more?

  Kira swallowed, aware of Priest’s eyes on her, and she turned to the side, glad that the darkened interior kept her in shadow. Beneath the blanket her fingers ran along her neck and grabbed hold of her T-shirt. She paused. It was sliced cleanly down the middle.

  Logan had done that, anxious to make love.

  Warmth flushed through her and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember, trying to capture the feeling she’d had earlier, in that paradise with her hellhound. But it was no use. In its place was a cold, hard, lump of dread. Logan was alive but he was in pain and in danger. She knew this. She also knew that he would come for her. She had to believe that because the alternative wasn’t something she would consider. Not now. Not after everything they’d been through.

  Logan would come for her and she would do whatever it took to help make it happen. She’d abide by his wishes, because in her mind he was used to this game—whereas Kira? She was a newbie and the whole trust thing would have to suffice. She had to believe that he knew what he was doing.

  She exhaled and sat up straighter, the empty bottle in her hand as she bent forward. Up ahead she saw lights on the side of the road. Nervously, she licked her lips and glanced at the driver. The man scared her more than the demons back in Waterford. There was something about him, something that set him apart from Priest … from Logan even.

  “So,” she said. “The Pines?”

  Priest looked over his shoulder and nodded. “Yes. It’s a safe haven for … my friends … and we can keep you safe there.”

  “What about Logan?” she asked carefully.

  Priest glanced at the driver, Cale, and shrugged. “He’s on his own at the moment.”

  “Do you know where he is?” She watched them both, not liking their silence. It was Cale who eventually answered.

  “Logan is gone and he might not be coming back. So sit tight and let us look after
you.”

  His words scared her, but they also pissed her off. The man underestimated her hellhound.

  “Is that what Bill said to do?” She watched them carefully.

  Cale ground his teeth and looked into the rearview mirror. His eyes glistened, their depths enhanced by the glow from the dashboard. “Bill isn’t here right now, so this is my call.”

  Kira sank into the cold leather seat, body tense as Logan’s words echoed in her mind. Do not go to The Pines. I don’t trust the League anymore and I can’t take that chance. Not with you.

  There was only one person she believed in. Only one person who’d ever done anything good for her. Logan.

  The lights ahead shimmered, and as they got closer she realized it was a truck stop. This could be her only chance of escaping the two men. In fact, she was pretty sure if she didn’t make her move here, she’d never get another chance.

  Sweat broke out along her forehead and she swallowed thickly, taking a few seconds to compose herself before she spoke.

  “I have to pee,” she said abruptly. “Can we stop up there?”

  Again Cale’s dark eyes regarded her in the mirror. “Can’t you wait? We’re almost to the border and The Pines is less than an hour away.”

  “No!”

  Cale’s eyebrow shot up and Priest turned around once more.

  Kira cleared her throat and forced herself to calm down. “I have to go now. Seriously, guys, I’m prone to bladder infections and the last time I had one the doctor said if I don’t—”

  “Okay,” Priest held his hand up. “That’s all I need to know.” Priest nodded to the driver. “I could stretch my legs, too.”

  Cale swore under his breath, a bunch of words she didn’t understand, and Kira waited, breath held, until he maneuvered the truck into the right lane so they could exit. When they pulled into the Last Chance Truck Stop, she released a long, tortured breath and had the door open before they’d even come to a full stop.