Page 122 of Savage Blood
She tossed her hands in the air. “Not a word.”
Fane tapped his temples. “They don’t need to speak out loud to communicate.”
True.
“And Roxie wouldn’t kill him while they’re bonded,” he added.
But she could force him to break their bond andthenkill him.
Fane and I searched through the labyrinth of stark white and silver hallways until we reached the house above, its gaudy interior left untouched even though Wrath detested it. As we headed across the reflective black tiles and toward the iron front door, the demon shifter halted in his tracks, cocking his head.
“What?”
He sniffed the air and angled toward the winding staircase that split in two, leading up to a huge balcony that overlooked the grand room. “They went that way.”
My head jerked back. “They didn’t leave?”
“Not through the front door.”
We dashed up the stairs, my sweaty hands gripping the gilded railing as my heart tapped out an erratic staccato. Unlike at Karn’s manor, the maze of lavish corridors didn’t fill me with frosty dread. I’d lived here for a while, and it was one place I considered safe.
Kind of like a home.
The ornate crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the hall poured light onto the scarlet rug. Something silver glinted on the left. My breaths quickened when Fane bent to retrieve the small object.
He bared his teeth as he held up a Malbraxis manacle that probably belonged to the former high demon lord of Savannah.
“Where the hell are they?” I asked, my head whipping down each direction, as if I’d find the answers in the gold sconces or expensive oil paintings.
Fane jerked his chin toward the left. “This way.”
Icy fear trickled down my nape. What if this was a trap? Would Ruin turn on us that quickly?
After we traveled around the corner and down another hall, voices drifted through the air.
I met Fane’s gaze. “Are they just carrying on a fucking conversation?”
Fane shrugged. “Anything is possible with Ruin.”
When we reached the door to Ruin’s private apartment on the third floor, Fane didn’t knock but instead lifted his leg and kicked the door in. Wood cracked and splintered with a jarring crash.
I didn’t know what I expected—but it wasn’t this.
Ruin and Roxie sat on one of the black tufted leather couches, ancient tomes scattered across the coffee table and piled on the floor. And in one of the cushy chairs near the fireplace, a royal demon sat, guzzling down a glass of red wine.
“Tate, Fane, I’ve been expecting you.” Ruin tossed the book in his lap onto the coffee table, grinning like an idiot, like he hadn’t escaped from his cell.
A low, threatening growl rumbled Fane’s chest as his entire body vibrated next to mine. “What the fuck are you doing?”
The high demon motioned toward the books with his hand. “Just brushing up on demon rituals. Maybe there’s something that can wreck Barric’s little covenant he has planned for Tate.”
“And you’re just now researching that angle?” I asked, my voice rising a few octaves.
“Cut him some slack, Tate.” Roxie flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and leaned back into the cushions next to Ruin. “He didn’t have these books until now.”
What happened to her despising Ruin for forcing the demon bond on her? They looked quite chummy.
As my fury continued to grow, I crossed the room andknocked the drink out of her hand before she could take a sip. “You’re supposed to be watching over Hawk.”
