Page 10 of Savage Blood (Den of Shadows #6)

Fane stiffened beneath me, and he removed his teeth, lapping up my blood. “Why do I get the feeling it’s worse than I thought?”

“Because it is.”

I buried my face in his neck, unable to meet his stare as I finally spilled my guts about the Admordum Nexia Covenant and my plan to steal the Infernal Sol. Worry, rage, and pure panic pulsated through our bond.

Several long, heavy moments passed while Fane remained as still as a marble statue. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak.

Did I break him ?

When I finally drew back, his nostrils flared, and scarlet lightning flashed in his eyes.

“Say something, Maverick.”

“You can’t take the Infernal Sol.”

His low, gravelly tone had me holding back shivers.

I sighed and brushed his wild hair back. “I have to.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Every bitten shifter will die if I don’t. We won’t get the chance to kill while he has the amulet and more than a dozen psychotic followers protecting him.”

The wheels in Fane’s mind seemed to churn at breakneck speed as he tried to search for another solution. “There has to be a way that doesn’t involve you dying or succumbing to that power for good.”

“I can fight it,” I said. “There’s still a chance I can stop it from fully taking me over.”

His lips thinned, his expression full of doubt. “Even while you’re sick from it? You think you can fight it while it’s also killing you?”

“I can try.”

The flood of worry through our bond told me he didn’t believe my lies for one second.

“We’re mated now, so maybe things will be different,” I said, stroking his cheek, feeling his scar. “I’m different. And if I retake the Infernal Sol, it’ll cure me.”

“How do you know?” he asked.

I shrugged. “It won’t let me die if I have it.”

His palm burned on my back as his touch pressed into it. “Let’s consider all our options. Maybe we can find another way to get it off Barric and?—”

Fane’s words cut off as an invisible force ripped me out of his hold, his shout of protest following me while I soared through the air…

I crashed back into my body so violently that I jerked forward into a sitting position like someone had shocked me back to life.

Torin cursed and stumbled back. “For fuck’s sakes! You can’t even wake up like a normal person, can you?”

“What the hell are you doing in my cell, creep?” My hand trembled as I brushed tangled strands of hair from my sweaty face.

His mouth twitched into an eerie smile. “Barric has granted your request for an audience.”

“About damn time,” I muttered, staggering to my feet, already missing Fane’s touch.

Torin stormed into the stone corridor, snapping his fingers at my slow movements. “Let’s go, Tate. I don’t have all day.”

At least he didn’t assault me like his father. His mother was a piece of work too. I wasn’t surprised Torin turned out to be such a sick, rotten tool.

As I passed Enid’s cell, she brushed my arm, her brow furrowed and eyes full of worry.

“Be careful,” she whispered.

I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. “He won’t hurt me.”

Yet.

Ruin glared at Torin. “Keep your hands to yourself, wolf.”

He flipped the high demon off. “You’re not in the position to give orders. You’re not the ruler of anything now.”

Once we made it into the maze of opulent hallways on the manor’s second level, memories of fleeing Karn’s demons flooded my mind. Mikel and Furic had chased me through the winding paths of black, white, and blood red.

The vase on the mahogany table in the corner looked like the one I’d smashed over Mikel’s head.

Torin jabbed his finger into my back. “Stop slowing down. We’re not on a leisurely tour.”

I picked up the pace, catching a glimpse of my haggard appearance in the mirror. My jeans and tank top were filthy, torn, and covered in blood. “Any chance I could get a shower?”

“As long as I can join you, Tate.” He sniffed the air. “You do smell a little rank.”

Bastard .

“Well, being held captive in a dank, foul dungeon for days kind of has that effect,” I said.

“Hold on.” He gripped my upper arm to pull me to a stop and sniffed the air. “What else is that on you?”

The sconces on the walls brightened the gold strands running through his tawny curls as he lowered his head and breathed deeply.

“Probably blood.” What else would it be? “Or piss.”

“Nah, you smell like…” His pupils suddenly shrank to tiny pinpoints. “Sex.”

My head yanked back, and a nervous laugh slipped out. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve been locked in a cell. Alone.”

What the ever-loving hell!

Had my recent sexy visit with Fane somehow transferred to my actual body?

“I think you’re losing it, Torin.” I tried to yank my arm from his grasp, but his fingers tightened, digging in.

A low, feral growl rumbled in his chest as he stepped closer, extinguishing the space between us. “That’s definitely sex and arousal all over you. ”

My pulse quickened as Torin’s demeanor changed, and waves of excitement flowed off him. “Just take me to Barric,” I demanded.

His lids fluttered as he ran his nose along my neck, his hot breath flowing over my flesh. “I haven’t hunted in so fucking long.”

“You’re not hunting now either.”

I shoved him as hard as I could, and when he stumbled back, his eyes were no longer gold or any mix of amber.

They were black.

Demon black.

The moisture dried from my mouth as I inched backward. Something had a hold on him.

I clapped a few times to grab his attention. “Hey, Torin, snap out of it!”

His lips curled back, revealing sharpening teeth. Nothing but base lust and hunger was reflected in his unnaturally dark irises. “Run, little rabbit.”