Page 82 of Savage Hunt

Alpha power.

It urged me to submit to him. My knees wanted to buckle. I longed to give him anything he wanted.

I peered up at him, basking in the power and pain it caused not to break. “I don’t submit to anyone, but you’re making it very difficult.” My nails slipped under his shirt. “Maybe you can convince me another way.”

He snatched my wrists and held them between us. “You submitted to Venna. She’s the reason you’re causing this chaos.”

The beast had no idea I did it to protect him.

“She can’t get that amulet out, so she intends to use you and never grant me my revenge.” He pulled me through a door into a narrow hallway. “I won’t let her use you. I’ll simply kill you now and be done with all of this.”

Chapter

Twenty-Six

The demon shifter forced me through a maze of back hallways as the rage pummeling him intensified. He wanted to kill me. He longed for it, actually.

But could my beautiful beast really rip the last breath from my lungs?

Once he shoved me through an exterior door, Fane dragged me into an alley and slammed me into the wall of Venna’s mansion so hard stars burst in my vision.

“I am going to kill you.” His teeth elongated, and black talons grew from his fingers. “I’ve waited long enough.”

“Then you better go ahead. When Venna notices I’m gone, she’ll send the cavalry after me.”

Fane’s talons pressed into my throat, drawing blood but barely splitting the skin. His lips curled back as he snarled. “I’m just—” He shook his head. “This is for my brother. You deserve to die.”

He couldn’t do it. I saw it in those glowing eyes. Confusion too. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t kill the creature that took his brother’s life.

My fingers twisted around his, and I drew his hand away from my neck, blood dripping onto my chest. “You can’t kill me, beast. You never could. And it has nothing to do with the Infernal Sol.”

Fane yanked out of my grip and stepped back, his nostrils flaring. “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.”

“It’s the bond.” I rubbed the tattoo on my neck, and his head jerked in my direction as if he felt it. “No matter how much you think you hate me, you don’t.”

His shoulders swelled, and the tattoos on his arms trembled as his demon wolf neared the surface. “I will kill you. Just give me time.”

“Time is not something either of us have. When Venna finds out you tried to kill me, she’ll never allow you around me alone again.”

He moved so fast I gasped as he slapped his hands on either side of my head, his body crushing mine. “Run. And when my head is clear, I’ll hunt you down and take my revenge.”

That sounded like a fun game.

“I’ll run, and you’ll chase me, but my death won’t follow when you catch me.” I slowly lifted my hands and cradled his face, lowering it toward mine. “I only submitted to the demon princess’s demands because she threatened your life.”

My words hit Fane with a surge of confusion, and I took the chance to press my lips to his, savoring his tangy, cinnamon flavor. While he was distracted, I shoved him off and sprinted down the alley.

“I’ll be eagerly waiting for you to hunt me down.”

I kicked those uncomfortable heels off and ran through the cobblestone streets toward the exit of Vlehull. The portal to Earth was just beyond the forest surrounding the city. I’d be free once I got through and stepped into Bonaventure Cemetery.

The energy from consuming fears and demon life forces still buzzed within me, pumping adrenaline through my limbs. The Infernal Sol vibrated, happy and willing to take full control at the tiniest sign of my submission.

Not yet. I barely had any say in my actions now. The other me was in charge while the level-headed me drifted in the background, hoping I didn’t do anything stupid.

A presence emerged, so I stopped and pressed against the wall of a dilapidated stone building, slowing my breaths. That evil royal bitch could have already sent guards after me. Maybe Mykel was around the corner. I’d love to see that huge prick writhing on the ground as his fears enveloped him.

Faint, almost silent footsteps scraped the cobblestones, and I peered around the edge of the building as a dux demon with spikes running down his arms slipped through the shadows.

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