Page 37 of Savage Claim

I pulled out of his grasp and slapped his hand away. “Cut the bullshit, Maverick. You don’t actually want to kill me. Stop pretending.” The spell might have poured the craving for my death into his veins, but Fane knew it was a lie.

He scowled and folded his arms across his bare chest. “Then stop pretending like I’m the same guy who bit you to save your life. I’m not him. I’ll never be him.”

“Not after you let Venna kill Kaspin.”

Fane tossed his hands in the air. “You are fucking impossible.”

“And you are insufferable.”

After Fane glared at me like he was trying to shoot lasers out of his eyes, he grumbled and yanked the covers back.

“What the hell are you doing?” I squealed as he effortlessly pushed me to the other side of the bed and got in.

“Neither one of us will get any sleep tonight if I go back to the couch.” He settled on his back and pulled the covers around us. “Don’t be difficult about this, Teague. I’m too tired to argue. It’s been a long day.”

My molars ground as I resisted the urge to punch him. “Yeah, I bet. Did you have fun with your ex-fated and her mate?”

“I wouldn’t call listening to Marissa whine and Dorian bitch fun.”

I scooted as far from him as possible without tumbling off the bed. “Why wasn’t I allowed in the council hearing? They tried to kill me.”

“Because Barric knew Marissa and Reese would antagonize you into a fight. And any attack on them would have made their claim that you instigated the situation a little more believable.”

My jaw dropped. “It was premeditated murder!”

Fane shrugged. “They’re willing to try anything.”

“And I wouldn’t have attacked Marissa.”

Fane’s head angled in my direction, his brow arching. “Yeah, because you’re so calm and collected.”

“Look who’s talking.” I jabbed my elbow into his side. He could fake it all he wanted, but the beast growled anytime another guy looked at me. “You still should have told me.”

“You should have told me Venna contacted you instead of walking into her trap alone.”

I rolled onto my side away from him. “Well, everyone’s fine except Kaspin. It all worked out, according to you.” Fane was probably glad my hope had been squashed when Venna killed the witch.

After we dropped Kortney off at Corvin Manor, Logan and Fane escorted me back to Silver Ridge where I’d said good night to Logan and stormed off without looking at Fane. This was the first time we spoke since then.

“Dorian and Marissa were banned from every pack in Georgia for the next ten years,” Fane said as if that would make me feel better.

“Great.”

He huffed. “I thought you’d be little happier about it.”

“I’m happy. Ecstatic. Yay.” There was no denying the sarcasm dripping from my words.

I tried to yank the covers off him, but his arm snaked around my side and dragged me into his chest. “Get off!”

His lips brushed over my ear, hot breath skating down my neck. “What if I told you I hunted that motherfucker down from your nightmare and tore his throat out? Would that make you happy?”

My heart stopped, and I slowly angled my head to stare up at him as shockwaves rippled over me. “Did you?”

Fane brushed a strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “Do you really want to know?”

When he first realized what happened, Fane pledged to kill Mr. Bowden. After Kaspin’s spell, he learned of the abuse again and, apparently, had the same sentiment as before.

Had the demon shifter really gone after that man to punish him for what he did to me?

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