Page 62 of Savage Blood
Ruin, currently imprisoned in Wrath’s lab, checked in regularly, and was keeping the pressure on Roxie to ensure Hawk’s well-being. According to Roxie, Barric needed to gather more power before he could attempt the Admordum Nexia Covenant. Without Ruin and me, that process would take a lot longer.
At least that gave me more time to heal.
Kourtney, Mina, and the witches who helped temporarily close the portal in Bonaventure Cemetery were sworn tosecrecy about my true identity and the Infernal Sol. None of them wanted to cross Fane or any of the high demons.
The truth would eventually come out, though. The shifters deserved to know what they were up against.
I rolled my shoulders and stretched my legs as an ache settled into my limbs again. A while had passed since I’d touched Fane physically, and the mate bond wasn’t happy.
Valeria frowned as she checked her watch. “Didn’t Ari invite you to a meeting? It started five minutes ago.”
“I’m not going.” The thought of being around a bunch of people right now sounded like hell. “I haven’t had any meaningful visions, the only reason they want me in there.”
She mumbled a curse under her breath. “They didn’t tell you the reason for this one?”
“No.” I arched a brow, noticing her rigid body. “Why?”
“Ari called a meeting to discuss Ruin,” she said. “They will determine his fate.”
My stomach dropped as an arctic wave crashed against my back. The shifters wanted him dead, especially the ones in Silver Ridge. And if they executed the high demon, our link to Hawk and The Collective Nosterium would be extinguished.
Chapter
Fifteen
My hand trembledas I jerked open the door to one of the smaller conference rooms in the east wing of the compound, Saint catching my attention first. His silver gaze burned into me from across the burnished mahogany table that gleamed under the pendant lights.
Warmth leaked into my bloodstream, and some of the tension in my muscles melted away. Recently, he’d had a calming effect on me. Was he doing it on purpose? Was this part of his attempt at healing me?
Would this only strengthen our bond?
“Thanks for joining us, Tate.” Alpha Ari motioned to the left side of the room, near the sage green accent wall. “Please grab some refreshments if you’d like.”
Shifters, no matter the topic at hand, could never hold a meeting without food.
Ari continued his discussion of new security protocols while I ambled around the refreshments table. My appetite was currently nonexistent, but I’d rather have something to fiddle with than wring my hands.
The acting alpha of Silver Ridge stood well over six feet tall, his broad form intimidating and imposing but never unapproachable. Unlike Barric, Ari was actually a kind person. He had the pack’s best interest at heart—and not just the born shifters’.
Forgoing the lemonade because it reminded me of a certain hybrid, I grabbed a glass of water and two chocolate chip cookies. Before walking away, a mini bag of spicy trail mix caught my eye. Of course, I’d have to dump half a bottle of hot sauce into the bag to bring it up to my standards of spice.
Alpha Ari’s mate, Olivia, sat next to him, running her fingers through her sheet of long hair, so black it resembled liquid onyx. A soft smile curved her lips as her hooded hazel eyes explored her mate.
Gareth, Jax’s former assistant, had a place around the long table, as did Jasmin, Camus, Captain Gia, and Saint. I hated the ripple of disappointment that Fane’s absence brought me. I expected him to be here, since the meeting had to do with Ruin.
For all my fury and bluster, I still loved the asshole.
Ari lifted a small remote, dimmed the lights, and then lowered a projection screen from the ceiling. Olivia scooted a laptop toward her and brought up a map of pack territories in Georgia, displaying it on the large screen for everyone to see.
“All alphas are expected to do a head count of their packs and report back when anyone is unaccounted for.” Ari motioned for Olivia to flick to the next screen that listed the highest-ranking members in each pack.
Saint’s mouth curled into a soft smile when I sat beside him. “I was worried you weren’t coming.”
“Lost track of time,” I lied as Valeria slipped through thedoor and took the seat across from Captain Gia. “Where’s Wrath? Shouldn’t he be here for this?”
He leaned closer to whisper, forcing me to hold back a shiver as his lips barely grazed my ear. “Ari asked him to arrive later, since this first part only includes shifters.”
And yet the raven captain was here.
