As she watched him valiantly fight off two dangerous warriors while wearing a constricting skirt, her heart seemed to swell. Nobody had ever done something so kind for her. He was teaching her that she could survive on her own, without him, without anybody.
That was selfless.
She’d dreamed of him through the years, after their first meeting. Wondrous dreams. But nothing came close to the reality of the kind soldier. Yes, he was deadly, and there was no doubt he could be bossy. Yet the way he cared for her, his attempts to help her see her own value, were things she’d never expected. Not from any male—much less one of the Seven, who were known as the deadliest and most dangerous males around.
The more time she spent with Logan and Mercy, the more evident it became that Logan was actually strengthened by their bond instead of weakened.
The Kurjans had that wrong. She was certain of it. Perhaps that was why the Kurjans had lost the last war.
Garrett caught Benjamin with a shocking uppercut that threw Benjamin’s head back with a loud crack.
Karma gasped and stood up. Was he all right?
Benjamin lowered his chin and set his stance. His eyes swirled with a dangerous glint. “Oh, kid. You should’ve known better.” He kicked the skirt out of the way and crouched, leaping forward with an impressive amount of speed and power.
Garrett’s eyes widened, but before he could move, Benjamin connected and partially lifted the younger warrior to throw him into the river. Garrett landed with a hard splash.
Logan jumped for Benjamin, but Benjamin twisted at the last moment, manacled Logan around the neck, and then kept spinning until he released the hybrid. Logan sailed through the air and landed on Garrett. Both young warriors went under the water.
Mercy snorted.
Garrett and Logan both stood, water sliding down their bodies, their hair matted to their heads. Fury and fire lit their immortal eyes.
Benjamin looked at them, paused, and then threw back his head and laughed. Long and hard, he laughed until he had to hold his belly.
Karma couldn’t breathe. His strength was impressive, but that laugh. It warmed her from head to toe.
Logan smiled first, right before Garrett did the same. Then they laughed as well, helping each other across the rocks and slipping several times before reaching the shore.
Benjamin prowled forward to help them out of the water. “You’re excellent fighters.” He sounded both pleased and proud. “I just have centuries of experience on you. Man, that was fun. Let’s do it again.”
Mercy whistled, making Karma jump. “You’ve all goofed off enough for the morning. Come eat your breakfast so we can get back to work.” Her voice was no-nonsense, and shock of shocks, all three males instantly pivoted to come back and eat breakfast. They’d obeyed her.
Karma tried to mask her surprise.
Benjamin ambled up, the plastic skirt he’d put on again swaying as he moved. He reached her and smiled. “See what I mean?”
Numbly, she could only nod. “You’re very kind, Benjamin.”
He scowled, but the sparkle remained in his spectacular eyes. “Geez. Be nice, Karma. Don’t tell anybody that.”
She burst out laughing, shocking herself. Oh, goodness. She was absolutely falling for this deadly male. The one member of the Seven who would not mate. She sobered. “I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”
He grinned, sealing her fate. Taking her heart.
Darn it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was another fruitless day of trying to find Sam’s location. Benjamin’s patience was stretched as thin as a spiderweb, and Logan’s was worse. They’d agreed to notify both the Realm and the demon nations if they hadn’t located Sam by the morning, and Logan looked like he was going to puke at the thought of telling his older brother that Sam was in the hands of the enemy.
They sat at a campfire outside the main lodge, working through the discoveries of the day. Benny looked to his side to make sure Karma was bundled up warmly in the blanket and jacket he’d found for her.
She stared at the flames, her legs drawn up beneath her and covered by the blanket. “I think Linda’s been resting, and after that she’ll be able to travel more. So I’m expecting her to check in again now that’s it’s dark. I’m hoping. She was determined to find their location, but she can’t move maps to help her navigate, so she just has to keep looking.”
Benny reached out and took her hand, unable to stop himself. “You’re doing your best. Just take a deep breath and wait for her to arrive.”
She sighed. “I’ve experimented a little through the years, and most spirits can’t travel like this. She seems to be losing power each time, and I’m not sure how much longer she’ll last here.”
Garrett leaned toward the fire, his elbows on his knees. “We have it narrowed down to eight probable locations, but that’s too many for us to scout on our own.” He looked sideways to where Logan sat on the other side of Mercy. “Where’s your mom these days?”
Logan winced. “She’s in Ireland at Witch Headquarters, and she’s gonna be pissed I haven’t told her about this.”
Karma perked up. “Your mom is a witch?” Vampires and Kurjans were male only, but the rest of the immortal species had females as well. Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood was the one exception in the history of the world, because she had vampire blood in her.
“No,” Logan said. “My mom is a purebred demoness, and she mated Daire Dunne, one of the witch Enforcers. Believe it or not, I have a little sister.” He grinned. “She’s almost as wild as our mom.”
Garrett snorted. “Logan’s mom likes to rob banks for fun.”
“Just the safety-deposit boxes and accounts of criminals,” Logan protested.
Karma sat straighter. “Wait a minute. Your father had to have been a vampire. Yet she’s mated to a witch? Did your mother take the same virus I took?”
Logan nodded. “Our father died a long time ago, and Mom took the virus before she mated Daire. It all worked out in the end, although she’s going to kill me if she ever finds out that Sam was taken by the Kurjans and I didn’t immediately call her.”
“That is not a lie. Your mother is intense,” Garrett said.
Logan picked up his mug of coffee and stood. “I’m going to study those schematics of the mountain range to the south one more time. Just in case.”
Mercy stretched to her feet, barely reaching Logan’s chest in height. “I’ll help.”
Garrett also stood. “I’m going for a run, and then I’ll be back to help. Maybe there’s something I missed about the Nevada rock formation that’s a possible location.”