Anger tried to grab him, but he banished all emotion. The woman knew more than she was telling. “Let’s get to shore.” Without waiting for an answer, he grasped her arm and started swimming hard, not giving her a chance to hesitate. She had to either kick to keep up or go under.
She kicked.
He slowed down so she wouldn’t have to exert herself too much. Then he pulled her along, making sure she kept her head above water. The smell of snow tinged the air, and the water was definitely glacier fed.
There was no question the Fae knew a hell of a lot more about the universe and dimensions than his people did, and it was time for a little physics lesson. He didn’t want to scare her, but he’d do what he’d have to do to save his brother. The two soldiers who’d taken Sam hadn’t hesitated. They’d wanted Sam, not Logan or Mercy. Right now, anyway.
How had they known Sam was even with them? The soldiers must’ve seen them when breaching the hotel, and in that short amount of time, they’d set their sights on Sam?
No. So there was an order in place for Sam, and the Fae had already known his face. They’d recognized him in a couple of seconds. What the freaking hell was going on with his brother? The chilly water sluiced over Logan as he swam, failing to cool him in the slightest.
Finally, he reached the rocky shore. He stood and lifted Mercy so he could maneuver over the downed branches and jagged rocks. They’d cut her bare feet to pieces. She felt small and cold against his chest, and he held her tighter. Demons let off a lot of heat; apparently fairies did not. She snuggled her tight, almost nude body closer, and his own went on full alert.
Desire caught him by surprise, and he squelched it. The delicate female was stubborn and oddly fierce, but she had knowledge about Sam, and Logan had to be careful with her.
Pain ripped into his heel, and he automatically sent healing cells to both feet until he reached a large downed spruce tree that had lost its branches. He set her down gently and took a step back. His voice remained quiet when all he wanted to do was scream. Where the hell was Sam? “Talk, Mercy.”
She shivered in her pink bra and panties. Both had a cute rose in the center.
Why had he noticed that? Shaking his head, spraying water, he concentrated only on her face. Just her face. Not lower. Nope. Not an inch lower.
What the hell?
He peered closer.
Her eyes glowed a nearly translucent yellow. They were beautiful. “Your eyes.”
She huffed out air and rolled those eyes. “I know. Like vampires, we have two colors. Three considering my normal eye colors are one blue and one green.”
Those were pretty, but this soft yellow was so spectacular he was in awe. She truly looked like something…other. Even for an immortal. But if her secondary eye color was showing, she was having strong emotions. Or physical pain. He stiffened. “Are you hurt?”
“Just cold,” she said, running her hands down her bare arms.
He looked around. Letting her get ill wasn’t in the plan. Shit. He didn’t have a plan and needed one right now. Urgency tensed every muscle in his body. “All right. Just tell me now. Does your taser device work against demons?”
Gulping in air, she nodded. “Of course. That’s why we invented it in the first place.”
Damn it. Sam wouldn’t be able to teleport out. The bastards would definitely tase him. Logan wiped water off his face, not surprised when steam rose. His temper lurked, ready to blow. “Do your leaders plan to kill Sam?”
She shook her head. “Not until they know everything he does.” She turned even paler. “Then, probably?”
Okay. He could deal with that. Good. Sam was as tough as they came. He wouldn’t tell the soldiers a damn thing, which would give Logan time to get to him. “Why Sam? Why do your people want him?”
Her gaze dropped to his chest, which was drying rapidly. “I can’t tell you.”
Oh, that was going to change. A bird squawked in the distance. “We need to get the hell out of here before more of your soldiers turn up. As soon as we’re safe, I’ll build a fire and we can talk. A lot.”
She sneezed.
His chest hitched. How vulnerable was she to the elements? She was small and shivering, and she brought out a side of him he rarely felt. He had to find warmth for her. They couldn’t build a fire right here and now. It was too easy to spot.
She coughed. “Where are we?”
He looked around at the peaks in the distance. Spruce and hemlock trees covered the forest. “I have no idea,” he lied. They definitely weren’t in Scotland. Sam could’ve taken them anywhere, but they’d found refuge in the islands off Alaska more than once during their shitty childhoods, and it was as good a guess as any. “Since your people somehow tracked us here, they can find us again, right?”
She nodded.
“But the tracking dust, whatever the hell that is, is gone?” His feet finished healing and he stood straighter.
