Chapter Four
Logan
The Lucifer. Like the king of hell or whatever. And he had two mates. Logan tried not to stare at Lucifer as Lucifer stood talking to Axel and some of the others. He just couldn’t believe that one of the most powerful beings in existence was there. At their home. Sort of part of their family? Maybe. Logan hadn’t worked that out yet.
They were hanging out in the backyard, with the littles in the family having a time of their lives.
Lucifer had provided them with heavy snowfall. But this wasn’t normal snow. It wasn’t freezing. And the snow was fluffy. Logan sort of wanted to shift and roll around in it.
He eyed the quiet mate to Lucifer. He smelt like a feline. A scent that Logan had picked up a few times around Dean’s bakery. Logan didn’t know what type of feline he was and was pretty sure he shouldn’t ask. Should he?
The other guy was just watching the boys play.
Logan took a few steps closer.
Maybe he should leave the boy alone? Logan wanted to talk to him though. Dang, he didn’t know what to do. No, he needed to stop this. His lack of confidence was probably what drove Dean away.
Logan missed the baker. Hated walking by the dark windows of the bakery every morning. He’d gone as far as taking side roads instead of Main Street just so he didn’t have to see the sad building that had been abandoned.
His family sometimes mentioned Dean, but Logan didn’t listen to their conversations. It hurt too much. Instead, he needed to get on with his life. Make new friends. Enjoy being with his family. Pray and hope that his mate was out there somewhere looking for him.
Determination thrummed through him. With a nudge from his lion side, Logan approached the young man that he wanted to be friends with. Gage. That was this guy’s name. Logan was glad that he remembered.
“Hey.”
Gage turned and smiled. He had a nice smile. Friendly. Logan liked that. “Logan, right?”
He remembered Logan’s name! That must mean that their friendship was meant to be. “Yeah.” He shifted from foot to foot. No, he was a brave boy. He could just ask. “Can I… Are you a feline? I can smell it, but the species isn’t one I recognize.”
Gage snorted. “Oh, just your average housecat.”
Logan perked up. “Really?” He gave a little shimmy. Dean’s assistant had been a housecat. That was awesome. He wished he’d known before. Maybe they could have been friends. Except he was gone now too. “I’ve smelt your species before but couldn’t ask. That is awesome! Do you want to shift? Bryce says the snow isn’t cold. We can take a nap under my tree!”
Sometimes his mouth ran away, and he didn’t think things through. That was probably a weird statement. Would Gage think he was weird?
“Logan loves to take naps. He’s not hitting on you,” Gavin said, joining them while swinging his arm over Logan’s shoulder.
Oh God no! He would never hit on a mate. Especially not one of the mates of Lucifer! He whimpered. Logan didn’t want to end up in hell! They surely didn’t have trees like his there. “I wasn’t! I swear! Gav—”
“It’s okay,” Gavin said. He stroked the back of Logan’s neck, calming him.
Gage didn’t seem upset.
Okay, deep breath. Everything would be okay. Axel wouldn’t let Lucifer just send him to hell for misspeaking. Logan hoped. Gavin was there to help.
“Logan loves to shift if you do want to. He’ll probably end up falling asleep though. He really does love his naps.”
That was so true! Naps were the best! Maybe Gage already knew that though. “The sun is shining even with the snow that Mister Lucifer provided,” Logan said. “I never napped in snow before. Too cold.” He wanted too though. The snow appeared as soft as his favorite jammies!
“Maybe you can shift and run around a little first? I’ll ask Trevor to go with you.” Gavin strolled off as he called for Trevor.
“Yes,” Logan hissed. “The felines.” He turned to Gage. “What do you say? We’re practically brothers after all.” Feline brothers. That’s what they were. Logan was collecting so many brothers that he would never have a chance to miss the blood relations that had kicked him out.
Gage seemed interested.
“I’d ask Nate—he’s a bobcat shifter,” Logan said. “But he’s playing with Bryce. Or trying to bury Bryce. I’m not sure.” He tilted his head as he peered across the yard. What were the boys doing? That didn’t look safe. Or that fun. Shifting and napping was way more fun.
Gage tapped Logan’s shoulder.
“Oh! Hey!” Logan said sheepishly. He’d forgotten what he was doing. “Sorry.”
“No problem. I would like to shift if you still want to,” Gage told him.
“Really?” Yes! This was going to be great! “Trevor—”
“Right behind you, boy.” Trevor bumped into Logan’s back. “I’ll shift and keep an eye on the two of you.”
Logan frowned. “We aren’t going far.” He might not be the best fighter, but he would never let anything happen to Lucifer’s mate. Logan could protect the other boy!
“Better safe than sorry.”
“I can take care of myself,” Logan argued. He wasn’t worthless. Even if he was scatterbrained and not really that smart.
Trevor nodded. “I know. No one is saying you can’t. Remember no one is supposed to go into the woods alone. Gage doesn’t know the area. It’s better if I go with you.”
Logan huffed. Trevor wasn’t wrong. “But we can shift?” He wanted to clarify. Now that he had the idea, Logan needed to shift. His lion wanted to play too.
“Yes, let’s go!” Trevor said.
Logan whooped and high-fived Gage.
They tromped across the yard until they reached their usual spot. They stopped under a canopy of trees where a metal box sat butted up to a wide trunk.
“We can put our clothes in here,” Logan told Gage. His lion really wanted out. Logan was already pulling his shirt over his head.
Gage didn’t waste any time, which Logan appreciated. He must be super excited to shift too. They stashed their clothes in the trunk before Logan dropped to prepare to shift.
He was the best at shifting and that made Logan proud. Logan credited his connection to his lion side. Trevor was fast too. Although Gage took a little longer than them. It might be a housecat thing or something. Logan didn’t judge. That wasn’t his place.
Right away Logan knew that Gage would fit in with him. Especially when Gage pounced on Trevor’s tail, making Trevor yowl.
Trevor tried to pull his tail away, but Gage went after it again.
That had Logan chuffing.
Gage looked over at him with mischief in his eyes before looking over to Trevor. The massive panther eyed Gage. Maybe his new friend needed help. Logan sauntered over and with a giant paw, smacked Trevor’s tail down. He was a good friend like that. And he knew that Trevor would play-fight with them. The big panther didn’t really mind. He was a good friend too.
Gage backed up, gave a little butt wiggle, then pounced.
Trevor tried to headbutt Logan’s chest, but he was too gentle and Logan was too solid. He didn’t even move.
Gage snagged the tail and gave it a tiny, the smallest, nip before he took off at a run. The chase was on! Logan scrambled after the shiny black cat. He knew that he probably had the biggest, dopiest smile on his face.
This was fun!
The snow that Lucifer created hadn’t made it to the forest, but the ground was damp, still moist and soft as he ran. Gage soared over a fallen log as Trevor raced past him. Trevor needed to be in the front to make sure they didn’t leave their territory but that didn’t mean that Logan wanted to be left behind.
He picked up the pace. Straightening out his legs and using his full body to run. Logan had just passed Gage when he felt something land on his back. No, not something. Gage. Gage had jumped on his back then climbed up to his neck.
The cat did have much shorter legs than him and Trevor. And Logan didn’t mind having a passenger. In fact, now he could run full-out. Logan wouldn’t lose Trevor. The panther could keep up with him and maybe he could show Gage what it felt like to fly.
Trevor glanced back over his shoulder, most likely to make sure they were still with him, before he detoured to the east.
Logan knew the path that Trevor would take. And he might have been keeping a little secret. He slowed down a bit before darting to the left. If he timed it right, he would be cutting Trevor off.
He hoped that Gage had a good hold of him, because they were about to get Travor.
He zig-zagged through the trees until he clearly heard Trevor up ahead. One little shortcut and Logan leapt. Dropping down in front of Trevor, he caught the surprised yowl.
Trevor even bumped against Logan’s big furry butt as he tripped over his own feet in surprise.
Gage did what could only be a feline cheer before he leapt off Logan.
Logan quickly looked over his shoulder, making sure that Gage had landed safely on Trevor’s shoulder.
Both black cats, one small, one huge, stared at him with glowing eyes.
Uh-oh. Logan turned to quickly take off again. This time with Trevor nipping at his heels while Gage added his own mers and meows as if he was encouraging Trevor.
* * * * *
Dean
He’d been watching the three witches for nearly twenty-four hours. Dean knew he wasn’t wrong about the black magic this trio was using.
This would be the seventh small group of coven members that Dean had found and stripped of magic since he’d started his mission. Each time he removed one threat, the Intel he gathered led him to another than another. At this point Dean couldn’t even be surprised how many people seemed to be involved in some really bad stuff.
Currently he was waiting for Noah to get back from his recon so they could figure out how to handle the trio. Having a familiar turned out to be something of an advantage. The coven seemed to be terrified of Noah. Dean only had his old mentor’s information when it came to familiars and knew how to use the coven’s superstition to his advantage. After completing his task, he and Noah went through everything the coven members had. Books, journals, anything that might lead Dean to his next assignment. What he didn’t need, Dean would take to Axel to see if it could help them.
Just thinking about the alpha made Dean’s heart ache.
Dean missed Logan.
Even though they’d never bonded, some part of Dean’s magic had formed a connection. Each day that went by without that glimpse of his boy had Dean feeling unbalanced. Even his magic seemed to be affected.
For the first time in his life, Dean didn’t have complete control of his magic. Even his mentor had been impressed with how easily Dean cast his magic. At the last coven hideout, Dean had nearly burned the place down when his magic had provided a fire that had been too hot. Luckily, Noah had been there to calm him, and Dean had managed to get the fire out before they lost what Intel they could get.
Noah slunk out of the shadows, returning to him.
Dean moved back behind one of the tall trees as Noah shifted.
“We have a problem,” Noah told him.
“Another one?” Dean asked. Why couldn’t anything be simple? Being on the road for months was taking a toll. Dean missed his home, the bakery, Logan.
Noah shrugged. “Unless you have control over your magic again?”
Dean growled.
“They have a human tied up in the cellar. Can’t burn the place down before we rescue him, right?”
“A human?” This was an added problem. Dean would never hurt an innocent person. But why were they holding someone?
“Yep!”
They had been attacking using a simple method. Dean threw a fireball. The house caught fire. The coven members would run outside. Dean stopped them in place to strip the magic out of them. Leaving them confused but otherwise unhurt. He then suppressed the fire. And he and Noah ransacked the house, gathering as much information as possible.
It was actually very simple.
The hard part was the days leading up to Dean making his move.
The wait. Watching as the coven used magic that they should have no access to. It made Dean sick to see them throwing spells for simple things like heating a pot instead of doing things by hand. The coven had grown lazy.
“I need to get him out. I’ll grab him and bring him to you,” Dean decided.
Noah frowned. “He could have been put down there as a trap. Word must have gotten out by now that your old coven members are disappearing.”
His familiar had a point. They been at this long enough that some of the higher coven members had gone into hiding. Even Dean couldn’t find them. “I still have to get him out. Trap or not.”
“Then I’m going with you,” Noah demanded.
“I need you out here,” Dean replied. “You know that. Once I breach the ward, they might know. Try to escape.”
“I hate this!” Noah growled. “This is getting more dangerous, not less.”
“I know.” Dean didn’t know what else to do. He was one man, one mage, and this entire thing had spiraled into so much more than he’d imagined. He’d expected more of the coven to be together, not split up like they were.
“We need help.”
Dean didn't want to have this argument again. Not now. “Noah.”
“A fucking dragon alpha! Vampire, shifters of all varieties, demons, and I don’t even know what else because you won’t let me get close to them. They’re just as powerful as we are. They also have a stake in this. They’re the ones that started us on this path, but they never meant for you to do it alone, Dean!”
“I’m not alone,” he argued.
“I’m a fucking familiar! I’m not meant to be in the middle of a war!”
Dean sighed. He really had been pushing his familiar. Leaning against the tree, Dean shoved the hood of his cape off his head before opening his arms. Noah didn’t waste any time leaning into him. Dean cuddled his familiar and best friend to his chest. Noah’s arms came around his waist as he squeezed tight.
“I’m sorry,” Dean whispered.
“I want to go home,” Noah said softly.
He did too. “Soon.”
Noah leaned back to peer up at him. “How soon?”
What? He wanted a date? “We—”
“No.” Noah cut him off. “When?”
“A couple more months, maybe?” Dean offered. That should be enough time to track the rest of the coven down or Dean was really in trouble.
“One month,” Noah countered.
Fuck! “Six weeks,” Dean said.
“Six weeks. Not a day longer.”
He now how six weeks to get this wrapped up. Better get started. “Fine.”
Noah stepped back. “So how are we going to handle this?”
“I’ll get the human. Bring him to you. Then set the fire,” Dean replied.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Noah told him.
Dean always listened to Noah’s instincts, but he didn’t know what else to do. He couldn’t leave the human in that house. And the witches were using dark magic. They would put up a fight. Dean needed to catch them unaware. “I’ll be careful. Just…don’t let them get away.”
“I’ll do my best,” Noah vowed.
“I know you will.” Dean pulled his hood back over his head. So far no one had gotten a good look at him before meeting their demise. Just in case someone did get away, Dean wanted to make sure that no one could trace anything back to him that might lead to Logan.
Everything he did was to protect his mate.
Noah huffed. “Let me help you!” He started to snap the buckles in place as Dean pulled up his gloves. Not only did the gloves keep him from leaving fingerprints but the spikes had magical energy as well.
His magic pulsed inside him as he prepared for another battle.
Calm. Powerful.
Dean pulled at the magic from his core before transporting himself into the cellar that hopefully wasn’t where he meant his end. He had a mate to protect. Logan would be vulnerable if anything happened to him. He winked at Noah before vanishing and reappearing inside the cold and damp cellar.
The human jolted as Dean magically materialized. He was smaller than Dean expected. Skinny. Dressed in all black with a mask hanging around his neck. Dean eyed him warily.
“Fuck!” the human spat. “Not another one. Fucking witches! Let me go!”
Huh, Dean could appreciate the human’s sentiment. He placed his finger over his mouth in the universal sign to be quiet.
The human’s eyes grew before he nodded. He pushed himself up off the floor using the wall to get momentum.
Casting his magic around, Dean knew they were screwed. The invisible barrier around the human wasn’t just to keep him in place. If Dean tried to grab the human, then the witches somewhere in the house would be alerted.
“I can’t get out,” the human said, waving his bound hands.
“Barrier,” Dean supplied. Noah had been correct. They were fucked. Dean had to get to the human, but it would give them away.
“But can you break it?” the human asked.
“I can,” Dean replied. “Not without alerting them.”
“So,” the human said. “Can’t you just pop us away from here? Like how you got in?”
He could but then the witches would be harder to get to the next time. Dean was going to have to move fast, and this would be dirty.
“When I grab you, I’ll transport us outside. I’ll need you to stay with my friend. Keep your head down. No matter what you hear or see. Understand?”
“Dude, if you get me out of here, I’ll do whatever you say.”
That was going to have to be good enough.
“What’s your name?” Dean asked. He couldn’t keep thinking of him as the human. That was just rude.
“Stryker.”
Dean nodded. “Okay, Stryker. You might get sick when I transport us. Try not to throw up on me, please.”
Stryker snorted. “Sure, man. Whatever.”
Dean gently pushed his magic at the barrier, testing the strength. The oily residue of black magic made Dean shudder. Strong. Angry. The witches put up this barrier daring someone to try and break it.
Well, challenge accepted.
“Pull your mask up,” Dean ordered. He’d find out why the human had a mask to begin with later.
Stryker pulled the black mask up. The face painted white almost like a skeleton. Pretty cool actually.
“Ready? Dean asked.
“Ready.”
Dean used magic from his core and threw it at the barrier. Immediately the black magic burst out. He turned to hide his face before he grabbed the human and transported them out of the basement.