Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Four months Later

Prince, Maine

T he asshole was lying, Logan thought, struggling to bite back a wince as the bullet that fragmented in his lung continued to make its way out of his body. He exhaled as his broken ribs clicked back into place and slowly began to mend themselves while he stood there, running Kale’s words through his head again.

Elizabeth never would have crawled into his bed.

She never would have fucking begged Kale for anything and he couldn’t fucking believe that he was standing there, thinking about that night when he went to look for her in her room only to find her bed empty. For more than eight hundred years, he’d lashed out at the shifter, taking his anger out on his one-time best friend, but he’d never been able to make himself go through with it, telling himself that the bastard didn’t deserve a quick death, and now…

The asshole was out of his reach forever.

That’s if he survived his transition, Logan thought, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking when he helped her. He should have let him die, but the pain that he saw in Ashley’s eyes as she watched Kale struggle to take his next breath…

Fucking broke him.

Then again, letting Kale transition into a Pyte would open all new possibilities to make the asshole pay. He could encase the asshole in cement and drop him in the middle of the ocean and leave him to rot, but Logan knew that wouldn’t be enough. He could steal his young mate and drop her in the middle of the ocean instead and sit back while he watched Kale lose his fucking mind, but…

Fuck it.

Let the shifter have his family. He had other things to focus on, Logan thought as he focused on the shifter being shoved down onto his knees while the rest of his men finished tearing the facility apart. “Pierce,” Logan said, watching as the young shifter swallowed hard as he pulled out his phone and-

Felt his lips twitch as he watched Jill lay down on her stomach and adjusted her hold around the L-shaped metal bar that he was guessing was from the bookcase that she’d asked for and slid it beneath his closet door. For a moment, he considered telling her that there was nothing in the closet, but she was just so fucking adorable that he didn’t have the heart to break it to her.

He watched as she used both hands to roll the bar over onto its back, wiggle in an attempt to gain another inch, and once she was in position, Jill tightened her hold around the bar and used her newfound vampire strength to pull on the bar and-

“Oh, come on!”

-released a frustrated growl that was just too fucking adorable for words as the chain retracted and dragged her across his bedroom floor into the living room.

“I don’t normally have to repeat myself,” Logan drawled as he watched the woman that provided him with endless hours of entertainment stubbornly cross her arms over her chest as the chain dragged her through the living room.

“He’s not here,” came the answer that had Logan reluctantly closing the app and sliding his phone back into his pocket so that he could focus on the problem at hand.

A shifter that didn’t know his fucking place.

“I didn’t ask where he was,” Logan said, glancing from the shifter glaring up at him to the cages that were lined up against the wall before he took in the doors lining the other wall.

“You don’t want to do this,” the shifter said as Logan turned his attention back to the cages that were too fucking small for the large beasts trapped inside, some of them growling viciously while they struggled to find an extra inch of space to finish shifting so that their broken bones could heal while others lay there, the life gone from their eyes and their large bodies permanently distorted from their time spent in the cages.

“And why’s that?” Logan asked as he stepped away and made his way to the doors on the other side of the large room.

“Because they belong to Magnus,” the shifter said.

Nodding absently, Logan made his way down the room, pausing by each door to look inside, taking in the empty cells only to pause when he came to the last cell and took in the teenage boy glaring at him. Logan took in the young shifter before his gaze flickered to the little boy and girl cowering behind him and made his way across the room to the cages.

“Then, they belong to me now,” Logan murmured as he took in the cages lining the wall, taking in all the possibilities.

Shaking his head stubbornly, the shifter said, “Magnus doesn’t let anyone touch his things.”

“He should have thought about that before he came after Izzy Williams and her children, knowing that they were under my protection,” Logan drawled, allowing his eyes to flash silver as he came to a stop in front of the shifter in time to watch the shifter’s gaze flicker to the first empty cell in the room, letting him know that they’d been expecting her tonight.

“This is what’s going to happen,” Logan said as he slowly lowered himself until he was hunched down in front of the shifter that wasn’t leaving this facility alive, “you’re going to tell me who was on Pierce’s wish list.”

“And if I don’t?” the shifter asked as he glared back at Logan.

Without a word, Logan reached over and wrapped his hand around the shifter’s throat and stood up, bringing the shifter with him until he was holding him above him. He watched the shifter struggle to take another breath as he clawed at Logan’s hands, his lips turned blue as blood seeped into the whites of his eyes and the scent of fear surrounded them. When he heard the shifter’s heartbeat begin to slow down, Logan released his hold and let the shifter drop to the floor.

“Which ones did Pierce want?” Logan asked coldly as he watched the shifter raise a trembling hand and pointed at the two feral shifters to his left.

“Who else?” Logan asked, knowing Pierce’s reputation well enough to know that he would have a backup plan.

After a slight hesitation, the shifter pointed back at the last door on his right. Nodding, Logan said, “The children?”

“The teenage boy is less than a year from his immortality,” the shifter explained.

“And the two little ones?” Logan asked, watching as the shifter went still.

“They were the backup until Magnus was able to offer the two adults for half the price,” the shifter admitted.

“And Pierce isn’t willing to wait ten years for them to reach their immortality,” Logan said, watching as the shifter reluctantly nodded. “Who’s the new buyer for the children?” Logan asked, knowing that Pierce would come back for the children if this didn’t work.

“There’s no new buyer for the children.”

“Meaning?” Logan asked as he stepped away so that he could take another look around the facility.

“That he’s going to cut his losses if Pierce doesn’t buy them tonight,” the shifter said as Logan took his time walking past the cells, absently noting the way the little girl and boy held each other’s hands as they cowered in the corner.

“And the other adults?” Logan asked, glancing back at the shifters that were permanently disfigured as he made his way around the room again.

“They’re too far gone. Their blood’s dangerous,” the shifter explained as his gaze flickered to the third shifter that was losing his fucking mind.

“And that’s your reward?” Logan murmured as he watched the shifter nod once.

“How much is Pierce willing to pay Magnus to bypass the auction and get his hands on them?” Logan asked, taking his time walking around the room while he debated his next move.

“Enough to make Magnus violate a treaty with the Boston Packs,” the shifter said, letting him know everything that he needed to know.

With a nod, Logan headed for the door as he gestured to his right. “Take them.”

“What do we do with the rest?” one of his men called after him.

“Kill them.”