Page 134 of Savage Blood
And then she sliced it across Charla’s throat.
A scream clawed up my esophagus, but Fane slammed his palm over my mouth and dragged me into the shadows. Crimson surged out of Charla’s neck, soaking her chest and spilling onto the floor.
“She killed the sacrifice!” a masked coyote shifter yelled from the balcony, jerking his finger toward the table.
Unshed tears blurred the room as I struggled against Fane, wide fissures spreading over my heart while Charla choked on her own blood.
“There’s nothing you can do, Tate,” he whispered, his hot breath burning my icy skin. “It’s too late.”
How could this happen? How could Coltrane kill an innocent?
Coltrane’s grin became just as unhinged as Barric’s. “Looks like you can’t perform your last sacrifice tonight, Barric.”
He angled toward Coltrane as Charla took one more gasping breath and then stilled, the huge chandelier casting a glow over all the fresh blood coating her body. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”
My stomach clenched at Barric’s casual tone. Shouldn’t he be furious Coltrane ruined his last sacrifice?
He smoothed his russet locks back, not one single bullet wound remaining on his bloodstained torso. “Oh, Anna, lucky for us, we’ve already performed the last sacrifice needed for the Admordum Nexia Covenant.”
The beaming satisfaction in her expression faded. “I don’t understand.”
Neither did I.
His smile poured arctic air across my body. “This was just a ruse, a trap, if you will.”
Alarms screamed in my head, and an inner voice told me to run, but concrete suddenly coated my legs.
Fane’s chest rumbled with a growl as if he sensed the approaching danger.
A trap.
Barric’s foreboding gaze rose to the balcony and landed right on me. “All we need is Tate.”
Chapter
Thirty-Three
The world tiltedon its axis, and the grandiose room full of enemies swung upside down and then right side up as a million thoughts whirled through my brain. My blood ran hot and cold while my pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out the crowd’s whispers.
Barric knew we were here the whole time? This was a trap.
My canines sharpened as fury pumped through my system.
A trap.
Fane’s lethal growl puckered my flesh, his hot breath blowing across the top of my head.“That fucking raven set us up.”
My fists clenched at my sides. I should have known Roxie would betray us. Not even a demon bond with Ruin could force her loyalty.
If I survived this, Roxie wouldn’t. I’d make sure of it.
As Barric’s gaze burned a hole through my skull, the surrounding shadows thinned, and The Collective swiveled their focus in our direction.
“Don’t be shy,” Barric said. “You and Fane don’t need to hide anymore. We know you’re here.”
Since the cat was out of the bag, I slipped from Fane’s grip and darted to the balcony, glaring at Coltrane. “How could you ever call yourself a raven? You just murdered an innocent shifter.”
Charla’s blood still dripped from the dagger at Coltrane’s side as she scoffed. “No nightworlder is innocent, Tate. And I did what I thought would save the lives of many.”
