Chapter 11
Logan’s hand rested at the small of my back as we walked, his thumb stroking in an intimate way.
I guessed now that his role as Alpha was over, he could be more himself around me.
My Virtue.
My mate.
Except, I wasn’t sure what to do with the Uni-Hare in my arms, as Logan had called it. It peered up at me, wide, dark eyes rapt on my face.
When I looked up again, the forest seemed to be getting denser, not less. “Are we not going back to your office?” I asked, my voice falling. I had hoped to get him alone.
“No,” he said, not offering more information than that. “You’ll see.” He glanced down at the bunny who now curled into my chest, sharp horn safely pointed away from me, as it closed its eyes. It seemed perfectly content for me to carry it around.
Logan chuckled. “Those little guys don’t usually bond to the students,” he said, his gaze flashing to me. “Although, you’re not exactly a regular supernatural. Perhaps it senses something familiar in you that it likes.”
“Bond?” I asked, concerned. I had enough bonds to deal with.
He chuckled again. “It’s not like that. Creatures from his realm are more like familiars you’d see with witches. They bond to their masters and vow to protect them.” He tilted his head. “Perhaps you should think of a name for him.”
I hummed in agreement. “I’ll think on it.” I didn’t exactly have time for a pet right now, although I looked forward to Olivia and Yuri’s reaction when I brought him home.
It nuzzled against me, adorable as it yawned. I scratched its furry head around its horn and it leaned into me, seeming to like it. “Why did you have the shifters chase such a cute little thing like this? He was helpless.”
“Helpless?” Logan asked, eyebrow raising. He indicated the black smudge on the tip of its horn. “I suspect you encountered a Demonspawn and it helped you, did it not?”
Neither of those things seemed to surprise him.
I tilted my head in agreement. “I suppose.” If it hadn’t been for the Uni-Hare, I could have been thrown at Lucifer’s feet right about now.
Logan smiled and wrapped his arm around my waist, bringing me closer.
The uni-hare jolted, opened its small mouth and hissed.
Tiny fangs on display, it glared at Logan.
Logan smiled and put some space between us. “I think he wants to say something to you,” he said, and the bunny relaxed into my grip.
The Uni-Hare’s eyes came back to me and our gazes locked. An alien sort of awareness brushed against my mind, causing me to gasp. Logan must have sensed it, too, because he went still in that preternatural way he had before saying, “It’s as I thought. He’s reaching out to you, Lily.”
“Um, hello,” I murmured, not sure what else to say. I scratched at the space behind one floppy ear. Most animals like their ears scratched, didn’t they?
The Uni-Hare’s eyes closed in bliss and that awareness it shared with me became a brush of warmth and pure, innocent joy.
It filled my heart with an emotion that almost overwhelmed me. Logan slid his arm around my waist and nuzzled me, and the uni-hare permitted it this time.
“He’s yours. You’ll have a friend in this little one for as long as you live.”
Wow, that’s quite the commitment.
Dipping my head, I rubbed my cheek against the uni-hare’s soft fur, deciding I didn’t mind. “I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”
“That’s why he’s yours,” he said, his voice soft and gentle. “Shifters value loyalty.”
I sensed a dual meaning in Logan’s words.
When I met his glittering gaze, I knew that he, too, would always be mine.
My heart ached with an onslaught of love as our Virtue connection mended.
I rested a hand against his cheek. “You’ve always been my wolf, Logan,” I said, then kissed him. “And so you’ll always be.”
He turned toward my touch, kissing my palm, then reached up and caught my wrist.
“Come on,” he said, grinning. “As much as I’d love to wander the forest with you and your new friend, I doubt we’ll have an endless amount of time alone.”
As we resumed our trek, I said, “You never did tell me where we were going. If we’re not going to your office, then where are we going?”
He shot me a playful grin. “I suppose, you could say we’re going to my second office.”
“And your second office is…?”
“My Den,” he said, straightening. “It’s where I sleep. Here, under the moonlight where I can feel at home.”
And away from the torment of Hell, I thought.
The thundering roar of a waterfall caught my attention just before we broke through the heaviest of the forest growth. The water came down a sheer rock face that jutted up into what seemed like an eternal night sky.
Tipping my head back, I stared in amazement. “I can see why you’d pick this spot. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.” The pleasure in his voice was obvious.
Spray from the waterfall misted my hair. The uni-hare lifted his little head to it, eyes half-closed.
“I think he likes it,” I said, raising my voice over the roar of the waterfall.
Logan nodded. “Be careful where you step. And tuck your wings in.”
He had to keep reminding me.
I figured out why a split second later as he led me onto a narrow stone lip that went directly behind the waterfall.
The noise of the water threatened to drown my senses. The uni-hare’s nose shoved into my arm, protecting the worst of his face from the heavy spray of water. He managed to nick his sharp horn on my shoulder in the process, making me wince. “Careful, buddy,” I complained, readjusting him.
Enough ambient light filtered through the water that I could see a door. Logan opened it and ushered me inside before closing it behind us.
“My Den,” he said quietly.
It was a cave, although that seemed almost too simple a word for the space around me. This was a home, really, part natural rock formation and part updated, modern living space, complete with an office and a kitchen.
The office area rested near the front, the space flowing into a kitchen that became more rustic, giving way to a sleeping area with exposed stone walls.
I wandered deeper inside. A massive bed took up the space, neatly made. It had a look that made me think it was rarely used. Just inside the entryway I spotted a heavy mat on the floor that looked like a dog bed—a well-used one.
“What’s down there?” I asked, nodding to the darkness that lay beyond the pool of lights.
“Caves, some explored, others, not so much.”
“Will he wander off?” I asked warily while the uni-hare started wiggling in my arms.
Logan eyed the uni-hare with a considering look. “You’d be a better judge than me, but… I doubt it. He’s already bonded to you. Still, I’ll close off the caves so he’s not tempted to explore.”
He pulled at a latch on the wall and the stone trembled, shutting off the opening with a wall of rock.
“There.” He smiled at the uni-hare. “You can put him down.”
I put the uni-hare down, marveling at the idea that I’d somehow picked up a familiar.
The uni-hare hopped around, his little nose wiggling as he investigated the new space.
“I’m surprised he’s not freaking out,” I said, following Logan into the kitchen. “He was just being chased by wolves and panthers and now he’s in an Alpha’s lair.”
“I’m bonded to you,” he pointed out. Logan gave me a sidelong look as he started opening cabinets. “He knows I’m not going to hurt something that has bonded to you. You wouldn’t like it.”
Ironically, that statement seemed to apply to the other creatures I had bonded with.
Namely Hendrik or Dante, which I’m sure Logan would love to hurt right about now.
Glancing at the little guy who hopped over to sniff at my feet, I considered Logan’s words. “Is that right, buddy?”
To my surprise, the uni-hare lifted his head up and down.
“Did he just nod?” I asked warily.
Logan grinned. “Uni-hares come from the enchanted forest, a new realm that’s begun to merge with ours. A lot of the unicorn shifters take them as pets. I’m not sure if you’ve ever met a witch’s familiar but these little guys? They’re just as smart.”
“Wait up,” I said, throwing up my hands. “Did you just say unicorn shifters?” Because, that would be fucking cool.
He shrugged. “That’s the rumor,” he said. “We planted magical orbs that have trapped the lower level creatures around the perimeter for our studies. Dante’s idea,” he pointed out.
Appalled, I gaped at him. “And you used them as bait in a game?”
Logan’s gaze jerked away. “I can’t exactly tell the Dean no. She thought it was a fabulous idea.”
“And you call yourself an Alpha,” I snapped, irritated. Bending down, I scooped up my uni-hare and cuddled him. The bunny familiar looked at Logan with what I could only describe as smugness before rubbing his cheek against my chest.
Logan growled.
The uni-hare hissed.
I chuckled. “That’s right. You tell him.”
My belly rumbled then, cutting Logan off just as he started to speak. For whatever reason, ever since I’d come back from the dead I was constantly starving.
“Shit,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I need to feed you. You’re going to burn a lot of calories the first little while as you get used to your new body. Kaito warned me as much.” He rummaged through his pantry, wincing as he pulled out a box and a jar of sauce. “Pasta okay?”
“I love pasta. And right now, I’m hungry enough to eat a horse, so I’m not going to be picky.”
“Okay. It won’t take long. Feel free to look around.”
I put the uni-hare down again and proceeded to do just that. I made it to the bedroom just as Logan put the pasta on to boil. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I didn’t say you could wander too far.”
Chuckling, I tugged at him. “You’re going to burn the food.”
“I can’t burn water,” he said, grinning. “I have a few minutes before the water starts boiling.” He moved in closer to me. “Spread your wings a little,” he said, nuzzling my neck.
I did and he slid in even closer, my wings no longer trapped between us.
“Rabbit,” Logan growled.
Opening my eyes, I saw the uni-hare’s fuzzy little butt just as he hopped onto the doggie bed that I now realized was Logan’s preferred sleeping spot.
Logan growled again. “Get off.”
“Hey.” I went to elbow him and my wings got in the way. Instead, I pinched his wrist and said, “Be nice. You’re not using the bed right now, so why can’t he?”
Logan said, “He shouldn’t want to. I’m a damn wolf and it’ll smell like predator.”
“And you’re mine,” I reminded him smugly, gazing at my uni-hare as he snuggled into the mat, then closed his eyes. “Besides, it’s your own fault he’s here.”
Logan’s released sigh, making me laugh.
A timer beeped and he squeezed me before letting go. “Come into the kitchen and sit while I finish the food.”
It didn’t take him long.
It also didn’t take the uni-hare long to sniff out that the food was done. He hopped out just as Logan put a plate in front of me.
“Can he eat pasta?” I asked. “I don’t know anything about rabbits. Or uni-hares.”
“I’ve got no idea what a real rabbit eats, but uni-hares are sturdy. If he wants it, let him have it.”
I picked up a noodle and bent down.
The uni-hare opened its mouth, flashing fangs that looked in no way normal for its cute, fuzzy body—or its little head.
It scarfed down the offering, then squeaked for more, its dark eyes pleading with me in a way that couldn’t be denied.
Logan scooped another heaping of pasta onto my plate and I set it onto the floor. The uni-hare happily chomped away at it while Logan made me a bowl, too. I twirled my fork through the noodles and took a large bite, groaning in delight at the taste.
Logan watched me with a smile, not eating anything himself.
“Why on earth did the Dean want me in a shifter class?” I asked after polishing off my plate.
“Maybe she thought your feathers meant you were a type of bird shifter.” He grinned at me, playfulness in his eyes.
“Ha, ha, ha. You’re so funny.” I took a couple more bites. “Come on, Logan. It doesn’t make sense. What was I supposed to learn from your class?”
He looked down at his untouched plate and didn’t answer, clearly thinking it over. I let him, although the not knowing was driving me nuts.
After swallowing a bite, he blew out a breath then met my eyes. “I don’t know, Lily. It was pretty shitty of her to throw you to the wolves—literally. But you handled yourself, as I knew you would.”
“It wasn’t the wolves that were the problem,” I grumbled, thinking of the Demonspawn. I watched as the uni-hare finished licking its plate, then curled up in the doggie bed and fell fast asleep.
His gaze darkened. “What else happened out there, Lils? I caught the scent of sulfur.”
“Demonspawn,” I said. Appetite gone, I pushed my plate away. “A portal, like a circle of blood, opened up and that thing came through. My little furry hero gored him in the eye.”
Logan chuckled. “I take it back. The little guy can sleep in my bed whenever he wants.”
He rose and carried our plates to the sink where he washed them.
“What is it?” I asked when he remained quiet and pensive.
“Luc and Cole are getting stronger,” he said, bracing himself on the counter.
“Either that or the barrier is getting weaker.” He looked at me, eyes grim.
“We have a fighting chance with you here, but they’re getting stronger and none of us are ready.
The students, my wolves, Aaron’s panthers.
The endgame is coming at us fast and we aren’t prepared.
I’m trying to get them to work together as a team, and they’re learning, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough. Not at the rate they’re going.”
“I didn’t do a great job of that myself,” I said, referring to teamwork. I slipped into his arms and rested my cheek against his chest, taking comfort in his warmth. “How can I help?”
“That’s just something that takes time.” He rested a hand on my hip.
I could feel his hunger surging inside him.
But he didn’t move to take me like I wanted.
Tipping my head back, I met his eyes. “Did you really bring me here just to feed me and talk about demons and shifters and Hell politics?”
He grinned. “What do you think?”
Giving him a slow smile, I reached for his collar, then pulled his shirt open.
“I think you’re scared I’ve changed too much to still be your lover.”
He hummed in agreement as I unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his hard chest. His finger trailed up my arm. “I don’t want to push you, pup. Not after what you’ve been through.”
Always my loyal wolf.
Always my gentle Virtue.
I lifted onto my toes and kissed him, no longer needing words between us.
It was time to show him what he still meant to me.