I ran for the door, but Tarek moved in front of me with his arms stretched wide. I spun around to the hall and he ran at Chitah speed to block me there as well. Every move I made, he blocked—like a chess match. No windows. No back door. No escape.
“Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows,” he sang with a glimmer of fire in his eyes.
The room felt like a coffin and I broke out in a sweat.
“I feed off that scent,” he said, lifting his nose to the air. “It’s fucking magical.”
“Why don’t you take this necklace off me and we’ll see what’s what? I could take you on if you weren’t such a chickenshit. You’re a laughingstock, Tarek. They say you’re a weak man for taking a Mage as a wife—couldn’t even mate with a proper Chitah. Your revenge has earned you a soiled reputation and made you look like a fool.”
“Shut up,” he spat as I fed into his insecurities. Tarek had a habit of rubbing his chest when he was angry. The blood no longer smeared like it had before.
“Your illustrious career is nothing but chasing after leftovers. Ever heard the phrase ‘get a life’? You fucking disgust me; look at you!”
My mouth took on a life of its own for lack of a better weapon. If I couldn’t take him out, maybe I could get him riled enough that he’d make a stupid decision. Or perhaps kill me quickly in a moment of rage. Not that I wanted to die, but neither did I want to be tortured. Justus had taught me self-defense, but most of those moves relied on Mage energy.
Tarek swung his arm to slap me and when I bent out of the way, I tripped and fell to the ground. He flipped me onto my back and sat heavily on my stomach. I gasped, grunted, and hammered against his chest with my fists.
In a quick motion, he seized my wrist and sank his teeth into my flesh. I screamed from the pain, but his canines were still retracted.
“Let’s see what all the fuss is about.”
Before he could touch me, I scraped my nails down his chest and he shouted, prying my fingers away.
He tried to pull off my sweatshirt, but I locked my hands together to resist. Tarek pressed against the lump on my head with his fingertips until I made a shrill sound. Pain roared through my skull and I jerked his arms forward and began to roll, doing maneuvers Justus had taught me to throw off an opponent who had me pinned.
Justus would have been proud.
Tarek lost his balance and fell to the side. He grabbed a fistful of my shirt as I crawled in the opposite direction.
“Get off me!” I bent forward and twisted free from the shirt.
Tarek blocked my exit, so I grabbed a shotgun from the wall. If I couldn’t shoot it, I was going to spear him with it.
Suddenly, the wall phone rang.
“Be right back,” he said with a devilish grin. “Try to run for the door and let’s see how far you get before I pluck out your left eye.”
While he stalked off, I reached for the cell phone sitting on the end table. “Logan?” I whispered, “Hello?”
No one was there.
Tarek answered the house phone. “Hello?” His voice was bright and pleasant. “And who could have given you this number? Tell me you aren’t friends with the Vampire who put his cock in your female.” Tarek’s boisterous laugh filled the room. “Priceless. You’re a weaker man than I thought. Sorry, Cross, I’m a little busy right now,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at me. When he saw the phone in my hand, his face turned to stone.
I showed him my middle finger as Christian answered my call. “Tarek, you worthless piece of—”
“No, it’s Silver,” I said in rushed words. “If Logan’s on his way here, you need to stop him. Do you understand me? I hereby relinquish your duties as my guard and transfer you to Logan to protect him!”
“You can’t do that,” he argued. “Only Novis makes that call.”
“Do it, Christian.”
Tarek listened to both conversations. “By all means, Cross, come over.” Tarek rubbed his finger against the stains on his chest. “Remember who you’re talking to. I’m a Lord; keep that in mind… Really? I like the original plan much better. More for me… I warn you… Cross, you can’t challenge to the death. She’s not your kindred spirit!”
I was panting so hard my throat dried up. Tarek paced, angry and yet contemplative. “Katrina is dead. What would be the point? I have fucking honor!” He slammed the phone down and roared.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Cross is challenging me,” Tarek announced.
I covered my mouth, eyes wide. Tarek was double the muscle weight of Logan and already amped up from a kill.
Moments later, tires screeched out front and I fled to the door. Tarek shoved me down and quickly went out the front patio gate, locking it behind him. I rushed forward, gripping the bars and screaming for him to stop.
Stone’s bloody remains lay motionless by the mailbox—barely visible through the early morning fog. The careless disregard for life sickened me. I would have liked to see that man retire and get the Mercedes he’d daydreamed about having.
The heavy humidity veiled the sun and I couldn’t see beyond the street. Not that it would have mattered. Stone lived in a secluded area that guaranteed him privacy.
“Let him pass,” Tarek ordered his guards.
Emerging from a cloud of dense fog was a tall man with fire in his eyes. Logan was exceptionally handsome, and I almost didn’t recognize him at first with the short hair in disheveled chunks, longer on top and edgy. In the chilly morning with frost on the ground, all he wore was a pair of sweats and a black tank top. Not even a pair of shoes on his feet. He carried himself like a knight—a true man of honor.
I squeezed the life out of the iron bars with my grip. If I had to watch him die, it would break me in ways I could never comprehend. Logan’s stunning eyes sought me through the mist and all I could do was shake my head as tears escaped.
“Let’s end this,” Logan declared. The closer he came from the dreamlike fog, the more the reality set in that I was about to lose him.
“Logan, don’t do this,” I begged. “Don’t you dare risk your life for me; I denied you! Don’t you get it?”
Tarek stood between us and Logan stepped to the side so he was within my sight.
“I said I would let you live your life, but I never once agreed to let it be taken. I love you, female. You are my kindred spirit,” he said, beating his fist to his chest. “I promised I would never let you fall, and I meant it. I will always come for you. I will always love you, even if you deny me on your last breath.”
“Which will be very soon,” Tarek promised.
Logan’s eyes cut away from me and fell on Tarek like hot, cindering flames. Everything I knew about sacrifice was about to change.
Chapter 27
Tarek sidestepped Logan with alarming speed, a behavior among Chitahs used to flaunt their abilities. Logan dropped his arms to his sides and bowed his head, suddenly moving so fast that he appeared behind Tarek, who pivoted in time to swing. Logan ducked and fell back. They circled each other like warriors, predators, enemies.
The cold iron bars burned my fingers as I screamed Logan’s name. He glanced up and Tarek seized the opportunity to rattle him.
“You really want to die for a Mage? She’s used. Look at her!”
Tarek talked a big game, but despite his impressive strength, it was obvious Logan intimidated him.
Logan’s canines punched out and his murky black eyes looked startling against the crisp morning fog. His skin shimmered with a warm display of spotted patterns and I caught my breath. Within moments, the challenge began.
They fought in a blur of motion. Tarek threw Logan to the ground but shouted out in pain when Logan delivered a hard kick to his knee. They threw punches, lunged, and tore at each other’s flesh with their fangs.
Minutes ticked by and I watched each heart-stopping moment.
There was so much blood on Tarek from Officer Stone I couldn’t tell whose it was a
nymore. Chitah venom wasn’t toxic to other Chitahs; their teeth were merely sharp instruments used to shred apart their victims with unconscionable savagery.
Two men, over a century old with a history as deep as the Nile, circled each other. Ready to fight. Ready to die. Both had gone primal, and only one would walk away.
Logan hammered Tarek in the face with his right fist and missed a final swing when Tarek ducked out of the way and punched him in the side. It was enough to send Logan to his knees, and without missing a beat, Tarek kicked him in the head so forcefully a spray of blood tainted the white fog.
It didn’t stop there. Tarek continued kicking him in the face and chest until Logan no longer fought back.
My heart sank as his body lay motionless at Tarek’s feet. All I could see was the top of his head and his broad shoulders.
I whispered secret words that no one could hear, words of adoration for the man I loved.
My beautiful man.
Tarek lifted a prideful chin before he dragged his eyes up to mine. He was in control of his animal, but Logan was not. “Watch him die!”
He peeled back his lips to move in for the kill when Logan suddenly sprang up and lunged at his throat like a wild animal. Tarek collapsed onto his back with Logan’s face buried in his jugular.
Logan thrashed his head from side to side. Blood masked his face, making him unrecognizable. His roar penetrated the quiet dawn, a battle cry, and his entire body trembled as if it might come apart.
I had no idea up to that point what killed a Chitah. They possessed similar abilities to a Mage in that they could rejuvenate, but all Breeds had limitations. Maybe it was the blood loss, or the irreparable damage to the vein in his neck, but Tarek’s body lay twitching as the last drops of life soaked into the earth. Still conscious, he watched Logan with a defiant expression.
Logan’s eyes pulsed with life and retribution bled from his face. He’d made a vow to his mate that he wouldn’t go after Tarek for raping her—a promise he kept even after her death.
The violence that had raged in his heart for all those years released as he tore open Tarek’s throat.
“Logan!” Christian emerged from the street and tossed him a blade.
Logan bent forward, dagger in hand, and whispered something in Tarek’s ear, but I was unable to read his bloody lips.
Just like a Mage, a Chitah could be killed by decapitation. When I saw the blade, I turned away. I had told Logan that I never wanted him to kill a man because murder was wrong. What I was witnessing wasn’t murder; it was justice. If Tarek lived, innocent blood would spill as more lives were cut down. He was untouchable as a Lord, and his time on this earth was done.
With my back to the violence, the sound of the gate door breaking caused me to jump as Christian tore it away with a few hard shakes.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, looking down at where I sat.
I shook my head at the broken concrete.
“Search him for a key; it’ll be a small one,” he shouted at Logan. “Let me see your face.”
I turned and his fangs descended like angry switchblades. He bit into his wrist and I heard the sound his teeth made as they punched through the skin. But I denied his offering.
Logan removed his tank top, wiping his face clean.
“Did you find it?” Christian called out, holding my necklace between his fingers.
Logan strode forward, arms heavy at his sides. He tossed Christian a small key and with an audible click, the necklace fell to the concrete and released me from Tarek’s magic. A prickling sensation swept over my body, like when the blood begins moving through a limb that has fallen asleep.
My guard turned to confront him. “You’ll never appreciate what this Mage gave up for you. If you say one cross word, I’ll break your face.”
Logan wiped his mouth, averting his eyes from mine. “I will always come for this woman to protect her. But remember, Vampire, she did not choose me. I will say what I want, so careful who you aim your threats at.”
“I didn’t realize that girlfriends came with an expiration date. I merely planted a suggestion in your peanut head to find another woman, but it only took you a week to claim a new mate? That doesn’t show much devotion on your part,” Christian chastised.
“You charmed me?” Logan roared. “How dare you judge what I had no control over!” He took a hard breath through his nose and gave me a sideways glance. “I have given up my pride for your games. What has she given up?”
“Her freedom,” Christian bit out. “Tarek threatened to put you in the ground if she didn’t do exactly as he said. To the word, he ordered her to bed another man. I can tell you right now that she was not acting of her own free will. Tarek worked her like a puppet in order to have his revenge on you. When she thought you were daft enough to try to win her back, she cut your hair. I know what that means; I’m not a fool. It was the only way to cut the strings still attached and save your sorry arse. I’ve watched her endure all this pain and suffering so her loved ones would not, because he threatened them all. Her Ghuardian, your brothers, her friends; as long as she complied with his wishes, no harm would come to them. He just kept taking it one step further so that he would always have control over her.”
Logan paled, taking a step back. The fire in his eyes dimmed, and a light switched on.
“After the engagement party, he tried to force himself on her.”
Logan squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.
I could feel Christian’s rage pumping through my veins and I hadn’t even tasted his blood. “Let it go, Christian. It’s over now. I’ll take the blame for all this mess; I don’t want Logan involved.”
“The hell you will,” Christian argued. “You have taken enough bullets, lass. I will not sit here and watch you bite another one.”
“Is what he says true?” Logan watched me with a stony expression.
“What good is truth anymore?” I asked in a despondent tone, pushing myself up. “What’s done is done. What kind of woman have I allowed myself to become because of Tarek? He’s dead, but the damage is done. How can I ever look you in the eye again knowing what I did, even if I was forced into it?”
“Is it true?” His voice was a shout, and he moved toward me.
Christian wedged between us.
“I need to hear truth from your lips, Silver. I never sensed you were lying when you told me that you didn’t want me.”
“Because I didn’t! If it meant watching you die, then I would never want you! Knowing you could have a normal life without me made it the easiest lie I’ve ever told.”
He quickly exhaled. “So it’s true,” he whispered. The gold in his eyes vanished and beautiful markings rippled across his skin like a mirage. The coloring was heavier on his shoulders, arms, and flanks than on his torso.
Christian shoved me against the wall and caged himself in front to protect me.
“Christian,” I whispered. “Let me go.” His head turned just a fraction. “Back off, guard.”
Reluctantly, he moved aside.
Logan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. I had forgotten how cold I was in my bra and jeans until I felt his warmth envelop me. The moment I knew that he still wanted me was when he brushed his nose against my neck, drawing in a deep breath, owning my scent.
“I’m sorry for—”
His hand fell across my mouth and he shook his head.
Logan’s eyes were black because his switch had flipped. Yet somehow, his anger was under control. Enough that he allowed Christian to take my hand. Not long ago, Logan was a man who would snap because of jealousy. He swore one day he’d master his animal and gain control over his instincts. I doubted his word, and regret filled me when I caught his uncharacteristic reaction.
I had been so wrong.
“Do you love me less, Logan?”
His hands cupped my face as he unabashedly kissed the corners of my eyes, my cheeks, my mouth, and my forehead. Only one wor
d fell from his lips, a single word spoken in his animal state that made my heart swell to epic proportions.
“More.”
Chitahs could rarely speak when their switch was flipped; only a few Lords had acquired that kind of control and power.
“You have someone else now, Logan. It’s too late.”
He pressed his strong body against mine and I wept against his chest. Logan bent down and nuzzled my cheek in a single upward sweep—his eyes still obsidian black and vivid shades of honey and sand melted across his skin.
“I’m so sorry.” I sorrowfully touched the ends of his short hair. Logan ignored my gesture.
“My mate,” he growled. Logan collected me in his arms and I listened to the rhythmic pounding of his courageous heart. I hugged him tightly and yet it still wasn’t close enough.
“Jaysus, get a room,” Christian blurted out as he walked down the steps. “We can’t call in cleaners on this one. It has to be reported.” He stared absently at the mess that was Tarek. “I need a pint.”
Logan dropped to his knees and held my legs as he nuzzled my stomach. “Forgive me,” he said in broken words.
“For what?”
“You sacrificed your heart and I was blind to it. I couldn’t see beyond my own pain to recognize yours. I should have known it; I should have scented it.”
By the inflection in his voice, I knew his eyes were now gold.
“Don’t do that, Logan. Don’t make me out to be a martyr. I didn’t sleep with Christian, but I was ready to. I’ve always had a choice and I took the one with the least risk involved. Christian had to charm you or you would have figured it out. Stand up.”
Logan rose to his feet and I felt sterilized by his gaze. He didn’t look at me like I was a woman who had betrayed him. He looked at me with love.
“Unless you have any objections, I’m taking my female home.”
Chapter 28
After we arrived at his condo, Logan lent me his red Flash Gordon T-shirt with the lightning bolt in front while he took a shower and washed himself clean of Tarek’s blood. I harnessed the morning sunlight to heal my wounds, although Logan took the liberty of grazing his tongue across a few scratches. He had put ice on his face and ribs, but said he would heal soon enough.
Gravity (Mageri Series: Book 4) Page 24