Page 75 of Savage Blood
I scrambled up, angling toward the trash can, but my weapon was gone.
Shit.
Guess I’d have to use my teeth and claws against her.
No matter what Hawk’s aunt had done, the thought of ripping her to pieces curdled my stomach.
Coltrane’s brown eyes hardened, and a snarl curled her lips as she lunged at me. But she darted to the left at the lastsecond and sliced her blade across a Collective member’s face. Blood spewed out of the break in the white mask.
As she spun back in my direction, she reached into her pocket and tossed me something. “Behind you!”
My transformative hilt flew toward me, and I caught it, rubbed my thumb over the rune, and activated the blade. The Collective Nosterium member charged me with another dose of Malefic ash while also raking his claws close to my chest.
I stumbled back, swung the sword, and lopped off his head. His body dropped, and the golden dust fluttered through the air like glitter.
That left four members.
Nope. Three.
Coltrane just decapitated another one.
Wes cursed as he looked from me to the former raven captain to his three dead friends.
“You might have won the battle, but?—”
“The war is just beginning,” I interrupted him. “Can you try not to be a cliché, Wes?”
He bolted down the alley, the two remaining members vanishing with him. That left Coltrane and me alone, and I’d never felt more uneasy in her presence.
As she angled toward me, her blonde hair slicked back in her usual low ponytail, a ghost of a smile twitched at her lips. “Nice reflexes, Ms. Teague, once you got off your ass, of course.”
My brows furrowed as we circled each other. “I was a little shocked by your appearance.”
“Yes, well, what can I say? I like to surprise people.” She jerked her chin toward me. “You should know something about that. Imagine my surprise when I found out you’re Barric’s daughter.”
How the hell did she know that already? Did she have allies at Corvin Manor who fed her information?
The former raven captain gave a noncommittal shrug. “It all makes sense now, why you were so strong, so good as a warrior.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, keeping a tight grip on my sword. “Are you here to save your nephew? If you heard about my parents, you must have heard about him.”
A flicker of regret crossed her expression, and her lips flattened into a tight line. “Hawk is a raven. He knows the consequences of accepting a mission.”
My humorless laugh bounced between the brick walls of the two buildings framing us. “You might win aunt of the year. Sadly, I’m not surprised your visit has nothing to do with him. But if you’re looking for the Infernal Sol, you must know I don’t have it.”
Coltrane tsked and pulled out a napkin from her pocket, wiping the blood off her blade. “Like I predicted, it has fallen into evil’s hands—Barric Hartwell’s, specifically.”
A sharp breath escaped my lungs and bounced through the alley. “How do you know Barric has it?”
She gave me a pointed look, as if that information was easy to come by. Maybe it was for her. I had no idea who Coltrane’s sources were, and she clearly knew more about the amulet than the average person.
“And just look at the mess you’ve made,” she said. “You could have avoided this if you’d given me the amulet or allowed me to keep you safe.”
“Keep me safe? You were going to imprison me and find a way to cut it out of me, no matter if I lived or died.”
“How many shifters would your sacrifice have spared?”
Another wave of guilt filled my gut, slowly devouring melike acid. Was Coltrane right? Should I have remained her captive or sacrificed myself?
