Page 20 of Savage Fate

Kortney shrugged. “I have no idea how long this is supposed to take.”

Hawk, Fane, and I left Mohan Wilds to visit the ravens after Captain Gia agreed to arrange a meeting with witches. After discovering two dead shifters, locating Barric whether The Collective Hunt had anything to do with the murders or not was necessary.

The female wolf shifter we found in Mohan Wilds belonged to a mixed pack in Alabama. Her friend reported her missing, and word finally spread to Camus. Tessa Cunningham had been bitten and turned into a shifter five years ago. She was unmated and had no children.

Violet Thompson, the panther shifter dropped outside Silver Ridge, came from Virginia. She had an intended mate, but he hadn’t officially claimed her yet.

My hands curled into fists as I thought of these women being tortured and hunted by monsters.

Barric had to be behind this. And if I still had the Infernal Sol, I could easily take him down and make him choke on his fears.

Wehadto find him. The bastard could be anywhere, even in another realm, for all we knew.

Fane leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I doubt Barric would step foot in the Underworld. Maybe Illyria or Faerieland.”

My brow arched. “Did you just read my mind?”

A crooked smile pulled at his mouth. “You have a habit of accidentally projecting your thoughts to me, fiera mika.”

“I really wish I’d stop doing that.”

“Not me. I get a lot of surprising info about you that way.” His lips brushed my ear. “Like how much you enjoyed watching me get dressed after showering this morning.”

As heat bloomed in my cheeks, I elbowed his ribs, earning a low chuckle. “You’re such a prick. And it’s impossible not to look when you’re strutting around your room, showing off.”

He scoffed. “I never show off. I can’t help it if I’m entertaining to watch.”

“This isn’t working.” Zane’s voice interrupted our banter, and he waved his hand, letting the misty spell mixture sink back into the copper bowl.

Jess, the other witch, wiped sweat from her forehead and brushed long blond strands behind her shoulder. “Maybe Barric just isn’t in America anymore. We should try a world map to see if we get any hits.”

Zane, the witch who enchanted all the ravens here with The Calling spell, shook his head. “Something is cloaking them, and Roman isn’t capable of magic that powerful, at least, I don’t think. He shouldn’t be able to hide himself or anyone if we’re using the Eye of Astraeon.”

“Could Roman have gotten his hands on something more powerful than this talisman?” Lia, the other witch, asked, tapping the aqua oval pendant next to the bowl. “Perhaps something he purchased on the black market?”

As an icy chill slinked down my spine, I met Fane’s stare. Our minds had gone to the same place.

“Do you think the Infernal Sol is hiding Barric?”I silently asked.

Fane’s jaw clenched as he gave a slight nod.“We don’t know all the powers of the amulet, but I wouldn’t put it past the thing to have cloaking magic.”

Jess reached over and grabbed one of the grimoires stacked nearby. “Perhaps we should consult with Grand Witch Bianca.”

Zane tapped his chiseled chin. “Maybe Thorn could help.”

Lia’s mouth parted. “That might be a little overkill. Besides, she and Prince Caleb are hard to locate.”

With her raven hair, bright-blue eyes, and alabaster skin, she reminded me of Roxie, but there didn’t seem to be an insincere bone in the petite witch’s body.

Of course, I’d been wrong before.

Zane gave a lazy shrug. “We’re friends. I can find them, but let’s try a few other avenues first.”

“Prince Caleb, as in the fae prince of the Unseelie Court?” Kortney pushed away from the wall, a lovestruck expression crossing her features. “I heard he was so hot. Like, scorching.”

I couldn’t stop the grin from breaking free. “I’ve seen a picture of him. And scorching hot is an understatement.”

“Are you trying to annoy me, Teague?”Irritation dripped from Fane’s voice.

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