Page 62 of Savage Fate

My fist, wrapped in silver, slammed into his lips, busting them. I shoved the links into his mouth, forcing him to choke on them. If I’d still had the Infernal Sol, that dark part of me would have reveled in his pain.

But the Infernal Sol wasn’t inside me, and I shouldn’t enjoy inflicting this torment.

My teeth sharpened, and I darted forward, latching on to his throat. The briny taste of blood spilled over my tongue.

And then I ripped his throat out.

He stopped struggling and dropped to the tan upholstered floor, his eyes glazing over. I nearly gagged when I spat out a huge chunk of his skin. A shudder rippled over my spine. That was definitely a different experience without the Infernal Sol.

Hailey’s scream tore through the wilderness, stealing my attention from my kill. I scrambled out of the van, my boots sinking into a snowy patch of ground, blood dripping from me.

Another shriek pelted the atmosphere, and I took off, my pulse racing and cold sweat leaking down my forehead. I could not let her die.

If you had me, you wouldn’t be this weak.

I ignored the amulet’s voice and jogged through patches of snow, frost, and ice. As the sound of rushing water grew louder, I burst out of the tree line where Tom dragged Hailey to the edge of a cliff.

“Let me go!” She fought him with her teeth and claws, but the silver still weakened her, and the slashes she carved into Tom’s thick arms barely affected him.

I sprinted toward them, and just before Tom threw Hailey over the edge, I tackled him.

He cursed as we rolled across the icy ground. “You’re lucky I can’t kill you.”

My talons scraped over his chest, shredding his flesh to ribbons. “Unfortunately, you don’t have that same luck. I can andwillkill you.”

Blood bloomed across his torso, but Tom wasn’t giving up so easily. He slammed his elbow into my mouth and then kicked me off. Pain throbbed across my jaw, and I was thankful for the brief encounter with the snow as my face fell in it.

“You, blondie, Icankill.” Tom darted toward Hailey again and shoved her over the edge.

“No!” My voice cracked with a vicious growl as I barreled into him and crushed my fist into his temple as hard as I could.

Tom hit the ground, unconscious.

He’d wake up soon enough, so I’d better kill him first.

It was either him or me.

“Tate! Help!”

My heart thumped against my ribs. Hailey was still alive.

I scrambled to the edge and found her clutching a root barely hanging on to the soil. “Give me your hand.”

As she grabbed my hand, the earth gave way, and the root snapped.

Agony drowned me as I struggled to pull her up, every muscle on fire from fatigue and injuries. I had to choke down the whimpers and tears.

Finally, I dragged the other shifter up enough for her to get a knee onto the ledge and lift herself onto firm ground.

Our ragged breaths filled the silent forest, mixing with the rushing river waters below.

“Thanks,” Hailey said, wiping blood from her nose. More stained her blond hair pink. “I thought I was going to die.”

“It can still happen.” Tom grabbed Hailey’s hair again, having recovered faster than I anticipated.

Part of my rational brain shut down, and I acted on animal instincts. And my instincts were to protect Hailey.

So instead of wasting time to get on safer ground, my hand darted forward, my claws sinking into Tom’s throat.

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