Page 118 of Savage Claim

“You’re not to blame. My brother is. He never should have let Warin leave alone.” Wrath turned to me, his jaw clenching. “Because I know all Ruin’s dirty secrets, he’d tried having me killed multiple times. He thought he succeeded until our little reunion in Heldrok.”

My hand fell from his shoulder. “What did he do?”

Wrath angrily swiped at the dampness on his face and pushed away from the glass wall, pacing the narrow corridor. “He left me at the mercy of some dark, vile-as-fuck witches in Illyria. I escaped, but I knew if Ruin found out, he’d just come for me until he ensured the job was done. So I went to someone almost as evil as him for help.”

“Venna.”

The high demon nodded. “She helped me procure a powerful glamour to transform into Demarcus, the new warden of Heldrok. This was my shot to figure out a way to expose Ruin for the monster he truly is and get revenge for Warin’s murder.”

“I thought she didn’t know who you really were.”

“She didn’t. That was part of the spell.” He stopped pacing and leaned against the wall opposite me, dragging his fingers through his hair. “In exchange for this, I was bound by magic to fulfill her wishes when she called for a favor.”

That was why he allowed Venna to bring Fane and me to Heldrok and have us relentlessly tortured. He had no choice.

Wrath’s eyes hardened, full of sorrow and pain. “When I figured out who you really were, I felt so disgusted I wanted to gut myself.”

“You couldn’t have known, Wrath.” As much as I wanted to hate him, to call him a liar, I couldn’t. The truth was settling in, and in the end, Warin was the good twin while Ruin?—

“You really had to go and open your mouth, didn’t you, Wrath?”

I jumped as Ruin strolled down the narrow hallway, shadows converging over his face, deepening the hollows of his cheeks. For the first time, he looked as terrifying as he actually was. And it was all directed toward his twin and me.

Ruin’s ominous presence choked the cramped hallway as he slowly closed the gap between us, his stare icy and unrecognizable. Brutal fissures dug into my heart, promising to send me doubling over from the pain tearing my insides apart.

“This whole time,” I mumbled, trying to keep the burning tears from breaking free. “You’ve been lying to me this whole fucking time.”

The high demon lord gave a lazy shrug. “Not about everything.”

Ruin had gained my trust and even wormed his way into my heart, a feat not many had accomplished. And he betrayed me. My friend didn’t even exist. It was all a facade.

Why did it feel like someone died?

“Don’t take this out on her.” Wrath put himself between his brother and me.

Ruin scoffed. “You don’t need to protect Tate. I’d never hurt her.”

I moved out from behind Wrath. “Lying to me doesn’t hurt me?”

“Physically,” Ruin corrected. “I didn’t want to hurt you at all, but Wrath decided to do that for me.”

“Did you really think you could get away with abducting shifters forever, Ruin?” Wrath motioned his hand to the many cells lining the hall. “People would eventually point fingers at you for the madness spreading through demons.”

“Everything would have been fine if you hadn’t returned.” His mouth curved into a sneer. “Why couldn’t you have just stayed dead?”

A low growl vibrated Wrath. “I came back to make sure Warin’s killer got exactly what he deserved.”

“Warin’s death was an accident.” Ruin shook his head, his gaze still full of ice. “I had no idea that would happen.”

“You should have watched him! You should have made sure he was okay before letting him leave.” Wrath marched toward his brother, shoving his finger into his chest. “And you should have spoken up and taken responsibility for your part when he died.”

Ruin snatched his brother’s wrist and slammed him into a wall, rattling the cell doors. “If I did that, my entire operation would have been shut down.” He scowled. “You have always been small-minded, Wrath. It’s why I’m a lord, and you’re nothing.”

Anger bled through my veins at the way Ruin treated Wrath. Was this the real high demon, the one he shielded from me to gain my trust? “Too bad your operation will be shut down anyway. You’re not getting the Infernal Sol out of me.”

The high demon lord released his brother and turned to me, a chilling smile twisting his lips. “Oh, Tate, don’t be silly. Of course you’re going to give me the Infernal Sol. You can’t leave it inside of you much longer. It’s a win for everyone.”

I flicked my hand toward the imprisoned shifters. “How are they winning?”

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