Page 60 of Savage Fate

Maybe I could outrun them if I shifted. I was nearly as fast as Fane.

Just as I pulled on my inner wolf, Barric appeared directly in front of me, his fist going for my face so fast it blurred out of focus.

A blast of pain exploded, and then everything went dark.

A metallic tastecoated my mouth as I opened my dry, gritty eyes to a tan upholstered ceiling only a few feet above. Something jostled me, clearing more of the daze from my mind. Painful throbs pulsated on the side of my face.

I was jostled again, and chains rattled.

Son of a bitch. What the hell happened?

Ice crystallized through my veins as I finally searched my surroundings. Heavy chains bound my wrists and ankles, and the hot sensation on my skin told me they were made from silver.

If I’d been any other shifter and not part demon, the silver would have drained my energy and maybe burned my flesh.

As rock music registered in my ears, I tilted my head, finding two male shifters sitting in the front seat.

I was in a van.

Movement on my left caught my attention, and I choked back a gasp when Hailey struggled next to me, gagged and bound in chains.

Beads of sweat coated her forehead, and redness and pain rimmed her eyes.

The silver was pure torture for her.

“I’m going to get us out of here,” I mouthed.

She nodded and stilled her struggling.

Without the Infernal Sol, I wasn’t strong enough to simply pop the chains off, but I’d kept a few lockpick tools in a little pocket inside my boot. Hopefully, no one had removed them.

I brought my knees up to my chest and wiggled my fingers inside, a breath of relief releasing from my lungs when metal edges touched my skin. Once I pulled out the tool and got to work on prying open the lock, a tingle registered on my neck tattoo.

“You’re finally awake.” Fane’s faint form appeared in the back of the van, worry crashing through the bond.

My brows slammed down, and I peered out the front window where the sun lit the sky.“How long have I been gone?”It couldn’t have been that long. It was still daylight.

His lips pressed together. “You’ve been gone since late yesterday evening. It’s the morning of the next day.”

A string of curses exploded through my mind.“If we’ve been traveling for that long, we could be anywhere. And how the hell was I kept unconscious for so long?”

“I’ve been going fucking crazy, Teague.” He kneeled beside me, his mismatched irises glowing. “I couldn’t get a read on your location until now. And as we suspected, The Collective has Hailey too.”

I finally popped the lock off and gently slid the chain from around me.“Why are you barely here?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe the amulet is still working to hide you or Roman used a blocking spell.” He dragged his hand over my cheek, and even though his phantom form wasn’t solid, I felt his touch as if he were really here. “Don’t do anything crazy, Tate.”

I scoffed.“Unless you want me going all the way to their hidden location to be tortured and murdered, I’ll need to get a little crazy, Maverick.”

“Your crazy and my crazy aren’t the same.”

A smile curved my mouth.“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. And when you find me?—”

Fane suddenly vanished, and my heart squeezed.

I had to get Hailey and me out of this mess.

After I peeled the tape from her mouth, I went to work on the lock securing the silver chains that bound her as the two shifters in the front struck up a conversation.

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