Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

I salivated for another life while the reasonable version of me could barely whisper her protests. Her wishes didn't matter now. I was in control. And I wanted to drink that royal dry.

Before Venna came within reach, a man dressed in black darted from the left and impaled her with a sword.

"You're not making it out of this alive, demon." The raven, Hawk, twisted the blade, but the wound didn't affect her as much as he'd hoped.

She shoved him off and ripped the sword out of her torso. "I am a royal demon, you child. Do you really think you can kill me?"

Instead of fear throbbing around the raven, he gave a twisted grin. "I bet he can do the job just fine."

Maybe I was too distracted or too high to notice my beast's arrival. He moved like an ominous shadow and crept behind an unsuspecting Venna. By the time she detected his presence, it was too late.

His talons were already ripping into her throat .

"I'm sure you and that oversized pet will enjoy hell together," he snarled before tearing her head clean off.

I hummed at the violence pulsating around him. He dropped the demon's body and tossed her head like she was nothing more than a piece of garbage. Fane marched toward me with the raven on his heels.

"She was stabbed, and then she just… I don't know… changed." Hawk wiped sweat from his forehead and brushed back damp strands of blonde hair. "That doesn't even sound like Tate. And she was speaking a different language."

My beast stopped, his boots touching the dux demon's corpse. "He's dead."

"I sucked him dry." A laugh burst out of my mouth as I slapped Mykel's cheek, his dead gaze trained on the starry sky. "No more terrorizing for this one. He had his fill, and then I stole it. He tasted like hellfire and coal. And death."

When Fane's noticed the blood soaking my shirt and jeans, he released a string of curses. "Come here." He reached his hand out for mine.

How could I deny my beautiful beast the chance to touch me?

I rested my hand in his, and he gently pulled me from my kill. He pushed my leather jacket off and lifted my shirt to examine the bleeding wound. "She doesn't feel a thing. The stars are twinkling, and the feathers are soft. She's buried under blankets that keep her calm. No pain. Don't fret my beast."

"Why is she talking like that?" the raven murmured, watching me like a bird in a tree.

My head swiveled to him. "Stop squawking, birdie. Don't worry about the soul within me. She's perfectly content. Sleeping beauty will slumber until a kiss wakes her."

Hawk's eyes widened until they threatened to pop out, and he stepped away. "What are you? "

"Bring Tate back." Large hands rested on my cheeks, angling me back to the beast. "She's going to die if I don't take care of that wound."

"You know me better, beastie. I wouldn't let her die." I motioned my hand in the air. "It's why I'm here. She didn't ask, but I felt the mortal coil unraveling, so I came. She doesn't perish on my watch."

He stepped closer, his body brushing mine. "I need the real Tate in control."

"I think I'll stay longer." My fingers slipped over his corded, tattooed arms. "I like being the one in front. Make no mistake, I call more shots than you think, but feeling the blood in these veins is different."

Fane's teeth bared in a vicious scowl. "There won't be any blood left soon."

Rivulets of ruby-red liquid still ran down my leg. "You can fix me up while I'm still driving. No need to pull over."

A storm brewed in his gaze as it clashed with mine. His anger consumed nearly everything as he tried to mask the concern crackling around him and through the mystical link tying us together. "I need her back."

The words burst between his teeth in a savage, pained growl.

And then his lips were on mine, his tongue slipping inside to twirl and taste.

The instant we connected, sparks erupted, and electricity popped over my flesh. This ancient power had existed for eons, but it had never experienced a flood of sensations like this. Warmth. Fire. Primal. Relentless. Unyielding. And never ending.

Fane devoured me, his arms trapping me against him in a cage of pleasure. The girl within yanked the covers off and darted forward, latching onto the ladder.

Let me back up !

Her voice was strong as was her desire to take control.

But she was never really in control. Not anymore. Like I told my beast, I called more shots than he knew. She didn't know either. I whispered into her ear, steering her to what I wanted.

Fine. Take your wheel back. But I'm in here all the same. I don't mind sharing. For now.

Tate—no, I—climbed to the surface and shoved the darkness away.

"Fane!"

He flinched against me when he heard my voice in his mind, but instead of releasing me, he kissed me harder. His fear that I was gone forever bled through our bond, and I nearly buckled from the weight of it.

How could he claim to still hate me when he reacted like this to nearly losing me?

After Fane was sure I wouldn't slip back under, he drew away, barely putting space between us. "You've never been that far." His hot, frantic breath spilled over my cheeks. "That wasn't you at all."

My fingers curled into his shirt as I licked my lips, my tongue brushing his mouth. "It just took over after Mykel?—"

Sharp, blinding pain erupted in my torso, and I collapsed into Fane, my cry muffled in his chest. Motherfucker. The throbbing of the wound finally registered, and it stole the air from my lungs.

"I need to get you back to the compound," he said. "You lost a lot of blood."

The Infernal Sol had kept the pain away and had started to heal the wound enough that I wouldn't die. Probably. Hopefully.

What else had it done to me? The demon amulet gave me all kinds of extra strength and power. One day, it might ask for something in return, and I wasn't sure it would allow me to refuse. It would take whatever it wanted .

Vague memories rushed forward, but they were distant, like I'd only watched from afar instead of lived them. And then I recalled straddling Mykel and…

My gaze fell on his corpse. He was dead even though his head was still attached. I'd done that. I'd killed him by sucking his life out.

I shoved Fane away and fell to my hands and knees, dry heaving as I tried to purge the demon's life.

"What's happening to her?"

Hawk.

Cold chills raked over me as everything rushed back. He'd seen me consume Mykel's life like a demon would a soul. He saw me as the Infernal Sol took over.

Hawk already despised what I'd become, but now he'd never be able to look at me again.

Why did knowing he'd hate me forever hurt so much?

Fane kneeled beside me, pulling my head up as tears streaked my face. "There's nothing you can do. What's done is done."

I choked on air, barely filling my lungs. "He's inside of me." As my arms gave out, Fane pulled me against him, holding me. I raked my fingers down my throat and chest, wanting to rip it open and tear Mykel out. "Get him out of me."

The demon shifter snatched my hands before my talons really did shred my flesh. "You can't. It doesn't work like that."

A sob slipped out, and the pain in my abdomen intensified. I'd rather die than feel the dux demon's life roiling in me, screaming to be freed. Would his presence ever fade? I had too many things living in me already. Another being would surely drive me over the edge.

Maybe that was why the Infernal Sol was linked to insanity. It consumed fears and life until it was soaked in madness.

The tombstones swayed and blurred as figures rushed through them. They were shifters. I could barely make out Jax's blond hair shining in the moonlight.

My lids fluttered for a moment, and when I opened them again, Hawk loomed over us, his cheeks pale and eyes haunted.

They were almost as haunted as mine now.

He saw me at my worst. And even though I saved his life, I believed he wanted to take that sword and finish me off.

A chain of explosions erupted in me, and fire bled through my veins as my mind worked its way back to consciousness. My eyes opened to the room I shared with Fane at Silver Ridge, his scent the first thing I noticed beyond the pain. Tears rolled down my cheeks from the sheer agony in my body. Everything hurt, even my damn teeth.

"Welcome back."

Fane's gruff voice had me turning to the left, finding him sitting in an uncomfortable chair by the bed, much like he did after his ex-fated tried to kill me. Anger flowed from him in thick, choking waves.

"I didn't call on the Infernal Sol to help me." At least not consciously. "It just took over."

Fane leaned forward, pinning me with a fiery stare. "I'm pissed you snuck out of the compound and got yourself stabbed while protecting that irresponsible and reckless boy ."

"Leave Hawk out of this." I rubbed my temples as a headache throbbed behind my eyes. "If he hadn't been there, it would have been me against Mykel and Venna."

"A lot of good that raven did." Fane scoffed and leaned back in the chair, the wood creaking from his substantial form. "You killed Mykel, and I took out Venna. Hawk didn't do shit except look at you like—" His lips pressed together, cutting off his words.

Shame washed over me at Hawk's horrified expression after the Infernal Sol took over and I sucked Mykel dry. My stomach churned as his taste filled my mouth, but I didn't feel his presence roiling within me anymore. Maybe he was gone. Or maybe the demon amulet swallowed him whole.

"I'm not surprised you're capable of taking a demon's life," Fane said. "The Infernal Sol is a powerful stone with a mind of its own."

I crossed my arms over my chest as if that would keep the sickness and emotional pain from bursting out. "I never want to do that again."

"What if it's the only way to save your life?"

I shrugged, wincing as a sharp pain whipped through my abdomen where gauzy bandages covered the stab wound. I'd rather die than consume another life like that.

Liar .

I ignored the other me's voice.

"Why were you at Rosewood Cemetery?" Fane asked, changing the subject. "I felt heartache and pain."

Thankfully, he hadn't decided to visit me in the cemetery in his phantom form while I sobbed. I didn't want anyone to see me so vulnerable.

"I had to visit someone." The tears blurred the room, so I turned away, staring out the window where an overcast afternoon sun greeted me. "A dead someone."

"The little girl from your dreams." Fane didn't pose it as a question because he already knew. "The one my brother…"

Had he seen the events of that night unfold in my nightmares? Did he see Warin attack them? Did he understand why I had no choice but to end his brother ?

"I don't want to talk about it." A stray tear slid down my cheek as memories of losing Jayla tried to drown me.

Fane unexpectedly brushed his thumb over my cheek to wipe away the moisture. Our eyes met, electricity crackling in the air between us. It always felt like he could see into my soul, even when we first met and hated each other. Kaspin's spell didn't change that either.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came. Maybe he just wasn't ready to say everything weighing on his mind. Instead, he wrapped his hand around mine, and the sharp anguish in my body lessened to a dull throb.

I breathed a sigh of relief and melted into the pillows. "You didn't have to do that. I know you don't like it." Taking my physical pain reminded him of how strong our bond was.

"Don't tell me what I like or don't like, Teague." His voice came out in gruff pants, and sweat beaded his forehead from consuming my pain.

The door opened, and Valeria floated in, her long silver hair half up in a bun. Her expression brightened when she saw that I was awake. "It's so good to see you up."

"Uh, yeah." I'd rather be sleeping, blissfully unaware of the pulsing wound in my abdomen.

The old healer approached the other side of the bed and rested her hand on my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." I tried to sit up, but I hissed as searing lava coiled around my torso. "A lot better."

Valeria chuckled and poured a glass of water from the pitcher in the corner. "You're in good hands with your mate. He hasn't left your side."

The thought of Fane keeping watch over me had warmth flooding my heart, and I smiled when my gaze met his.

And, of course, that freaked him out. He pulled his hand out of mine and awkwardly cleared his throat. "I should get Barric. He wanted to know when you woke up." He stood and darted out of the room like a fire lit his ass.

I sighed and tried not to let the disappointment consume me. I should have been used to it by now, but it still hurt.

A strange smile pulled Valeria's lips apart. "I'm so glad you're feeling better. You certainly gave us a scare."

"Why did you show me that symbol?" I asked.

The healer busied herself with fixing the covers. "What's that, dear? What symbol?"

"The one on Barric's painting?" When Valeria gave me a confused look, my mouth fell open. "You pointed it out."

Valeria shrugged, the beige sweater hanging off her thin frame. "You must have me confused with someone else."

What in the actual hell? Was I going crazy? Was the Infernal Sol affecting my mind that much?

She helped me take another sip of water and then smoothed my hair back. "No more sneaking off, at least not without your mate. We can't have any more young ones vanish."

"Did someone else go missing? Someone from Silver Ridge?"

Her mouth pressed into a tight line. "Charla Campbell's friend reported her missing this morning."

This morning?

A cold, sinking feeling hit my gut, and my palms grew clammy. That was definitely not a list of missing shifters in Barric's office but a list of bitten shifters. Was the head alpha simply collecting names of possible victims?

Or was he providing those names to someone, maybe even The Collective?

The door opened, and Fane entered the room with Barric on his heels. The demon shifter quickly did a once-over to ensure nothing else had harmed me for the five minutes he was gone.

"I'm glad you're awake." Barric took the seat Fane had vacated, running his hand over his face with a sigh. Dark circles bruised beneath his eyes, and his beard appeared a little unkempt. "You had me worried."

"Really?" Why did he care so damn much about my well-being if he had something to do with the vanishing shifters throughout Georgia? The story about me reminding him of his deceased son didn't add up if he was in The Collective Hunt.

"Of course." His expression hardened, and he folded his corded arms, his muscles straining against the plaid button-down shirt. "You really can't listen to orders, even when someone is trying to protect you."

Fane snorted as he moved across the room to lean against the headboard. "She tends to do the opposite."

One of my phantom hands disengaged from my corporeal body to flick his nose.

He shook the teasing off and licked his lip ring. "Cute."

The urge to suck that sliver of metal along with his lip into my own mouth burned within me.

"Now that Venna and Mykel have been eliminated, you have no reason to stay under my protection. You can leave—if you want." Barric palmed the back of his neck. "Or you could stay."

"We're leaving." Fane didn't even wait for my input.

I glowered, fighting the desire to jump from the bed and throttle him. "Actually, we'll stay a little longer."

"What the fuck are you doing, Teague?" Fane's growl in my head rattled my skull.

"I think Barric might be involved in the missing shifters."

Fane's gaze drilled into me as he sat on the edge of the bed, rigid as stone. "And you have to be the one to figure it out, right?"

"You can leave if you want."

He gave an audible laugh, catching Barric's attention .

The head alpha glanced between the two of us, his brows furrowed. "I would love for you to stay, Tate. Perhaps you would consider actually joining my pack."

"Does that offer extend to me?" Fane asked, barely masking his smirk. "Because if she stays, I stay."

Barric gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I'm aware, Fane. You're both welcome to stay."

"Thanks," I said, hoping he didn't notice my erratic heartbeat.

"This is a bad idea, fiera mika," Fane said. "But I guess I'll have to stick around because I'm one hundred percent sure you'll get your ass in trouble, and I'll have to save you."

The odds of that happening were relatively good.