Page 37 of Savage Blood
He killed that innocent girl a whole day ago. What did he do with her body?
My teeth gritted, and I grabbed a clay vase, chucking it against the charcoal wall. The satisfying crash erupted through the room as the pieces rained to the floor.
Jax had bandaged my savage wounds before he locked me in, and when I’d passed out on the king-sized, four-poster bed for a few hours, someone had secured another Malbraxis cuff around my wrist.
The mystical binds once again cut off my connection to my shifter and demon sides.
I stopped pacing and sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the gauze around my wrist. Since the gashes in my arm from Torin were almost healed, I’d ripped that bandage off. The angry, raised marks would eventually fade to light pink and probably vanish, since they weren’t that deep.
Were Enid and Alicia okay?
And Ruin?
As much as I hated to admit it, I was worried about him. Fane would have a fit if he knew just how much.
The poison in my veins from the remaining piece of the Infernal Sol affected my abilities again. I hadn’t been able tocontact Fane. The separation anxiety seeped through my bloodstream, causing slight trembling in my hands. I wanted to demolish everything in this room that wasn’t nailed down, and soon, if I didn’t see Fane in some form, my skin would crawl.
A metallic click echoed, and the door swung open to reveal Patricia, Wes’s mate and Torin’s mother.
My muscles tensed as unease wrapped my body. “What do you want?”
Her mouth curved into a smirk, one just like her son’s. “Barric has requested your presence.”
I crossed my arms. “Last time Barric wanted to speak with me, he sent your son, and he attacked me on the way. Are you planning to do the same?”
Humor glittered in her green eyes. “You could refuse and take your chances with angering Barric. But I wouldn’t. He might be inclined to hurt someone on your behalf.”
My hands curled into tight fists as I stood and proceeded toward her. It took all of my strength not to punch the arrogant look off her face or tear her blonde hair from her scalp.
“Let’s go.”
As Patricia led me through the twisting hallways of slick black, gold, silver, and crimson, my flesh prickled, and an electric tang tickled my tongue with every inhale.
Magic.
But the slimy sensation that brushed my shoulders told me this wasn’t just witch magic. The Collective Nosterium was at it again, performing one of their rituals.
My throat tightened, and cold sweat dripped down my back. Did they have Ruin chained up again, stealing his power and driving him over the edge of sanity?
As foreign words drifted into my eardrums, a ripple ofdread washed over me, and I shivered. The group’s ominous, foreboding chants grew louder and more disturbing.
For shit’s sake. They were shifters. They shouldn’t be capable of performing any kind of demon rituals. And yet, they were pros at it, thanks to the Infernal Sol.
“Stop.” Patricia moved ahead of me and grabbed the handle of a polished onyx door that showed a blurry reflection of the corridor. “Barric wanted you to be here, in person, for the big moment.”
Icicles dragged through my veins, transforming my blood into arctic water. I cringed at the new torment Barric manifested. But as soon as Patricia opened the door to the familiar red room, with demon symbols painted in black across the walls, I knew what awaited me.
The scent of blood flooded my nostrils as she shoved me inside, where The Collective Nosterium—wearing black robes and white masks—chanted around a long table. Barric stood at the head, the amulet throbbing with power and malice as it dangled from his neck.
“How nice of you to join us, Tate.” His fingers flexed around the hilt of a ceremonial dagger. “I need some more of your blood now.”
My gaze lowered to the shifter strapped to the wooden table, blood pooling out of the wounds on her arms. An invisible sledgehammer crashed into my sternum, and my feet moved before I made a conscious decision to act.
“Alicia!”
Her whimpers and broken cries shredded my heart to pieces.
Barric never planned on keeping her alive to use against me. He captured her to be his next sacrifice. Me knowing her mate was just the cherry on top of abloody sundae.
