Page 62 of Savage Hunt

“Her demons would have reported to her what they saw in my lab, so I knew it was a possibility she’d try to rip that information from you.” He absentmindedly rubbed his bottom lip with a long, pale finger. “Her lackeys must have been the ones who broke into my lab again, but we’d already moved everything concerning Soulvation to another location.”

“Are you mad?”

“Of course not. You couldn’t help what she did.” He gave a reassuring smile. “I’m glad you didn’t have to go through torturing Fane.”

My hands curled into tight fists on my lap. “She still made me do it. For days on end. Weeks.”

Ruin’s smile dropped. “I’m sorry, Tate. That must have been horrible. I know you and Fane have a connection from his bite.”

There was much more between us than the bite.

Logan kneeled beside me, his gaze dropping to the dampening sigil on my arm. “Sorry to interrupt, but Nadia has finished the potion to remove this.”

“You can get it off me?” I’d love to be able to have full use of my powers when we stormed into Heldrok. Of course, getting this off wouldn’t help me shift.

Logan winced. “It’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch.”

“Let’s just get this over with.” I’d been tortured for the last few months. Physical pain was nothing new.

Nadia slowly walked over with a small copper bowl, her black clothes wrapping her curvy frame. “Stay still while I pour this onto the mark.” Logan scooted to my other side so she could kneel in front of me. “Maybe someone should hold her mouth closed. If she screams, she’ll draw all kinds of sub-demons to us.”

My brows slammed down. “I’ll be fine.”

“Whatever you say. Just be prepared to fight if you scream.” Nadia’s Romanian accent coiled around each word and mixed with her doubt.

Logan patted my hand but quickly released it. “I’d hold your hand, but I’m afraid you’ll shatter my bones.” He turned to Ruin. “What about you? You want to give it a go?”

“Quiet,” Nadia demanded as she lifted the bowl. “I have to concentrate.”

I held my breath as she tipped the bright green substance onto the sigil. It bubbled and seared my flesh, but it wasn’t as bad as?—

Shit.

Blinding pain erupted in my arm, and my jaw clamped shut so hard my teeth vibrated. A blood-red haze descended through the cave, everything blurring as fire engulfed my bicep. Had someone filled my veins with fucking acid?

My fingers curled into tight fists, my nails digging into my palms. Sweat leaked down my temples.

As Nadia spoke an incantation, the agony heightened until I was on the verge of passing out. My lids fluttered, and I felt myself falling back. I would have hit the ground if not for the strong arms that caught me. Warm vanilla swam up my nostrils as the person held me.

Convulsions hit my body, and the arms tightened to keep me from cracking my limbs on nearby rocks. I sucked in air for a scream, but a hand slammed over my mouth, and the shriek lodged in my throat while tears streamed down my cheeks.

A prison of agony trapped me for eons before the burning on my arm lessened and my muscles slackened. I fell against the person—Ruin—choking on ragged gulps of air.

“It’s done. It’s gone,” he whispered in an unusually calm, soothing voice.

Nadia used a rag to gently wipe my arm and then wrapped a white bandage around it as Logan handed me a canteen of water.

“Drink this, Tate.”

I guzzled it down, wincing when the sweet flavor burst over my tongue. “That’s not water,” I coughed out.

The high demon pressed his lips together to mask his smile. “Sorry I had to trick you, but it’ll help you sleep.”

Bastard.

I pushed off of Ruin and sat up. “We need to help Fane.”

“You need to rest.” Logan laid his hand on my shoulder to keep me from standing. “Fane would want you to.”

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