Page 58 of Savage Fate

“We knew this was coming.” He gave a lazy shrug. “We were never meant to be.”

Pain sliced into my core, and I stumbled out of Barric’s grip.

When had Fane gotten here? Why would he say that to me?

“It doesn’t matter if we were meant to be,” I said, my voice shaky. “Wearetogether.”

He pushed off the tree and took a few steps closer. “I only claimed you to save you, Tate. Don’t kid yourself into thinking it was by choice. I would never choose to be with you of my own free will. You killed my brother.”

His cruel words and the nonchalant way he delivered them had tears burning in my eyes, turning the forest blurry.

“You don’t mean that.”

“Of course I do.” He ran his fingers along my cheek and down my neck over the tattoo his bite had given me, but the usual warm tingle his touch brought was absent. “Besides, Saint Grimstone is your fated mate. You’re destined to be with him.”

Mocking laughter reverberated around me, and my mind attempted to push through the fog the fear had brought.

“I’m not destined to be with Saint. I want you.”

“And I don’t want you.” Fane gripped my shoulders, bruising my flesh. “Don’t you see, Tate? This is my chance to be free of you. It’s what I’ve always wanted. Biting you was the worstmistake of my life, and thankfully, the universe has finally given me a way out of your disastrous and disappointing orbit.”

My heart shrank and shriveled into a ball as anguish erupted through me. One of my deepest fears had materialized. It was like someone had cracked my skull opened and slithered inside to find what scared me the most…

As the realization hit me, I sucked in a ragged breath. Thatwasexactly what someone had done.

This was Barric’s doing.

He’d used the Infernal Sol to latch on to my fears and make me hallucinate, something I’d done countless times when I had the amulet.

My teeth ground and hands curled into fists so tight my nails dug into my palms, spilling blood. I gathered my strength to break out of the fear hallucination.

Barric had the amulet, but I had more experience with it.

As the cruel visage of Fane vanished like smoke, Barric’s shocked expression came into view.

“Nice try, but I was much better at that than you.” My fist slammed into his cheek, and his head snapped around.

All I had to do was rip the chain from around his neck and take the Infernal Sol back. Once it was in my grasp again, it would realize how much better I was than Barric.

But before I could make my move, the forest stirred, and figures emerged from the trees surrounding us.

A string of curses tumbled out as I recognized a few members of The Collective Hunt.

Just great. This was an even bigger trap than I’d thought.

Chapter

Eighteen

Sweat trickleddown my nape as a dozen members of The Collective Hunt closed in like a pack of rabid dogs circling their prey. I wouldn’t be surprised if saliva started dripping down their chins.

“You really should just cooperate and come with us, Tate.” Jax slinked closer, the lighthearted air that used to surround Barric’s beta gone. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

I scoffed even as my heart pounded a hundred miles a minute. “Like I’m really going to surrender so Barric can kill me.”

“You should just kill her now, Barric.” Amelia’s dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail, sharpening her features even more. “She doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as us.”

“Patience, Amelia.” The former head alpha leaned against a tree as his minions drew closer. “I have my reasons for keeping Tate alive, but she will meet her end eventually. I promise.”

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