by Kim Fox
He grabbed onto Reyes’ thick forearm and pulled, but it was like trying to move a Redwood tree. Then out of nowhere, Reyes let go.
Logan dropped to his knees, gulping and choking in deep breaths of air. He looked up as he wheezed and snorted, inhaling sweet air that couldn’t come in fast enough.
Sloth was clinging onto the Governor’s face, snarling and growling as the fat cat slashed his cheeks in a rage. Logan wasn’t sure if he was pissed because Reyes was invading his home, because he was attacking his owner, or because he woke him up from his nap.
Whatever the reason, Logan was thankful for the save.
He stumbled back out of Reyes’ reach and let his angry lion come.
Chapter Fourteen
Elodie
Elodie grunted in pain as she tried to climb out from the tangle of pool chairs all around her. Reyes had tossed her into them like she was nothing.
She crashed into them hard and then scraped her arm and knees on the cement as she tried to break her fall. Poor Sloth had gotten a rude wake-up when she slammed into him.
His orange face was close to hers, looking at her with a mix of shock and anger. “Help Logan,” she begged. She knew that her mate was in bad shape and Reyes was relentless. He was trying to kill him. “Please, Sloth. Please!”
She knew they were in trouble when their fate rested in the obese paws of this lazy cat, but she was desperate and willing to try anything.
Sloth disappeared and she struggled to push herself up to help her man.
She gasped in horror when she got up and saw Reyes’ strong arm wrapped around Logan’s neck. His eyes were impossibly large and every thick vein was popping out on his blue forehead as he opened his mouth, desperately trying to take in air that couldn’t get through the giant shifter’s strong grip.
He didn’t have much longer before he passed out, or worse…
Elodie struggled to get up, but she was tangled in the broken chairs and she slipped back down.
Then, like a furry superhero, Sloth leapt onto Reyes’ face, attacking the shifter with a ferocity that Elodie didn’t know was in him.
Reyes let go of Logan and thrashed around, trying to get the fat cat off of him as Logan took some much-needed gulps of air.
“Oh, Sloth,” Elodie gasped as Reyes finally got a hand on him. He grabbed the cat and threw him off with an angry grunt, and Elodie could only watch helplessly as the cat cartwheeled through the night sky and disappeared behind Ryder’s cabin.
Hopefully, he’ll land on his paws.
She turned back to the men and felt her spirits rise when she saw Logan’s lion standing proudly. He looked so majestic and powerful as he stood in the turquoise glow of the pool. His impressive mane was flowing all around him, making him look bold and fearless. Elodie was happy that the imposing lion was on her side.
“You want to let our animals battle it out?” Reyes asked with a grin. “Fine. Let’s get wild.”
Elodie couldn’t believe it, but Reyes was actually growing. His muscular back swelled out, tearing his shirt as his black hide ripped through. His nose extended out as two thick horns grew out the side of his forehead. In the time it took her to gasp, a monstrous Cape Buffalo had exploded out of the Governor.
The bull dwarfed Logan’s lion. He was at least five times his size and looked ten times as deadly with his long gray horns that curled up to sharp deadly tips at the end. He lowered his head and let out a loud powerful grunt that Elodie felt resonating deep in her chest.
Logan’s lion was snarling as he reared back with his teeth showing. He still looked a little unsteady on his three legs, but he wasn’t backing down from the hulking threat.
Elodie’s mind raced as she watched in terror. If one of those horns dug into Logan’s body and struck the right place, her mate would be gone and she would be next. It was a new feeling to be more concerned about a man than about herself.
She wanted to grab Logan and flee. She wanted them to hide and escape from the Governor. Let the other shifters deal with him. She didn’t want Logan anywhere near that vicious beast.
But they weren’t going anywhere. The huge bull had Logan’s lion in his sights and he wasn’t backing down.
Elodie’s heart was racing. Cold chills tingled down her back as the bull lowered his head and charged.
The lion leapt out of the way, but the bull knew how to use his horns. The bull jerked his head in the lion’s direction and the cat roared in pain as the thick black horn thrust into his back leg.
“No!” Elodie screamed as tears sprung to her eyes.
The bull violently thrashed his head from side to side until her mate flew off and the sharp bloody horn slid out.
Logan landed hard on the ground and rolled to a stop a few yards away. His lion whimpered as he struggled to stand up on his bloody back leg. He wasn’t ready to back down, snarling once again as he stumbled forward, but with his damaged leg and his missing leg, he wasn’t moving very fast.
The Cape Buffalo sensed his chance, lowered his powerful head and charged once again.
Elodie screamed as she sprang to her feet, desperate to do something, anything.
The lion caught her eye and it seemed to give him the burst that he needed. He rolled out of the way as the bull tried to hit him with his horns. The sharp tips barely grazed the lion’s golden shoulder.
Elodie watched with hope as the lion sprung back to his paws beside the bull. He winced in pain, but fought through it.
Come on, Logan.
The furious bull whipped his giant head around, looking frustrated as hell as the lion lunged onto his back leg.
Yes!
Logan’s lion chomped down on the bull’s thin back leg and pushed all of his weight into it.
The skinny leg buckled and Reyes’ animal hollered in anger and frustration as Logan evened the score.
A leg for a leg.
The lion released the leg and leapt out of the way as the bull tried to turn around, nearly falling as he hobbled on it.
Reyes let out a furious roar as he lowered his head once again, trying to strike the lion.
Elodie’s heart was in her throat as she watched. Logan’s lion was fighting with everything he had.
He leapt to the side once again, just missing the strike of the bull’s horns and then leapt onto the bull’s other back leg, sinking his strong jaws into the skinny leg.
It was all happening so fast. The roaring of both animals, the blood, the limping bull, the thrashing of his horns.
Reyes’ bull began bucking and kicking his back legs out, trying desperately to land a lucky hit. Unfortunately for Logan, he connected.
All of the wind seemed to get knocked out of Logan as the bull’s hoof landed like a cannon into his ribs. He skidded out from under his legs with a whimper.
Elodie wished there was something she could do. She wished that she was like her sister Amélie and could turn into a black panther to help out in the fight, she wished she was strong enough to do anything, she wished she was fast enough to get help. But all she could do was watch with an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach as her mate fought for both of their lives.
The bull looked pissed. He lowered his head and grunted in anger. Logan’s lion winced as he pushed back up to his three paws. He stood up just as the bull lurched forward to charge.
He wobbled on his injured legs and then stumbled backward, roaring in fury as his back legs buckled.
The lion took off, not hesitating for a second, and then leapt into the air with his claws out and his jaws open. He landed on the bull’s thick hide and tried to dig his teeth in while Reyes thrashed around.
They were getting closer and closer to the pool. Elodie gasped when they both tumbled over the edge and fell in. A huge tidal wave of a splash filled the air, wetting everything, including her.
They both disappeared under the turbulent water and Elodie rushed forward trying to see through the choppy waves. She saw ripples of black and gold, and growing
clouds of red, but the waves were raging and it was hard to make out anything.
“Logan!” she screamed as long agonizing seconds passed without either of them emerging from the water. “Logan, get up!”
She was in a panic, staring in anguish as she prayed that her mate was okay.
Reyes was the first to emerge. He burst out of the water in his human form, gasping for air.
“No,” Elodie gasped as she stepped back in horror. The lion was still under. He couldn’t drown. Not when she had finally found him. Not when her life with him had finally started.
Reyes caught his breath and locked eyes on her as he swam to the edge. That cold terrifying stare seized her and locked her in place.
He grabbed onto the side of the pool with his powerful hands and grinned as he pulled himself up.
Elodie stared with bulging eyes as he began to emerge from the water. This is it. This is how I die.
The water suddenly burst up behind him and Logan’s lion leapt into the air with a deadly roar. Reyes’ eyes widened as the lion’s claws landed in his back. He winced as his hands slipped from the edge of the pool as he was pulled back into the water.
The lion snarled as Reyes turned around with terror on his face. Logan had him pinned in place and the lion’s jaws opened to reveal his deadly teeth.
Elodie turned away as the lion lunged forward, biting Reyes’ neck. The sound was horrible as his teeth sunk in and the two shifters were dragged under the water.
After a few seconds, Elodie couldn’t help but look. The pool water was a crimson red, eerily glowing with the pool lights.
She couldn’t breathe as she waited, but then finally, the lion reappeared and swam to the shallow end. He stepped out of the pool and looked at her as Reyes’ dead body floated back up. She was glad he was chest down so she didn’t have to see that dreadful face again.
The soaked lion hobbled out of the pool and began to shake and convulse as he phased. Logan emerged in his human form a few seconds later and Elodie had never been so happy to see someone in her life.
She ran over and threw her arms around him, tackling him to the ground.
“Ummm,” Logan said with a gulp as he looked behind her. “You might want to…”
Elodie quickly turned in the direction that he was looking and saw her mother standing there, staring into the bloody pool with a stunned look on her face.
It was a gruesome scene and Elodie immediately wondered how long she had been standing there. Her mother slowly turned from Reyes to Elodie who was hugging a naked bloody Logan.
I wonder if this is a good time to tell her we’re together.
“It’s okay, Maman,” she said as she got back up to her feet.
Logan quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist.
“I heard a noise,” her mother said, turning back to the ghastly pool.
The three of them turned to another noise, but it wasn’t anything to be worried about. Sloth was returning, looking grumpy and pissed off when he saw his broken pool chair.
“Thanks for your help there, Sloth,” Logan said to the fat cat.
“Yeah,” Elodie said with a laugh. “No more diet for you.”
Sloth snarled at both of them and then waddled away.
Chapter Fifteen
Logan
It was a week later when Grant and the crew returned.
It was a Wednesday afternoon and the band was just finishing up their practice. Jordy was taking his regular hissy fit, whining that Dane wasn’t playing the drums fast enough.
“I’m on beat,” Dane said, shaking his head.
“I can hear it!” Jordy complained. “It’s like needles in my ear.”
Dane narrowed his eyes on him. “How would you like drumsticks in your ear?”
“You guys are so unprofessional!” Jordy said as he stomped his foot on the ground. He turned to Logan looking for support. “Logan? Help me out here!”
Logan just raised his hand and showed his palm. “I’m not getting involved.”
It had already been a long practice, and he didn’t want to make any enemies. The guys had really helped him out after the night with the Governor and he still felt like he owed them all.
Logan called them after the fight and they showed up about half an hour later to help clean up the mess. Jordy was still drunk but he sobered up really fast when he saw the giant body floating in the blood-red pool.
By the time the sun rose the next morning, Reyes’ body was buried high in the mountains, his car was driven back to his office and parked in his usual spot, and the pool had been drained, cleaned, and was being refilled.
The only visible difference on the ranch was the bent-up pool chairs that Logan couldn’t fully straighten no matter how many times he tried. It didn’t seem to bother Sloth in the least, the fat cat was back to his usual spot, sleeping twenty-three hours a day.
The Sheriff’s office would be curious to know what happened to the Governor, but nothing would lead them back to the ranch. Even if something did, Grant was friends with Sheriff Austin and had a pretty good alibi. Everyone was out of the country, and no one would believe that a one-armed lion shifter could take out a giant Cape Buffalo shifter like Reyes all by himself.
“You’re playing too slow,” Jordy repeated, not letting it drop. “We got paid five million dollars and you’re still playing like we’re getting paid five hundred!”
Jordy had been a little stressed since the signing. He wanted to over-deliver to the record company, which Logan understood. They all did.
“How about we try it again?” Elodie said with a sympathetic nod to Dane. “Maybe a little faster this time.”
Dane took a deep breath and agreed.
Logan smiled at Elodie as he stared at her in awe. Not only was she a great negotiator with the record company suits, but she was able to settle any argument between the band with only a few carefully chosen words. She was incredible.
They were about to start their latest song from the top when the black pickup trucks came rolling in.
Logan rushed out through the squeaky screen door of the storefront and could tell immediately that they didn’t find Bryce. His shoulders dropped as he cursed under his breath, walking down the steps to meet them.
Grant was the first one out of the truck. He sighed as he looked at Logan. Disappointment, discouragement, guilt—it all hung in the air without so much as a word.
“Nothing?” Logan’s voice caught as he spoke.
Grant’s mouth was a tight line as he shook his head. “We got there and there was no facility anywhere in sight. We talked to people, we looked…”
His chin started to quiver but the strength came back when Amélie stepped out of the truck and he saw her. She was his rock, like Elodie was his.
Logan wanted to tell her everything that happened. Her sister was his mate and he had to hold his mouth closed before he word-vomited it all over her.
Elodie burst out of the storefront and ran past Logan with a squeal. She lunged onto Amélie, nearly bringing her to the ground as they hugged.
Ryder and Tempest stepped out of the second truck, followed by Mack.
Mack shot Logan a quick glance and then dropped his eyes to the ground. He grabbed his bag out of the back of the truck and walked toward his cabin with his chin dipped low against his chest, looking destroyed.
Logan’s heart broke for the big guy. He couldn’t imagine what he had been going through. Mack and Bryce had been best friends and Mack, through no fault of his own, was the one who caused his death. It must have been killing him.
“Mack,” Logan called out as he ran over to meet him. He caught up to him and Mack couldn’t even look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Mack’s dark green eyes sprung up in shock.
“I’m really sorry, Mack,” Logan repeated in a soft voice. “I shouldn’t have blamed you for my arm. It wasn’t your fault.”
Mack lowered his gaze once again, turning away in sham
e. “You weren’t wrong, Logan.” His voice was cracked, broken. “Everything was my fault. Your arm. Bryce.”
“It wasn’t,” Logan said, shaking his head as he placed his hand on Mack’s big shoulder.
“It was. I should have been stronger. I should have been able to kick that fucking skin shifter out of my head.”
“I’ve never even heard of anyone who could fight a skin shifter like that,” Logan said in disbelief. “That’s how strong you are. If he would have tried that on any of us, we would have caved instantly. You resisted and you probably saved us all because of it. If he would have taken over your lion he might have killed every last one of us.”
Mack didn’t look too comforted. He still looked devastated.
“I was in charge of the little twerp,” he said with his chin quivering. “I was the one who was supposed to keep him safe. Grant put his trust in me, Bryce put his trust in me, and I let them both down. I killed the poor kid.”
His huge shoulders started to shake and he lowered his head as tears filled his eyes. Logan stepped in and hugged him, holding him tight as the big guy sobbed.
“Hey,” Logan whispered in his ear. “We can’t give up hope, okay? He’s still alive. I can feel it. He’s out there and we’re going to find him.”
Mack choked back a sob and raised his head, looking at him with a determined look. “All right,” he said, wiping away his tears. “We’ll find him. And if we don’t, we’ll kill all the bastards who took him from us.”
Logan cupped Mack’s cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb as he locked eyes with him. “We’ll find him.”
Mack nodded. “We’ll find him.”
“Now come,” Logan said as he slid his arm around Mack’s shoulders and pulled him back to the group. “I have some good news for a change.”
Jordy, Dane, and Caleb were on the porch of the storefront joking around with the guys. Jordy was busting Ryder’s balls. Ryder looked pissed.