Page 61 of Savage Fate

“Do you really think this will work?” the driver asked, his chubby hands tightening around the steering wheel, the sun gleaming on his shiny bald head. “Barric’s plan, I mean.”

The other one scoffed. “Of course it’ll work, Jeff.” He bit a massive chunk off the beef jerky stick in his hand. “He’s not like the others who have led the cause before. They were all small-minded and idle. Their laziness allowed so many bitten shifters to multiply and muddy the lines.”

Jeff gave a barely noticeable shrug. “But, Tom, you don’t think this is a little extreme?”

Knots fisted in my stomach at their conversation. What was Barric planning, and how was he using the Infernal Sol?

The extremes Barric could go to with the amulet’s dark power had panic racing through my veins.

“Sometimes, we have to go far beyond the limits to get the job done right.” The muscles in Tom’s arms tightened as he made a fist with his free hand. “This is the only way to fix things. And once we do, every pack will be better for it.”

“I guess.” Jeff rubbed the five o’clock shadow hugging his jaw. “We’re only as strong as our weakest link, right? And we all know bitten shifters are always weaker.”

It didn’t take much to alleviate Jeff’s fears.

Finally, I freed Hailey from the silver chains, but she wasn’t in great shape. She didn’t look like she could even stand, much less fight. I’d have to do most of the work.

“I’ll be fine,” she whispered. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Can you get out your claws?” I asked.

She nodded and gritted her teeth as sharp claws pushed through her fingertips.

“Go for the passenger’s throat.” Since I could handle the chains, I wrapped the ends around my hands as a weapon.

We slinked forward, and I held my breath as I settled behind the driver while Hailey crouched behind Tom.

I started a silent countdown using only my lips.

Three. Two. One.

As I lifted the chains up and slammed them around Jeff’s neck, Hailey slashed her claws into Tom’s throat.

Cursing erupted in the cab, and the van swerved over the slick, narrow road lined with snow-frosted trees.

Shit.

How far north had we gone?

Tom elbowed Hailey off, and she rolled to the back of the van. Her strength had clearly not recovered much from the silver.

“You little bitch.” Tom pressed his hand against the bleeding wounds in his throat, and when he noticed I had ahold of his partner, he lunged for me.

I kicked him off and then tightened the chains around Jeff, his hands dropping from the steering wheel. The van skidded on an icy patch and careened off the road.

As we barreled through the forest, taking out smaller branches and the rearview mirrors flying off, I lost my grip on the silver chains and tumbled sideways.

Pain erupted through my head when I hit the metal wall of the van. The vehicle crashed into something, and we all flew toward the back.

My ears rang as pain ricocheted through my entire body, and blood coated the back of my mouth. Black spots popped within my blurry vision, but when Haley’s whimper registered, I shook off the dizziness.

Tom dragged her out of the van by her blond hair. “You’re going to learn your lesson, bitten trash.”

Hot anger poured over me, and I scrambled toward the opening, but a hard grip coiled around my ankle and yanked me back.

“You’re not going anywhere, Tate.” Jeff donned black leather gloves as he attempted to wrap the silver chains around me again.

I kicked his face, the satisfying crunch of bone echoing through the van. He screamed, and blood gushed from his nose. “In case you have noticed, silver doesn’t do much to me.” I yanked the chains out of his grasp. “You, on the other hand, have a real problem with this shit.”

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