He beat the Cyst soldier until his head started to separate from his neck.
Mercy took an involuntary step back. The wind blew through the demolished cabin, picking up her discarded blanket and twirling it through the air to be carried away.
Logan slashed hard with a knife into the Cyst’s throat, following the body to the ground and wrenching off the head.
Mercy gagged, her bare feet glued to the floor, her body totally nude.
Without pausing for even a second, Logan ripped off the Cyst’s tac-vest and shirt, standing and kicking the head across the rocks. He turned. “Come here,” he yelled through the wind.
Her stomach dropped. She could only stare.
Blood covered his face and his torso, mixing with the rain and pine needles. He was more powerful than any storm and more dangerous than any enemy. If death had a face, right now it would be Logan’s. “Now.”
Her legs trembled. She couldn’t move.
“Mercy,” he snapped. “Get your ass over here.”
Before she could stop herself, her legs moved to obey him out of pure instinct. When she reached him, he pulled the Cyst soldier’s huge shirt over her head and grabbed her hand. “We have to find the plane they came in. Now.”
Chapter 15
The plane hadn’t been serviced in a while. Logan kept a tight hold on the controls, but the wings still pitched wildly in the storm. Taking off through the waves had been insane, but there hadn’t been any choice. Mercy huddled on the seat next to him, her knees drawn up beneath the long shirt he’d forced on her.
She was pale. Way too pale.
“You’re going into shock,” he said grimly, jerking the stick to keep them level. “Try to take deep breaths.”
Her breathing was too shallow. He kept his chin down and focused on the nearly black clouds. So now she’d seen the real him. It was probably for the best.
The plane pitched and she gasped.
He righted it. “It’s okay. I’ve got this.” Probably. Plane and helicopter crashes kind of ran in the family, but he didn’t need to tell her that sad fact. He did, however, require information. “I’m so sorry about this. They’re after me. Not you.” He’d figure out how they’d found him later. They were, after all, hunting the Seven, and their tracking abilities were legendary.
Her teeth chattered. “I’ve never seen them. I’ve heard and read about the Cyst, but in reality, they’re so…”
Yeah. Scary as hell. Without question. Here he’d been pissed that her people had thrown her into danger, and just being in his vicinity had almost gotten her killed. “Mercy? I won’t let anything or anybody harm you. Ever.” It was the best he could do, and he meant every word.
She turned and looked out at the darkness. “I can fight, Logan.”
Right. She was smart, but her fighting skills were barely better than a trained human’s. The fact that she’d knocked him out had more to do with his attraction to her then her abilities. “I know, sweetheart,” he murmured. Did the Cyst know she was a Key? Probably not. He had to lock her down.
He didn’t like unanswered questions, and right now, there were way too many.
They reached the edge of the storm and broke free of the clouds. Dawn was beginning to peek over the horizon, and he finally let his chest relax. Okay. They were off the island. He’d find a place on the mainland to land, and then he’d find a phone.
The female was way too quiet.
“I need you to talk to me,” he said, putting just a bite of order into his words. “Keep yourself out of shock.”
Her sigh was irritated enough to give him hope. “I don’t know where Sam is. Probably in Scotland somewhere. I can show you our land acquisitions when I have a computer, and you can search for him from there.”
Well, that was agreeable. Apparently, she’d decided to stop fighting him. Or maybe she was just exhausted. “Thank you.”
“Whatever.” She waved her hand in the air. “Chances are Sam won’t be at any of those places because I know about them, and Niall and the president know I’m with you. But you can have access to all of my records.”
Shit. That was a good point. Logan glanced at her. She still looked too small and vulnerable—and frightened. She’d seen him kill brutally and efficiently. So much for their casual relationship that wouldn’t have been casual. His heart hurt for a moment, and he banished the pain. There wasn’t time for regrets. “Tell me something else. Tell me about those two friends of yours. The ones who helped to kidnap me.”
She blinked and huddled more into herself.
