Page 97 of Savage Fate

All the moisture vanished from my mouth as trepidation filled my gut. I wanted to stay right where I was and take the magic for him. Fane sensed my reluctance and shook his head.

“Go, fiera mika.” He reached out and caressed my cheek. “You can’t take this for me. I have to do it.”

I nodded and moved to Fane’s side, my limbs shaking. It wasn’t from the spell but from what I feared was coming. This would hurt Fane, and watching him endure that agony would shatter me.

Was this how he felt the many times Ruin and Nadia tried to extract the Infernal Sol? Had he felt helpless watching me writhe and scream in pain?

The chanting intensified as violet magic crackled on all three witches’ palms. Sweat slinked down my nape, and I clutched Fane’s hand, anticipating something horrible.

But I wasn’t prepared when their magic converged in the center of the circle and slammed into Fane’s chest.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Hot,searing pain crashed into me moments before Fane’s howl exploded through the room. My vision burned white, and ringing filled my ears.

Knowing the agony was so much worse for him tore my heart to shreds.

Fane’s head jerked back, and the tendons in his neck popped. He tried to pull his hand out of mine, but I held on.

“Fiera mika, please let me go. You feel everything when you’re touching me.”

“You think I care about a little pain?”A tear glided down my cheek.“This is nothing.”

Purple bands of magic circled his torso, tightening around him. They burrowed into his soul, trying to dig out the roots of Kaspin’s spell. If that old witch was still alive, I’d torture him for every moment of anguish he caused my mate.

Fane finally managed to force my hand off now that sweat coated both of us, but lucky for him, I was stubborn. I crawled behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, letting the magic take my energy to bolster it.

“I should have known you’d do that,”Fane muttered into my mind as the wind blew.

I pressed my face into the crook of his neck, barely able to breathe from the magic and agony crashing within us.“I’m not letting you go, Maverick. Get used to it.”

Instead of trying to fight me off—he probably had no strength left—he gripped my arms. The witches screamed at the top of their lungs, and Fane violently shook. He’d toss me off like a bucking bronco if I wasn’t holding on so tightly.

“Let the truth and spirit flow so free.”

“You can do this, Fane,” I whispered. “Kaspin’s spell is nothing. You can destroy his hold.”

Fane’s savage roar shook the entire room, and spikes began to protrude from his spine as his animal form attempted to take over. He cursed as he felt the shift coming.

“It’s okay.” I kissed his neck. “Take deep breaths. Calm down. There’s no threat.” My words were directed at the demon wolf, trying to soothe his emotions and reassure him before he burst out.

A growl tumbled from Fane, but those spikes retreated, and he slumped forward.

My breath of relief stirred his hair. Performing a spell on him would have been impossible in his animal form. The beast probably would have flipped out and charged the witches.

“As we will it, so mote it be!”

Something suddenly shifted in the air, and a crack boomed like lightning striking.

Fane and I were tossed back, tumbling out of the circle and sliding across the slick marble floor. His arms and legs caged me in to protect me from the hit.

Still, my head pounded, and the coppery tang of blood lingered in the back of my mouth.

“Are you hurt?” Fane frantically searched over me, his hand carefully roaming my body.

“Did it work?” I blinked the blurriness from my vision and found him hovering over me, wiping trails of blood from beneath his nose.

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