Page 136 of Legacy of Temptation

“To Cara,” he firmly but calmly commanded. “Now.”

Cujo’s claws bit into the floor, and wisps of smoke rose from the gashes. His pained whimper became a howl as he gathered his strength and fought the pain.

You can do it, buddy. You got this.

Oh, please let him have this…

The room faded out. Instantly, sunlight stabbed them like a million daggers as they materialized on the steps leading up to Ares and Cara’s mansion.

Thank you, Limos!

Logan launched to the top of the steps. “Stay with him,” he shouted back at Eva and then burst inside the building. “Aunt Cara! Cara! Help!”

Cara ran into the room from the kitchen, her sandaled feet slapping on the floor. “What is it?”

“It’s Cujo. He’s hurt. Bad.” Nausea and pain made his legs rubbery as he led Cara outside, his heart ripping open at the sight of the canine barely breathing, his mouth gaping as he struggled to take in air.

“Oh, Cujo,” she murmured as she ran to him. “What did this?”

“An Aegis weapon. Stryke wouldn’t tell me how it works.”

“I know,” Eva said. “Sort of.” She looked up at him. “StryTech created it, but Mason was involved in its development. He said they used a metal found only in Sheoul to form the projectiles. He couldn’t tell me what was inside the bullets, but he said he thought it was something holy.”

DART was already aware of all that, but it looked like the liquid inside was still a mystery to everyone.

“Could be holy water,” Logan suggested.

Cara nodded. “Or even angel blood. That would explain the extreme injuries. These aren’t easy to heal.”

“But he’ll be okay, right?”

The worry in Cara’s eyes was a sucker punch. “I don’t know.” She shouted to a Ramreel demon standing guard nearby. “Get Ares.” She turned to Logan. “We’ll move Cujo to my workshop. I’m going to need to clean the contaminants out of these wounds, or they won’t heal.”

He and Eva helped Ares, a couple of Ramreels, and Cara move Cujo to her veterinary clinic, which, thankfully, wasn’t used that often. She said she used it more to care for the native island animals than for any of the hellhounds who called her healer or the Horsemen’s stallions, including Limos’s late hell stallion.

Once the beast was settled on the floor, Cara kicked Logan and Eva out. “I need to concentrate, and I can’t do that with you hovering. I’m going to sever the bond between you two if it looks like the worst will happen, but don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.”

Of course, she would. Cujo literally couldn’t be in better hands. But even Cara’s extraordinary abilities couldn’t save everyone.

Reluctantly, Logan led Eva outside with no particular destination in mind. He was too numb to think about where to go, what to do, or what to say. Although he knew exactly what to say to Stryke and fired off an angry text to do just that.

Your weapon may have just killed Cujo, you asshole.Pray Cara can save him, because if he dies, no one can save you from me.

He stared at his wrist for a second, hoping Stryke would respond, but he should have known better. When he looked up, Eva was speaking with someone through her comms device. As he approached, she turned off the privacy veil, and a hologram of a woman he assumed was her mother was speaking with her.

“Your father and I are fine,” she said. “But dozens are injured. More dead. And Sig…” She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her bare arms as if she’d gotten a chill. “He’s dead.”

Good. That was the best news Logan had gotten all day.

“I’m just glad you’re both okay,” Eva said.

Her mother slid a cold look to him. “That’s Logan, I assume.” When Eva nodded, her mom inclined her head toward him. “Thank you for saving my daughter. Eva, your father is trying to clean up the mess you made. You need to come back and explain why you sabotaged that press conference. You might have cost yourself the job.”

“No, Mom, I’m not going back.”

Logan inhaled a stunned breath. Eva wasn’t messing around. She was truly giving up a prestigious position with a powerful agency—a move that could cost Eva her entire career.

“Eva—”