Page 61 of Savage Hunt

Finding my voice through the lump growing in my throat took a moment. I kept picturing Fane in that muzzle or chained to the wall while I tortured him. “I just—” I quickly blinked to keep the tears at bay. “We were so close.” And freedom was ripped right out of our hands.

“You’ll be back together before you know it.” Logan released me and gave a lopsided grin. “Glad to see you two kids gave up on pretending to hate each other.”

I snorted. “We still hate each other sometimes.”

After changing into jeans, a black shirt, and boots, I sat on one of the flat rocks Nik and Nadia arranged near the fire, taking a canteen of water from the dux demon. “Thanks.”

Guilt ate at me because Fane would be deprived of water and food in Heldrok. My heart ached as I imagined the terrible things happening to him right now.

Ruin sat across from me on another rock, his intense blue gaze making me squirm. “I’m sorry, Tate. I know things didn’t go how we hoped, but getting you out is still a win.”

I’d rather be back with Fane.

“Do you think your brother will help him?” I still couldn’t believe Demarcus was Ruin’s twin. I didn’t even know he had a brother, much less a twin. He’d never mentioned him, but with the way they reacted to each other, I wasn’t surprised. Everything Wrath said while pretending to be Demarcus held new meaning.

Did he really believe Ruin had something to do with the demons going crazy, or was that part of some mastermind plan to harm his brother?

This was definitely not a relationship like Fane had with Warin.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” The demon lord rubbed his hands over his thighs, lines deepening across his forehead. “Wrath has always been unpredictable. He doesn’t do things without a reason, and I have no idea what he could be up to this time.”

“Did you try to kill him?”

Ruin’s head bowed, and he stared at the ground. “It’s complicated.”

“You either did or didn’t. Not that complicated.”

He dragged his fingers through his hair, his shoulders tensing beneath the black shirt. “He got himself killed—or I thought he had—but I could have done more to help him.” Ruin dug a rock out of the dirt with the tip of his boot. “If I’d found him sooner, those witches wouldn’t have had a chance to kill him.”

“Witches did it?” Plenty were powerful enough to kill a high demon. “Why?”

“Like I said, Wrath was into some bad things back then, and his ego and greed got the best of him.” He rubbed his nape. “I didn’t want to be bothered with it at first, and when I did get involved, it was too late.”

I took another sip of water as the silence stretched between us. Something about Ruin’s story seemed off or missing, but maybe he simply didn’t want to get into his history with the brother he thought was dead.

“I don’t understand why he would allow Venna to bring you and Fane to Heldrok.” Ruin grabbed his bag and took out a protein bar, offering me one.

“He said he owed her a favor.” I laid the bar in my lap, my appetite nonexistent.

Ruin pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered in a demon tongue under his breath. “He would do something that reckless.”

“He did help me out a few times.” Sorin had me in his grasp twice when Demarcus—Wrath—interrupted.

“Remind me to thank him if I ever see him again.” Ruin tore open the wrapper but halted before he took a bite. “Did he ask or say anything about me?”

“Not really,” I lied. “He asked why you wanted the Infernal Sol.”

His eyes snapped to mine. “Did you tell him?”

“No.” My fingers nervously twisted a lock of hair. “Not him.”

“Then who?”

Giant knots fisted in my gut as I chewed on my bottom lip, hesitating. “I had to tell Venna about Soulvation.”

A vein throbbed in Ruin’s tattooed neck, the only sign of emotion. “She was torturing you for that information?”

“I didn’t break the whole time. It wasn’t until she—” An invisible blade stabbed my heart and painfully twisted. “If I didn’t tell her, she’d force me to torture Fane.”

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