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  Logan’s Empath

  Jenna Castille

  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

  www.ellorascave.com

  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

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

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  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

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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.”

  “You needed time to recover.” Ryuu handed him a cup, black with two Sweet’N Lows.

  After his first sip, Logan held the cup under his nose and inhaled the wonderful scent. He flopped onto his couch, trying not to slosh the precious beverage as he collapsed in on himself. “Okay, whatever you’ve got to say, I’m ready to hear it.”

  Ryuu sat down in a chair across from him, taking his own cup off the coffee table. After a few sips he looked over at Logan. “I had a vision.”

  “So you mentioned.” Logan leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “We got another nest of demons to take down? ‘Cause I gotta tell you, even with my magic, this last one was a real bitch. I need a break.”

  “No, no nest to take down, not exactly. Though imps were involved.” Ryuu stared down into his cup, going all enigmatic on him. “I saw someone else taking care of them.”

  Blinking and jerking his head back up, Logan shook off the need for sleep again. “Goody, we’ve got mystery reinforcements. I could use the help, especially with Eric out of town and you up to your eyeballs with expansion plans for the hotel.”

  “This person wasn’t in San Francisco. The environment they fought in was mountainous and the trees were not all indigenous to the Sierras either. I believe it was the Appalachians or the Smokey Mountains, though I need to research a bit more to be certain. I did see a town name, Browningsville. That should help.”

  He’s babbling. I can barely keep my eyes open and he’s babbling. Get to the point already. “Okay, I’m ready for the catch. What is so important about a demon hunter on the other side of the country? Are they being overwhelmed and need help, ‘cause we’re not that far from it here. That leak we had lasted nearly a decade. That’s a lot of imps and demons to clean up, especially now that the older imps are maturing into those nasty young demons. If we don’t get them all soon, they’ll start breeding.”

  “I saw the woman’s face.”

  “Yes,” Logan prompted. He was bone tired and getting more irritated at Ryuu’s pussyfooting around the issue by the second. Doesn’t Ryuu realize that I’m hanging on to consciousness by the skin of my teeth here?

  His friend took a deep breath. “I think it was Sabine, or the woman she is now. I haven’t had many visions of the past with your Empath in them but it seemed to be her.”

  Sabine. Logan’s heart stopped at the mere sound of her name. He’d been searching so hard for her and for Brandr over the years, never able to find them due to his own Visionary limitation of not being able to see clearly his future or those entwined with it. Ryuu had tried to help as well, without luck. Now, finally, he had a lead.

  All hint of fatigue faded as a jolt of adrenaline shot through his body. He had to force himself not to fly over the table and grab Ryuu. “Are you certain?”

  Ryuu licked his lips, eyes locked with Logan’s. “As certain as I can be. I already have Katashi looking for a Browningsville in the Eastern mountain ranges.”

  Logan stood slowly, every muscle shaking with restrained action. “Wait here.”

  He walked to his bedroom instead of dashing there like he wanted to. He went to his bedside table and pulled out an old sketchbook, the only thing he’d taken with him when Katashi had come to bring him from the institution and introduce him to Ryuu and Zen. His fingers shook as he leafed through the pages. When he found the one he wanted, he ran the tip of his finger over the surface. He closed his eyes in a short prayer as he held the book to his chest.

  Ryuu waited patiently in the other room as Logan returned, sketchbook still in hand. He held it out, picture first, to his friend and fellow Visionary. “Is this the woman you saw?”

  Taking the book, Ryuu peered at the black and white sketch of a woman in a long flowing gown, her hair piled on her head with a few ringlets framing her smiling face. He raised his eyebrows as he looked up at Logan. “This is very good. I didn’t realize you had such a talent.”

  Logan felt his cheeks heating. Damn redhead complexion, never could hide a blush. He shrugged, waiting for Ryuu to answer his question.

  “Yes, this is the woman I saw.” He handed the book back to Logan. “Her hair and eyes are brown and she was wearing a turtleneck and jeans but this is the same woman.”

  Grabbing the back of Ryuu’s chair with his free hand to support his suddenly weak knees, Logan trembled. “Thank god. Finally, I
’ve found her.”

  “Or you will soon.” Ryuu stood, clasping a hand on Logan’s shoulder before heading across the room. “Sleep friend. You need to rest and recover. It will take a bit of time for Katashi to finish his research. I’ll also have him put together some supplies for you take on your journey. I assume you’ll be taking your motorcycle? She was fighting demons in my vision, remember?”

  “Yeah, no way to smuggle any weapons on a plane these days and I’m not going anywhere unarmed. I’ll leave it to you then.”

  “I’ll take care of everything.” Ryuu opened the door but paused on the threshold. “And make certain to speak to Janice before you leave. She feels like your big sister. If you disappear without at least saying goodbye, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Logan nodded, his mind already spinning in a hundred different directions. Sabine, he’d finally found Sabine. Next would be Brandr and his family would be complete. He would be complete.

  For the first time in years, Logan could feel his heart warming He’d found one of his loves.

  Chapter Two

  His soft bed embraced him. A warm, thick comforter covered him. Silence and darkness filled the familiar room. But as tired as he was Logan still had difficulty sleeping. After such world-shaking news, his mind had trouble letting go. After an hour of tossing and turning, he’d had it. Time to take matters into my own hands. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and pushed himself into a Visionary dream state. Anything to get some rest.

  Not that he minded dreaming about the past, his past with his Three.

  Slowly, his consciousness following glowing strands of the past, an image solidified.

  ~The battle had been worse than any before. More warriors died on the field than ever. It was as though the creatures knew that the resistance was working on a way to close the gate to the mortal world. They were determined as well as vicious. Many times Laughlin thought either he or Brandr would never see the dawn, falling under the seemingly endless swarm. Even with the support of Sabine and her magic shoring up their own powers, the fight was a near thing.