Page 39 of Savage Blood
“Let me out of these!” I struggled in the Vulcrum cords as Karn’s pet bull ripped gouges into the ebony floor with his massive hooves, steam puffing from his nostrils. “Karn sent that thing after me before, and he definitely remembers me.”
Barric cursed as an agrigon charged him, its spindly legs clicking on the tiles. “Get her out of here, Roman.”
The sub-demon didn’t stand a chance once the former head alpha wrapped his powerful arms around his hard, spider-like body and squeezed. The creature’s exoskeleton cracked like an egg, and black goo and innards oozed out.
My stomach heaved at the grisly sight. The other shifters fought the sub-demons, claws slashing through the air and teeth shining. Maybe they knew they stood a better chance without fully transforming.
As Roman hurried in my direction, black blood from the creatures speckling his platinum hair, he released the magical cords from around me. I shot out of the seat and darted toward Alicia, but the bull charged in my direction.
Roman flung his hand out and yelled an enchantment. “Part the air and weave thy veil. From wall to wall, let noneassail. Cloak us from the watchful eye. And twist the truth that foes descry.”
A mystical barrier divided the room in half, separating us from the bull demon and the rest of The Collective Nosterium. The sub-demons had driven everyone else, even Barric, to the other side during the melee.
My pulse thundered as the bull slammed into the iridescent wall, violet bolts of electricity crackling, but the shield held.
The rage in that monster’s glowing eyes sucked the air right out of my lungs, and memories of our first encounter flooded my mind. The sting of his toxic horn slashed across my arm again, and the heat of his fetid breath grazed my nape.
How the hell did that massive beast make it up the stairs?
I shook myself and sprinted for Alicia again, my hands trembling as I pulled at the chains binding her to the table. Her copper freckles stood out against her pale face, and blood smeared her arms from the stab wounds.
“Hurry,” she hissed, looking around at the bedlam. “Someone’s going to notice any second.”
The witch’s presence spilled over my back, and I whipped around, launching my fist straight at his nose.
“Wait!” Roman ducked my hit and grabbed my wrist. “I’m on your side.”
I struggled in his hold, but his magic kept his grip firmly around my arm. “What are you talking about? You just had me bound to a chair, forcing me to watch Barric kill her.”
“Who do you think set all this up?” Roman jerked his chin toward the hazy magical wall where The Collective Nosterium struggled with sub-demons on the other side.
“Youdid this?”
In Bonaventure Cemetery, he showed me that Barric waskeeping him against his will. And even though Roman helped Barric abduct me, the witch clearly didn’t have a choice.
“I enchanted the sub-demons and escorted them behind the veil hiding the manor.” A somber smile tipped the edges of Roman’s lips. “This isn’t what I signed up for. Barric lost his fucking mind, and I don’t want to sacrifice any more innocent lives. Since he’ll never let me go, I’m getting you out of here.”
My shoulders drooped a little, realizing Fane hadn’t been the one to orchestrate this whole thing, which meant he wouldn’t be walking through that door—or rather gaping hole—at any moment.
Alicia cleared her throat. “You can unveil your double-crossing plan later, Roman. We’re a little pressed for time, so how about getting me out of these chains?”
Roman waved his hands, and the binds unraveled until they hung over the sides of the table and brushed the floor. Alicia sat, and I eased her to her feet, steadying her when she swayed. She was a good six inches taller than me and full of dense muscle.
I hoped she could fight. The chances of escaping this place without a few obstacles were slim to none.
As she took a moment to collect her strength, the shifters on the other side of the barrier continued battling the sub-demon.
“Why hasn’t anyone noticed you freeing us?” I asked. “Barric hasn’t even looked in our direction.”
“That’s not an ordinary shield.” Roman rested his hand on Alicia’s sternum, muttering some kind of spell under his breath.
Her eyelids closed, and she sighed, the trembling in her limbs vanishing. Some of the color returned to her cheeks, and when she opened her eyes, the haze in them cleared.
He’d healed her, at least a little.
She brushed golden-brown curls from her face. “Thanks.”
The witch nodded and withdrew his hand. “To everyone on the other side of the barrier, Alicia’s still chained to the table, and you and I are gone.”
