Chapter 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Hawk had tricked me and played on my emotions to set a trap so his aunt could capture me. Now I was drugged and in the captain's clutches.

She'd finally have her prize, the Infernal Sol, after ruining so many lives to procure it.

A burst of anger ripped through me, and I shoved my elbow back, crushing it into Coltrane's ribs. She cursed and dropped me.

"Don't just stand there, Hawk!" she screeched. "Help me."

Strong arms wrapped my torso and shoved me toward a small iron cell. "Why didn't she pass out?" Hawk squeezed me against his hard chest, his heart pounding into my back. "I dosed her with enough Malefic ash to knock out a shifter twice her size."

"Like I've been trying to tell you, Tate is not normal." Coltrane let a grin slip through while her nephew wasn't paying attention. "That demon amulet is affecting her more than any bite from a shifter. It's making her do things she would never do. Trust me, Hawk, the real Tate would thank you for locking her up before she could hurt anyone."

The captain manipulated everyone around her, even her own nephew.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to break your spirit like you did to so many others, Coltrane." I stumbled and crashed to the ground, scraping my palms as a burst of pain hit them.

"See what I mean, Hawk?" Coltrane shut the door and locked it. "This isn't your friend."

A manic laugh burst out of my mouth. "Do you really think this little cell will hold me? An ancient demon amulet resides inside of me. You have no idea of what I'm capable of."

Satisfaction flashed in her brown eyes. "So you admit it? You've been harboring the Infernal Sol?"

I crawled to my hands and knees. "Maybe you do know what I'm capable of, Coltrane, since you've been searching for this amulet for years, probably as long as you've been a raven."

"I'm simply trying to get it out of the wrong hands."

"And who has the right hands?" I stood and then staggered against the bars, forcing her back. "You?"

"I will get it out of you and keep it safely hidden."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." I swiveled to Hawk as he hovered a few feet away in the shadows. "I'm not the first birdie she sent after the amulet. She's let others die trying to get it."

Coltrane scoffed. "Don't let her twist your mind with lies."

"Do you remember Maddie Reynolds?" As soon as the name dropped from my mouth, Coltrane flinched.

Hawk blinked and looked at his aunt, lines creasing his brow. "She vanished a few years ago."

"She didn't just vanish." I laughed as the blood drained from the captain's cheeks. "Your aunt sent her on a secret mission, just like me, to retrieve the Infernal Sol in the Underworld. But Maddie was caught and taken to Heldrok where we met."

Coltrane grabbed her nephew's arm to pull him away. "Leave, Hawk. She's getting to you."

"How many runaways did you transform into your special soldiers to search for the amulet?" I asked, my fingers coiling around the bars. "How many died for you?"

"You know the risks when you become a raven." The captain lifted her head, the dim lights shining on her slicked-back blonde ponytail. "Don't act as if you were thrown to the wolves."

A dry laugh slipped out, shooting pains through my esophagus. "Just the demons in Vlehull." I rested my forehead against the cold iron bars and pinned the captain with an unrelenting stare. "You knew how dangerous searching for the Infernal Sol was, so why would you always send newly initiated ravens? Why not send seasoned veterans?"

She shrugged. "I chose candidates I thought were the best for the job."

"You chose young ravens who wouldn't question your motives." I tried to blink the bleariness from my eyes as the Malefic ash soaked into my system. I'd love to pass out instead of wasting time arguing with this lying, self-righteous bitch. "You manipulated us, made us idolize you, so we didn't see the truth. We were fucking cannon fodder."

"Is all of this true, Aunt Anna?" The heartbreak in Hawk's voice tore at my chest and made me want to reach for him despite his betrayal.

She jerked her chin toward the doorway. "Leave, Hawk. We'll talk about this later."

He crossed his arms, and his combat boot remained firmly planted on the ground. "I'm not going anywhere until you give me some answers. "

"Now, Hawk!" she snapped, finally turning her attention to him. "This is not up for discussion. After all the trouble you've caused lately, I think you'd want to redeem yourself by following orders. If you can't, I'll be forced to demote you or remove The Calling spell."

The blood drained from Hawk's cheeks, and his mouth parted, stunned speechless by her threat. His gaze flicked to mine, regret flashing in them before he stormed from the room.

"You're a piece of work." I shook my head and moved away from the bars, leaning on the cold brick wall. "He's your nephew. Instead of threatening him, you should help him before he gets hurt."

Coltrane snatched the radio off her belt. "Garrison, escort my nephew to his room and assign a guard at his door to ensure he stays put tonight." She returned the radio to its spot against her hip. "Happy now?"

"Not in the least."

"How did you come to possess the Infernal Sol?" she asked, ignoring my scathing tone. "How did it bond with you?" Even as she stood like the perfect commander—her hands clasped behind her behind her back, chin lifted, and face blank—she couldn't hide the eagerness throbbing around her.

I smelled it in the air.

"Go to hell, Captain."

She took a deep breath, biting back the anger. "If you don't tell me, I will remove The Calling spell from Hawk."

Fury had me pushing off the wall even though the Malefic ash weakened my legs. "If you do that, you'll get him killed. He won't stop going after nightworlders."

Her shoulders lifted in a casual shrug. "That'll be on you then."

How could she be so callous and harsh to her own nephew? And she would do it. She'd strap Hawk down and have a witch remove the spell that gave him super abilities to fight nightworlders.

Hatred for her oozed through my bloodstream, tainting my vision with a crimson haze. I despised her, maybe even more than Venna.

I had to get out of here.

"Fane! Are you there?" I tried to focus on the demon shifter, but the Malefic ash made it hard to concentrate. Could he detect that something was wrong, or was he still drowning in guilt and self-loathing after nearly choking me to death? "I could really use your assistance right now."

I wouldn't be able to leave my body until the effects of the mystical ash wore off. Even my connection to the amulet was dulled and fuzzy, or I'd crack Coltrane's mind open and feast on her fears.

Unfortunately, I was stuck with this psycho bitch for the time being. "I don't know how it happened," I gritted out. "I was dying, and the stone simply vanished inside of me."

She scoffed. "You had to have done something."

"This thing has a mind of its own. I didn't do anything."

Coltrane approached the bars but remained out of my reach. "Tell me everything that happened from the moment you had possession of the amulet all the way to when it bonded with you."

I sighed and delved into the memories never far from my mind. That night in Vlehull had irrevocably altered the course of my life. The Infernal Sol wasn't the only thing that had changed me. Fane's bite had linked us together forever.

As I shared the events of that night, Coltrane hung on my every word. Excitement brightened her dark eyes like a kid on Christmas morning, and she could barely contain her smile .

"Perhaps the amulet took an interest in you after saving the demon child." She paced the small room, her movements becoming more agitated as her perfect, calm facade disintegrated. "Or it could have been when you killed the royal demon. That's not an easy feat. Maybe the ancient power was impressed."

"Fane, can you hear me?"

I'd tried contacting him a few times but only got radio silence. Had he talked to Ruin yet? Did he realize I didn't go back to Silver Ridge?

Coltrane tapped her chin, lost in thought as her boots trailed the concrete floor. "The amulet could have been attracted to your sheer determination to survive. Killing Ziva would have proved you were worthy of its attention too." Her hand shook as she smoothed it over her fitted, black shirt. "Maybe that's the key. Of course, I'll need to get it out of you first."

A bitter laugh burst out, breaking her trance. "You can't get it out of me. Plenty have tried and failed."

She folded her arms and lifted her chin, reeking of superiority she didn't warrant. "Maybe I know things about the Infernal Sol those others don't."

She couldn't know more about the amulet than Ruin. "Good luck. And if you try cutting it out of me, I'll die along with the Infernal Sol."

"We'll see." She donned that frigid mask to hide the manic energy pulsing from her. "I need to do some thinking."

"Sure thing. I probably won't be here when you get back."

Coltrane scoffed. "You're not getting out of that cell. It's reinforced with magic, and your hybrid boyfriend can't get in here without setting off the alarms." Her smile had icicles forming down my spine. "You will remain in my custody for the foreseeable future."

Another shiver rippled over my back, and I tightened my arms around my knees, hugging them to my chest as I sat against the icy wall of the cell. The cold didn't affect me like it used to before Fane bit me or the amulet burrowed inside, but the chilly temperature wasn't what had me shaking.

My heart arched for Hawk even though he betrayed me. Captain Coltrane manipulated him and had probably been doing so for a long time. She wasn't a loving but stern aunt. She was a selfish woman blinded by power and prestige. Hawk never would have done this if he'd known her real motives. She wanted the Infernal Sol so badly she didn't care who she hurt in the process.

Still, his deceit sent sharp daggers through my heart. He'd used my feelings to lure me in. I cared so much about him, even after the shitty things he'd done and said to me, that it clouded my judgment.

Hawk wouldn't have called me out of the blue, begging for my help. I never even questioned how he got my number.

"I leave you alone for five minutes, and you get locked in the raven's basement."

I whipped around as Fane's phantom form appeared in the cell. The urge to rush to him burned in my veins, but I remained sitting on the floor. "Where have you been? Were you ignoring me?" My voice still came out raspy.

His expression softened, and a flare of guilt zipped through our bond as he squatted next to me. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I was only trying to clear my head after what happened." He studied the bruises on my neck, his jaw clenching. "As soon as I realized you weren't at Wrath & Ruin or Silver Ridge, I reached out and found you here."

"Can you get me out?" I rested my chin on my knees, sighing as my eyelids grew heavy. "The Malefic ash is getting to me, and I'm afraid if I fall asleep, I'll wake up strapped to a torture table." Memories of being tortured in Heldrok poked at my thoughts, and I shuddered.

"How did you end up in here?"

Before I could speak, footsteps sounded, and Hawk emerged in the room, carrying a pillow and blanket. His head was bowed and gaze cast on his black combat boots.

"Let me guess." Fane's voice deepened to barely more than a growl. "It has something to do with your raven boyfriend."

I scowled. "He's not my boyfriend."

Hawk stopped at the cell and furrowed his brow. "What?"

"Nothing." I peered up at him from my spot along the wall. "How did you get down here? I thought your aunt put a guard on your door."

He shrugged, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "I've always been good at sneaking out."

"I remember."

The humor evaporated from Hawk's face, and he awkwardly shifted on his feet. "It gets cold down here in the winter. I thought you might like these."

"I'd like to get out of here. Can you do that?"

Hawk shook his head. "I don't have the key."

"He wouldn't help you even if he did." The words burst through Fane's teeth in a snarl, and if he'd actually been in this basement, he would have lunged at my former best friend. "I'm guessing he's the reason you're in here. Did he lure you here? Did he plead for help, pulling on your little heartstrings? "

I glared at him, but my silence was answer enough. How did he know me so well?

Fane bared his teeth, and I wouldn't be surprised if he shifted into his demon wolf. "And you came running to him."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't left me in that room alone, naked and hurt," I snapped.

"I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already had!" He jerked his hand to the bruises on my neck.

"I'm not talking about physically hurt, Maverick." My eyes prickled with unshed tears as my emotions attempted to overwhelm me.

The demon shifter stared at the stone ground, the cloud of fury wrapping him thinning. "If I'd stayed, I might have done something worse. And I don't want that."

"Did you hear me, Tate?"

I tore my attention from Fane, choking down the lump clogging my throat. "What?" A tear had slipped out, and Hawk assumed it was from my current captivity.

"I-I'm so sorry, Tate." He leaned his forehead against the bars, still clutching the bedding. "My aunt said this was to help you, to protect you. I didn't know about the other ravens. I didn't know she'd been obsessed with finding this demon amulet."

Fane let out a string of curses. "She knows?"

"Hawk must have given her a detailed account of what happened in Rosewood Cemetery, and she put the pieces together."

"I need to get you out of here." Fane jammed his hand through his black locks, his nostrils flaring as a growl built in his throat. "Preferably before that woman does something stupid."

"That would be great."

The demon shifter reached out and skimmed his finger over my jaw, tilting my head to examine the bruises. Fire blazed in his irises as his pupils thinned. "I'll be back soon." With one more tortured look, he vanished.

"Please, take these." Hawk squatted, pushing the pillow and blanket through the bars. "Are you hungry? I'll get you some food."

I rolled onto my feet and stretched to grab the blanket and pillow. "I'm not hungry." My appetite was nonexistent even though I should be famished after burning all that energy with Fane. Being locked in a cell reminded me of Heldrok, and the hellish memories of the Underworld prison had my stomach roiling.

"Did she really send other ravens to find this amulet?"

I sat on the pillow to give my ass a break from the hard concrete and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, leaning on the wall again. "Maddie told me herself in Heldrok, and I also found a bunch of files in your aunt's office. They're in a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf."

"Where?"

"Tilt The Art of War , and you'll hear the false wall drop." I couldn't stop the yawn from slipping out. "It's behind the books on the second shelf. Of course, your aunt might have moved them by now."

Hawk chewed on his bottom lip as he studied me, maybe wondering if he could trust my words. Sneaking behind his aunt's back and snooping through her things to find evidence of her dirty deeds was a colossal betrayal. The woman raised him after sub-demons slaughtered his parents.

"You deserve to know the truth, Hawk." But could he really face it?

Unfortunately, the Malefic ash finally overwhelmed me, and I slipped unconscious against the wall. I had no idea how much time had passed when I woke up to Coltrane banging on the bars.

"I need a sample of your blood." She held up a giant needle. "Get up."

"Go to hell." I yawned and flipped her off. "I'm not giving you shit."

Her eyes narrowed, deepening the faint wrinkles around them. "Don't make me use my nephew to keep you in line." She jerked her head to the blanket wrapped around me. "I know he snuck out and brought you that. I'm starting to believe he might not be raven material after all."

My blood boiled as she so casually threatened her own family. Like the ravens she molded, he was disposable if he stood in her way. "Does the council in Chicago know of your obsession with the Infernal Sol?" I tsked. "They won't be happy to learn you've been using this organization for personal gain."

She scoffed. "I'm trying to get a dangerous artifact off the streets before it can be used to harm the innocent. My superiors would commend me."

"I'm sure they'd be perfectly fine with you holding a nightworlder captive for no reason."

"You're not just any nightworlder, Tate." She arched an eyebrow. "I have witness accounts of your erratic behavior. You're a danger to humans and to yourself."

Coltrane had no idea how dangerous I was. But she was about to find out. The Malefic ash had burned out of my system, clearing my connection to the Infernal Sol.

She slapped the bars again. "Get up and give me a blood sample. I need to explore the amulet's effects on you to determine the best course of removal. "

I tossed the blanket aside and stood, choking back a groan at my stiff muscles. My neck was tender and bruised while my voice still had a hoarse, raspy cadence. "You want to see the effect the Infernal Sol has on me?" A smile curved my lips as I approached the bars. "No problem. But you don't need a blood sample for that. I'll just show you."

Before Coltrane could back away, I grabbed her arm with one hand and rested my palm on her cheek as I reached for the dark power throbbing in my center.

"I don't need physical contact anymore. Seeing the terror in your eyes this close is just more fun."