Page 53 of Savage Blood (Den of Shadows #6)

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

Roman’s eyes widened, and he gripped his neck, blood pouring between his fingers. But it was no use. Nothing would save him.

My stomach lurched as the witch fell forward, hitting the ground with a thud while Jax’s maniacal grin spread frost over my back.

“I never liked him.” Jax licked his claws. “And he clearly couldn’t be trusted.”

“You’re going to die,” I spat. “Right along with your alpha.”

Jax opened his mouth to argue, but Barric’s growl stopped him.

“Get out of here, Jax,” my father commanded. “You know the plan.”

The beta pivoted and bolted out of the room.

“Attack them!” Barric yelled, alpha power pulsing out of him as he sprinted for the door. “Do as your alpha commands.”

Loud groans and cracks echoed once the remaining Collective Nosterium members began to shift, some against their will. In minutes, snarling animals would pack the room .

Now that Barric didn’t have the amulet, would their animal forms still be distorted and grotesque? What about the rest of The Collective? Would Barric use his alpha power to force his guests trapped in the grand room to fight?

In a matter of seconds, Fane shifted into his demon wolf while Roxie tossed Hawk a transformative hilt.

“Go after Barric,” Fane said, his bloodlust pumping through the bond. “I got The Collective.”

Fane stalked toward Wes, the shifter trembling as he tried to quicken his transformation.

My friends collided with the enemy, shooting adrenaline through my veins, and I hopped off the blood-soaked table to rush after Barric.

The room tilted, and I collapsed to my knees.

What the ever-loving hell?

The animal roars and clash of battle became distant as dizziness overwhelmed me. Bile oozed up my throat, and the urge to empty my stomach enveloped me.

And then another sensation—something familiar and not entirely unwelcome—surged through my system, pouring shivers down my spine.

Fear.

My head angled back as I inhaled the pungent scent of terror clogging the room. Saliva pooled in my mouth, and I licked my lips.

So many fears to choose from. Dark, delicious, and sweet. Who will be my first victim? I’ll crack their skull open and sink my teeth into that juicy meat.

Instant panic doused those urges like ice water. I’d barely merged with the demon amulet, and I was already spouting crazy shit.

But I’d forgotten just how delicious fear tasted .

“Tate, get up!” Marcel, now free from his chains, grabbed my biceps and hauled me to my feet. “Barric is getting away.”

As the room settled and the spinning stopped, I swayed on my feet while Marcel’s words sank in. Barric fled a few minutes ago. He could be long gone, but I’d search the entire Underworld for him if I had to.

“He’s not getting away.” I darted toward the door, touching a Collective Nosterium member here and there, intensifying their fear instead of manifesting one before their eyes. I didn’t have time for hallucinations.

A huge body suddenly slammed into me, and we tumbled to the ground, hard scales scraping my flesh. The back of my skull cracked on the floor, and blood oozed over my tongue. My ribs screamed at the weight settling on my chest.

I gagged on the foul stench coating the shifter who’d once been a russet wolf. The dark power from the amulet and all those demon rituals still tainted Barric’s inner circle.

Would they return to normal—if any of them lived?

Torin snarled, his saliva dripping onto my neck. Murder and madness thickened the air around him as he bared his teeth.

“Get off me.” I shoved my fist into his massive head. “I don’t have time for your bullshit.”

Black talons grew from my fingertips, and I raked them down his side, but his scales prevented me from causing much damage.

Ugh, enough already.

Like second nature, I slipped into his mind and plucked out a fear. The sensation made tiny crackles of electricity pop across my body and buzz in my bloodstream.

Fuck, I really missed this.

The mutated wolf howled and scrambled off me as I forced him to imagine flames engulfing him. Apparently, Torin was terrified of being burned alive.

His yellow eyes widened as he rolled back and forth across the floor, attempting to extinguish the nonexistent flames.

Warmth swelled over me, and I clapped at his performance. “Bravo, Torin! You deserve a standing ovation.”

This was too much fun.

Pops echoed as he jerked, transforming into his human form. Screams burst out of his mouth as he contorted every which way. Unable to resist, I crawled toward him.

“It’s only a little fear, Torin.” I pressed my knee into his sternum and forced him to still. “How many shifters have you frightened while hiding behind that cloak and mask?”

Tears rolled down his cheeks. “I’m burning alive!”

“No, you’re not. You just think you are.” I grabbed his jaw and pried his mouth open. “But you are about to know what it feels like to have your soul sucked out.”

He wasn’t human. And he was a bad guy—the enemy.

Even as I tried to justify taking Torin’s soul, I knew it was wrong. In the past, the Infernal Sol urged me to give in to all my twisted desires, and the dark cloud around my mind kept me from seeing the truth.

I saw everything now, and I had enough sense to know that sucking Torin’s soul was a bad idea. Still, I leaned forward, gripped his soul, and inhaled a sip.

Euphoria filled my system, and tiny fireworks danced over my body. The blissful sensations would only intensify if I continued.

But a nagging feeling persisted in the back of my mind. I needed to go after Barric. He couldn’t vanish after all he’d done.

Damn it .

“You’re lucky I have bigger enemies to kill.” I released Torin and climbed off him, snapping my fingers to release the fear hallucination.

Just like riding a bike.

Wide-eyed and shaking, he stared up at me. “B-Barric couldn’t do that.”

“Barric couldn’t do a lot of things I can. And he’s about to do one less thing.” A malicious smile stretched across my face. “Breathe.”

Without another word, I bolted past the battling shifters and toward the door. The hall reeked of sweat, fear, and Barric’s familiar scent. I followed his trail of desperation through a maze of corridors.

Did he plan on escaping and hiding forever?

Death would wait for Barric as long as it took us. But I was hoping to end his pathetic existence tonight.

The coppery hint of blood perfumed the air, slowing my steps. The scent intensified when I traveled left, but Barric’s fear lessened.

He knew he was being followed, and he’d likely drawn his blood and created a trail to throw me off.

Instead of going left, I stuck to the same path until eventually halting in front of a heavy, ornate wooden door. A smile pulled my lips apart as I felt fear pulsing on the other side like a frantic heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

I slammed my boot into the gilded knob, and the door flew open, cracking in half. Barric shuffled along the paneled wall across the small ballroom that hadn’t been used in years, maybe even decades.

Dust and cobwebs collected on the iron chandelier above as it swayed from my violent appearance. Barric spun, his eyes wild and breathing ragged. A sickly hue draped his skin while his face appeared sunken in, deep shadows and lines etched across it.

“Look at you now, Barric.” My onyx talons gleamed in the lights. “What would your followers say?”

He stopped feeling for a hidden door within the wall and glowered. “I don’t give a damn what any of those idiots think. Besides, they’ll all be dead when this is over.”

“Just like those shifters you killed.” Flashes of visions raced through my mind, all those shifters tormented and mutilated. Their screams filled my ears as their pleading ripped gouges in my heart.

Barric hadn’t stopped, no matter how much the shifters begged for mercy. He reveled in their pain and misery and cast them aside once their life finally drained out.

Just like he did to my mother.

Fury pumped through my bloodstream like a drug as images of Tamara’s death played through my mind. “You killed my mother and took her away from me.”

Barric sneered. “Your mother made her bed. She knew what would happen when she chose you, a human child, over her mate.”

A scarlet haze clouded the edges of my vision, casting a red tinge over the paneled walls, coffered ceiling, and marble floor. “You should have been the one to die.”

His barking laugh bounced around the opulent room. “Are you going to kill me? Or are you going to wait for Fane to arrive and do all the hard work?”

“ I will be the one to rip your last breath away.” My chest heaved, and the metallic tang of bloodlust spilled across my tongue.

Barric would pay for all he’d done .

And I would be the last thing he ever saw.

Rage glided over me like a second skin, my visions fueling the blazing inferno.

“You won’t be able to take me in your animal form.” He wiped sweat from his forehead as he called on his wolf, a golden sheen spilling into his irises. “And if you really want to stop me while also gaining control of The Collective, you’ll have to win this like a shifter.”

A tiny seed of fear planted itself in my center. Without the amulet, he wouldn’t be that mammoth beast, but he was still more skilled and experienced than me. He bore the scars of hundreds of battles and victories.

How many times had I even fought as my wolf? I always relied on my raven training and my demon side.

Could I take Barric in animal form?

“Shift then,” I demanded, sounding more confident than I felt. “I’ll wait.”

The sinister smile twisting his lips poured ice water down my back. “Now you’ll see how a real alpha wins.”