Page 41 of Savage Blood (Den of Shadows #6)

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Barric’s grin made chills rake down my back and tremors travel up my legs. His fingers practically burned my wrist as he held it in a bruising grip.

“It’s time to come home, sweetheart.”

“Your hideout in Karn’s manor is not my home,” I hissed, trying to break his hold.

He tsked. “It is—until your death.”

No longer attacking the other patrons, the demons looked around, confusion swirling in their eyes. Would any of them help me? Or were they too busy trying to figure out what the hell happened to notice or care about my situation?

A few nightworlders cast curious glances in our direction, and some demons stared right at the Infernal Sol still glimmering like a pulsing beacon on Barric’s chest. The idiot might as well announce to the world that he had the powerful amulet.

“Do you really think you can force me out of here in front of all these people?” I asked, tightening my muscles to prepare for a fight. “Fane will be here any second. ”

Barric’s white teeth flashed again as he smirked. “Fane’s going to be preoccupied for a while.”

The air fled my lungs, panic gripping my heart. “What are you talking about?”

He finally tucked the amulet into his shirt. “I just made sure he was nice and distracted.”

Fury flooded my veins as terrifying images of Fane being attacked sped through my mind. The rush of adrenaline had my muscles moving, and I swiped my claws through the air and dug gashes into Barric’s arm.

He cursed and finally released me. I stumbled back, pivoted, and took off into the crowd.

Or at least I tried.

Fingers tangled in my hair and yanked me back. I hit Barric’s broad form so hard the air sprang from my lungs again.

“Let me go!” As I spun, a sharp sting spread across my scalp from his hard grip on my hair.

A burst of strength suddenly filled my veins, and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew it came from Fane. But I tried to push it back—block him, even. Fane couldn’t use all his strength on me when he needed it to deal with whatever Barric threw in his path.

The former head alpha wrapped his arms around me as he moved through the crowd, but with the extra strength pumping through my bloodstream, I slipped out of his grip and cracked my knuckles across his face.

The satisfying crunch of bone made me smile, and when I turned toward Barric, blood oozed out of his nose.

“Don’t get cocky, Tate. I’m not even trying.” Tufts of fur sprouted from Barric’s neck as his lips curled back into a snarl.

A shudder ran through me at the thought of his distorted wolf form. He probably looked worse, more grotesque and monstrous than the rest of The Collective Nosterium.

Barric’s attention rose to something behind me, and his transformation halted.

“What a lovely surprise,” he sang.

Frost trickled down my nape, and I looked over my shoulder as Reese stood behind me, her green eyes sharp and attentive.

My stomach dropped. The catatonic shifter I’d encountered at Mohan Wilds was long gone.

“Hello, Barric.” She flicked her raven locks over her shoulder, and her hips swayed as she slithered through a group of confused demons.

When I stepped to the right to make an escape, her hand shot out and gripped my shoulder.

My blood cooled to arctic levels. Reese was definitely still loyal to Barric and The Collective. Was her unresponsive, clueless state at Mohan Wilds all an act?

“You lying bitch,” I bit out and swung my fist.

Reese blocked the hit and then shoved me toward the crowd. A large, bewildered dux demon pushed me back, and I slammed into Reese.

And then the club spun like a merry-go-round.

Son of a bitch!

The sickness had to pick now of all times to rear its ugly head when I hadn’t experienced any symptoms in weeks.

Reese cursed and wrapped her arm around my waist to stop me from crashing to the ground. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I didn’t expect to see you,” Barric said. “But I should have known better. You were always my most loyal follower.”

Warm blood trickled from my nose and dripped onto her shoulder as she held me up. I wiped my face with a trembling hand, black sludge smearing the back of it.

So it wasn’t blood but the poison in my veins.

“Stand up,” Reese commanded, steadying me on my feet. “Stop leaking all over me.”

I choked back the wave of nausea trying to overwhelm me. “Let go of me, then.”

But her arm remained firmly around my waist. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure I could stand if she released me.

Reese drew me closer to my father. “You left me out there, Barric. Why didn’t you come for me?”

He sighed. “I couldn’t risk getting caught, Reese. You understand, don’t you?”

A soft smile curved her mouth as she gazed at him like he was a god. “Of course. I’m just glad I got away from Camus when I did. You still need my help, after all.”

Barric held his scarred hand out. “Now you can return to where you belong.”

I fought Reese’s hold as my heart hammered against my ribs, but another wave of dizziness crashed over me, and I helplessly staggered toward my father.

“I know exactly where I belong, Barric.” Reese reached for his hand and grabbed it.

She suddenly released me, and I dropped to the floor like a bag of bricks. And then her other hand arched through the air, a silver blade catching the bouncing lights moments before she sank it into Barric’s sternum.

The wolf shifter howled and stumbled back once Reese jerked the blade out of him. Blood erupted from the wound, staining his blue shirt and the floor.

“Traitor,” he snapped.

Reese’s manic laugh held an edge of rage. “You used me and threw me away like I was nothing, Barric. I am not like that pathetic, groveling Amelia. I have a fucking backbone.”

“A backbone that I will crack in half for this.” Barric gripped his chest to stop the blood flow, spun, and vanished into the crowd like a ghost.

Reese clutched my arm and helped me to my feet. A string of curses tumbled from my mouth as I searched the thinning club for my father.

“Is that a silver blade?” I asked.

Reese wiped Barric’s blood off on her jeans. “Yes, but it won’t kill him, not while he’s got the Infernal Sol.”

Why wouldn’t the damn thing come off? I was supposed to be the one who could take it.

“Coltrane!” I jerked out of Reese’s hold and stumbled toward the geode where Barric tossed the former raven captain.

The area was empty, with only a trickle of blood glistening on the floor.

Shit.

She was gone.

My neck tattoo prickled, and I pivoted as Fane marched across the club toward me. His shirt and jeans were torn and black blood speckling his flesh.

Air caught sharply in my lungs. “What happened?”

But Fane ignored me as he explored my body for injuries, snarling when he noticed the bruises on my wrist from Barric.

“What the hell happened to you ?” He cradled my face between his hands, worry pummeling the bond. “I told you to stay put.”

I scoffed. “When have I ever listened?”

His gaze traveled over my shoulder, and he spotted Reese with the bloody knife. “What are you doing here? ”

“Just settling a little score with Barric.” She stashed the dagger in her pocket. “And I have some information you need to hear.”

Hot water cascaded over me, loosening my muscles as l leaned into Fane. His fingers massaged my scalp, and his calloused hand skimmed down my back. I groaned at the pleasure rippling through me.

A growl vibrated his throat. “Keep making noises like that, fiera mika, and we’ll miss the whole meeting.”

My arms wrapped around his waist as exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders. “I’m sure someone can fill us in.”

“Don’t you want to know what Reese has to say?”

“Oh yeah,” I grumbled. “She did make it sound kind of important.”

After Barric fled the club, the last remnants of control and confusion the amulet had over the dux demons evaporated. Two demons and one vampire died, but no human casualties occurred. Of course, there were plenty of injuries to go around.

My teeth clenched at the deaths, even the demons’. This wasn’t their fault. They had no control over their actions.

It was Barric’s fault. He had to be stopped.

When Fane vanished from the balcony, he went to free Ruin to help Wrath gain control of the demons.

Apparently, they ran into sub-demons, and Fane chased them outside only to find more.

Now, blood covered him, and we both reeked of sex, so taking a shower while everyone gathered at Wrath’s house for a meeting sounded like a great idea.

“I’m sorry,” Fane murmured into my ear.

“For what? ”

The demon shifter pulled back, shadows and sorrow darkening his stare. “For what happened, for what I did to Hawk.”

“Oh.”

“I’d still make the same choice.” He pushed wet strands of hair out of my face. “You come before anyone. But I’m sorry he was caught in the middle, and I’m sorry this is hurting you.”

My throat tightened until I could hardly breathe through the lump in it. “I was so pissed at you that I couldn’t see beyond my anger.”

If Barric had caught me then, escaping again would have been impossible. He would have used my blood to speed up the timeline of the Admordum Nexia Covenant, and the bitten shifters could all be dead now.

Hawk’s capture was my fault too. I shouldn’t have let Barric use the amulet to lure me in. It was my damn downfall every time.

“Of course, remembering the time you and Hawk hooked up in the raven library while I helplessly watched made my guilt a little easier to swallow.”

Wincing, I pressed my forehead to his chest. “So you remember that too?”

“Yep.” Fane lifted my chin and brushed his lips over mine. “We’ll get him back, Tate.”

“I know. I just?—”

Faint black lines suddenly branched across my skin, and any remaining humor faded from Fane as the sight reminded us of the poison within my veins.

The demon shifter ran his thumb over my shoulder to trace the lines, his nostrils flaring. “We'd better get out there.”