Gravity (46 page)

down on my quivering lip as the sounds of his death filled my head. “Tarek ripped him apart for the

key he’d swallowed to keep me safe inside his house. Then Logan was forced to listen over the

phone as Tarek threatened to kill me, and Logan challenged him. That’s what happened.”

“We are aware of some of the details you’ve pointed out from tracing phone calls and hiring a

Sensor to investigate the crime scene. But we were not aware that Tarek had killed the human.”

My eyes narrowed. “You thought Logan did it?”

The Overlord shrugged. “It’s not customary to play witness to something you did not personally

see. Logan has a black mark on his record and Tarek does not.”

Their laws infuriated me. “Why not question Logan? Surely that would clear up this matter and

he’d tell you the truth.”

His brow arched. “Would he?”

“Would it matter? You could scent it out of him.”

The Overlord didn’t care for my tone by the way his cheek twitched. “We could scent the truth

or a lie, but that would not tell us what the truth actually is. I am familiar with Logan Cross and his

reputation.”

“Hire a Vampire”

“It’s not our custom,” he countered. Then he blinked away a flicker of amusement and glanced

at the men to his left.

“I realize the Pride is suffering a loss, but it would be generous to set up a donation to a

battered women’s shelter in the name of the fallen officer. He saved me and took me into his

home. Stone held the key that would have saved his life, but he chose to protect me and died as a

result. That’s pretty damn noble and I think deserves to be recognized. I didn’t know the guy, but

everything I’ll ever need to know about him I learned in the last five minutes of his life.”

“The murder of human law enforcement is a serious offense, punishable by death. Even as

Lord, Tarek would not have been above the law if this were proven.” The Overlord rested his arms

over the table and turned to the elders. “Unfortunately, this crime does not justify the death of a

Lord at the hands of a lower-ranked Chitah.” They nodded in agreement and he looked up. I didn’t

see sympathy or malice. He was simply a man carrying out the laws. “We will take all you have said

into consideration, but in the meantime, we must make arrangements about setting a new

challenge with their Pride.”

“Wait,” I said as the Overlord began to rise from his seat.

“Yes?” he asked with curious interest.

“Is that it? Nothing I’ve said will convince you that Logan is innocent?”

His long fingers splayed out across the desk before him and he leaned forward just a little bit.

“If it were that easy, then no man would be punished. We must abide by the laws, and the

investigation will continue. As I’ve just stated, your testimony will be taken into consideration.”

I took a single step forward as I reached beneath my shirt and pulled out a slip of paper. The

guards rushed over and grabbed my arms. Christian moved toward the guards with a rock-solid

pace.

“Wait,” the Overlord barked out. “Release her.”

Hands slowly peeled away from my arms and Christian shoved one of the men down.

“I wanted you to see this.” I handed him the folded-up paper and he carefully opened it. He

licked the tip of his finger and touched the corner to see if there was a second page. His eyes

briefly flicked up to mine and I nodded. The Overlord turned his attention to the elders and

guards.

“I want everyone to leave this room. Guards, on my command, leave. The only person I’m

requesting to stay is Silver.”

“Sire,” one of the elders argued.

He snapped a hot gaze at him and the man lowered his head, following the others out the

door. The Overlord stepped around his desk and sat on it, looking as tall as the Empire State

Building.

“Is this public knowledge?”

“No. That’s only part of what’s been going on with the experiments.”

“Logan will not be admonished of his crime based on unrelated evidence. Why bring this

forward?”

“Because…”

“Yes?” he pressed.

Now or never. “I was part of those experiments. My mother was a Chitah.”

He blinked rapidly and glanced at the paper again. “It does not state this here.”

“And it won’t. I have no written evidence, only the confession of one of the scientists involved,

and we scrubbed his memory. The reason I’m telling you all this is because Logan has put claim on

me as his kindred spirit.”

“Impossible.”

“So I thought. You’ll scent the truth on him if you ask. I can’t explain it; I only know that it

must have something to do with my birth parents. If we’re kindred spirits, then his challenge

would be justified.”

“Speculation is not fact, therefore I cannot consider this.”

“Not just that,” I interrupted. I looked at the Overlord pleadingly. “Interbreed mating is not

recognized by any law, but I want you to see that if I’m part Chitah, then I have as much right to

claim him as he does me. Should we officially marry—or mate—I want it to be legal.”

He folded the paper and handed it back to me. “Do not share this information with anyone if

you value your life. Continue your investigation carefully, young Mage.”

“So there’s nothing I can say here that would make a difference?”

“Self-sacrifice is held in the highest regard among Chitahs, and you are an exemplary Mage

who has protected many lives with your actions. You’ve shown compassion for the officer who was

slain. I will see that a substantial donation is given to the appropriate charity in his name.”

The Overlord walked around the desk and solemnly sat in his chair. “I cannot guarantee your

safety, but I will speak to the Youngblood Pride and try to compensate for their loss. Do not think

what you’ve shared tonight was in vain, but also understand that in many regards, my hands are

tied. If you can provide sufficient evidence of your claim, then I may be able to grant a pardon,

should our investigation not turn in his favor.” He tapped his finger on his chin and looked me over.

“I daresay it is a most curious pairing. It is obvious by the manner in which you speak of him and

the fire in your eyes that you love him. It’s a look I am very familiar with,” he said with a smile.

“You are free to leave.”

And that was it.

He seemed like a generous and fair man, even though I’d made no headway in getting Logan

off the hook. Leo thought my words might help Logan’s case, and I knew he’d do anything to help

his brother. I turned to leave and the Overlord spoke once more.

“I cannot make a formal statement on this tragedy until tomorrow, but I will place six of my

guards with you for a twenty-four-hour period,” he said, lacing his fingers together and keeping his

eyes on me. “It’s all that I can offer. They are out for blood and I cannot stop them until I have

reviewed the case in detail and made an official statement on the crime. For your protection, I will

announce that anyone who seeks vengeance before a decision is made will be acting against my

direct orders.”

***

Leo drove me to Logan’s condo and the guards followed in front and behind. I didn’t want

them split up between Logan and me, so I thought it would be better if we stayed together for the

night. I thought about hiding out in his cave, but Chitahs were excellent trackers and a cave would

offer no protection.

Christian hooked his arm around my waist and rushed me inside the building, choosing the

stairwell instead of the elevator.

When Logan opened the door, I was surprised to find Levi was there, along with someone I’d

never met before. His hair was onyx-colored and short, but those bright Chitah eyes were

unmistakable. His features were familiar and masculine, and his build was somewhere in the

middle of Levi and Logan. Logan was svelte with rock-solid muscle and strength, while Levi was

thicker all around and strong.

“Silver, I’d like you to meet my youngest brother, Lucian.”

Lucian made no gesture to shake my hand, as that was a human custom. He merely nodded

once and kept his position by the wall with his arms folded. I tried not to notice his black hair,

because it was not a common feature among Chitahs. Bright eyes and hair color were favored.

Levi twirled me in a small circle. “Hey, honey. Looking beautiful. Did you cut your hair?” He

brushed his hands through it and then scratched his bristly jaw. “Yeah, I like it,” he said in a deep

voice.

Christian closed the door behind me and tucked his hands in his trench-coat pockets. We stood

next to the open kitchen and Logan placed the flat of his hand against my back.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We’re here to protect you and Logan,” Levi said, glancing over at Logan.

“It’s not necessary,” I insisted. “You shouldn’t put yourselves in harm’s way. We have guards

assigned by the Overlord.”

“For twenty-four hours,” Christian reminded me. “After that, you’re a sitting duck. Quack

quack.”

“Maybe someone needs to invent Chitah radio or something. Spread the word, why don’t you!”

Christian rolled his eyes dramatically.

Lucian made a quiet suggestion, pointing at the sink cabinet. Leo patted him on the back and

pulled out a few boxes of tin foil and they left the room.

“I really don’t like that all your brothers are here,” I said to Logan. If he was a target, then

anyone near him was too. He kissed my temple and went into the hallway to speak with Leo.

“Honey, you couldn’t get us out of here with a five-alarm fire, so just sit down and enjoy the

Levi specialty.” He put a saucepan on the stove and opened a canister of cocoa. I smirked and

walked to the doorway when he suddenly rushed in front of me. “Sit down; let the men do their

thing in there.”

I sat in the chair, reaching around to braid my hair into a loose knot to get it out of my face.

“So Levi, how many boyfriends you got these days?”

Levi’s laugh was full of body and sin. Tough as nails but deep down, the biggest sweetheart.

“You truly flatter me. The last one decided he wanted to be with one of his own kind. Shifters are

like that.”

“The guy at the club?”

He grunted a yes.

“Maybe you need to quit trying to meet your true love in a bar, ever think of that? Go to a

library or something.”

A boisterous laugh filled the room and he tore open a bag of marshmallows with his teeth,

dumping them on the kitchen island in a giant pile. Levi grabbed a fistful and stuffed them into his

mouth. “You slay me. I wouldn’t know what the hell to do with a boy who had a head on his

shoulders.”

“Maybe the reason why you haven’t found the right one is because you have an idea of what’s

right for you. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out the way you think it will, you know?”

“That’s getting a little too deep for me.”

“That’s what she said.”

Levi hurled a handful of marshmallows at my tacky “Simon” humor. He finally poured our drinks

and we sat awhile, sharing conversation.

Leo and Lucian went into the hidden control room, which was a neighboring apartment that

had been converted into something out of an espionage movie. From there, they’d be able to keep

watch on the building via the surveillance cameras.

Logan filled the open doorway. “You can come on out, Silver.”

“Maybe I’m having too much fun in here with your brother. He’s feeding me marshmallows.”

“Are you trying to make me jealous?” Logan strode in, wearing his ashen sweatpants and no

shirt. If the marshmallows on the table didn’t melt by how sexy he looked, they should have. He

stuffed a large one into his mouth and leaned against the counter, feeding me small bites.

“Why don’t you two get a room,” Levi groaned.

I flicked one off the table and it bounced off Levi’s head and into his cup. That had us rolling

for a good five minutes before I finally got up and followed Logan into the other room.

“Wow, you guys were busy,” I remarked, staring at the windows in the living room.

The Cross brothers had covered them with tin foil from top to bottom. Logan didn’t own drapes

or blinds because he liked the scenic view of the street and said he had nothing to hide. Except for

his secret room, of course.

Christian insisted that regardless of their extra measures, I avoid standing near the windows.

He sat on the sofa and flipped through a magazine as Logan took my hand to lead me to his

bedroom.

Levi sank into one of the chairs and crossed an ankle over his knee. “You two behave in there.”

He winked, and I winked back.

Chapter 36

“I think your brother’s trying to poison me,” I groaned, rolling over on Logan’s wide mattress.

The foil created a blackout, so he lit a small candle and placed it beside the bed.

“I ate too many marshmallows,” I murmured into the pillow. The Levi specialty was nothing but

a concoction of sugar with a splash of rum. As a Mage, I had the ability to heal, but we were not