Page 98 of Savage Blood
Fane could no longer control the beast within.
“Do I need to fight for her?” Saint’s voice had become barely more than a growl as luminescent gold overwhelmed the silver of his irises.
Spikes protruded from Fane’s spine as his beast grabbed for the reins. “You will lose.”
Marissa chuckled under her breath and stood. She leaned against a trunk, blood oozing down her leg. “I told you Fane could never share you. He’s too possessive.”
My hands curled into fists, the longing to punch her. I wanted to rip out her tongue too, so she couldn’t speak.
“Fane, back off now!”I yelled into his mind, but he either didn’t hear me or had no intention of stopping.
“What the hell is going—” Camus burst through the tree, his words cutting off as he surveyed the scene.
He must have felt the waves of fury and tension rippling from the area. When he noticed Marissa, his lips thinned.
“Do something, Camus,” I hissed. “You’re the alpha here.”
As vicious snarls erupted from Fane and Saint, panic slashed at my heart, and I could hardly breathe.
Camus marched toward them, lethal canines flashing in his mouth as he halted a few feet away. “Stop.Now!”
Alpha power throbbed around the command and infiltrated the air, prickling my flesh. But it didn’t even faze the two shifters. Camus wasn’t their alpha, so he couldn’t command them, especially since Saint led his own pack. Fane, well, he was in a different category altogether.
Claws extended from Saint’s fingers, and fur sprouted on his neck while Fane remained still, just waiting. His beast would allow his opponent time to shift.
The fight still wouldn’t be fair. Fane’s demon wolf would shred Saint apart.
“You’ll have to do something, Tate.” Camus flicked his hands toward them. “Or someone is dying tonight.”
A few choice words burst from between my teeth as I motioned Camus out of the way and shoved the two guys. Or at least I tried. They didn’t budge.
I was so damn tired of being the reason people were fighting or dying or being tortured. My life was turned upside down these last few years, and that nineteen-year-old kid who wished for a chance at redemption had been a pawn between leaders, a vessel for dark power, and now the weight of so many lives rested directly on her shoulders.
Myshoulders.
And these two decided now was a perfect time to have a pissing contest, with me as the prize.
Obviously, the situation was a little more complicated than that, and they had every right to be hurt and angry, but I just couldn’t handle any more shit.
As rage pummeled my insides, my own alpha power bubbled forward. If Camus couldn’t break them apart, what made him think I could? I wasn’t an actual alpha.
But Iwasdifferent.
Maybe it was because Fane bit me or because of the spell those witches did to hide me when I was a baby. Hell, having the Infernal Sol for so long had irrevocably changed me.
I slammed a hand on each of them and let the power building inside me burst out like a bomb. “Enough!”
Saint broke away and winced, his claws and fur instantly vanishing. Marissa dropped to the ground, even though I didn’t direct the command to her. Even Camus flinched.
But Fane wasn’t affected like the others. He did, however, step back and retract his spikes and claws all on his own.
“You two can’t start fighting,” I snapped. “We have more important things to worry about than who has the bigger claim on me.”
“He doesn’t have any actual claim at all,” Fane grunted.
Saint’s lips thinned. “Yeah, but I’m?—”
“Stop! Both of you.” I pulled a few stray leaves out of my hair. “This is a seriously screwed-up situation, and maybe we should just find another way for me to heal, if it’s even possible.”
