Page 54 of Savage Blood (Den of Shadows #6)

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

Barric’s spine cracked and curved forward as his irises burned gold. Serrated teeth grew in his widening mouth while thick scales popped across his flesh. Heavy paws with black talons slammed into the marble, rattling the candelabras in the corner.

My stomach dropped to my boots when the mutated beast emerged. My father wasn’t nearly as enormous as he’d been when he had the Infernal Sol, but he was still no regular wolf. As with the others in his inner circle, some effects of the stone remained.

Barric dug his claws across the marble as a lupine smile pulled at his thin, cracking lips. Instead of attacking, he simply stood there, waiting.

Oh right. I was supposed to shift. If shit went south, I could still unlock his fears to distract him while in my animal form.

At least I hoped I could.

My wolf stirred inside, and I grabbed hold of her. As fluid as water, the change came over me, and my paws hit the marble in seconds .

Why aren’t my clothes scattered around in scraps? And where the hell are my boots?

Barric’s head cocked to the side as he studied me, and I inhaled the sliver of terror drifting from him. He’d seen my wolf before. What made him so reluctant?

I padded to a large mirror on the left wall while keeping one eye on Barric, my sickle claws ticking on the floor. My mouth dropped open at my reflection.

Well, that’s different.

Spikes protruded from my knuckles and down my spine. A ring of scarlet outlined my diamond pupils, gleaming like hellfire within my eyes, one demon blue and the other glittering gold. The same vibrant red fur, tipped in ebony, covered my body.

And my body… I was nearly twice the size I’d been before I merged with the Infernal Sol.

A creak sounded, and I spun as Jax and Amelia, in their mutated animal forms, strolled through the hidden door on the right. Saliva dripped down their vicious maws, and murder perfumed the air around them.

Son of a bitch.

I couldn’t take all three of them, and Amelia had been out for my blood since Fane killed her son. Barric licked his chops, knowing the odds were stacked against me.

“I wouldn’t say that, fiera mika.”

The tattoo hidden beneath my fur flared to life moments before Fane, in his lethal demon wolf form, strolled into the ballroom. His claws didn’t tick on the marble. They purposely scraped the floor with every step as if he was sharpening them.

The tension in the air heightened, and the three shifters across the room traded glances, speaking through their pack link .

“Did you really think I’d let you have all the fun, little rebel?” Fane warmed my side as he flanked me, still towering over my new form. “You look stunning, by the way. Very terrifying.”

My teeth flashed. “No one can call me cute anymore.”

Fane’s chuckle swirled through my mind. “You’ll always be cute to me, even when you’re ripping out Barric’s throat.”

I huffed. “Just leave him to me.”

He nodded. “I’ll take the other two. Easy peasy. They’ll go down like Wes and Patricia did.”

Sensing the attack, Barric curled his lips back and released a roar, his two pack mates doing the same. Adrenaline hemorrhaged through my veins as I lunged for him, my talons digging into the marble.

As we collided, Barric’s heavy weight overwhelmed me, and I hit the ground hard, the spikes on my back gouging the tiles.

Damn, that hurt.

Growls and teeth snapping sounded from the left as Fane challenged the other two wolves. Amelia tried to evade him to get after me, but he was too quick, stopping her advances every time.

Barric rolled us across the floor and pinned me, his lethal teeth dangerously close to my face. My heart crashed against my ribs as my muscles quaked. That ancient power roiled within me, waiting for my command.

But I wanted to earn this kill as a shifter—or at least try. Using the Infernal Sol would be a last resort.

My muscles tensed as I gathered my strength and raked my claws against Barric’s side. The hard scales finally gave way, and his blood permeated the air as warmth leaked over my paw.

Barric’s roar ruffled the hair on my nape, and his gaze darkened as a scarlet sheen eclipsed the gold. His back bowed to force my claws away. If we could speak to each other, he’d be taunting me right now.

Frustrated, I tried another maneuver Saint taught me now that Barric had created a small amount of space between us. My body twisted, and I spun onto my belly, slamming the back of my head into his nose.

And I took advantage of my new form and shoved the spikes running along my spine into his abdomen.

A vicious snarl, full of anger and pain, tore through the room as his hot blood dripped over my back. The satisfaction swirling through my chest had me cheering inside.

I finally shoved Barric off me, his heavy form crashing against the marble, splattering blood over the white tiles. My hind legs bent, and then I pounced, sinking my teeth into his shoulder.

Barric released another howl, and this time, the anguish curling around it was unmistakable.

And then hot, intense pain tore through my leg.

Amelia had clamped her jaws around my leg, her teeth digging in. She ripped through skin and muscle, and my blood spurted across her muzzle.

Shit!

I released Barric’s shoulder as Amelia dragged me back, but the growl vibrating the room halted her in her tracks.

If the surge of fear wafting from the female shifter was any indication, she sensed her approaching demise.

A black mass streaked through the room like lightning. One moment, Amelia was biting my leg, and the next, Fane had her neck in his powerful jaws. With one violent shake of his head, he tore her throat out and spat chunks of gore across the floor.

Barric scrambled up, panting as he surveyed the scene. Fane had already killed Jax. The beta’s naked human form lay in a puddle of his own blood. Amelia was dead. And now Barric was all alone.

“Go ahead, fiera mika,” Fane said, licking crimson from his snout with a long tongue.

As I stalked toward my father—the pain in my leg barely noticeable—my mouth watered at the fear pumping from him. The blood-red sheen faded from his eyes, as if he couldn’t hold on to his fury with the heavy dread choking him.

He had no escape. Death finally arrived for him.

I licked my chops, enjoying his terror as my claws clicked on the floor with each step closer. Killing Barric wouldn’t bring back the dead, but it would be retribution for all the horrible things he’d done.

My muscles coiled, poised for a killing blow, and then I leaped through the air.

Barric didn’t have time to fight back, or maybe he just gave up, and I sank my teeth into his throat. Salty, briny blood exploded in my mouth as his flesh shredded.

I gave two powerful shakes and ripped his head off, blood spraying across the white marble.

As I dropped the mutated wolf head, like his body, it transformed into his human shape.

Holy. Shit.

I just killed my father—an alpha.

My head tilted back as I let out a savage roar. The chandelier above shook, raining dust, and the walls vibrated. Seconds later, howls erupted through the manor, answering the alpha call.

Fane lowered to the ground and dipped his head, submitting.

“Since when do you submit to anyone, Maverick? ”

He gave a sexy chuckle. “I’ve always submitted to you, my little rebel. You just didn’t know it.”

My heart clenched, and the urge to throw my arms around him and kiss him inundated my veins. Sensing my need, Fane shifted into his human form, standing on his legs and displaying his impressive, blood-covered physique.

The seductive power within me practically purred.

My beautiful beast.

I also shifted and stood upright. And then my head jerked back.

What the ever-loving hell?

Fane snorted. “That’s different.”

No wonder I didn’t find my torn clothes or my boots after shifting into my wolf form. I was still wearing them. “How is this even possible?”

The demon shifter shrugged. “You merged with an ancient power. Anything is possible.”

I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand, unable to do much with the rest of it speckling me. “We should probably get out there and help the others.”

“Something tells me after the shifters heard your victory call, the remaining Collective Nosterium and the guests had no choice but to cooperate.”

“Well, I guess we could take a minute to get ourselves together.” My fingers danced over his carved torso, tracing a line of scars.

“Just a minute.” Fane leaned down and brushed his lips against mine.

Then a loud explosion burst through the room, and he jerked forward.

Hot blood—his blood—splattered my face, and as I pulled back, more leaked from the hole in his chest. My sharp intake of air echoed, and I pressed my hand over the wound.

Coltrane stood behind him, her gun raised, the barrel still smoking.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I demanded. “Haven’t you caused enough damage? The Infernal Sol is gone. Get over it.”

She lifted her chin. “I’m doing what I must.”

I scoffed. “Silver bullets won’t work on Fane. Or me. We’re part demon.”

Fane cursed and moved my hand from his wound. My heart dropped as black veins spiderwebbed out from it.

“ These aren’t just silver bullets, Tate,” Coltrane said. “I was saving these special ones just in case. The silver has been mixed with Demise.”

As her words sank in, all the warmth drained from my body. And then Fane wavered and fell into me, taking us both to the ground.