Page 91 of Savage Claim

The same urge burned within Fane, and his last bit of control was on the verge of snapping like it had in Wrath & Ruin.

Chapter

Thirty-Two

Fane inched toward me, his smoldering gaze locked on my lips. “Fiera mika.” His voice in my head had shivers running down my spine and heat spilling into my center.

If he kissed me right now, there would be no stopping the desire from consuming us.

Someone cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but I thought we’d have din-din together.” Wrath sauntered into the room, placing a tray of food on the coffee table.

“I hope you like ham, cheese, and bacon subs, but I know you both love lemonade.” He chuckled as he set the glasses of lemonade in front of Fane and me.

“I’m not as forgiving as my mother.” The heat around Fane had vanished, replaced with an icy fury. “I don’t remember my experiences in Heldrok, but I know how bad that place is.”

Wrath shrugged as he laid out three plates of food. “I didn’t expect you to instantly forgive me.” He dragged the puffy chair beside the couch closer to the table and sat. “We used to be friends, though. You, me, and Warin.”

“And Ruin.” Fane leaned back into the couch cushions, crossing his arms against his chest. “What happened between you guys?”

Wrath dismissively waved his hand. “That’s a long story. Maybe another time.” He motioned to the food. “Everyone, eat up.”

I reached for the sandwich and took a bite. If I didn’t eat, my stomach would start screaming at any moment. “How do you know Valeria?” I asked after swallowing.

“We’re very close. We had a fling once.” He laughed at my expression. “She wasn’t always an old woman.”

Fane reached for his lemonade. “And she told you who Tate was.”

“Valeria was the one who helped Tamara hide Tate. When Barric was out of town a few weeks before the baby was due, Valeria brought in a witch to induce labor and cast a spell to hide Tate from Barric.” His blue eyes softened as he studied me. “I’m the one who took you from the compound and dropped you off at a hospital.”

I nearly choked on my sandwich, and Fane hit my back. “You?”

“I wanted to raise you in the Underworld myself, but they worried that the magic wouldn’t hold if you remained with nightworlders.” He sighed and stuffed a piece of bacon back onto his sandwich. “So I reluctantly parted ways with you.”

My life would have been entirely different if the high demon had raised me in the Underworld. Would I have called him Dad? That would have made Ruin my uncle.

Gross.

“Did you know who she was in Heldrok?” Fane asked, finally grabbing the sandwich and taking a bite.

Wrath shook his head. “I knew there was something different about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until Valeria contacted me a few months ago for help. The spell probably muddled my thoughts.”

Wrath—or Demarcus—had always looked at me strangely in Heldrok as if he was trying to figure me out.

“So you’re doing all of this out of the kindness of your heart?” Fane motioned the sandwich around the room. “You get nothing out of it?”

“I’m a high demon. Of course I get something out of this. That doesn’t mean I’m not also doing this because I care about Tate.”

“I was a baby. You didn’t even know me.” If he’d really cared, he wouldn’t have left me in a hospital where I’d be tossed into foster care and abused. I would have rather lived in the Underworld with the possibility of Barric discovering the truth.

Fane sensed the dark turn in my mood, and he placed the half-eaten sandwich on his plate, resting his hand on my thigh. “What are you getting out of this?”

Wrath shrugged. “The chance to right a few wrongs and get justice for someone.” His jaw clenched, the humor evaporating from him. “I’m not elaborating on it. Just know this person deserves their vengeance.”

An icy breeze ruffled my fur as I sat on my haunches in the backyard, the golden sun finally dipping behind the trees and the vibrant winter blue sky fading to gray. It took almost a whole day to overcome my fear of getting stuck in my wolf form before I shifted again.

Changing back still took some concentration—as if my wolf didn’t want to leave after being trapped inside me for so long—but it became easier every time. Fane said it would eventually become as easy as breathing.

I wasn’t sure about that. The demon shifter made everything look easy. He could fight a dozen sub-demons without breaking a sweat.

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