Chapter Fourteen
Logan
Logan wasn’t the only one worried about Gavin going off on his own. Bryce had argued with Axel until Axel had taken his boy upstairs to talk to him in private. Logan hadn’t left Gavin’s side. He was worried about his friend. Gavin shouldn’t be going out on his own.
They sat side by side in the open field that belonged to their family.
This was not pride land.
This was family land.
The family that Axel had collected and made his own. His hoard. A dragon was protective over his hoard so Logan couldn’t understand why Gavin was going alone.
“It has to be me,” Gavin said, squeezing his fingers.
“Why alone?” Logan whined.
“Because I can get there fast,” Gavin said.
Logan snorted. He wasn’t that dumb. “Bo and Dean can both portal. We could call Rainier and use his portal. Just because you can fly—”
“Do you think that Bryce is going to guess right?” Gavin interrupted.
He huffed. This wasn’t fair.
Gavin nudged him.
“Of course he will,” Logan said. “Bryce is smarter than all of us put together.”
Gavin didn’t respond. He sat next to Logan. In Logan’s experience they could sit there for hours in silence. Logan was too wound up to let Gavin pull his silent bullshit.
“Gav—”
“I need to do this,” Gavin said quietly. “I can’t keep sitting here refusing to get involved in what’s happening.”
“You are involved,” Logan argued. “You’ve always been here for us. In the middle of things.”
Gavin leaned against his shoulder. “Did you know that I was around when we were first targeted by the hunters?”
The hunters? But that would make him…old. Really old.
“Don’t try to do the math. I’m older than everyone else. Including Axel.”
How had Logan not known that?
“My family went into hiding. There were already so few of our kind,” Gavin said. “I was a miracle baby. My parents didn’t think they’d ever be able to conceive.”
“I’ve never heard you talk about your family.”
“Because I don’t. Ever. I told Axel when I first joined him but that’s it. It hurts too much.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Logan assured his friend. “I shouldn’t have pushed you. I’m sorry.”
“Logan, you have nothing to apologize for,” Gavin said. “You are the most caring out of everyone.”
“I love you,” Logan said. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I love you too,” Gavin said.
Logan knew that Gavin did love him but hadn’t ever heard the words.
“You are the brother that my parents would have wanted for me.” He took a deep breath. “They died. Killed by hunters.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I like to believe that they would be proud of me,” Gavin said.
“I know they would be,” Logan told him. “I’m proud of you. I don’t know anything about parents or their love. It’s not like I was ever on the receiving end of any kindness from my own parents.”
“Your parents are monsters,” Gavin stated. “You’ll still go check on them though.”
“I have to,” Logan said. “I have siblings too. Brothers that I left behind.”
“That abandoned you along with your parents. They could have gone after you. I would have. If you hadn’t got caught in that bear trap, I would never have stopped looking for you. I would have brought you home.”
Tears fell from his eyes. “I never should have tried to run. I was scared. Hurting. I thought Dean rejected me.”
“Then you know how I feel. Why I want to do this,” Gavin said.
“Because even though this is your home. That you love us. It hurts to see all of us finding our happiness.”
“Yes.”
One word. Just one simple word but it meant so much. “I understand,” Logan admitted. “But you will be careful. And you will come back.”
“I was never any good at running,” Gavin said. “And I want this to end. The hunters are gone. Now it’s just the coven that worked with them. The coven that stole mates and happiness from all of us.”
“Okay.” Logan turned to bury his face in Gavin’s neck. The familiar scent of rain and electricity tickling Logan’s nose.
“I’ll come back,” Gavin promised. “But I am going to track down the coven leaders and make sure that my family, the people that I love, are safe.”
“You don’t have to do it alone,’ Logan reminded him.
“I'm not alone. I have a masked biker hacker in my corner.”
“Stryker?” Logan snorted. “You called him a thief!”
“He is one,” Gavin said with a laugh. “He is also brilliant. The information that he’d gotten… That kid could be doing so much more in the world.”
“You mean other than hacking into people’s bank accounts to buy a new gaming station?”
“Yes, that.”
“Do you trust him?”
“I do,” Gavin replied. “And so do Dean and Noah.”
“And I trust you.”
“The others are coming.” Gavin climbed to his feet before pulling Logan up. Gavin hugged Logan. “You remember when you are faced with the people that birthed you that you are loved. You are smart and brave.”
“Thanks, Gav.”
With one last kiss to Logan’s forehead, Gavin let him go as the rest of the family joined them. Even the members that lived in the hell and fae realms.
“I hardly think that I need everyone here to see me off. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Oh, we’re not here for you,” Nate said, with a laugh. “We’re here to see Bryce make his last guess.”
Bryce bounced behind him.
Logan walked over to his mate who opened his arms. He cuddled into Dean allowing the voices of his family to soothe his nerves. He wasn’t worried about only Gavin. As soon as Gavin was off, they would portal to his former pride lands. Or what Logan thought would be his old home. He could be totally wrong. They were headed to a different pride all together.
“Okay.” Gavin clapped his hands. “Bryce. One last guess. Give it to me.”
Bryce pulled out his little notebook from his pocket. The cover and pages were crumpled and messy. That notebook had been through a lot.
“You can do it,” Logan called. Bryce was the best alpha mate they could have gotten. He loved Axel with all his heart. Cared for them like a father. He’d sat up with Nate when the nightmares came. Welcomed strangers into their home as mates were found. He brought Logan lemonade when he woke up from a long nap under his tree.
Gavin was right. He had the family that he had needed. He was loved. Even before he’d found his mate, Logan had been cherished.
“I’m ninety-three percent sure,” Bryce said, brows furrowed, as he checked his notebook.
Gavin grinned. “Trust your gut.”
“My gut?” Bryce placed his palm on his stomach.
“Yes.” Gavin gripped Bryce’s shoulders. “You know us better than anyone else. You know the truth.”
“My guess is wrong,” Bryce stated firmly.
Gavin lifted a brow. “Is it?”
Logan knew that Bryce was going to be right.
Bryce nodded. “All signs, all my notes, made me want to guess that you're a phoenix.”
Gavin rocked back on his heels. “But?”
“That’s not it,” Bryce said.
Logan grabbed Noah’s hand where the familiar stood next to him.
“I think…” Bryce swallowed. “Thunderbird.”
Gavin threw his head back and laughed.
Logan clapped as the rest of the guys cheered.
“Yes!” Bryce pumped his fist.
Stepping away from them, Gavin pulled his shirt over his head. The black tattoos went from wrist to wrist and covered his entire torso.
“What’s he doing?” Noah whispered.
“He has to undress to shift,” Logan told him.
“Oh! He’s going to shift?” Noah danced. “That is so cool. I’ve never seen a photo of a thunderbird.”
“He’s amazing.” Logan had only seen Gavin in his shifted form a handful of times over the years.”
Above them lightning flashed across the sky.
Dark clouds moved in.
“The clouds will cover my form as I fly,” Gavin told them while pushing his jeans down. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Be careful,” Logan called.
Gavin winked at him before he took off running. Faster and faster until he jumped up into the air.
Thunder rocked the ground as huge black wings burst from Gavin’s back.
He circled over them three times as Bryce squealed in delight.
This had been worth it. Seeing his family celebrate an achievement. Logan knew that he could face his old pride. His family had his back.
“Are you ready for this?” Dean turned Logan toward him.
“I’m ready,” Logan said bravely.
* * * * *
Dean
Logan was gripping his hand so hard that Dean had lost all feeling in his fingers. The boy was scared and trying to hide it. Peering across the baren land in front of him, Dean was not impressed with what he saw.
“This is home,” Logan whispered. “It looks different though. Bad.”
“Magic,” Dean supplied. “Blood magic has killed nearly everything living. I can feel lion shifters in the area, but the water is polluted, the ground dried up and seeds dying, and the ley lines are pulsing in pain. This isn’t good.”
“Where’s the town?” Axel asked.
Logan pointed down the hill. “To the right. The houses are scattered around but all in the same area.”
Dean exchanged a worried glance with the alpha. The alpha would be feeling the same darkness of the area that he did.
Noah grabbed Logan’s other hand.
With the three of them connected, Dean sent his magic out on a seeking mission.
“Gage, you stay close by me,” Lucifer ordered his mate.
“I don’t like it here,” Gage said quietly.
“I'm glad you asked us to come along,” Mal stated. He had Adam situated under his arm.
“It wasn’t like this when I left,” Logan said, confused.
Dean’s magic pulsed with the hurt, regret, and fear his mate was feeling.
“This hill used to be so green,” Logan said. “That tree over there is where I used to nap.”
“We knew the coven was draining the resources of shifter towns.”
“Mine wasn’t this bad,” Gage said.
“You had humans that lived in town,” Dean said. “The coven couldn’t steal from them. This place only had shifters. The coven could drain them dry and leave them much worse off.”
“I need to check on my parents,” Logan said.
“I want to find the pride leader,” Axel told them.
“Me too,” Lucifer agreed. “He should have sent out a call for help.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Logan said. “Outside help would never be accepted. The pride took care of themselves.”
“Let’s go, baby.” Dean tugged on Logan’s hand. “Your relatives are this way.”
It wasn’t an easy trek down the hill. It might have been lush and green at one time, but the dead grass crunched under their feet, breaking up the eerie silence of the town.
“There should be noise,” Logan commented softly. “Kids playing. The sound of people talking and laughing. It was never this quiet.”
This was not going to be good. Dean wished he could send his mate back home, but Logan wouldn’t leave until he knew what happened to his family.
The rest of the guys spread out. Lucifer and Mal on either side of them. The boys in the middle. Dean in the front with Logan and Axel bringing up the rear.
They were all being cautious and with good reason.
The darkness that saturated the place made Dean ill.
Where was everyone?
“We turn here.” Logan pointed ahead.
“Everyone stays close,” Axel ordered.
“If anyone attacks, make sure you boys get down,” Lucifer ordered. “Mal and I will handle it.”
“Got it,” Dean agreed.
They passed an old, abandoned store that had boarded-up windows and was half missing a door.
“I used to get candy there,” Logan said, sending a sad look toward the building.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“I didn’t want this,” Logan told him. “I used to wonder what it would be like if I ever came back. I was scared so I don’t think I would have, but I imagined my mama and father welcoming me back. My brothers tackling and hugging me.”
“We’ll find them,” Dean promised.
“I thought they would be happy without me,” Logan commented.
Dean wanted to kill Logan’s parents, not help them. Instead, his honor was going to force him to help these assholes.
“Back here.” Logan cut through a fence.
They all came to a stop, looking down at rundown houses. Dead grass in the yards. No one around.
“Which house?” Axel asked.
“The yellow one. Four down on the left.”
His boy sounded pained.
Dean held up his hand, halting the others. Turning, he motioned Noah closer as Dean pulled Logan into his arms. Noah holding Logan’s hand.
“We’re with you,” Noah said.
“I can send you home. You don’t have to do this,” Dean told him.
“I’m a brave boy,” Logan whispered.
“The bravest,” Noah agreed.
“It doesn’t matter what they did to me. They didn’t deserve this,” Logan commented.
“We’re being watched,” Lucifer said suddenly.
Dean turned to step in front of his mate.
His magic throbbed. A warning.
“Get down, boys,” Axel ordered.
They crouched. Dean kept Logan and Noah behind him. Doors started to open as residents left their homes.
“Four men and two women are headed to us,” Axel said.
“Three other women are taking the kids around that blue house,” Lucifer supplied.
“To the community center,” Logan whispered. “That’s the biggest building where we would go if there were ever any issues.”
“Do you recognize anyone coming?” Axel asked softly.
Dean felt Logan’s hands on his back as Logan peered around him. Logan gasped.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Axel said.
Logan stood.
Damn it! Dean rose, forcing Logan behind him again.
“Dean!” Logan whispered.
Lucifer stepped to the very front. He stood with his feet braced apart, looking like the badass demon from hell he was.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” a woman demanded. “We don’t have anything! Go away.”
“We mean you no harm!” Lucifer boomed out. “We’re here to help.”
“Help?” a man yelled. “We don’t need help! Leave.”
They needed help.
“Where is the pride leader?” Lucifer demanded.
When there was no answer, Dean knew why. There was no pride leader. Not anymore.
“Go!” the woman shouted again. “We don’t have anything more to give.”
“We want to help you.” Axel stepped up beside Lucifer.
“You heard us! We don’t want your help! Just leave us alone.”
Logan sighed before he stepped around Dean before walking to where Lucifer and Axel stood. Dean and Noah scrambled to follow.
“They’re telling the truth, Mama. We just want to help,” Logan called out.
The woman cried out before her hands went to her mouth.
“Logan?” The young, thin, dirty man took several steps forward.
“Hi, Josiah.” Logan gave a little wave.
“What are you doing here?” Josiah asked. This time friendly, confused, hopeful.
“We’ve been tracking an evil coven. They’re really bad guys. We tracked their movements through here,” Logan explained. “We’ve seen what they’ve done to other towns.”
The young man strode forward. No one else moved. They stared at Logan like they’d seen a ghost.
“Six weeks,” Josiah said. “They were here for six weeks. They drained every resource we had. Took the lives of our strongest lions for their blood.” Josiah stopped about twelve feet away. “We’re dying here.”
Logan shook his head. “What—”
“You can’t trust them! I can smell the magic on them!” Logan’s mother yelled. She had tears streaking down her face.
“You don’t have much of a choice, Mama.” Logan held his head up high. “No one else is coming to help. No one else even knows about you.”
“Evil spawn!” she screamed at Logan. “This is your doing!”
Logan winced. Stumbled back.
Dean wrapped his arms around Logan’s waist, holding him upright.
Josiah whirled. “Stop, Mother!”
“But—”
“Enough!” Josiah shouted. “This isn’t Logan’s fault. You sent him away when he was still a child. This is the fault of the pride. Of all you elders. You let the coven in. You all did this to us and my children are suffering!”
“Mine too!” someone else yelled out. “I want to hear what they have to say!”
Josiah turned back to them. “I’m sorry about her. She hadn’t been right since father was killed.”
“He…he’s dead?” Logan’s heartbreak was evident.
“One of the first killed by the coven, right after the pride leader,” Joshiah said. “I’m sorry.”
Dean waved Josiah forward.
Josiah hesitated but rolled his shoulders back before he stalked forward with determination. Dean could see the resemblance between the brothers, but Logan was much healthier. Joshiah hadn’t been eating. Was worn down. Scared. Desperate.
“You look good, little brother,” Josiah said with a smile.
The smile did it for Dean. This was family. That was all that mattered.
Logan nodded. “I’d like for you to meet my family.” He motioned to Dean. “And my mate.”
“Mate?” Josiah’s eyebrow rose.
“True mate,” Dean confirmed.
“That…unbelievable.” Josiah motioned behind him. “I’d love to hear the story. But can you really help us?”
Logan nodded. “Dean is a powerful mage. He’s the one that’s tracking the coven down. Noah, our familiar.” He waved his hand to the other side. “Lucifer. The Lucifer. King of hell.”
Josiah audibly swallowed.
“And his true mate, Gage. Mal, demon from hell, and his true mate, Adam. Axel, my alpha.”
“Alpha?” Josiah repeated.
“I have a new family,” Logan told him. There was pride in those words.
“I see that. You still came back here. For us? Even though Father and Mother kicked you out of the pride?”
“I had to come,” Logan said.
“Thank you.” Josiah held out his hand. “Brother.”
Logan cried out before he launched himself at his brother. Josiah stumbled but laughed.
“Jo! No!”
Dean faced the woman that had turned her son away. “I know you heard everything that was said. That I’m Logan’s true mate.”
“True mates are a lie! A myth!” she claimed.
“You would say that in front of me?” Lucifer demanded. “With my true mate standing by my side.”
She didn’t look so sure.
Dean looked past her. Fifteen other people were standing there with hope in their eyes. The magic pulsed, wanting to help them.
“We can help you,” Dean offered. “All of you. Take you someplace safe.”
“Leave our home?” a skinny, dirty, young man asked. He couldn’t have been much older than Logan.
“It will take time to clear the blood magic out of here. You might be able to return someday but nothing is alive. The water is poisoned. No grain will grow here.”
“But where will we go?” an older woman, Logan’s mothers age, questioned.
“We’ll figure out a place for all of you. Anyone who wants help,” Lucifer said. “First, is there a place we can all go where I can feed everyone?”
“The community center. The children were taken there. They’re hungry. Can you really feed us all?” Josiah asked.
“I can and I will,” Lucifer stated.
Josiah turned back to Logan. “Would you like to meet your nieces?”
“Can I?” Logan’s face lit up.
“I have three daughters,” Josiah told him. “They’d love to meet you. And I’d love to hear more about your family. And your mate.”
“Lead the way.” Logan reached back to cling to Dean’s fingers.
In the background, Logan’s mother was still warning every person around her that this was a mistake. That the devil was in her youngest son. Brave statement with the actual devil standing right there glaring at her.
She was not going to make this easy.