Page 9 of Savage Blood
Ruin jerked his chin for me to go while he wrapped his legs around Roxie to keep her firmly locked against him.
I shoved back the guilt and bolted through the corridor, gripping the keys so tightly they bit into my palms. A set of stone stairs greeted me after I passed through a few archways, and memories of being led out of here by Karn’s minions washed through my brain.
If I remembered correctly, the next door would open to a small atrium splitting off in two directions. One way would take me to the great room, and the other would take me outside.
Guess which one I was picking?
My hand trembled as I unlocked the door and peered out. A shaky breath spilled from my lungs at the sight of the deserted hallway. I stepped inside and eased the door closed. Only a few more minutes, and I’d be free.
Would I be able to reach Fane once I made it outside?
My scalp prickled seconds before a hard grip tangled in myhair and yanked me back. A familiar woman with a brunette bob and sharp green eyes slammed me into the rugged stone wall.
“What do we have here?” Amelia, Dominic’s mother, sneered while a set of canines grew in her mouth. “A little cub is trying to flee the den.”
Chapter
Three
The hatred spillingfrom Amelia infiltrated my nostrils and soaked through my bloodstream as she growled, poised to kill me.
“I knew you were trouble the moment you stepped into Mohan Wilds.” The gas lanterns along the stone walls cast an eerie glow in her irises as they melted from emerald to gold. “Camus is a fool to have let you in.”
“You’re a fool for trusting Barric and believing in this racist Collective bullshit.” My bitter laugh echoed down the corridor. “Do you really think he gives a damn about any of you?”
Her chin rose, dark strands of hair sliding against her sharp cheekbones. “He’s the only one looking out for shifters—real shifters.”
I tried to shove her off, but claws sprouted from her fingertips and dug into my shoulders as she held me against the wall.
“Real shifters?” I asked. “He’s got you living in the Underworld, performing demonic rituals. You all seem more likedemons than shifters. What’s next? He’ll have you sucking down souls?”
“This is the only way to get what we want.” She shrugged. “Sacrifices must be made.”
Amelia had always been a callous bitch, but the blind trust she had—they all had—in Barric was terrifying. He could do no wrong in their eyes. The guy was a cult leader, and they were his loyal followers who’d burn in hell just to please him.
“Would Dominic have agreed to all of this?” Her son didn’t seem like the type to play follow the leader, no matter who that leader was.
Amelia’s lip curled back in a snarl, revealing those sharp canines again. “You don’t have the right to speak of my son. You’re the reason he’s dead.”
“He tried to kill me.” I struggled in her grasp, her claws puncturing my flesh. “Maybe if you weren’t so wrapped up in The Collective, you could have warned him not to do something as stupid as piss off Fane. In a way, your son’s death is your fault.”
“You stupid hybrid freak.” Amelia snatched me from the wall and tossed me down the corridor.
Pain ricocheted through my hip when I hit the ground, my teeth clenching against a groan. I scrambled to my feet and ignored the fireworks erupting through my body.
“I struck a nerve.” That was my intention, hoping she’d shift and me a few moments to escape.
“My loyalty to Barric has limits, Tate. I’m not his mindless slave.” Pops and cracks resounded as Amelia began to shift into her wolf form, her ears elongating and russet fur sprouting along her hands. “Plus, I can permanently maim you without killing you.”
She bolted forward, her sharp claws raised toward my face.
I dropped to the floor and flipped her over my back, but she landed on all fours, not the least bit fazed.
Shit!
Maybe I overcompensated and pissed her off a little too much.
I shot to my feet and sprinted down the hallway as my heart crashed against my ribs. Only seconds passed before Amelia was on my tail, her hot breath skating down my sweaty nape.
