Wrong Side of Hell (League of Guardians 0.50)

Logan paused, not really sure what or how much to tell her. “There are forces in this realm and beyond who would like to see your life ended. They fear what you represent.”

God, Kira was so confused. “And what’s that, exactly?”

“Hope.” He said simply.

“Hope.” She angled her head so that she could look into his eyes. They glittered in that intense way that made her catch her breath, and she felt a stirring hardness at her hip.

His hand slid to her lips. “You are the light tha

t will keep the darkness at bay.”

“The light.” She repeated. Okay. “And the child?” The little boy with curls and eyes that looked so much like Logan. Pain lanced across her chest at the thought of him, and her hand fell back, drifting below to cradle her belly. Had they made a child last night? Was it her little boy she’d seen in her dreams?

“They would see him never born.”

Kira was silent. She didn’t know what to say to that.

Logan rolled her up onto his stomach and held her gently above him. “I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, and the League is sworn to hold that vow as well.”

“The League?” she asked softly, though in truth she was more focused on her sensitive nipples as they scraped along the rough hair that sprinkled across Logan’s chest. It was an exquisite torture that filled her insides with an all-too-familiar heat.

“A group of warriors who’ve pledged allegiance to Askelon—or Bill, as he wants to be called.”

“Oh.” His eyes were now crimson and his cock was poised between her legs.

“I’ll explain fully later.” A wicked smile crossed his face. “Unless you want the details now?”

Kira groaned and bent her head to claim his mouth. She kissed him long and hard, lips sliding and tongue probing. When she came up for air, she muttered hoarsely. “The details can wait.”

IT WAS NEARLY dusk when Logan walked down to the common room at The Texan. The gentle swell of voices, the scent of greasy food and stale beer greeted him as he moved into the shadows.

Bill was there. He sensed him.

Logan strode toward the far corner, the one lodged between the ladies’ room and the kitchen. He felt the unmistakable pop of a protection ward as he stepped in front of Askelon.

For a few moments there was nothing but silence. Bill’s dress was muted, his small, round body covered in dull brown from the collar of his shirt with the rhinestone buttons to the tips of his worn boots. It didn’t complement his ruddy complexion but it certainly went with the somber look in his eyes.

“She is yours.”

Logan eyed him and nodded.

Bill cracked a smile, but it was one that remained near his mouth, never reaching the shimmering depths of his eyes. “Good. She belongs with you. I knew this.” Bill looked away, his small hands clenched. “They will search for her.” He glanced back toward Logan. “They won’t stop.”

“I’m taking Kira to my mother’s,” Logan answered quietly.

Bill looked surprised. “This is good. Until I know who hunts Kira Dove, I won’t be able to keep her safe.”

“No one will touch her while she’s there, and I can fulfill my duties to the underworld without drawing attention to myself. The Overlord will never know . . . my father will never know, either.”

Bill nodded, a smile breaking upon his face. “Yes, and she’ll remain untraceable while with your mother. It’s perfect.”

Logan agreed. He turned and gazed out at the room full of humans, and for the first time sensed otherworld. Immediately his senses sharpened. His nostrils flared and he growled softly.

A vampire was in the corner opposite him and Bill. A female. His eyes narrowed and he penetrated the shadows that clung to her. Long auburn hair fell down past her chest and eyes of cerulean blue gazed toward the door. They held pain, want, and need. Her fangs were distended, her hands clenched at her denim-clad sides.

He turned and spied a tall dark-haired man who’d just walked into the place. The scent of magick clung to him. At his side was a blond woman, her arms around his waist as if he belonged to her. A shifter—jaguar, by the smell of him—said something to the sorcerer and headed for the bar.

Logan’s gaze swung back to the vampire, but she was gone, and he realized that Bill was intensely focused on the drama, his strange eyes lingering on the now-empty corner.