LogansEmpath (16 page)

The blonde pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “You just
don’t want me near Logan. You want to keep him in here and away from the other
single women.” She gave a coy grin and bumped Logan with her hip. “He’s been
staying up here with you all. The whole town’s talking about it. You sleeping
with him yet? Bet he can keep a girl good and satisfied, better than your
little brother could at least.”

I will not pitch hot coffee at one of my guests, no
matter how much she deserves it. I will not pitch…
Bree flinched as Ty took
the carafe from her hands. He gave her a pointed look, willing her to calm
down.

He warned the wrong Collier.

“Really, I was that bad?” Jordan stepped into the room and
leaned against the door with arms crossed. Bree felt tightly controlled rage
pouring from him. “Then why is it you keep running back to me over and over
again? I don’t recall any complaints from you then.”

A wicked little glimmer lit Crystal’s eyes. “You’re not
jealous are you, Jordan?” She reached out and put a hand on Logan’s shoulder,
digging her nails in as Logan glared at her and tried to shrug her off. “You
have to admit, your sister found herself quite a man. He’s got a good-paying
job in a big city, nothing tying him to a little hick town. He’s strong and
attractive with a hint of danger around him. What girl could possibly resist?”

Logan dropped the knife he was using on the fruit, jerked
free from Crystal’s grip and stepped away from her. “Don’t put me in the middle
of your problems, lady. I don’t know what you’re trying to stir up but I want
no part of it.”

Jordan grimaced, his rage spinning out into a sick sort of
sadness. “You know, Logan, I think you’re right. I don’t want any part of it
either. She’s sure as hell not worth the emotional rollercoaster.”

Bree’d never seen that look on her brother’s face before.
Anger, hurt and determination warred. She couldn’t help but feel a stab of
pride when determination won.

Crystal looked more enraged than hurt by Jordan’s comment.
“You don’t want any more of me? Then that’s your own damn loss.” She tossed her
head and sneered, “I don’t need to stay where I’m not wanted. Fuck you all.”

With that, she stormed out of the room. A few moments later
the back door slammed.

Ty turned back to the stove. Logan looked from Bree to
Jordan and back again. “Okay, she seems like a bit of a bitch and all but isn’t
someone going after her?”

“She’s not stupid.” Jordan ran his fingers through his hair
and sighed. “After she’s given us enough time to feel like shit about the whole
thing, she’ll come back. That’s what she always does.”

“But you’re not taking her back this time, are you?” Bree
moved forward to put her hand on his shoulder.

“No, I don’t think I will.” He gritted his teeth for a
moment. “That’s not right. I know that I won’t.”

Bree smiled and gave Jordan a quick hug and a kiss on his
cheek. “Good, she’s not worth it. She’s not worthy of you and it’s about time
you realized that.”

Logan stared out the window at the pouring rain. “It’s great
that you’ve gotten your balls back from the evil ex and all but are you sure
she’ll be all right out there?”

“I give her ten minutes, twenty tops, before she heads back
in here with her tail between her legs.” Bree didn’t even try to keep the
contempt from her voice. “The road’s a swamp right now. She’s not driving
anywhere. And we’re the only place within walking distance. She’s probably
holed up under some trees, cursing Jordan. As soon as she gets her pretty hair
wet and messy enough, she’ll be back.”

“If you’re certain.” Logan turned to her, his eyes filled
with a strange mixture of worry and fear. “But I don’t have a good feeling
about this.”

Chapter Nineteen

With guests bedded down in every other available room, Logan
and the Collier family gathered in the kitchen. Glancing at the clock again,
even Logan could feel the tension rising. It didn’t take great psychic powers
to sense the Colliers’ moods. It didn’t even matter that none of them
particularly liked the woman at the moment. Nearly an hour had passed and
Crystal hadn’t come back yet. With each passing minute the tension rose.

“Damn it! She always pulls this shit.” Jordan slammed his
fist on the wall he leaned against, his frustration palpable. “As much as I
want to leave her to her own devices, I can’t just let her go wandering around
in flood weather. Who knows what else is out there with her?”

“You want to go after her.” Logan didn’t really ask, not
needing an answer. He was just relieved to be doing something. He didn’t know
much about the woman, and what he did know he didn’t exactly like. But nobody
should be left outside in that downpour, especially since it didn’t feel
natural.

“Yeah.” Jordan looked to his family, frowning but resolute.
“I know what you’re all thinking and I’m thinking it too. She’s a pain in our
collective asses. And I have no intention of taking her back. This time it’s
definite. But she meant a lot to me for a long time and it doesn’t feel right
to just abandon her at a time like this. Will you help me look for her?”

Aaron stepped forward, putting a comforting hand on his
youngest brother’s shoulder. “You know you don’t even have to ask. We’ll split
up and find her. She couldn’t have gotten far in this mess.”

Logan moved quickly to stand by the object of his own
obsession. “I’m with Bree.”

“I’m sure you are.” Wes smirked.

Logan didn’t spare the brother a glare. Something deep
inside him, maybe his visionary talent or maybe just battle-hardened instincts,
warned of danger. If something was going to happen, if another battle was on
the horizon, he would be standing by Bree’s side.

“Fair enough.” Aaron cut off another remark from Wes with
pursed lips and a quick shake of his head. “You two head toward the river, in
case she was fool enough to try to get to her house. Wes and I will go up
toward the ridge while Matt and Ty can scour the woods to the east. Jordan will
stay here.”

The youngest brother stood to full attention, shoving
Aaron’s hand from his shoulder. “What’s with that shit? She’s my ex. I’m the
one who pissed her off. I should be searching too.”

“She
is
your ex, meaning you’re emotionally attached.
If there are demons out in this storm, that could make you less careful. Plus,
someone needs to stay here with all these people in case demons move on the
house or the weather gets worse. We’ll take our cell phones. You can call if
you need help and we can call when we find her.” Aaron gave Jordan a stern
look. “No arguments. We don’t lose anyone else in our home. That’s your duty.”

Jordan looked like he really wanted to argue but couldn’t
deny the truth in his brother’s words.

Logan didn’t wait to hear what else might go into Jordan’s
argument, if anything. He didn’t want to give Bree a chance to leave without
him so he rushed up to his room and grabbed his jacket and sword.

He was pleasantly surprised to find Bree waiting for him at
the back door.

“What?” She rolled her eyes at him before bending to strap
her knife sheath to her thigh. “You thought I’d go running out alone instead of
sticking around to patrol with you? Do I look too stupid to live? I’m not an
airhead like Crystal. Even without demons, you don’t go out in a storm like
this, especially toward the river, alone. Our floods might not be of the flash
variety around here but you shouldn’t go borrowing trouble if you don’t need
to.”

Logan felt a touch embarrassed by her words. He had
underestimated her, something he wasn’t used to doing with anyone. “You’re
right. I apologize.”

“Good.” She gave the leather strap holding her knife one
more good tug. “Now let’s get this over with. I plan on taking a nice hot bath
after we drag blondie’s ass back.”

He grinned, anticipation of battle filling his blood. Most
likely the woman was holed up somewhere in a shelter with no demons around at
all. But the thought of fighting by Bree’s side brought out the ancient warrior
in him. “You feel anything out there?”

She snorted, staring out into the darkness. “Yeah, a whole
lot of negativity. This stinking storm is full of it. Can’t really see past it
to anything definite.”

“She glanced back at the warm glow of her home. “This rain
is like nothing I’ve ever felt before and I’ve been through massive rains and
flooding many times. I don’t think the fact my powers are stronger is the only
reason I can feel the wrongness of this storm.”

Logan pulled his jacket tighter, gripping his sword. From
that point on they moved in silence, ears straining to pick up any other sound
than that of the pounding rain. Bree darted surefootedly through the trees as
Logan slipped and slid across mud-covered leaves, moss and grass. He admired
Bree’s practiced steps and wondered how she would fare in the sewers and
backstreets of San Francisco.

She’d be fine anywhere. I just hope that place will be
with me.

She came to an abrupt halt, holding up a clenched fist.
Logan stopped, keeping perfectly still as he tried to catch whatever Bree had
noticed.

At first all he could hear was the growing roar of rushing
water that drowned out even the sound of the falling rain. Then, ever so
faintly, he could hear a woman scream.

Briars tore at Logan’s skin as he followed Bree through a
patch of wild blackberries. He skidded a bit but managed to keep his feet under
him. But both he and Bree rocked to a stop as they pushed through to a clearing
facing the river.

Crystal stood there, her back to the raging waters. Her feet
were poised dangerously close to the edge. But that wasn’t why she screamed.

A group of six demons surrounded her.

Bree stared to dash forward, her hunting knife already in
her hand. Logan reached out to stop her. “There are too many. I’ve got more
experience with fighting larger demons by myself. I’ll handle our friends. You
get Crystal, get to safety and call your brothers for backup.”

She opened her mouth to argue then snapped it shut. She
stared at him for what felt like an eternity before cupping his cheek in one
hand and taking his mouth in a quick kiss. “You take care of yourself. No dying
yet. You’ve still got to teach me that mage magic stuff.”

He didn’t know how to respond, shocked that she actually
instigated the kiss without any prompting. But now wasn’t the time anyway. He
gripped his sword, the leather covering the hilt squeaking beneath his fingers,
and launched himself at the nearest demon.

A quick slice and a demon head rolled. He spun lightly on
the tips of his toes, moving himself next to Crystal. “Time to go.”

He grabbed the woman by the shoulder with one hand and
shoved her out of the demon circle while the creatures’ attention was focused
on him. Bree darted forward, taking Crystal’s hand and dragged her into the
tree line.

A couple of demons turned to follow but, after he gutted one
of them, all demon attention returned to Logan.

He prepared for their inevitable charge, hoping he could
delay them long enough for Bree to get reinforcements. There might only be four
demons left but those numbers wouldn’t last for long. He knew from bitter
experience that more would follow and soon.

But for now he had to concentrate on staying alive and
giving Bree the time she needed to escape.

Chapter Twenty

Her heart pounded and her breath rasped in her throat as
Bree thanked her lucky stars she was so familiar with the area. She dodged
around trees and over brush. The rain increased, dropping visibility to near
nothing. If she hadn’t known the trail so well, she’d have gotten lost in the
first few yards. Crystal panted behind her, dragging on her arm and slowing her
down.

“Please, I can’t breathe.”

Bree rolled her eyes but angled toward a large rock that
would provide them with some cover. They’d put some distance between themselves
and the creatures, enough to give Crystal a chance to rest and give Bree a
chance to call her brothers to help Logan.

While Crystal leaned against the lichen-covered rock, Bree
fished her cell phone out of her jacket pocket.

Crystal snickered.

“Don’t go getting all hysterical on me now.” Bree shoved her
hand under her jacket to wipe the phone dry on her shirt before she started to
dial. “You’ve held up so far, surprisingly. You need to keep it up.”

“Oh, I’m not getting hysterical.” Crystal replied, her voice
surprisingly calm and controlled. “Far from it. I just can’t believe you’re
wasting your time trying to contact your brothers. You really shouldn’t bother.
The imps will be here soon. I’d prepare for the fight if I were you.”

A sinking sensation formed in the pit of Bree’s stomach as
she turned to face the woman that her youngest brother had loved for more than
a decade. “What are you talking about?”

Crystal pushed away from the rock, a sneer marring her
perfect features. “Why, the fact that your brothers are otherwise occupied.
Logan is probably already swamped under a pile of demons, bleeding out. And you
have maybe moments before a horde of imps and demons come down on you as well.”

Bree abandoned her cell phone, dropping it to the ground as
she drew her grandpa’s hunting knife. “What do you mean, Crystal?”

“That this is a trap, of course. What else?”

Reaching out with her new, stronger powers, Bree felt for
Crystal’s emotions. Only an alien darkness met her efforts.

“You know, I never would’ve guessed that it was you Colliers
causing me all these problems over the years.” Crystal tossed her wet hair out
of her eyes as she laughed. “I mean, Jordan was stubborn and a pain, never
agreeing to marry me. And I expected the rest of you to leave town after the
murders, not band together like you did. I really wanted your land. But while
you didn’t act the way I expected, I never suspected that you were the ones
killing my minions. And it certainly never occurred to me that you might be a
member of a Three. Maybe I should’ve waited until you were home visiting from
college to kill your parents. If you’d died too maybe the others would’ve sold
the property to me, even without Jordan marrying me.”