Logan woke to screaming, his nostrils burning from smoke. He tried to open his eyes, only to close them right away because of the blinding light. His head throbbed, the staccato drumming on his eardrums making him want to vomit.
He took a deep breath then cracked open his eyes, letting the light in slowly. As soon as he could keep his eyes open without the feeling of a hammer on his temples, he rolled over, reaching for Cailin.
“Cailin,” he croaked out, his throat filled with what had to be dirt or ground rocks.
He pulled on his hand, wondering what was caught on it and cursed.
Fuck.
Cailin.
They were bound together with that damn rope. He blinked, getting the dirt out of his eyes, then looked down at his mate, unconscious, bleeding, and bound to him.
“Baby, wake up,” he pleaded, his wolf on alert.
Whatever magic they had done, it had taken down the fucking mountain.
He couldn’t sense any enemies around him, but he knew he was slower than normal from whatever had knocked him out. He needed to take care of Cailin then find his Alpha.
Then they could figure out their next step.
He had no idea if the magic worked and if this was the expected outcome.
Although he would have thought Emeline would have mentioned the explosion part if she’d known.
Logan leaned over his mate, brushing the hair from her face. He got a good look at the wound on her hairline and let out a breath. It didn’t look deep, not at all. Head wounds just bled a whole hell of a lot.
He could hear others around him, moving, calling out, and from their scents, he knew they were Pack, not Central, but he needed to get Cailin up and safe.
With a growl, he let his claws out on his free hand and tore through the binding. He hoped he didn’t fuck up the spell, but damn it, he needed both hands to protect his mate. As soon as he was free, he framed her face then went down her body with his hands, checking for wounds. Other than a few cuts and bruises, she didn’t appear to have any broken bones.
Thank the moon goddess.
Her eyes fluttered, and he let out a breath. “Open those green eyes for me, princess. There you go. Wake up, Cailin.”
“Logan?” She coughed, and he cupped her cheek, helping her turn so she could find her breath.
“I’m here. We’ve got to get up. Can you move?”
She nodded then winced. “Other than the headache, I’m okay.” She let out a breath. “You heard him in your head, too, didn’t you?”
He sighed. “Yes. Damn it. It didn’t make the portal show up, nor did Caym go away it seemed. He knows we did something. What we did is anyone’s guess.”
“Help me up.”
Once they were both standing, he crushed her body to his, needing to make sure she was real. He inhaled her scent, calming his wolf somewhat, but not fully. He needed the rage, the extra power that his wolf held, in order to defeat what was coming.
They all knew it.
“Cailin!”
They turned at the sound of Kade’s voice then moved toward him and his mate. The Alpha looked like he’d seen better days, but he and Mel were in one piece.
“Did you find everyone?” Cailin asked, worry in her tone.
Logan gripped her hand, trying to steady her. His mate was strong, so strong that sometimes others forgot she could break. He wouldn’t let that happen though. Not while he had breath in his lungs.
“Working on it,” Kade said. “Find the others then get to Emeline. We need to figure out what the fuck happened.”
Logan nodded then took Cailin’s hand, leading her away.
“We need to find them,” she whispered.
“We will,” he promised.
He heard someone call out then ran to them, pulling Cailin with him. As soon as they reached the rock that had pinned Reed to the ground, Cailin was already pushing at the damn thing.
Hannah and Josh were there as well, using their strength—which wasn’t much in Hannah’s case—to push as well.
“I’d use my magic to move it, but I don’t have enough control not to hurt Reed at the same time,” Hannah said. She looked on the verge of tears, but was holding them back. Probably not to scare her mate.
Reed grinned from the ground, even though it looked more like a grimace. “Don’t worry, darling. Josh is all He-Man right now, and we have Logan and Cailin too. I’ll be out in a jiffy.”
“Then I’ll Heal you.”
“Then you’ll Heal me.”
Josh gave Logan a look that said it all. If they didn’t move the boulder soon, Reed would end up like Adam and lose his leg.
Damn it.
They stood on one side and pressed their hands on the rock, bracing themselves. “On the count of three,” Logan said. “One…two...three!”
They pushed, shoved, and growled, using every ounce of their werewolf and demonic strength to push the bounder off of Reed.
Reed grunted, clearly holding back a scream.
Just when Logan was sure they wouldn’t be able to move it, the boulder shifted, and Reed was able to pull himself out. Hannah was on her knees immediately, her hands over Reed’s broken leg.
“Just Heal the bone, baby,” Reed said through clenched teeth. “Save your strength for others. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”
“Pull through the bond if you need more energy,” Josh put in.
The Healer nodded, hard at work.
“We’re going to find others. Meet you at the center with Kade,” Logan said, meeting Josh’s eyes.
“Deal,” the other man said.
Luckily, the others were either all unharmed or relatively so. They gathered back at the center area where they’d performed the magic.
Emeline leaned heavily on Noah, her body looking as though she’d used more magic than she should have. Her hair stuck to her pale, damp face and her limps shook, though she looked like she was trying to appear brave and well. Whole.
“What the fuck happened?” Logan snapped, ignoring Cailin’s pull on his arm.
“The wards are down,” Emeline whispered weakly. “The demon knows we’re here and we’re up to something. That explosion was the final dark magic snapping.”
“He’s on his way then,” Kade said grimly.
“And he’s pissed.”
Logan turned at Cailin’s words and followed her gaze.
Wolves. So many wolves.
All of them in wolf form, their stronger forms, but that meant they wouldn’t be able to move like a human and take on more than one at a time.
All of them looking as if someone had pushed adrenaline into their system.
They moved as a unit toward the Redwoods and the Talons with Caym prowling behind them.
The battle was on.
Logan just prayed the spell had worked somewhat, even if they hadn’t transported him away, and they could kill Caym.
If not, all would be lost.
Chapter Sixteen
Cailin sucked in a breath as Caym held up his hands. Each Central wolf stopped where they were, their chests heaving. The Centrals froze without even seeing Caym move.
Shit.
“You’ve surprised me, Redwoods,” Caym called out, his voice rising.
The demon’s usual chiseled features and cool demeanor seemed to show wear and tear with the slight lines on the corner of his eyes and mouth. His hair moved in the wind, rather than being plastered to his head in that iced way he’d used to have it. Caym was on edge. That had to mean something was working, that the spell had done its job. She just prayed they could kill him or at least have the portal that should have opened pull him back in. All Cailin knew was that they’d hurt Caym. That was more than anything they’d done before.
And from the haggard way he looked now, they’d weakened him either through the spell, through his use of power to get here so quickly with his hyped-up wolves, or a combination of both. According to Maddox and Ellie, Caym had looked weakened only onc
e before, when he’d used all his power to bring back Corbin. Corbin, apparently, had to have died at the proper time for the demon. Then again, when they were fighting in the Redwood Pack circle, Lexi had scarred the demon with her claws.
Each battle might not have been huge in their eyes when it came to victory, but there were seven Jamenson siblings and only one demon.
They were wearing on him.
They had to be.
“Surprises don’t matter in the end, however,” Caym continued. “You might have taken down the wards, but you’ll never be able to take me. I’m stronger than all of you. I’ve cut you, burned you, taken your children. I’ve killed the Alpha and his mate. I’ve made you bleed, made you scream, I’ve taken your hope. You have nothing. While I…I have everything.” He held out his arms, that sinister smile on his face. “What do you have to fight for, Redwoods?”
“Everything,” Cailin whispered.
Caym’s gaze went straight to hers, and she raised her chin. Logan growled softly beside her, and she knew it took everything within her mate not to step in front of her, blocking her from the demon’s focus.
“Ah, yes, the little princess and her pet,” Caym sneered. “It’s too bad you and your little wolf made it through the flood. The forest around the new lake didn’t fare so well. Neither did the twelve humans who died in its wake.”
Cailin’s heart lurched in her chest, her eyes widening. She felt Logan’s confusion over the bond but didn’t dare remove her gaze from Caym.
Humans had died? Why hadn’t they known about it?
“I see you didn’t know, princess,” Caym said on a laugh. “Stupid weak humans. Once I finish with you and the Talons that are hiding behind you with their tails tucked between their legs, I’ll be taking care of the humans next. Nothing can stop me, Redwoods. Nothing will. I’m the powerful one here, and the era of the wolves is over. You’ll bow before me, beg before me, and die before me.”
“We took down your wards. We’ll take down you as well,” Cailin called back.
Caym lifted a lip and snarled. “A party trick. As for real magic? Look at the wolves in front of you. They’re infused with my own power. They’re stronger than you, faster than you, and will die for me, but not before you do. That, my dear princess, is real magic.”
Cailin sucked in a breath, a quick burst of sadness washing over her at the thought of the poor wolves that had sold their souls for more power. No, that wasn’t quite right. Not everyone had asked to be part of what the Central’s Alpha had done. Some were innocents. Innocents with no hope now that their blood mixed with whatever the demon had done.
They had been a lost cause before. Now the danger in front of them looked insurmountable.
Logan leaned into her, his gaze on the scene in front of them. “If he’s used so much of his power for those wolves, he might have hurt himself in the process,” he whispered.
She nodded, agreeing with him. “He looks it, Logan. We’re going to win this. We have to.”
“He’s going for broke here, and he made a mistake,” Kade whispered on the other side of her. “We’re going to take on the wolves like we’d planned. Mel and I will be with you and Logan as you go for Caym. Gideon and Mitchell as well. We can do this.”
“I think the mistake in our past encounters, Redwoods, was that I went too easy on all of you,” Caym taunted. “That won’t be happening today. Attack!”
The wolves moved then, fangs bared, hackles raised. They came as one, their bodies moving at a rapid pace, their muscles straining at the excess energy pounding through their bodies. The sound was deafening. Howls, growls, and the pads of paws on the earth.
They were coming.
“Do as we planned!” Kade yelled, his claws out, ready to fight. “We’re stronger. We’re Redwoods. Take down the demon, win the war!”
The wolves howled, and Kade gave Mel one last hard kiss before they all went to their positions. The Redwoods growled, claws bared, ready to fight. Their muscles bunched with their own strength, not straining from the overabundance of magic like the Centrals were with Caym’s energy running through them. Logan kissed Cailin hard as well, giving her a wink, then started toward Caym. She let her wolf come to the surface, her claws out, ready to fight.
She’d stay in human form, much like the rest of her family, so they could get closer to the demon. If they took the time to shift to wolves and back, they’d end up on the wrong side of a claw. Plus they fought in human forms with their claws partially shifted usually. It gave them a better chance at moving faster and a greater range of motion. Like their previous battles, the stronger wolves within the Redwood Pack were fighting that day. That meant each of them could partially shift. All of her family and dominants had been teaching the others the skill over time in preparation for this moment.
Walker and Ryder were the first to make it to the Centrals. They jumped as a unit, pouncing on those of the enemy directly in front of them. Four of the wolves in question attacked back, their teeth tearing into skin, growling and snapping their jaws. Walker punched one in the throat while Ryder broke another’s neck. Together, the Talon pair killed the others, moving onto another set of wolves. They both ended up bloody and breathing heavily, but they hadn’t lost.
These wolves seemed stronger than anything Cailin had ever faced, but that didn’t mean she’d give up.
A wolf jumped out from behind a bush, teeth ready to clamp down on her arm. She ducked, rolled, and then turned back, knowing Logan would protect her instinctively. The wolf had turned back on a dime, ready to kill. Cailin growled back, then raked her claws down its side. She could feel Logan behind her, hear him fighting another wolf. The wolf in front of her twisted so he could bite again, but she moved out of the way quickly, Logan doing the same. Tired of fighting this wolf when she needed to get to Caym as quick as possible, she ducked, pushing her claws, hands, and arm through the wolf’s side.
It whined, and she bit back a curse. No matter how evil the magic running through her enemy was at this point, she didn’t want it to be in pain. Not when this was all Caym’s, Corbin’s, and Hector’s doing.
She quickly ended its life by piercing its heart, then pulled her blood-soaked hand back. With a sigh, she turned back to Logan who had just finished snapping the neck of his opponent.
Two down. So many more to go.
Logan gave her a nod after doing a quick check over her body. She didn’t blame him because she’d done the same, checking for wounds he might have missed with the excess adrenaline running through his veins.
Willow and Jasper fought another set of wolves around thirty feet from them. It was six on two, and despite the fact that Willow hadn’t been born within the den and had only just learned to fight, the odds were still in the Redwoods’ favor.
A wolf pounced on Willow, knocking her to the ground. Cailin pivoted on her leg, trying to make it to Willow’s side in time to help, but Jasper was faster.
Actually, Willow was faster.
Her sister-in-law rolled out from under the wolf in one swift move, jumped on its back and snapped its neck before Cailin could blink.
Damn.
Jasper disposed of two more wolves, then wrestled another, Willow helping at his side.
Another wolf bared its teeth in front of Cailin and she ducked as it tried to jump on top of her. She rolled forward then turned back on one foot, kicking out. Her foot connected with the wolf’s flank and it went to the ground. She snapped its neck before it could bite her.
Cailin looked over her shoulder as Adam shouted out. Adam and Bay were on the other side of Willow and Jasper, fighting as a unit. Even though Adam only had one leg, no one would have been able to tell from the way he was fighting. Wolves jumped on him and Bay, but the Centrals weren’t as strong as Cailin’s family. Not when her family was fighting the way they were.
Or maybe they were, but her family was fighting with a spirit more resilient than anything else they could face. With that and the luck of the moon
goddess, the Redwoods could win.
It could really happen this time.
Reed, Healed from his bout with the boulder, fought another set of wolves alongside Josh. They circled Hannah who wasn’t as skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Josh had at least six blades and guns strapped to him since he, too, couldn’t shift his hands into wolf claws. Hannah disposed of each wolf that tried to get near her mates when their attention was on another wolf by lifting the ground the opponent stood on and flinging them away. Sometimes the witch would bury the wolf if she got the right angle.
One did not mess with a Redwood witch.
Maddox and Ellie were on the other side of Cailin and Logan, her sister-in-law looking as determined as she’d ever seen her. This Pack had once been her people, her family. Then they’d turned on her. Though, in all reality, they’d turned on her long ago, being too weak to protect her from the taint and evil within.
The mated pair, their moves so in sync Cailin knew they were talking to one another through their unique mating bond, killed and took down the wolves quickly with efficient strokes.
Even with the Talons helping, the Redwoods were outnumbered four to one since Caym seemed to be using the last of his Pack to win this battle. Each Central wolf was stronger than they had been before, but they weren’t fighting as a team, rather, they fought with the vicious intent of death at all costs. They were just cannon fodder in the scheme of things, even if they were stronger than that.
North and Lexi were off to the side, Lexi in front of North, directing her mate where to go. It physically hurt Cailin to watch her brother fight because she knew that, despite his heightened werewolf senses, he was still blind in a battle that could take him out instantly. However, he and Lexi had taken that into account. Lexi would fight and take down the wolf initially, letting North end its life as soon as Lexi yelled out orders. If he’d been fighting with anyone else, Cailin wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it, but he did.
And did it damn well.
She and Logan took down two more wolves, their chests heaving, sweat slicking their bodies.
“Damn it, we’re not even close to Caym,” she called out.
Fighting Fate (Redwood Pack #7) Page 18
