Page 31 of Savage Hunt

I pulled the dingy mop strings through the puddle of watery black, smearing demon blood across the stone ground as chills raked my spine. When the guards dragged Maddie and me out of our cell for work, I almost choked on my own spit as they tossed us into the room where I witnessed Fane fight for his life last night.

What were the odds?

Flashes of the brutal battle flooded my mind as I dunked the mop back into the bucket. Seeing Fane in danger had shocked the demon amulet back to life, and now it hummed within me, ready and willing to lend its power or simply take control.

“Did you hear me?” Maddie tapped my handle with hers, breaking me out of the unsettling thoughts.

“What?” I wrung my mop out and slapped it on the floor.

She chuckled. “You sure do have a habit of zoning out.”

Last night when I returned to my body, I made up some bullshit about random trances to calm Maddie’s mini meltdown. I claimed these episodes started after I became a nightworlder and had no idea why.

Maddie tucked her long midnight locks behind her shoulder and moved the mop back and forth over the blood. “Like I was saying, Coltrane found me after I beat up a couple of creeps attacking an old lady.” Her rosebud mouth curled into a sneer. “Who does that? Attacks an old lady?”

“Is that why she recruited you?” I asked, my interest piqued now that she’d mentioned Coltrane and the ravens.

“Sort of.” Maddie stuck her mop in the bucket to rinse it off. “She asked if I needed a ride home, and when I told her I didn’t have one, she got this look on her face.”

My brows knit. “What kind of look?”

She gave a noncommittal shrug. “Excitement, and then she offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She said she believed I was special and could save a lot of innocent people.”

Unease spiraled in my gut, and I averted my gaze to the balcony across the room. A few other prisoners had been assigned to this area, including Knox and two of his friends. He could probably hear our conversation if he was paying attention.

“I gave myself over to the brutal training, and Captain Coltrane was hard on me, but by initiation, I was one of the best in my class, if not the best.”

My pulse spiked as Maddie painted a story similar to mine.

Lonely homeless girl who could fight and had a habit of protecting people? Check.

The captain seeing something special? Check.

Trained hard and strived to be the best, eventually becoming highly ranked and skilled? Check.

“Right after initiation, Coltrane called me into her office.” Maddie’s eyes turned pensive as if the memories played through her mind like a movie. “She sent me on this top-secret mission alone, and I got caught by some demons who worked in Heldrok. They thought this would be worse than death.”

Frosty fingers slinked down my back, and I stopped mopping. She was also sent on a secret, lone mission? “What was the assignment?”

Maddie opened her mouth to speak, but Knox interrupted our conversation.

“It’s nice to see you staying out of trouble, Tate.” He regarded me in an assessing manner like he wondered how I was still in one piece. “Being Fane Maverick’s mate has some advantages. Most of the prisoners are terrified of him.”

“They should be.” I didn’t bother correcting Knox on the mate thing. Word had already spread, and things between Fane and me were too complicated to explain.

We weren’t mates, and we still hated each other sometimes. We were just utterly and uncontrollably addicted to each other. There was also this inexplicable bond with freaky side effects. Couldn’t forget that.

“Lucky girl.” Maddie sighed and leaned on the mop pole. “I can only imagine what it’s like being with that beast.” She shivered and licked her lips.

Knox pointed to her. “Mads, you have a little drool on your chin.”

She smacked his hand away. “Don’t be jealous of all the worship Fane Maverick gets. You’re not too bad to look at, Knox.”

He scowled. “I’m only jealous that he can tear someone’s throat out before his opponent even has a chance to make a move.”

I dunked my mop back into the bucket, biting my tongue against the questions I wanted to ask Maddie about her mission. Since we were cellmates, I’d have plenty of chances later. “Are we starting a Fane fan club?” Not that I minded talking about the demon shifter. I just worried it might end with me accidentally popping out of my body to find him.

“As fun as that sounds, that’s not why I came over.” Knox crossed his arms, the rag in his hand flapping around. “Is Barric Hartwell still the head alpha of Georgia?”

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