Page 9 of Savage Claim

I heaved a sigh and marched to the SUV, casting one more glance over my shoulder before hopping inside. The malice had suddenly evaporated from Hawk’s expression, revealing a flood of sadness drowning him. I wanted to pull him into my arms.

Before Coltrane sent me on that fated mission, Hawk still had a touch of light and innocence that kept him from really seeing the true evil in this world.

That innocence was nowhere to be found now. He was fully immersed in the darkness, and it broke my heart.

Fane scooted in beside me, sandwiching me between him and Ari, the other shifter in the back seat. Ari smiled at me, and the demon shifter responded with a glower as he rested his arm around my shoulders to tuck me against his side.

“Keep your enemies closer, right, fiera mika?”

One day, Fane would have to admit that he wanted me in his bed more than he wanted to kill me.

“Barric won’t be happy when he sees the state you’re in, Tate.” Jax watched me through the rearview mirror. “He’s already pissed you snuck out. When he finds out you fought a bunch of sub-demons, well, be prepared to cover your ears when he yells.”

I slid lower in my seat, wishing I could hide. Why the hell did Barric give a damn if I snuck out or got hurt? Why did he care what happened to me at all?

Chapter

Four

A pair of glowing irises drilled into me from across the large desk, the clicking of the secondhand clock on the wall the only sound in the roomy office. Wood, leather, citrus cleaner, and scotch permeated the air along with my unease.

Why was the head alpha of Georgia so damn interested in my safety?

I remained upright in the chair opposite Barric as alpha power oozed out of him and weighed on my shoulders. Beads of sweat developed across my forehead while my muscles burned with fatigue, but I didn’t break eye contact or budge. The first time Barric tried to overpower me, Fane said we were different. We didn’t have an alpha, and no one controlled us. We were stronger.

Even though he didn’t remember it, he spoke those exact words into my mind as his phantom form stood in the corner near a bookshelf of pack photo albums.

“You bow to no one, Teague,” Fane said, Barric unaware of his presence.

“Does that include you? I’m sure you’d prefer it if I bent the knee for you.”

His husky chuckle had me sweating for another reason. “Oh, fiera mika, you can get on your knees for me, but you don’t have to submit to my power. You can just suck me off.”

Barric’s brows furrowed as he studied me. Was he perplexed because I was withstanding his alpha power, or did he detect the quick burst of lust Fane had produced in me?

The head alpha sighed, finally released the flow of his invisible influence, and leaned into the back of his cushy leather chair. “I just don’t know what to do with you, Tate.”

My shoulders dropped, and I resisted the urge to fall to the ground or cry in relief. “You’re not the first to say those words.” Many a social worker proclaimed that after another foster family returned me.

“You sneak away from the compound and nearly get yourself torn apart by sub-demons.” He motioned his scarred hand to my disheveled, blood-covered appearance. “You really could have been hurt.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and rubbed it on my jeans. “I’m not a helpless kid. I can take care of myself.” In fact, I might be one of the most dangerous creatures in Savannah because of the Infernal Sol. Of course, Barric didn’t know that. “Plus, Fane was with me.”

Barric grumbled and dragged his hand through his dark locks, the overhead lights gleaming on the red and copper strands. “Fane is also enchanted to kill you, so I worry he won’t always protect you.”

A threatening growl curled between Fane’s teeth, and he pushed off the bookshelf. “Does this prick really think I’d let someone else kill you?”

I choked back a snort. “Fane wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. Trust me.” He’d rather do it himself. Or so he claims.

“Still, you can’t just leave the compound. It’s not safe.” The head alpha tilted his head toward the window overlooking the courtyard where strands of tiny lights dangled from tree branches. “Venna is after you, and I’m pretty sure she’ll kill you by any means necessary. There will be no captivity or torture. She’ll simply end you.”

“Why do you even care?” I blurted, shooting to my feet as an invisible pressure tightened my chest. It wasn’t his alpha power but my own feelings of suffocation. I’d already been imprisoned. I didn’t want to do it again. “Why does it matter to you if I live or die?”

Barric stood, took a few steps to the minifridge next to the small bar, and drew out an ice-cold bottle of water. He gingerly passed it to me, probably sensing the erratic tension coiling around me. “I care because I’m the head alpha, and you’re a shifter. I protect my own.”

“I’m a demon shifter hybrid who can’t shift, and I’m not even part of Silver Ridge or any pack.” My fingers crushed the bottle, moisture leaking down the sides as I turned to one of the walls holding framed photos. “I’m not part of anything,” I muttered as loneliness hit me like a sledgehammer.

“You’re part of me.”

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