Dead Shifter Walking (28 page)

Mark nodded as Jerry came back out. “What level
are you?” Mark asked Jerry with concern.

“High enough to take his ass out,” Jerry
responded, trying to force a light tone.

Mark just nodded, throwing me a last glance
before following Jerry out.

Blue crouched by my head, stroking my temple
before placing a kiss there, turning, and leaving silently. I
watched Logan’s house empty of shifters, vampires, and a few
trusted human police, leaving the place feeling empty and watchful,
or perhaps that was just me.

“So you and Blue,” Blake said lightheartedly,
sitting on the coffee table in front of me.

I smiled at his attempt at a joke. “No, there
never was me and Blue. I taught him how to fight, how to kill, and
gave him a job.”

Blake nodded, knowing full well what Blue meant
to me, but did he know what he himself meant to me. Being bound to
my emotions guaranteed he knew how I felt but not why.

Clearing my throat, I was shocked at the hot
tears I felt. “Come back to me,” I whispered, unable to articulate
all the reason why I needed him. All the change forced its way into
my soul, and I hoped desperately that I would be given the
opportunity to explore all these new sensations with him at my
side.

My words were inadequate I realized as Blake
bowed his head to me, kissing my pale knuckles. “Always,” he
promised, his eyes somber with the battle ahead.

I nodded, feeling a tear slip down my cheek as
the door closed behind him. Closing my eyes, I was aware of Logan’s
stare. “Go ahead and say it, Logan,” I said softly.

He remained silent and I didn’t care to hear his
disapproval of me, so I ignored him and tried to ignore the nagging
voice in my heart that demanded I go by Blake’s side.

When I had my emotions under control, I opened
my eyes to find Logan sheepishly watching me with understanding.
After all, his brother was facing down a powerful mage as well.

“TV?” he suggested, holding up the remote.

“Sure,” I agreed, needing something to keep my
mind off of everything.

Lorraine slammed doors from the second story,
letting us know just how upset she was. Neither of us cared.

The question slipped out before I even realized
it had. “Why do you put up with her?” I immediately regretted
asking. “Never mind; it’s none of my business,” I said, turning
back to the TV, careful of the needle in my wrist.

Logan sighed surprising us both with an answer.
“I don’t know.”

“Why do you stay with Blake?” he asked.

Rolling to my back, I pushed up against the
armrest to look at his haggard appearance before answering,
“Because I am so tired of being alone.”

Lorraine slammed another door as something
delicate crashed to the ground followed by her yelling.

“Is it worth it?” I asked, suddenly genuinely
interested.

“Is what worth it?” Logan mumbled, still staring
upstairs after Lorraine’s cursing.

“Having a mate?” I asked, turning on my side
sliding back down.

Logan narrowed his caramel eyes, watching me.
“You should know that answer.”

“I don’t. I’ve never had a relationship before;
never had restraints and commitments.” I shrugged turning on my
back staring up at the ceiling.

“It can be,” Logan answered hesitantly.

I nodded, restlessly turning on my side to watch
the sunset through the plantation shutters. Deep reds turned into
purple, bleeding way to pink before the giant ball was swallowed up
entirely. My nerves grated as I chewed on my lip, my stomach a
mess.

Casting a glance at Logan, he mirrored my own
anxious expression, staring blankly at the TV blasting some news
channel, waiting for news that mattered.

Chapter 25

I slept, arms crossed over my middle, breath
coming and going in easy exhales, too spent to be worried about the
front door being cracked open.

“What are you doing here?” Logan asked. My lids
flew open from the hostility in his voice; I was careful to keep my
body still.

“We need to talk,” Steven’s pathetic voice
announced.

My easy breathing became labored as the giant
remnant of Logan’s grandfather walked in behind Steven, closing the
door and lumbering in a dark trance, his eyes a burnt red.

Taking a deep breath, Steven let it out as a
loud sigh. “You have taken our clans on the wrong path,” he said,
beginning to pace, as I pushed myself into a sitting position,
watching him keenly.

Throwing a hand to indicate me, he continued,
“You aligned us with succubi, allowed your own brother not only to
impregnate one but marry her as well.” Steven shook his head,
pacing in front of the TV. “Let’s not even get started on her
corruption of the innocent Hannah.” Steven stopped, pulling off his
glasses to clean them on his dress shirt.

He cast a desperate look toward Logan. “I should
be able to kill you, to take over and lead us down the noble path
we were born for, but I want you to be a part of that picture,” he
said hopefully, placing his glasses back on his ugly face as Logan
sat ridged in his chair.

“You have killed innocent children,” Logan said,
testing the waters of his insanity.

“Bah, freaks all of them; we are the true
shifters, the true bloods, and we shall make our clans great once
again,” he said, the future glimmering madly in his eyes. “We are
the rightful rulers of all the supernatural races; we are the
superior life form,” he claimed, gaining strength, puffing his
chest out. “We shall force the humans into slavery, as is fitting
for them, and rule all,” he finished, captivating both Logan and
myself by his sheer insanity.

“We cannot enslave humans,” Logan said,
adjusting in his chair to give the appearance of relaxed
nonchalance, while his energy vibrated with alert rage, ready to
pounce on the rogue shifter.

Steven sneered with an ugly look on an already
ugly face, and I cringed.

He rounded, catching my disgust. “Demon,” he
insulted.

I rolled my eyes. “Why am I not passed out right
now?” I asked, genuinely curious, and, as any good movie watcher
knows, the villain always loves to boast about his brilliant plans.
Too bad we were going to ruin those.

He scoffed, throwing a disdainful look at
Logan’s grandfather. “Yes, I have heard of your ability to link
with my pet. Not sure how you managed it, but it only seems to
happen when I force him to do something he finds distasteful.
Surprising, considering he was known as the Terrible, Destroyer of
Many, and now he flinches at disposing a few impurities.”

“How did you fool me?” I asked, worry growing
for Blake and the others.

He growled at that question. “I didn’t. Your
minions successfully ruined my ritual killing of the twins, but not
before I trapped them in the warehouse.” He adjusted his stance,
insecurities showing as his shoulders hunched forward. “You will
reveal how you did that before I bleed you,” he hissed, his beady
eyes narrowing.

Swinging my legs down, I slipped the needle out
that was delivering sweet blood to my arm.

“Doubtful,” I taunted, resting my forearms on my
thighs, gathering my strength, reaching for my dark pools.

Steven foolishly walked closer, the front of his
gray slacks brushing against the steel coffee table.

I knew my eyes were dead, I knew the beautiful
sea green I use to see in the mirror had changed into the dark
green of a forest possessed by night where the truly disturbed
beings lurk. He didn’t notice the change or didn’t care; it made no
difference. Darkness began to coat my cells, unleashing the killing
beast I kept just below the surface.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Logan leaning
forward in his chair, muscles bunching under his shirt, deadly eyes
trained on Steven. I felt his shift, the unbridled power being
released, stroking against my own, and I couldn’t help but
smile.

Steven sneered. “What the fuck are you smiling
at bitch?”

My grin widened. “You had the dead perform your
demented deeds, used others’ hands to end life, took the coward’s
way out,” I said leaning forward, watching his jaw clench as I
reduced him to the pompous ass he was. “You forgot we are true
killers,” I informed him, my voice softening. “We are the reason
darkness is feared, the ruthlessness that keeps order in a chaotic
word; we are contained by the rules we choose, and you, Steven,
have walked straight into our judgment,” I ended, smiling like a
fool. I might be half-dead, but his death was guaranteed this
hallowed night.

He looked nervously to Logan, whose fangs had
lengthened, his massive bulk forcing apart the seams of his
clothing. Logan chuckled softly, his eyes twirling as he licked his
lips.

“You forgot,” Steven said, straightening his
hunched shoulders out, “I have the undead on my side.”

I smiled before pointing to Logan’s grandfather.
“Sit,” I commanded, drawing power into my words. He did so without
hesitation.

Steven’s eyes widened behind his wire-rimmed
glasses as his most valuable pawn obeyed my command. He was left
with only his own abilities to finish us. Judging by the fear that
now stiffened his limbs, he didn’t think it would be enough.

“Never bring a knife to a gun fight,” Logan
said, standing slowly from his chair.

I couldn’t help but join in with a dark
chuckle.

Steven turned to his dead shifter sitting on his
heels, his elongated thighs feeling no stress as he watched us, his
empty eye sockets glowing a dim red. My heart felt the pain Logan’s
grandfather did, caught and forced between worlds. His destroyed
body caught in midshift, unable to become his true lion form, he
managed in a half shift, his human body lengthened to unnatural
proportions.

He was grand in life and equally impressive in
death.

Muttering words I couldn’t understand and didn’t
care to, I watched Steven’s futile attempt to once again force his
minion into doing his evil bidding. What he didn’t understand, and,
I admit, I didn’t either, was that Logan’s grandfather’s energy was
bound to mine, intertwined and pulsing inside of me.

He would obey me exclusively.

Slowly I stood, navigating the new sensations of
power throbbing inside of me. My vision took on another layer as I
saw the blood red cord connecting Logan’s grandfather to Steven.
Reaching out with my own muted red power, I tugged gently against
the cord, feeling the pop of release as Steven’s gaze found me,
shocked.

Blowing out a breath, I maneuvered the cord back
to Logan’s grandfather, feeling it pulled into his decaying
chest.

That’s when shit got weird.

The power cord disappeared into his chest, and,
instantly, he was bathed in golden light too painful for my eyes as
I turned away, feeling the heat of magic on my back.

A deep growl had me turning around to an older,
yet regal version of Logan. Strong naked shoulders, caramel eyes,
and strands of gray hair wound through dark blond hair. His eyes
narrowed, crow’s-feet sprouting up, as he took a powerful step
toward Steven.

Steven regarded him in awe, mouth hanging open
before turning his wide eyes to me. “How?” he asked before being
thrown across the professionally designed living room.

I smiled, leaning against the arm of the couch,
watching the destruction as Logan came to stand next to me, hardly
containing his violent nature. “Can we move this outside?”

“Sure, as long as you have a great explanation
for the neighbors and news crews?” I reminded him.

He growled low as Steven was thrown through the
banister of the second story, his body flopping back down. His
cries reached us, pathetic attempts to beg for his life, to explain
how he only had the best of intentions in mind.

I scoffed, enjoying the sound of bones breaking.
I had been forced to do things against my moral code, and I
understood how Logan’s grandfather needed to punish Steven. It
helped ease the pain, the guilt, and the self-hatred.

Lorraine picked that moment to come down the
stairs, screaming.

“Fuck,” I whispered, turning to look up at her
ashen face.

“Go back to your room,” I ordered her without
thinking. She screamed again, unable to move as the lumbering giant
tossed Steven’s body precariously close to her own.

“Shit,” I whispered, turning to Logan for
assistance only to find myself staring directly into his beast. I
averted my eyes as quickly as possible, but it didn’t matter.

“Get away from me, Olivia,” he whispered
hoarsely.

Smart enough to listen, I dashed up the stairs,
pulling Lorraine behind me as we turned the corner, Steven’s body
throwing plaster down on us as he hit the ceiling and groaned
weakly.

Pushing us into the first open room, I slammed
the door and locked it, pressing my back against the wooden
barrier, feeling good about our near escape as I sucked in oxygen,
slightly light-headed.

Logan’s grandfather was pulling energy from me,
not a lot, but in my currently depleted state, I felt the
difference.

I had just opened my mouth in an attempt to calm
the still screaming Lorrain, for my poor ears’ sake when a solid
force connected to the door at my back. Holding my breath, I waited
a heartbeat, hoping it was only Logan’s grandfather still throwing
around Steven before the force connected again, splintering the
door.

Without thought, I pushed the now
hyperventilating Lorraine into the bathroom, slamming the door
closed behind her as I turned to face Logan’s wild eyes.

“Easy,” I said gently, holding a hand out.

He cleared the distance between us easily in one
leap, pulled my body into his, and nuzzled his five o’clock shadow
into my neck.

I sagged against him, relieved. In my current
shape, I couldn’t stop Logan from killing me or Lorraine. I could
slow him down, but even at full capacity, a fight to the death
between us would be close.