Zeus's Pack 9: Rave

by Lynn Hagen

  Einarr nodded. “I was.”

  Logan swallowed. He knew he was in trouble now. If Einarr, a man who studied styre mente beings, was Aba’s teacher, he was so damn screwed.

  “And you expect me to win?” Logan asked.

  “No, I don’t.”

  Well, that was reassuring. Logan didn’t know what to say. Was Einarr going to let him die at Aba’s hands? If he was, that was pretty low to agree to teach him in the first place.

  “Giving him over to me?” Aba asked with a glee of triumph in his voice.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Look, you’re confusing the hell out of me,” Logan said as he glanced quickly at Einarr and then back at Rave. Logan’s back slammed into the wall, Aba catching him off guard. The pain shot through his mind and down his spine as he fought not to cry out.

  Logan shot forward, his anger unleashed, but Einarr drew him back with his hand on Logan’s arm.

  “Never go to your enemies. Always make them come to you.”

  Right. That was Logan’s plan all along. Really.

  Logan stood there waiting for Aba to do his worst, although he had high doubts he would live to see the end results. Tony slid to Logan’s left, his gun drawn. Logan wasn’t sure that was such a brilliant idea, considering Aba could make Tony shoot himself.

  Cal walked into the kitchen, standing there staring at Aba.

  “I don’t think you should be in here,” Logan said as he took a step toward his friend. Cal was no match for Aba. The guy would end up with minced brains. Logan cocked his head as his friend began to laugh. He knew Cal was a little off, but now was not the time for humor.

  “Cal?”

  Cal began to cross the kitchen, his steps self-assured, maybe even a little bit cocky. Was the guy about to confront Aba? “Cal, don’t.

  He’s dangerous.”

  Kneeling by Rave, Cal reached out and grabbed the wolf’s leg, his fingers curling around the wound. Rave whimpered and tried to bite Cal, but Logan could tell Aba was using his mind control to keep Rave subdued.

  “What are you doing?” Logan shouted, taking a step toward his friend. Einarr grabbed Logan’s arm, stopping him.

  “Let me go, Einarr.”

  The demon shook his head.

  “I think he is trying to rescue you, Cal,” Aba said humorously.

  Cal licked the blood from his hand as he stood, smiling at Logan as he pulled his fingers from his mouth. His tongue traced across his lips, as if he wanted to make sure he had every last drop. Logan felt like he was going to be sick. Cal’s brown eyes were shimmering with something close to lust as he looked back down at Rave’s injury.

  “Stay away from him,” Logan gritted out.

  “Or what?” Cal laughed.

  “Is he using mind control on Cal?” Logan whispered to Einarr.

  Because if Aba was, Cal was going to be sick to his stomach when he found out what he’d done to Rave.

  Einarr gave a slight shake of his head.

  “Do you think Aba is controlling me?” Cal asked as if insulted.

  “No, Logan. This is all me. I killed that couple. You should have heard her husband begging, begging me not to cut her precious skin.”

  Cal’s eyes were gleaming now, like twin jewels of terror. The man appeared to be reliving the event in his mind, enjoying it.

  How in the hell had he not seen the true Cal? Fuck, Logan had shared a damn house with the man. “The man by the Dumpster?”

  Cal laughed. “His screams made my damn cock hard.”

  “You’re a fucking sociopath,” Logan spat.

  “That I am.” Cal claimed the title with pride and then looked over at Aba, glaring at the man. “But Aba wouldn’t let me eat him. He said it had to look like he had killed the guy.”

  “Eat him?” God, Logan really was going to be sick. He stared across the room at someone he had called friend, but in truth, the man was a complete stranger. He shook his head, knowing in his heart that he wanted Cal dead. Just as dead as he wanted Aba. Not only had the cat shifter betrayed him, but he had killed innocent people. Logan felt disgusted just looking at Cal.

  “What do you get out of this?” Logan asked as he waved a hand from Cal to Aba. “What has he promised you?”

  Cal toed Rave, smiling down at Logan’s mate. “Fresh bodies.

  Victims I can kill without worrying about being caught. He promised to give me playthings that I can torture for hours, Logan.”

  “You sick fuck.” Logan wondered how he was standing there.

  Why hadn’t Cal ever tried to kill him at home?

  Cal chuckled. “Sticks and stones, Logan.”

  “Why didn’t you try to kill me?”

  “Because.” Cal once again glared at Aba. “I was told you were off-limits. Someone else wanted you all to himself.”

  Gee, I wonder who.

  “In return,” Cal continued, “I kept an eye on you. I was supposed to make sure Aba had no problems taking you from our home that night, but then Rave and his buddies showed up. You’re supposed to die, Logan, so Aba can absorb your powers. So die!”

  Aba’s powers lashed out too quick to stop. Logan was on the floor, curling into himself as he grunted out his pain. That’s it.

  Whether he died or not, Logan was tired of Aba playing with him. He glanced up at Aba, seeing a frightening intensity in Aba’s eyes as he glared at Logan, as if the gloves were off and playtime was over.

  “Concentrate,” Einarr warned under his breath. “Don’t let your powers control you. You are the one in charge of your powers, Logan.”

  Aba roared as a wave of darkness fell over Logan. He shook his head, fighting to release Aba’s grip on him, on his mind. Logan pushed and pushed damn hard, but he could feel the darkness taking over.

  “Channel your powers,” Einarr said with a bite. “Channel them.”

  “You can’t win,” Cal taunted from across the room, but Logan shut the man out of his mind.

  Logan narrowed his sight down to Aba, pushing his will into the other man to die. Just making Aba relent wouldn’t be enough. He may not be the one responsible for the man and woman’s death in Pride Pack Valley, but he was sure that Aba was responsible for more deaths than what was reported. He could feel it in the man’s mind.

  But his morals wouldn’t let Logan kill the man. That wasn’t his call. He had to just disable Aba. He wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. He wasn’t Aba or Cal. Logan never wanted to be what he saw in front of him. And he knew that if he killed Aba, it would make it a little easier to kill again. Being a styre mente was too damn alluring in itself. He didn’t need any help being seduced any further into his own powers.

  A wave of cold ice formed just under Logan’s skin as he fought to keep Aba out. It wasn’t a matter of hurting Aba now as much as it was staying alive. He could feel Aba’s arrogance rolling off of him in waves. The man thought himself untouchable.

  Calmness began to settle inside Logan. It was serene and peaceful.

  He wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but Logan grabbed on to it.

  He could feel Aba’s powers weakening inside of his mind, loosening their hold on him. Logan pushed hard, lashing out with everything in him, wanting Aba to relent, to give up.

  “I underestimated you,” Aba said as he pushed back. Logan was caught in a duel of the minds, fighting for his life, his sanity. He had gotten the upper hand only because Aba had been too cocky that he could take Logan. But now that he knew better, his guard was up.

  “I’m going to enjoy draining you.”

  “Not today,” Logan said as an explosion went off inside his head, his powers shooting out in all different directions, raining down all around him.

  “Channel it,” Einarr warned. Logan saw Rave curl up on the floor, whimpering in pain as Tony dropped to his knees. He felt the backlash of Aba’s power trying to destroy Logan. He concentrated on Aba, tunneling his vision to just that one man standing in this room.

  Aba cried out, fal
ling to his knees. But it wasn’t over. Logan flew back, his feet leaving the floor as his back slammed into the wall.

  “Destroy him,” Eirnarr shouted.

  “I can’t,” Logan cried out. “I won’t murder him.”

  “Even if he is trying to murder you?”

  “Yes.”

  Einarr roared, the sound so deafening that Logan just knew his eardrums were bleeding. The windows in the kitchen shattered, the glass showering the room with fine slivers and large chunks. Logan glanced up to see the marble countertop split down the middle, like a fault line, with an eerie crack running from one end of the island to the other. Logan dropped to his knees, crawling over to Tony and blanketing his mate’s body. Rave crawled over to them, his front leg lagging behind, but Logan managed to wrap his other arm around his wolf mate.

  Logan felt something invisible enter through his nose, mouth, and eyes. It was like warm water trickling into his body. He knew what it was. Logan was gaining Aba’s powers, and he didn’t want them. But how in the hell could he refuse them when he couldn’t even see them?

  He doubted closing his mouth and eyes would work. It was just something else he was going to have to learn how to master now.

  The roaring stopped and the silence was even more deafening.

  Logan’s ears rang. Jesse ran into the room, tackling Cal to the floor, but it wasn’t much of a fight. Cal looked stunned, his eyes glazed over as Jesse cuffed him. Cal wasn’t going to see the light of day for a very long time, if ever. The sheriff pulled Cal from the room, and Cal walked out without an ounce of struggle. Logan glanced up to see Aba lying on the floor, his eyes wide and unfocused. “Did you kill him?” It was a dumb question, but Logan wanted to hear it out loud.

  “Yes,” Einarr replied.

  “But you wanted me to kill him.”

  “No.” Einarr shook his head. “I wanted you to refuse.”

  Logan pushed to his feet, his hands curling in at his sides. “This was a damn test?”

  “In a way,” the demon admitted. “I needed to know which side you walked on.”

  “And if I had killed Aba?”

  Einarr’s smile was anything but warm. It was just as dark as the mental push Aba had forced on him. “I would have destroyed you.”

  “So glad I have a conscience.” Logan could see the truth in Einarr’s eyes. The demon would have done it. He would have killed Logan. “Why?”

  “Because, killing one man is what starts it all for a styre mente. Once you have tasted the ultimate power, there is no going back.”

  “Prick,” Logan snapped as he reached down and helped Tony to his feet.

  “That’s my name,” Tony argued as he rolled his shoulders, looking no worse for the wear.

  Logan ignored him. “What about Rave? He’s hurt.”

  “He’s a shifter. He will heal. I will be back tomorrow to continue our lessons,” Einarr said as he began to back away.

  “Einarr?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why didn’t we all die when you opened your mouth?” And that was a damn good question. Logan had felt pressure at the base of his skull, but it wasn’t painful. It was like someone had laid a hand on the back of his neck and gave a gentle squeeze.

  Einarr winked at him. “Because I have learned to channel my powers, Logan.”

  The demon disappeared into the shadowed corner of the kitchen, leaving the three of them alone. Great, now what was he going to do with the body?

  * * * *

  Tony sat on the front steps of the mansion, watching Dorm pull into the driveway. He had the file in his hand, wondering how he was going to type his report up. Someone roared and the suspect died?

  That would only cause more harm than good.

  Dorm got out of his car, slamming the door closed and taking a seat next to Tony. “Case wrapped up?”

  “In a way,” Tony replied. He wasn’t even sure how much to tell his partner. Demons? Yeah, right. “I’ve already called Director Simone,” Tony began. “I’m not returning with you.”

  Dorm glanced over at Tony. “Why?”

  “Zeus offered me a job here.” Zeus had asked Tony to be in charge of the shifters that went out on patrol with the winged beasts.

  Not only was the pay better than the FBI, but it enabled Tony to stay with Rave and Logan. The whole kit and caboodle of the shifters on patrol was in Tony’s lap, and honestly, he couldn’t wait to start. His eyes had been opened to a whole new world here in Pride Pack Valley, and this was only the beginning.

  Tony had come to terms with the fact that he would never shift.

  He found biting Logan with his blunt teeth was not as satisfying, but sexy as hell. He’d live with that. He and Rave had made up…on the floor, the bed, the bathroom counter, even on the kitchen table. He just hoped no one had seen them in the kitchen.

  “I’m not going back either,” Dorm said from beside him. That shocked Tony. Dorm was a cop through and through. He breathed catching the bad guys for breakfast.

  “Sheriff DeKalb offered me a position on the force here, and I took him up on his offer.”

  That had to be one hell of an offer. Tony thought Dorm would stay in the agency until retirement. “Any special reason why?”

  Dorm actually fucking blushed!

  “That’s none of your business, Tony,” he said and then winked at him. “But I need to get back to the station. Can you handle the report?”

  Tony waved him off. Dorm grinned and then got into his car, pulling away. He heard the door open behind him. Rave and Logan came out, taking a seat on either side of Tony. Rave rested his head on Tony’s shoulder as Logan placed his hand on Tony’s knee.

  “Thanks,” Logan said as he sighed and looked out into the large expanse of the lawn.

  “For what?”

  “For taking the job here.”

  Tony wrapped his arm around his mates’ shoulders. “I can’t leave you two alone. You need me.”

  “And he takes forever to come back.” Rave pushed his shoulder into Tony, a gentle smile on his face. Tony kissed Rave, and then Logan, on the temple. He felt like his life was just beginning here in Pride Pack Valley.

  “Make-up sex?” Logan asked as he jumped up from the step.

  “But we weren’t fighting,” Tony pointed out.

  “Prick,” Logan said and then raced into the house.

  Tony quirked a brow. “I think that’s his way of starting a fight.”

  Rave chuckled as he jumped up and ran after Logan.

  Tony grasped the file in his hand, wondering if Zeus could smooth things over with his director so Tony didn’t have to leave to make his report. He chucked the file under his arm, walking into the house, closing the door behind him, and then running toward the stairs for his bout of make-up sex.

  Damn, life was good.

  THE END

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

  You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

  Also by Lynn Hagen

  Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 1: Jasper Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 2: Avanti Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 3: Knox Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 4: Torem Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 5: Hunter Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 6: Sully Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 7: Bald Eagle Ménage Everlasting ManLove: Zeus’s Pack 8: Memphis

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  Lynn Hagen, Zeus's Pack 9: Rave