Page 152 of Savage Blood
Barric dug his claws across the marble as a lupine smile pulled at his thin, cracking lips. Instead of attacking, he simply stood there, waiting.
Oh right. I was supposed to shift. If shit went south, I could still unlock his fears to distract him while in my animal form.
At least I hoped I could.
My wolf stirred inside, and I grabbed hold of her. As fluid as water, the change came over me, and my paws hit the marble in seconds.
Why aren’t my clothes scattered around in scraps? And where the hell are my boots?
Barric’s head cocked to the side as he studied me, and I inhaled the sliver of terror drifting from him. He’d seen my wolf before. What made him so reluctant?
I padded to a large mirror on the left wall while keeping one eye on Barric, my sickle claws ticking on the floor. My mouth dropped open at my reflection.
Well, that’s different.
Spikes protruded from my knucklesanddown my spine. A ring of scarlet outlined my diamond pupils, gleaming like hellfire within my eyes, one demon blue and the other glittering gold. The same vibrant red fur, tipped in ebony, covered my body.
And my body… I was nearly twice the size I’d been before I merged with the Infernal Sol.
A creak sounded, and I spun as Jax and Amelia, in their mutated animal forms, strolled through the hidden door on the right. Saliva dripped down their vicious maws, and murder perfumed the air around them.
Son of a bitch.
I couldn’t take all three of them, and Amelia had been out for my blood since Fane killed her son. Barric licked his chops, knowing the odds were stacked against me.
“I wouldn’t say that, fiera mika.”
The tattoo hidden beneath my fur flared to life moments before Fane, in his lethal demon wolf form, strolled into the ballroom. His claws didn’t tick on the marble. They purposely scraped the floor with every step as if he was sharpening them.
The tension in the air heightened, and the three shifters across the room traded glances, speaking through their pack link.
“Did you really think I’d let you have all the fun, little rebel?”Fane warmed my side as he flanked me, still towering over my new form. “You look stunning, by the way. Very terrifying.”
My teeth flashed.“No one can call me cute anymore.”
Fane’s chuckle swirled through my mind.“You’ll always be cute to me, even when you’re ripping out Barric’s throat.”
I huffed.“Just leave him to me.”
He nodded.“I’ll take the other two. Easy peasy. They’ll go down like Wes and Patricia did.”
Sensing the attack, Barric curled his lips back and released a roar, his two pack mates doing the same. Adrenaline hemorrhaged through my veins as I lunged for him, my talons digging into the marble.
As we collided, Barric’s heavy weight overwhelmed me, and I hit the ground hard, the spikes on my back gouging the tiles.
Damn, that hurt.
Growls and teeth snapping sounded from the left as Fane challenged the other two wolves. Amelia tried to evade him to get after me, but he was too quick, stopping her advances every time.
Barric rolled us across the floor and pinned me, his lethal teeth dangerously close to my face. My heart crashed against my ribs as my muscles quaked. That ancient power roiled within me, waiting for my command.
But I wanted to earn this kill as a shifter—or at least try. Using the Infernal Sol would be a last resort.
My muscles tensed as I gathered my strength and raked my claws against Barric’s side. The hard scales finally gave way, and his blood permeated the air as warmth leaked over my paw.
Barric’s roar ruffled the hair on my nape, and his gazedarkened as a scarlet sheen eclipsed the gold. His back bowed to force my claws away. If we could speak to each other, he’d be taunting me right now.
Frustrated, I tried another maneuver Saint taught me now that Barric had created a small amount of space between us. My body twisted, and I spun onto my belly, slamming the back of my head into his nose.
