Authors: Jenna Castille
LogansEmpath
Logan’s Empath
Book three in the Destinies
Entwined series.
In a past life, Logan, a
battle-hardened mage, created the Three, a trio of lovers capable of performing
a sexual ritual to keep demons from breaking into the mortal world. His Three
have been protecting the world in every incarnation since. But in the current
incarnation, it’s taken years for Logan to find his Empath—and she’s already
knee-deep in trouble.
Years ago Bree’s parents were
slaughtered by demons. Since then, Bree’s concentrated on survival and revenge.
When a sexy, sword-wielding warrior storms into her town, she isn’t sure how to
react. A life spent wading through demon goo doesn’t lend itself to romance, no
matter how compelling the man.
Now the ruler of the demon horde is
targeting Bree. If Logan doesn’t win the trust and love of his emotionally
scarred Empath, he’ll lose her—and possibly the rest of the world as well.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Logan’s Empath
ISBN 9781419936463
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Logan’s Empath Copyright © 2011 Jenna Castille
Edited by Ann Leveille
Cover design by Syneca
Photography: VishStudios/Shutterstock.com
Electronic book publication October 2011
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Logan’s Empath
Jenna Castille
Prologue
The Visionary lost himself in a dream of an unfamiliar
landscape.
The night was lit by only the moon and stars. Woods closed
in on all sides, blocking anything that might give a hint as to the place. The
familiar sounds of nonstop traffic and the chatter of people were nowhere to be
found. All he could make out was the faint chirp of insects and the sounds of
someone racing through the underbrush.
As she dashed through the tight trees, a dream woman’s feet
slipped and skidded on the wet leaves, threatening to land her on her ass with
each step. But she never paused, never slowed down. She ducked through the
underbrush, blackberry thorns grabbing at her dark clothing and thin branches
slapping at her face. But the heavy cloth of her shirt and jeans protected her
skin as it was designed to, just as her hiking boots gave her the traction
needed for a mountain chase.
Her heart pounded in her chest, her pulse thundering in her
ears almost loudly enough to block out the sounds of smaller feet thumping in
front of her. She was close, very close. She ducked under a large branch, the
towering oak covered with moss and poison ivy giving her a reference point on
the familiar trail. They’d be cresting the hill soon. She had to end this
quickly. There were too many different paths to take once they reached the top.
The creature could run across the ridge in either direction or start heading
down toward the small town below. For a moment the dream focused on the town
and a small sign—Browningsville.
In an instant, she caught sight of the creature ahead.
She was nearly there. As they broke into the clearing she
tightened her grip on the carved handle of an old hunting knife.
The creature in front of her spun on tiny clawed feet,
spitting a nasty, poisonous ooze. The woman hopped lightly to the side even as
her left hand shot out to grab a thin, scaly neck.
Surprisingly strong arms for such a small frame tore at her
grip as she used her body weight to take the imp to the ground. It shrieked and
ripped at her, slicing through fabric and skin. But the woman held it at bay
with practiced ease.
One quick, powerful slice with the knife and the creature’s
head rolled away. The woman leapt back as the body twitched and twisted. A
noxious smell, a mixture of sulfur and decay, rose in a rolling smoke as the
corpse disintegrated.
The woman pulled a silk cloth from her pocket and carefully
cleaned the knife. Lifting a single hand, she brushed a lock of sweat-soaked
brown hair back from a delicate but determined face.
It was a face that was familiar to the dreamer. The shock of
seeing it framed in such modern times was enough to jar the Visionary from his
sleep.
Sabine?
Chapter One
A thoroughly disgusting-looking man marched into the
luxurious reception area of Zen, one of the hidden treasures of San Francisco.
The hotel sat as a tranquil oasis in the midst of the frantic movement of the
crowded City by the Bay. And yet this man, who looked like he’d been crawling
through the sewers after a particularly vicious bar fight, walked around as
though he belonged amidst the oriental luxury.
A young Asian woman at the front desk noticed his approach
and scurried forward to greet him. “Logan-san.” She gave a slight bow, most
likely from habit, before wagging a finger in his filth-covered face. “How many
times must you be told? When you come back in this state, please use the back
entrance. You’ll disturb the guests.”
“Sorry, Ishi.” Logan gave an absent rub to his head,
dislodging who knew what onto the brightly polished bamboo floor. He didn’t
even have the energy to look apologetic. “I’m just too damn tired to even think
about that now.”
The woman looked him up and down, her lips pursing with
concern as opposed to the expected disgust.
I must look as bad as I feel. Ishi almost looks
sympathetic.
Logan tried to stand taller but the effort was too much. “Help
me to the elevators. Don’t think I can make it on my own.”
“Don’t bother, Ishi. Return to the front desk. I’ll handle
this. Logan and I have other business to discuss anyway.” A middle-aged Asian
man stepped forward, wrapping his arm around Logan’s shoulders and helping him
navigate his way to the row of elevators.
Great, boss man wants to discuss something with me. How
come I’m the First, the greatest mage ever, but Ryuu still ends up my boss?
But the thought didn’t stop Logan from leaning on his friend. “I know I’ve been
ditching out on work a lot lately but the demon fighting load has been high.
And let’s face it, that’s all your fault. If you’d found your other Two
quicker, less demons would’ve escaped.”
Ryuu stopped, leaving Logan rocking on his heels. He gave
Logan a reproachful look. “Do you really want me to drop you here? I don’t have
to put up with your foul humor on top of your foul stench.”
Logan grimaced. He hated being called out on his grumpy
behavior, even more so when the other party was right to do so. “Sorry, that
was uncalled for. I’m just not up for any chewing out today.”
“And you don’t think that I can see that?” Ryuu resumed
supporting Logan as they walked. “It looks like something’s already chewed on
you as it is. No, this is more of a personal discussion.”
Trying for humor to break the building tension, Logan
teased, “What, Eric and Janice not enough for you? Geez, where’s an old man
like you get the energy?”
“I’m barely in my forties so I’d appreciate you dropping the
old man comments. Not to mention the fact that I’ve let you stay here for
nearly a decade.”
“Not that I haven’t paid my way with the demon slaying and working
as your night manager.”
After the doors opened, Ryuu leaned Logan against the glass
wall so he could manipulate the card key access on the elevator. “Yes, you have
more than made your own way here.” He paused for a moment, staring at the
ceiling long enough to give Logan the willies. “I had a dream, a vision, that I
want to discuss with you.”
Groaning, Logan took full advantage of the wall propping him
up to give his aching feet some relief. “And it can’t wait until I’ve had a
chance to get some sleep?”
Making a show of sniffing, Ryuu grinned. “It can wait for
you to shower but I don’t think you would want it to wait longer than that.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked as the elevator rocked to a
stop, nearly sending him toppling to the floor.
Ryuu watched him wobble. As the door slid open, he helped
Logan down the short hallway. “Shower first. I’ll wait for you in your sitting
room.”
Logan moaned as he staggered into his private rooms, letting
the carefully chosen decor soothe his senses. He’d barely changed a thing since
moving in, the room being so perfectly tranquil and welcoming as it was. He’d
been living that upper suite of Zen since Ryuu had him sprung from the
institution he’d been living in for most of his teen years. It was more of a
home for him now than the little house he’d lived in with his family until he’d
turned six, until the demons killed them.
Now he spent all his spare time killing demons. Seemed like
a good deal to him.
He left Ryuu to fend for himself and staggered to the
bathroom. He peeled off his clothes, dumping them on the gray and black stone
floor. He didn’t worry about putting them in a hamper. With all the demon goo
on them, they’d have to be burned anyway. Luckily, they weren’t anything he was
particularly attached to.
He slipped a little as he stepped into the shower. Thank god
it had one of those big shelves you could use for a seat. Standing was becoming
more difficult by the moment. What had it been, thirty hours since he’d last
slept—thirty hard hours? He turned the water to just a fraction under scalding
and eased himself down.
The pelting water and building steam seeped into his aching
muscles and bones, stinging the cuts covering his torso. But it was a slight
pain that he relished. He was still alive.
Logan leaned his head back and let the water run through his
longish hair. He reached for the shampoo, scrubbing to get out all the
nastiness that exploding demons left behind. Why did they have to go and grow
up anyway? It had been so much easier when all he had to deal with were imps,
even if there had been a multitude of the little bastards. But he’d take a
thousand imps over ten half-grown demons.
Shaking his wet head, he felt strong enough to stand and
finish cleaning up.
When he finally stepped back out of the bathroom, wearing a
pair of loose sweatpants, he felt
somewhat
human again.
And the fact that Ryuu took it upon himself to make coffee
jacked that feeling up to
slightly
human. “If I’d known you were going
to ply me with caffeine I would’ve been quicker.”