Page 150 of Savage Blood
“He’s not getting away.” I darted toward the door, touching a Collective Nosterium member here and there, intensifying their fear instead of manifesting one before their eyes. I didn’t have time for hallucinations.
A huge body suddenly slammed into me, and we tumbled to the ground, hard scales scraping my flesh. The back of my skull cracked on the floor, and blood oozed over my tongue. My ribs screamed at the weight settling on my chest.
I gagged on the foul stench coating the shifter who’d once been a russet wolf. The dark power from the amulet and all those demon rituals still tainted Barric’s inner circle.
Would they return to normal—if any of them lived?
Torin snarled, his saliva dripping onto my neck. Murder and madness thickened the air around him as he bared his teeth.
“Get off me.” I shoved my fist into his massive head. “I don’t have time for your bullshit.”
Black talons grew from my fingertips, and I raked them down his side, but his scales prevented me from causing much damage.
Ugh, enough already.
Like second nature, I slipped into his mind and plucked out a fear. The sensation made tiny crackles of electricity pop across my body and buzz in my bloodstream.
Fuck, I really missed this.
The mutated wolf howled and scrambled off me as I forcedhim to imagine flames engulfing him. Apparently, Torin was terrified of being burned alive.
His yellow eyes widened as he rolled back and forth across the floor, attempting to extinguish the nonexistent flames.
Warmth swelled over me, and I clapped at his performance. “Bravo, Torin! You deserve a standing ovation.”
This was too much fun.
Pops echoed as he jerked, transforming into his human form. Screams burst out of his mouth as he contorted every which way. Unable to resist, I crawled toward him.
“It’s only a little fear, Torin.” I pressed my knee into his sternum and forced him to still. “How many shifters have you frightened while hiding behind that cloak and mask?”
Tears rolled down his cheeks. “I’m burning alive!”
“No, you’re not. You just think you are.” I grabbed his jaw and pried his mouth open. “But youareabout to know what it feels like to have your soul sucked out.”
He wasn’t human. And he was a bad guy—the enemy.
Even as I tried to justify taking Torin’s soul, I knew it was wrong. In the past, the Infernal Sol urged me to give in to all my twisted desires, and the dark cloud around my mind kept me from seeing the truth.
I saw everything now, and I had enough sense to know that sucking Torin’s soul was a bad idea. Still, I leaned forward, gripped his soul, and inhaled a sip.
Euphoria filled my system, and tiny fireworks danced over my body. The blissful sensations would only intensify if I continued.
But a nagging feeling persisted in the back of my mind. I needed to go after Barric. He couldn’t vanish after all he’d done.
Damn it.
“You’re lucky I have bigger enemies to kill.” I released Torin and climbed off him, snapping my fingers to release the fear hallucination.
Just like riding a bike.
Wide-eyed and shaking, he stared up at me. “B-Barric couldn’t do that.”
“Barric couldn’t do a lot of things I can. And he’s about to do one less thing.” A malicious smile stretched across my face. “Breathe.”
Without another word, I bolted past the battling shifters and toward the door. The hall reeked of sweat, fear, and Barric’s familiar scent. I followed his trail of desperation through a maze of corridors.
Did he plan on escaping and hiding forever?
