Logan's Rattler by A. Jarrett (best books for 20 year olds txt) 📕

at the men standing around him. Finn saw a tear escape the witch’s eye before he could swipe it away.

“What was that?” Abner asked as he sat down next to his mate.

“It wasn’t just Rhett’s past I saw. I got flashes of a man named Lindsay’s, as well,” Carter said.

“Who’s Lindsay?” Finn asked what they all were wondering.

Carter let out a nervous laugh. “Rhett’s dead mate.”

Finn couldn’t believe his ears. This could explain why he had developed an attraction toward Logan. The man might just be lonely.

That Finn could understand. But his violent actions toward Logan were unacceptable.

“Rhett had a mate?” Garrett looked shocked. “He never said anything to me about it. Fuck, the pain he must be suffering through.”

“I have to ask, how did you not know this, Garrett?” Ben asked.

Finn could tell Ben was barely able to hold back his fury. “He is your

Logan’s Rattler

109

responsibility as alpha. If he were to have hurt Logan, you would have been held liable.” Ben’s voice began to rise. “What kind of pack are you running here?”

“Hey, don’t judge me, vampire.” Garret spat the word out. “I have over two hundred pack members under my protection, and I just became this pack’s alpha. I haven’t had the chance to get to know everyone personally,” Garrett defended himself. “But I will say this, Rhett always kept to himself. He never gave off any indication he was hurting or that he needed any kind of help coping. As far as I could tell, he was fine.”

“Ben, it’s not Garrett’s fault.” Carter spoke up. “Rhett lost his mate over a hundred years ago. He’s had plenty of time to hide his trauma over Lindsay’s death.” Carter looked at Finn. “Could you sense anything strange coming from him when you met Rhett?”

Finn shook his head no. Rhett just seemed like an overprivileged asshole. A character trait not uncommon in wolf shifters. “Nothing stuck out indicating Rhett was dealing with a loss of this magnitude,”

Finn explained. “I thought he had anger issues.”

“Maybe I’m just asking the obvious here, but what does this have to do with Finn’s mate?” Lachlan asked.

“That’s a good question.” Finn crossed his arms over his chest trying his best to connect the two.

Carter leaned forward and started rummaging through Rhett’s bedside drawer. When he found what he was looking for, he stood up.

“This is why.” Carter handed over a framed picture to Finn.

Finn reached out his hand and took the photo. As he stared down at the black-and-white picture, his skin began to crawl, and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead. It was like seeing a ghost. He looked up at Carter, asking without words what it meant.

“I’m sorry, Finn. But Logan is a direct descendant of Rhett’s dead mate. And if Lindsay’s images are correct, he thinks Logan is the reincarnation of him.”

110

AJ Jarrett

“Hang on.” Ben raised his hand into the air. “I’m confused. Since when can you speak to dead people?”

“It wasn’t like that. It was flashes of what Lindsay experienced in his life.” Carter pointed to the picture in Finn’s hands. “A part of Lindsay’s soul is still attached to that photo, and Lindsay gave me flashes of what Rhett has said to that thing. I can sense from Lindsay’s memories that he’s worried about Logan. Rhett has vowed to do whatever is necessary to keep Logan and break him of his ties to this world so he won’t fight Rhett when the soul exchange takes place.”

“Lindsay wants to protect Logan?” Finn whispered.

“Yes. Lindsay had a half sister, and that’s where Logan’s family tree starts. So this Lindsay guy is Logan’s great-great-great”—Carter waved his hand in a circle—“you get the picture, uncle.”

“And even though Rhett’s his mate, Logan’s family, and family stick together.” Carter held up a finger. “Especially when said mate has lost his fucking mind. Lindsay knows he has to help protect his nephew, and that means stopping Rhett.”

“So what do we do now?” Lachlan asked.

“We head back to the warrior compound and lay in wait,” Ben said as he walked toward the door. “If Rhett thinks Logan is his mate, he won’t be going anywhere without the man.”

Finn took the picture when he left the room. If anything, he could give it to Logan to show him