Fighting Fate (Redwood Pack #7)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Logan reached around, squeezing her hip. “We’re closer than we were before. Have faith. We’re getting there. And with the two Alphas pummeling their way through the crowd, we’re going to be there before you know it.”

  “Such optimism.”

  He cracked a grin, though she knew it was forced. “Anything for you, princess. Now duck.”

  She did so quickly, and he took care of a Central that tried to pounce on her. She was getting too damn tired for this, and she couldn’t afford to be sloppy.

  “Thanks, big boy.”

  “Love you too, muffin.”

  She snorted, using the humor when she wasn’t sure she if she could find it in herself to move a few more yards, taking down another wolf.

  Mel and Kade fought ahead of them, their skills even sharper than they had been just a few weeks ago when they’d battled as a pair. The bond that came from being Alpha helped them, but it was the inner strength of who’d they’d been beforehand that made them who they were now.

  Gideon and Mitchell clawed their way toward Caym as well, the Talon’s fierce battlemates. Cailin was glad they were on the Redwoods’ side.

  Cailin and Logan killed countless other wolves, each slice, each rake of claws digging that much deeper into her heart. She was weary, heavy with the guilt of what they were doing, even if it was for the greater good. If there had been any other way to go about this, she knew her brothers and her Pack would have done so. The Centrals, though, had left them with no choice.

  Logan broke the neck of one more wolf then froze, forcing Cailin to do the same.

  Caym stood in front of them, the cuffs of his pants bloody, weary, but a fucking smile on his face.

  “I see you’ve come to me,” the demon drawled. “Good.”

  He held out his hands, magic sparking from his palms.

  Fuck.

  ****

  Logan threw himself over Cailin as the first scent of magic flittered into the air. His wolf pounded against his skin, wanting to gut whoever had dared try to hurt their mate. He let his wolf come forward, this time not pushing back the darkness. His wolf growled, strong, ready to defeat anything in their path.

  Instead of the normal adrenaline coursing through his system, and the pain and agony that came from fighting it, a sense of peace washed over him. He looked through his wolf’s eyes, though he was still in human form, and knew that whatever came, he would be ready.

  He would be with his wolf and not fight it.

  The more he fought, the worse it would be.

  He’d already accepted it.

  Just as Cailin had accepted him.

  He braced himself over his mate, prepared to take whatever Caym lashed out…only nothing came.

  He looked down at Cailin, who glared up at him.

  “You need to protect yourself as well,” she whispered.

  He kissed her nose then looked over his shoulder.

  Caym had both hands in front of him, his gaze on his palms and not the battle raging around him.

  Logan quickly sprang up to his feet, pulling Cailin with him. “Lost something?” Logan growled.

  Caym’s head shot up, and he glared. “What the fuck did you do?”

  Holy shit. It might have worked. They hadn’t taken all the magic from the demon. Logan could still smell it, the burnt amber and sense of something far greater than himself, and from the sparks coming from Caym’s palms, there was still something left.

  But they’d taken out some of it.

  “You’re nothing without your powers,” Logan said, careful to keep Cailin behind him, if only somewhat. There was no way he’d be able to hold back his mate fully. He had a feeling the only reason she even let him move her somewhat was because of the baby growing in her womb.

  “But I’m not out yet.” Caym screamed, the air around them seeming to lose oxygen.

  Logan pulled Cailin to his side as the wolves dropped to the ground around them. A force field—or some kind of ward—pushed Logan and Cailin back a few feet, and they staggered to remain upright.

  Caym twisted and bent at odd angles, but not breaking as magic and energy swirled around him, entering his body in swift strokes. From the way Caym screamed, Logan hoped it felt like sharp knives cutting into his flesh one by one.

  Sharp knives the demon seemed to enjoy. To relish.

  “He’s pulling the power from them!” Emeline yelled as she ran to their side, Noah on her tail. The other man looked worse for wear, but Emeline didn’t have a new scratch on her. Good for him.

  The other Redwoods and Talons came to their side, trying to push through the ward, but it was no use.

  Caym had killed his own wolves to regain his power and hadn’t thought twice about it.

  The Redwoods would have to wait until he brought down his own wards to kill him and then be faster than the demon himself. He looked over his shoulder and counted wolves, his breath leaving him for a moment in relief.

  They hadn’t lost a single one.

  All of the Redwoods and Talons were accounted for and ready to fight.

  One demon against an army.

  They would win.

  They had to.

  Caym screamed again, this time flinging everyone to the ground. Everyone, that was, except Josh and Bay—the only two who shared his blood. They both fought to remain on their feet then charged at Caym.

  Bay and Adam attacked, using their blades and claws. Caym laughed then went wide-eyed as Josh’s blade sank into his belly. The wards were down around the demon, at least somewhat.

  Yes!

  Logan pulled Cailin to her feet, and he covered her belly, making sure baby Anderson was still there, then ran toward their target. Caym, bleeding and obviously in pain, swung out, knocking Bay in the face. Adam roared behind Cailin and ran to his mate, trusting the others to take care of the demon.

  “Cailin! Logan! I need you,” Emeline called out, and Logan stopped, turning toward the elder.

  “What is it?” he asked, eager to take care of Caym once and for all.

  “We won’t be able to kill him, not like this. He’ll just come back. He’s that strong. We’re going to have to open that portal and send him back to hell.”

  Logan cursed. “We tried that, remember? It didn’t work.”

  Emeline shook her head. “No, we tried part of it. Remember the next part? Proof of life. The others will take Caym down, you and Logan must bind your blood one more time, but Caym must know you’re pregnant. Then it will work. The moon goddess says so.”

  Logan narrowed his eyes. “The moon goddess is talking to you now?”

  A faraway look came over the elder’s eyes once more. “I hear things on the wind. I’ve always done so, but this time, when Caym screamed and killed his flock, I heard her. Please trust me. I want him gone as much as you do.”

  “Come on,” Cailin yelled over the roars and growls of her people. “Emeline is right. We don’t have much time. No matter what we do to the demon he just keeps coming back; we have to try everything.”

  Logan met her gaze, clasping her hand. “I’m not going to lose you. Not now. Not ever. You got me, princess?”

  She nodded, licking her lips. She squeezed his hand back, and he tried to ignore the screams and growls around them.

  Caym fought the others. His attention elsewhere, not on Logan and Cailin. He bled, shouted, and almost died. But it wouldn’t be enough. It would never be enough without this next step.

  Caym just would not die.

  No matter what they did.

  They’d killed all the wolves with Caym’s help.

  They’d killed the other Centrals’ Alphas.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  Not with Caym alone, powerful, and refusing to give up.

  They’d have to fight fire with fire. Use magic that didn’t have an outcome set in stone. The moon goddess might have said it would have worked, but Logan wasn’t sure he had the faith that was required to believe. Not anymore.

  If th
ey couldn’t kill the demon, then having him in an eternity of hell would have to do.

  Kade called out in pain as Caym shocked Mel with magic, throwing her to the ground. Adam stabbed the demon through the heart, but then was flung to the ground as Caym healed right before Cailin’s eyes. He’d taken the life forces of countless wolves to do what he was doing now, and there didn’t seem to be an end in sight.

  Each Redwood and Talon took their turn wounding Caym, but it wasn’t enough. Caym fought back, but he wasn’t as strong now as he once was. The others bled from their wounds inflicted by the demon, and Logan knew if he and Cailin didn’t do this now, it would be too late.

  “Josh! I need a blade,” Logan called out.

  Josh, bloody, bruised, and fading fast, threw one to them, not even looking. Logan caught it at the hilt and grinned.

  “That man is crazy, but a hell of a good shot,” Logan said, trying to make her laugh. She wouldn’t laugh though. Not when her family was dying because they weren’t strong enough. He knew that, but he tried anyway.

  Logan sliced across his palm then did the same to her. He held back the wince at the pain on her face then slammed his hand to hers.

  “This is for Mom and Dad,” she whispered, and Logan cupped her face with his free hand. “Oh, Caym!” she called out, facing Logan, never letting her gaze leave his.

  “Yes, princess?” the bastard called out even as he fought off what sounded like Maddox and Ellie.

  “You’re death, the epitome of everything we’ve feared. Yet you couldn’t stop life.”

  Caym growled as Emeline began to chant again. Unlike last time, the magic swirled around them, blowing her hair into almost a vortex of energy and electricity.

  “You couldn’t stop us,” Logan yelled over the roaring wind. “We’re having a baby. That’s life. You’re nothing, Caym. Nothing.”

  Logan kissed his mate then, hard, their hands still clasped as the magic around them burst forth. Spirals of color and light shot around them, the vortex similar to the one that had taken the two of them to the demon before, now rushed around them, cementing them to each other. She kissed him back, and he relished in her taste, her life, as things exploded around them in shards of magic, pain, and shouts.

  When he ripped his mouth from hers, he turned to face where Caym stood, his body shaking, blood pouring from the numerous wounds her family had inflicted.

  The Pack gathered around him and Cailin, keeping away from Caym. There was something coming for him, and they all knew it, could scent it in the air, taste it on their tongues.

  A portal opened behind Caym, and Logan held back a grunt, expecting the demon to be pulled into it, or even have more than just him standing there, but that wasn’t what happened. No, instead, three men walked out of the portal, their eyes narrowed.

  That wasn’t the right way to describe them. They weren’t men. No, they were demons. They had to be. And way fucking more scary than Caym had ever hoped to be. Logan shuddered, praying to the moon goddess that those three demons, and whoever else might be like them in the depths of hell, never pulled their attention from Caym and onto the Redwoods. He didn’t think they’d survive that.

  The demons didn’t walk either. No, they stalked toward their prey like the three predators they were.

  Caym.

  “Tut tut, little brother,” one of the demons whispered. Though Logan only thought he whispered it. His voice carried on the wind, surrounding them, almost brushing against him like spindly fingers. He tugged Cailin closer.

  “You shouldn’t have left the hells for the wolves,” another demon said, his voice like crushed velvet. “You know better than to go above your station.”

  The third demon trailed his fingers up and down Caym’s injuries. “It seems these wolves got the best of you, dear brother. They killed you. Oh yes, they did. The only reason you’re still breathing is because Father wishes it.”

  Caym opened his mouth to speak, only to gurgle on blood as Jasper had split the bastard’s throat.

  “Don’t bother speaking,” the first demon said. “We will take you back home with us and take care of you.”

  From the way he said that, Logan wanted nothing to do with that kind of care.

  “Yes, and then we’ll show you what happens to little demons who break the rules.” The second demon smiled, and Logan fought the urge to flee with Cailin in his arms.

  “You’ve made a mess up here that we won’t be cleaning up,” the third demon said. “No, the lesser wolves and humans will have to do that themselves, but Father isn’t pleased. He’ll take that punishment out on you. And you know how much Father loves his punishments.”

  “Yes, a thousand years in the flames while nailed to the wall should be a good start.”

  “Then we’ll freeze you to an ice block, and every time you move, you’ll lose your skin, only to have it grow back.”

  “Oh yes, this will be fun. So. Much. Fun.”

  The three demons picked Caym up and began walking toward the portal without a look back. Caym screamed, gurgled, and kicked, but it was no use.

  As the portal began to close, Logan let out a breath, only to suck it back in as the first demon looked over his shoulder and winked.

  Winked.

  Oh shit. He did not want to know what that was about.

  The portal closed with a whoosh, and Cailin fell into Logan’s arms.

  “Cailin?” He pulled her closer so he could face her. What was wrong? Did the demons or the spell do something to her and the baby?

  “We did it,” she whispered.

  He grinned then, full-out. Shouts and laughs sounded all around him, but all he could look at was his mate, his love.

  “We did it, princess. We did it.”

  He brought his lips to hers, taking hers in a soft kiss, knowing there would be more later. Much more. They had an entire future together, ripe in the making.

  He couldn’t wait.

  He’d found his mate, his fate, and his future.

  What more did a wolf need?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cailin sank into Logan, ignoring everyone around them as she tasted every inch of his mouth, letting his taste settle on her tongue. She couldn’t get enough of him and had to remind herself they weren’t alone.

  But goddess…

  He’d almost died.

  They all had almost died.

  Logan pulled back, running his hand over her back. “We’re safe, princess. Holy crap, we’re safe.”

  Happy tears filled her eyes, and she kissed his chin, squeezing him hard. “Oh my God. It’s over.”

  “Did you see those demons?” Adam asked from her side, and she turned to find her family, Pack, and Talons standing in groups, looks of awe and disbelief on their faces.

  Cailin sank into Logan’s arms, needing to rest but not ready to leave her family yet.

  “I did,” Kade answered. “We all did. I honestly don’t think they’ll be back for us though. At least not in our lifetimes.”

  Considering how long their lifetimes actually were, that was some proclamation. Not that Cailin disagreed with her brother in the slightest.

  “So Caym isn’t really dead?” Reed asked, leaning heavily into Josh. Hannah had her hands over her mate, Healing a wound on his side. Despite the fact that Hannah looked as if she’d Healed a little bit of almost every Pack member, she didn’t really look worse for wear. The witch’s power had grown immensely since they’d first met.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Mel answered, her arms around Kade’s waist. Her brother currently had his hand on Mel’s back, rubbing small circles as if he couldn’t get enough of her, as if he was ensuring she was still there.

  That they all were still there.

  “I think if he hadn’t used the last of his powers to siphon into himself, we would have killed him,” Willow added, her head on Jasper’s chest.

  Jasper had his arms around his mate and a large cut on his face, but it looked to be healing. “
He sacrificed his wolves to give himself more power. We always knew he was a fucking bastard, but to do that? Crazy.”

  “We each got a few wounds in,” Maddox said, his voice low, his arms around Ellie.

  “I’ve never seen anything take that many death blows and still survive,” Lexi murmured, leaning into North.

  “And yet that wasn’t enough to outlast the portal.”

  Logan’s words made her want to hide under a rock, even with all they’d won that day. “Those demons…crap, you guys. They were worse than Caym, weren’t they?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I think so,” Gideon answered. “Jesus, I hope to God we don’t ever have to deal with one of those in our Pack or in any of our Packs.”

  They all nodded at the Talon Alpha, she knew they were weary to the bone, yet still not really letting it sink in that it was over. It’s how she felt.

  “Goddess,” Cailin breathed. “It’s over.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks, the actions and ramifications of what had just occurred washing over her. Logan leaned down and brushed a kiss over her head as the others murmured to each other, the same wonderment over their faces.

  “What are we going to do with the bodies?” Ellie asked, her voice raw. “I…I know these aren’t my people, not anymore. But they used to be.”

  Maddox brought her closer, whispering into her ear, and she relaxed somewhat.

  “We’ll bury them,” Kade said, not surprising Cailin at all. Her brother was a good man. “They’ll get their own graves, and we’ll mourn the wolves they would have been under different circumstances.”

  “Thank you,” Bay whispered. “We’ll mark the ones we know at least.” She opened her arms, gesturing to the vast field of bodies, blood, and torment. “There’s too many for one day, but we can work on it.”

  “We’ll help,” Ryder put in. “We’ll put them to rest as we put the battle, the war, to rest.”

  “I’ll head back to the den and get the equipment,” Adam put in.

  “I need to contact the rest of the enforcers, let them know it’s safe to bring everyone back,” Kade added. “Let them know they can bring our children back.”