Page 44 of Savage Blood (Den of Shadows #6)

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Ice poured through my system, and the sweat coating my skin quickly cooled the longer I stared at the empty cell, the stark white and silver interior devoid of any life.

Ruin was gone.

Fane slammed his fist against the wall, though not hard enough to break anything, and snarled. “I knew he wouldn’t stay locked up for long.”

Invisible claws raked over my chest as my mind tumbled down a black hole. “But did he go willingly, or did Roxie take him?”

Fane scowled in my direction. “You really think Ruin, a powerful high demon, could be bested by Roxie, a twenty-something-year-old raven?”

“He has a Malbraxis manacle,” I pointed out. “He’s not at full power.”

I liked to think the panic came from the loss of our link to Hawk and had nothing to do with fearing for Ruin’s life.

Yes, he was an asshole and a villain.

And I’d already mourned him .

But I still cared for him despite all the horrible things he’d done. The bastard was hard to shake.

As we raced from Silver Ridge to the lab, Fane called Logan and Wrath, and of course, both were out when they received the same alert on the security cameras as Fane did. Logan wasn’t even on Earth. He was in Illyria, the witch realm.

Neither Wrath nor Logan thought Ruin could break out of his cell. He did design them to keep shifters and demons locked up.

Of course, none of them expected Roxie to just waltz right through the place.

I jogged down the hall to another cell where Estella, the beautiful dux demon and former alchemist, perched on her cot, reading a chemistry book. “What happened?”

She didn’t even peek up from the glossy pages, as if she couldn’t hear me. My eyes narrowed, and I banged on the glass.

“Estella, where’s Ruin?”

“How should I know?” She finally deemed me worthy and lifted her electric blue gaze from her book. “He’s the reason I’m locked up here, and he’s barely spared me a second glance.”

The bitterness clinging to her words made me flinch. Estella was totally in love with Ruin, but he never returned those feelings. Maybe she’d finally grown tired of pining after someone she couldn’t have.

“Did you see what happened?” Fane asked, looming at my back like a wall of fury and heat. “It’s important, Estella. Please.”

After we caught Roxie walking through the lab, the camera feed mysteriously cut out. I wouldn’t be surprised if she bought an enchantment charm on the black market to screw with the cameras .

By now, she could have already killed Ruin and hidden his body.

The dux demon just flicked her emerald braid to her other shoulder and turned to another page in her book.

“I’ll talk to Wrath and Logan,” Fane said. “See about getting you out of here.”

She scoffed. “They’ll never let me out. Logan doesn’t want me to leave, so he can use my mind whenever he has an alchemy problem he can’t solve.”

The edges of Fane’s lips curved into a sexy smile as he moved past me and leaned his elbow against the glass. “I’ll make sure they listen, at least give you more freedom. How about moving back into your old room upstairs?”

I arched an eyebrow. “Should I leave you two alone?”

“After what you did—without even talking to me about it—I should lock you up in one of these cells for a few days as punishment.”

“Try it, Maverick. I dare you.”

Estella slammed her book closed and sat up, crossing her legs. “All I saw was that low-class raven whore saunter down the hall like she owned the place. Ruin’s cell unlocked, and then their footsteps traveled in the opposite direction.”

“So you don’t know if Ruin left on his own or if she coerced him?” I explored the floor for any signs of demon blood. “You didn’t hear them speak?”

She tossed her hands in the air. “Not a word.”

Fane tapped his temples. “They don’t need to speak out loud to communicate.”

True.

“And Roxie wouldn’t kill him while they’re bonded,” he added .

But she could force him to break their bond and then kill him.

Fane and I searched through the labyrinth of stark white and silver hallways until we reached the house above, its gaudy interior left untouched even though Wrath detested it.

As we headed across the reflective black tiles and toward the iron front door, the demon shifter halted in his tracks, cocking his head.

“What?”

He sniffed the air and angled toward the winding staircase that split in two, leading up to a huge balcony that overlooked the grand room. “They went that way.”

My head jerked back. “They didn’t leave?”

“Not through the front door.”

We dashed up the stairs, my sweaty hands gripping the gilded railing as my heart tapped out an erratic staccato. Unlike at Karn’s manor, the maze of lavish corridors didn’t fill me with frosty dread. I’d lived here for a while, and it was one place I considered safe.

Kind of like a home.

The ornate crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the hall poured light onto the scarlet rug. Something silver glinted on the left. My breaths quickened when Fane bent to retrieve the small object.

He bared his teeth as he held up a Malbraxis manacle that probably belonged to the former high demon lord of Savannah.

“Where the hell are they?” I asked, my head whipping down each direction, as if I’d find the answers in the gold sconces or expensive oil paintings.

Fane jerked his chin toward the left. “This way.”

Icy fear trickled down my nape. What if this was a trap? Would Ruin turn on us that quickly ?

After we traveled around the corner and down another hall, voices drifted through the air.

I met Fane’s gaze. “Are they just carrying on a fucking conversation?”

Fane shrugged. “Anything is possible with Ruin.”

When we reached the door to Ruin’s private apartment on the third floor, Fane didn’t knock but instead lifted his leg and kicked the door in. Wood cracked and splintered with a jarring crash.

I didn’t know what I expected—but it wasn’t this.

Ruin and Roxie sat on one of the black tufted leather couches, ancient tomes scattered across the coffee table and piled on the floor. And in one of the cushy chairs near the fireplace, a royal demon sat, guzzling down a glass of red wine.

“Tate, Fane, I’ve been expecting you.” Ruin tossed the book in his lap onto the coffee table, grinning like an idiot, like he hadn’t escaped from his cell.

A low, threatening growl rumbled Fane’s chest as his entire body vibrated next to mine. “What the fuck are you doing?”

The high demon motioned toward the books with his hand. “Just brushing up on demon rituals. Maybe there’s something that can wreck Barric’s little covenant he has planned for Tate.”

“And you’re just now researching that angle?” I asked, my voice rising a few octaves.

“Cut him some slack, Tate.” Roxie flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and leaned back into the cushions next to Ruin. “He didn’t have these books until now.”

What happened to her despising Ruin for forcing the demon bond on her? They looked quite chummy.

As my fury continued to grow, I crossed the room and knocked the drink out of her hand before she could take a sip. “You’re supposed to be watching over Hawk.”

Her blue angel eyes narrowed. “He’s tucked away in a nice little room in the manor. Barric has all but forgotten about him as he prepares to slaughter you.”

“Everyone, just calm down.” Ruin lifted his hand as if it were a white flag. “My little Renfield came to bring some pertinent information.”

“Stop calling me that, asshole,” Roxie hissed, crossing her arms with a huff.

A silky smooth, ominous laugh drifted through the room like black smoke.

“This is just”—the female royal demon bit her burgundy bottom lip as her focus bounced around the four of us—“fascinating.”

Fane’s presence warmed my side as he closed the distance between us, tension coiling through his muscles. “Cyria.”

Her sultry smile had my teeth grinding and talons threatening to burst out. Why did every royal demon have to look like a Nordic god? Her painted-on black pants hugged her every curve, and a corset cinched her tiny waist. At least her tailored jacket covered some of her cleavage.

Cyria looked like a classier version of Princess Venna.

“Fane Maverick.” His name curled off her tongue like a caress. “Long time no see.”

When I unconsciously took a step toward her, Fane’s hand rested on my shoulder to keep me in place.

“Relax, Teague. She’s just an old acquaintance.”

“Like how Ziva was an old acquaintance?” Every syllable I projected into his head dripped with disdain.

Fane was a lot older than me—I had no idea what his real age was—so he was bound to have some exes, but did they all have to be so fucking gorgeous?

“She’s not an ex,” he said.

Cyria motioned her finger between Fane and me before grinning in Ruin’s direction. “I see what you mean. They’re definitely talking to each other right now.”

Ruin’s laughter filled the room. “They’re always talking to each other.”

“My niece does that with her other half,” Cyria said before sipping from the nearly empty wineglass.

“So, how do you know Fane?” I asked, an edge to every syllable.

Fane’s sigh only irritated me more, and I propped my hands on my hips, waiting for the royal’s answer.

“I hired him to find a few things for me.” She licked her lips. “No one else got the job done except Fane.”

“Can I punch her now?” I snapped.

Fane cleared his throat and angled in front of me. “You have an impressive collection of artifacts,” he told her.

“You don’t know the half of it.” She ticked her head toward the books. “Do me a favor and make sure Ruin doesn’t destroy these. I’d like them back in one piece, and I’d hate to have to kill him.”

Ruin scoffed, grabbed a different book, and flipped through its pages. “Please, Cyria, that was Logan who demolished your collection of Ather crystals.”

Cyria stood, smoothing a hand over her platinum locks. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Ruin and Fane. And Roxie, don’t forget what I said about the demon bond.”

“What’s that?” Ruin frowned as he scrutinized the two women .