Chapter 65

CHAPTER 65

“ F ucking shifters,” Logan managed to get out on a groan as he stepped over the shifter that shoved a fucking stake into his back when he wasn’t looking.

He stumbled the rest of the way until he reached the wall. Slowly exhaling, Logan closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the wall as he reached back and-

“Fuck!”

-pulled the stake out of his back. He released the bloody stake on the floor as he swallowed hard against the pain threatening to drop him on his ass.

Christ, that fucking hurt, Logan thought numbly as he pushed away from the wall and forced his legs to move. He ignored the warm blood saturating his wet shirt, the pain tearing through his back with every step he took as the ribs that the shifter broke ground themselves against the muscle in his back and headed towards the tunnel where he’d been forced to watch the bitch disappear with his little girl a few minutes ago.

He was going to rip her fucking throat out, Logan decided as he was forced to slap his hand against the tunnel wall while he kept moving, praying that she didn’t leave with his little girl. For more than eight hundred years, she’d managed to hide from him and if she left this house with Emma before he could stop her…

He’d never see his little girl again.

Logan kept moving, forcing his legs to keep going as he ignored the excruciating pain tearing through his back and-

“You’re not looking so good, leech,” came the bored announcement that had Logan looking up to find the large Sentinel that promised to break every bone in his body before he shoved a stake through his heart if he ever saw him again sitting at the large dining room table, absently rolling a stake between his fingertips.

Thank-fucking God.

“Where’s your father?” Logan demanded as he continued moving, too fucking desperate to save his family to slow down.

“Fast asleep in bed with his mate,” Chris drawled, making everything inside him go still.

“You better be fucking kidding me,” Logan said hollowly, looking back to find the Sentinel watching him curiously.

“Not even a little bit,” Chris said, still absently rolling that stake between his fingertips. “My father wasn’t coping very well with the loss of my sister, so I asked my little munchkin to clone his phone for me and make sure that all of his calls and texts came to me first. So, when I received your phone call, I just couldn’t resist.”

“Get your father,” Logan bit out.

“Now, why would I want to do that?” Chris asked, pushing his chair back as he slowly stood up.

“I don’t have time to play this fucking game with you, Sentinel. Get your father!” Logan snapped.

“I’m curious about something,” Chris drawled, ignoring him as he made his way around the table. “How exactly did a group of shifters and humans make it past the front door?”

“It’s a long fucking story,” Logan said as he stumbled towards the door.

“I have time while I debate whether I want to shove this stake through your chest now or stretch it out for a bit,” Chris said conversationally as he joined him.

“While you figure it out, stay the fuck out of my way,” Logan said only to feel his stomach drop when he heard Shane’s scream of agony.

“That better not be what I think it is,” Chris bit out coldly. “Tell me that you really didn’t lock one of the shifter children in the fucking basement.”

“Dad!” Shane screamed as Logan moved faster, desperate to get to his son and-

“Start fucking talking,” Chris said, stepping in front of him.

“Get out of my way,” Logan bit out as he shoved past the Sentinel.

“You never should have touched her,” Chris said as he grabbed hold of Logan’s arm to stop him.

“And you never should have let her go,” Logan bit out as he yanked his arm free and kept moving.

“We did what we needed to in order to protect her,” Chris said coldly as he caught up with him.

“You left her unprotected!” Logan snapped as his eyes turned silver.

“You don’t think I know that? You don’t think that I’ve thought about that every fucking day since she was taken from us?” Chris shouted in his face.

“You should have been there for her,” Logan bit out as he shoved the Sentinel out of his way again.

“I’ve always been there for her,” Chris said evenly.

“Then, be there for her now,” Logan bit out, making Chris frown as he opened his mouth and-

“She’s alive,” Logan said as he made his way towards the basement door.

“That’s not funny,” Chris said hollowly.

“Do you see me laughing?” Logan demanded as he grabbed hold of the banister and made his way down the stairs only to stop when he spotted Elizabeth waiting at the bottom with the knife pressed against Emma’s throat.

“Angel?” Logan said, never taking his eyes off the woman who looked genuinely surprised to see him. Then again, that wasn’t exactly a surprise considering the last time that she saw him, a shifter was ramming a fucking stake into his back.

“I’m here,” Jill said as Logan noted the look of desperation in Elizabeth’s eyes as her gaze shifted from him to Chris as the large Sentinel came to a stop behind him.

“Jesus Christ,” Chris muttered when he spotted them.

“The boys?” Logan asked, watching the way that Elizabeth nervously licked her lips as her gaze lingered on Chris, taking in his tattoos and the thick scar on the side of his neck.

“Who the hell are you?” Elizabeth demanded only to go pale when Chris answered.

“Sentinel,” Chris bit out coldly.

“Last time I heard, you were at the top of the Sentinel’s most wanted list,” Elizabeth said to Logan as her terrified gaze remained locked on Chris. “Might be a good time for you to cut your losses and run while you still have a chance.”

“Let them fucking come,” Logan bit out.

“I’m not leaving here empty-handed,” Elizabeth warned him.

“The boys?” Logan said to Jill, not bothering to point out that she wasn’t leaving here alive.

“Shane and Caleb are fine. They’re in the first cell,” Jill said as Logan slowly nodded.

“She wants Shane, Daddy,” Caleb mumbled sadly.

“She’s not getting him,” Logan said firmly.

“I’m not leaving here without him,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head as she moved to step back only there was nowhere to go.

“Has Shane shifted yet?” Logan asked as he was forced to reach back and stop Chris when the Sentinel moved to shove past him

“He’s fighting it,” Gray said, letting him know that the shifter was on their side.

For the moment, at least.

“Shane, I’m going to need you to stop fighting it and turn,” Logan said, never taking his eyes off Elizabeth.

“If he turns, I’ll kill her,” Elizabeth said, frantically shaking her head as she tightened her hold around Emma and-

“Daddy?” Emma mumbled around a broken sob, fucking terrifying him, but he knew that they didn’t have a choice. The moment that she got her hands on Shane, she would slit his throat and drain his blood and if he shifted before she could do that…

She’d be forced to put him down before he ripped her fucking throat out. Either way, Shane wouldn’t leave this basement alive.

Swallowing hard, Logan slowly exhaled, ready to do whatever it took to stop her from hurting Emma as he said, “Turn.”

“No!” Elizabeth screamed as Shane released a pained groan that quickly morphed into a growl, letting Logan know that he was out of her reach.

For now.

“Put the knife down and I’ll let you walk away,” Logan promised. “I won’t look for you again.”

“You’re lying!” Elizabeth snapped.

“I have everything that I want,” Logan said as he met Emma’s terrified gaze. “Let her go.”

“I need her,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head firmly as she moved the blade to the other side of Emma’s neck and-

“Take me instead,” Jill said, taking him by surprise.

“Angel,” Logan said hoarsely as he was forced to stand there watching as Jill slowly moved past the stairs.

“Take me and let her go,” Jill said, taking a step closer to Elizabeth.

“Angel, don’t,” Logan said, moving to stop her only to go still when a broken sob had him shifting his gaze to Emma to find that fucking knife being held flat against her skin again.

“And why would I do that?” Elizabeth asked as her panicked gaze moved between them.

“Because you want Kale’s blood. Not hers. Let her go and take me and you’ll still have a chance to get what you want, but you know that there’s no way in hell that we’re going to let you leave with her,” Jill said, raising her hands as she took another step.

“Angel…” Logan began only to let his words trail off when Elizabeth reluctantly released her hold on Emma and reached for Jill while he was forced to stand there, grinding his teeth together, knowing that he didn’t have a choice.

Not if they wanted to save their little girl.

He knew the moment Chris realized that it was really her.

“Jill…” Chris whispered hoarsely as he moved to go to her only to go still when Elizabeth placed the blade against her neck. He felt relief surge through his chest when Jill saw Chris standing behind him.

“Come here, mīn smael,” Logan said softly as he held his hand out to Emma.

With a sniffle, Emma ran up the stairs and reached for his hand. As soon as her small hand wrapped around his, Logan was picking her up and wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face against his neck and-

“Daddy.”

-sighed with relief, knowing that she was finally safe. Kissing the top of her head, Logan watched as Elizabeth forced Jill to move towards the stairs while the sounds of Shane’s growls filled the large basement.

“Remember to check under their beds for monsters every night and put the nightlight on before you read them a bedtime story, otherwise, they won’t go to sleep,” Jill began, her beautiful green eyes turning silver as she started making her way up the stairs, forcing him to move back. “And make sure that you kiss Shane’s forehead every night no matter what he says because he’ll get upset if you don’t.”

“Every night,” Logan promised, swallowing hard when he reached the landing.

“You changed her,” Chris said hollowly as Logan ignored the pain tearing through his back and kept moving.

“He saved me,” Jill said as she met his gaze. “Do you remember the first time we met?” Jill asked as though it was just the two of them back in his room, talking late into the night.

“At the bar,” Logan murmured, unable to take his eyes off her as he held their little girl tightly in his arms.

“No, that’s where you stalked me for the first time,” Jill reminded him in a teasing tone that had him releasing a shaky breath as he stepped back into the hallway.

“The alley,” he said hollowly as he started making his way down the long hallway with Chris at his back.

“Do you remember what happened in the alley?” Jill asked as they moved.

“Yes,” Logan said because he would never forget the moment when his angel took him by surprise with that dagger.

“Shut up,” Elizabeth snapped as she tightened her hold around Jill’s arm.

“I love you,” Jill mouthed as Logan turned down the small hallway that led to the foyer.

“Do you see the man behind me, mīn smael?” Logan asked as they made their way into the foyer.

When he felt her nod against his neck, Logan kissed the top of her head before he said, “That’s your Uncle Chris that Mommy told you about. I’m going to put you down and I want you to run to him. Do you think you can do that?”

After a slight hesitation, Emma nodded again.

“Good girl,” Logan said, watching the way that Elizabeth’s gaze flickered between the front doors and the library door.

“Run to your uncle,” Logan said, never taking his eyes off his angel as he placed Emma down on her feet while he turned to step through the library doors, knowing that Elizabeth wouldn’t be able to keep her hold on Jill as they navigated the steep stone stairs and-

Oh, fuck…

He watched Elizabeth use her hold on Jill’s arm to push her out of the way and reach for Emma only to be taken by surprise when Jill quickly turned around and grabbed hold of her, shoving her against the wall as she deftly pulled the knife that she’d swiped off the shifter out of her waistband and pressed it against Elizabeth’s neck.

“Chris?” Jill said, keeping her gaze locked on the woman glaring at her.

“Got her,” Chris said as Logan watched Jill reach down to pull the knife out of Elizabeth’s hand only to frown when she didn’t find it. Logan moved to search for the knife only to go still when he saw Elizabeth’s lips pull up into a smile.

He opened his mouth only to watch Jill stumble away from Elizabeth as the knife fell from her trembling hand and found himself wondering why he wasn’t feeling any pain when he saw the black handle sticking out of her chest.