Page 45 of Underworld
“Come on,” he said, grinning. “As much as I’d love to wander the forest with you and your new friend, I doubt we’ll have an endless amount of time alone.”
As we resumed our trek, I said, “You never did tell me where we were going. If we’re not going to your office, then where are we going?”
He shot me a playful grin. “I suppose, you couldsay we’re going to mysecondoffice.”
“And your second office is…?”
“My Den,” he said, straightening. “It’s where I sleep. Here, under the moonlight where I can feel at home.”
And away from the torment of Hell,I thought.
The thundering roar of a waterfall caught my attention just before we broke through the heaviest of the forest growth. The water came down a sheer rock face that jutted up into what seemed like an eternal night sky.
Tipping my head back, I stared in amazement. “I can see why you’d pick this spot. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.” The pleasure in his voice was obvious.
Spray from the waterfall misted my hair. The uni-hare lifted his little head to it, eyes half-closed.
“I think he likes it,” I said, raising my voice over the roar of the waterfall.
Logan nodded. “Be careful where you step. And tuck your wings in.”
He had to keep reminding me.
I figured out why a split second later as he led me onto a narrow stone lip that went directly behind the waterfall.
The noise of the water threatened to drown my senses. The uni-hare’s nose shoved into my arm, protecting the worst of his face from the heavy spray of water. He managed to nick his sharp horn on my shoulder in the process, making me wince. “Careful, buddy,” I complained, readjusting him.
Enough ambient light filtered through the water that I could see a door. Logan opened it and ushered me inside before closing it behind us.
“My Den,” he said quietly.
It was a cave, although that seemed almost too simple a word for the space around me. This was ahome, really, part natural rock formation and part updated, modern living space, complete with office and a kitchen.
The office area rested near the front, the space flowing into a kitchen that became more rustic, giving way to a sleeping area with exposed stone walls.
I wandered deeper inside. A massive bed took up the space, neatly made. It had a look that made me think it was rarely used. Just inside the entryway I spotted a heavy mat on the floor that looked like a dog bed—a well-used one.
“What’s down there?” I asked, nodding to the darkness that lay beyond the pool of lights.
“Caves, some explored, others, not so much.”
“Will he wander off?” I asked warily while the uni-hare started wiggling in my arms.
Logan eyed the uni-hare with a considering look. “You’d be a better judge than me, but… I doubt it. He’s already bonded to you. Still, I’ll close off the caves so he’s not tempted to explore.”
He pulled at a latch on the wall and the stone trembled, shutting off the opening with a wall of rock.
“There.” He smiled at the uni-hare. “You can put him down.”
I put the uni-hare down, marveling at the idea that I’d somehow picked up a familiar.
The uni-hare hopped around, his little nose wiggling as he investigated the new space.
“I’m surprised he’s not freaking out,” I said, following Logan into the kitchen. “He was just being chased by wolves and panthers and now he’s in an Alpha’s lair.”
“I’m bonded to you,” he pointed out. Logan gave me a sidelong look as he started opening cabinets. “He knows I’m not going to hurt something that has bonded to you. You wouldn’t like it.”
