“We didn’t have much of a choice but to return here,” Mercy said.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the room changed. Tension, dark and deep, poured off Sam. He slowly turned to face Logan. “Wait a minute. There’s only one reason she’d be here. The Seven havenotapproached you.”
Logan stood so suddenly, Mercy tensed from head to toe. He leaned toward his brother, chest first, eye to eye. Both overwhelming in size and power. “What the hell do you know about the Seven?”
Mercy cleared her throat. Thank the gods he wasn’t glowering at her like that. Testosterone, a whole boatload of it, poured through the room with the force of an Atlantic storm gale. “Um, I should go.”
The brothers ignored her.
“What do you know about them?” Sam asked, his teeth clenching so tight his head had to hurt.
Logan pressed his hands to his hips. His earlier anger now seemed like mild irritation compared to the raw fury vibrating along his skin. “I know that you shouldn’t know a damn thing about them.”
“Jesus.” Sam wiped a hand across his broad forehead, and it was shaking just enough to be noticeable. “Is this where you and Garrett have been for the last month?” His eyes darkened. “Holy crap. Where is Garrett?”
Logan drew back. His expression smoothed out into a blank mask.
“No.” Sam grabbed his brother by the upper arms, his fingers digging in. “Tell me he hasn’t undergone the ritual of the Seven.”
When Logan didn’t answer, Mercy piped up. “Not only has Garrett Kayrs finished the ritual, he almost died during it. Got caught between dimensions and barely made it out.” Her people didn’t know how he’d survived, but they’d find out. Somehow. When both males looked at her, she calmed her expression. “Or so we heard.”
Logan growled. Low and hard and deep. “How do you know about Garrett’s ritual?”
Oops. Damn it. She just wasn’t smooth like she wanted to be. If awkward had a picture next to it in the dictionary, it’d be her. She tried to flutter her eyelashes. “Gossip?”
“Try again,” Logan snapped, shoving free of his brother.
Nope. Not a chance. The demons had no clue what the Fae could do, and she didn’t have time to deal with a treason charge if she told them. She was in enough trouble at the moment. Way too much trouble. “The Seven can’t be allowed to form completely. It just can’t happen.” The power that would unleash on the world, all the worlds, was unimaginable.
“It has to happen.” Logan sighed. “You know we were created to protect the world from Ulric, right? We put him in a prison world, created two worlds to contain it, and sacrificed our own members, Ronan and Quade, to live in them to make sure Ulric’s prison held.”
“Yes,” she said. The rituals the two must have undergone on a regular basis to keep the magnetic fields working properly awed her, even to this day. What kind of toll had that taken on the males? It was amazing Ronan had survived and was now on Earth again. What about Quade? It didn’t look good.
“You understand that Ulric is evil? The most evil Kurjan Cyst ever born.” Logan’s chest seemed to expand as he visibly struggled to keep his voice level in an attempt to reason with her. “He has the ability to kill every Enhanced female in this world—mated or unmated. We had to create the prison worlds.”
Of course, she was well versed in the role of the Seven, as well as Enhanced human females—those who had special abilities and could survive a mating with an immortal. “One of your worlds failed. Ronan Kayrs is now in this realm.” She shook her head. “The other two worlds can’t be allowed to fail. If the Seven form completely, that’s exactly what will happen. You just don’t understand.” And she couldn’t tell him everything without permission from her president. Even she wouldn’t break that law.
Logan’s eyes widened. “We are not leaving Quade Kayrs behind in a bubble world way distant from this dimension. His world will fail, and he will be brought home.”
Oh, if Logan had any idea what he was talking about, he’d stop talking. She shook her head.
Almost in slow motion, both Kyllwood males turned their heads toward the window, imperceptibly lifting their chins in a nearly identical movement.
“What?” Mercy asked, standing and turning, the hair on her arms rising. Faint signatures caught her attention. “Crap. They’re here.” A Fae force had found them. Probably the last force still standing after Logan had done his damage to the others last night.
She thought about calling out for help and then stopped. No way could a small Fae force take on two Kyllwood brothers. This time, Logan might not let them live, and Sam already seemed furious. Damn it. She ripped her destroyed shirt over her head and reached to unbutton her skirt.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Logan hissed.
She shucked out of her skirt. The pink bra and panties should be fine. “Get naked.” Reaching him in two strides, she grasped the bottom of his shirt.
Sam took a step back. “Um, bro? What’s happening right now?”
Logan manacled her hands, his eyes narrowing on her. “Explain.”
Man, he was bossy. “Take off your clothes,” she breathed, her heart beating too fast. “We have tracking dust. They probably coated us both in the warehouse during the fight.”
“Tracking dust?” Logan glanced at his brother.
