Page 86 of Savage Hunt

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Logan mumbled. “Tate will regret this.”

“Just another minute,” Ruin said.

I gripped Roxie's jaw, prying her mouth open as her soul dislodged from the center.

First her soul and then her fears.

Curses resonated behind me as the tombstones and angel statues fell away while I took my first sip of a human soul. Euphoria hit me, and I moaned before taking another inhale.

And another.

Arms wrapped around my middle and yanked me off my meal. Talons burst from my fingertips, and my teeth lengthened as I fought my captor.

“Snap out of it, Tate!” Ruin shook me and then slammed his hand over the mark on my neck.

Currents of electricity tingled over me while shocking the hell out of him. He gritted his teeth and held on as long as he could. Soon, the fog began to clear from my mind.

Fane. He gave me this tattoo. It didn’t like anyone else touching it.

He always brought me back when I wasn’t strong enough.

I shoved Ruin away, severing his connection on the mark, but the darkness dispersed enough for me to regain full control.

And then the memories of the last few hours returned, and I staggered into a statue.

What the hell have I done?

All those fears. And their life forces. My hand rested on my abdomen. I’d taken them inside of me, fed off them.

My gaze fell on the woman scrambling away on her hands. Roxie. I’d just sucked her soul.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hawk kneeled beside her, his fury directed at me. “What are you?”

The cemetery spun, and I dropped to my knees, puking behind the same statue I hit.

No, no, no, no. I did not just consume part of a human soul. I didn’t do what Warin had done to Jayla and my friends.

But that was exactly what happened. If Ruin hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed Roxie. And enjoyed every fucking second of it.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, wiping my mouth. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”

I did mean it, though.

“How could you?” The hatred and loathing pulsating around Hawk stole the air from my lungs. “You’re an evil?—”

“You should stop talking now.” Logan’s voice dropped a few octaves, and frost twisted around every syllable. He’d never sounded so terrifying. “None of this is her fault. Do you even know where she’s been for the last year?”

Year? I was gone a whole year?

“She was a prisoner in Heldrok.” As Logan leaned over him, the hollows of his cheeks deepened, sharpening his features. “That’s an Underworld prison. She was tortured every day and then taken captive by the ruler of Vlehull. Think twice before you call her evil. You’ve never met true evil, boy.”

I crawled farther away, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. The Infernal Sol slithered back under, but I still felt unhinged. My brain was jumbled, leaving my thoughts broken and incoherent.

Had soaking in all those fears at Venna’s permanently screwed with my mind?

“I’m sorry,” I muttered repeatedly, rocking back and forth while I curled my arms around my legs. “So sorry.”

I missed Fane.

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