Chapter 26

Chapter

Twenty-Six

The other me practically danced as I let her hop into the front seat while I plowed through Coltrane's mind to find her fears. It didn't take long for one to unfold, delivering the reason she coveted the Infernal Sol. Her scream reverberated against the concrete and brick as I turned her fear into a living nightmare.

This is marvelous!

Coltrane stared at her hands in horror while they withered and aged. As her flesh wrinkled, age spots appeared, and her blonde ponytail turned silver and coarse. "Stop it! What are you doing?"

My laugh wasn't entirely my own. "You said you wanted to know the effects of the Infernal Sol. I thought I'd give you a demonstration."

She stumbled back, falling to her hands and knees as a hallucination of a seven-foot dux demon stormed into the room. The horned creature covered in yellow scales shoved her on her back and forced her mouth open.

"Get off me!" Coltrane rolled on the ground and tried to fight back, her black cargo pants and knit shirt falling off her brittle, elderly frame. "I'm not too old for The Calling spell. Please . Give it to me again. I need to fight the evil in this world. They're all evil. They need to be destroyed. Every last nightworlder!"

Coltrane wanted the Infernal Sol to bring her immortality and keep her supernaturally strong without needing a witch to perform The Calling spell.

"You can't have it both ways, Captain," I said, casually leaning against the bars as she struggled under the demon's hold. "You can't want to exterminate us and become one of us at the same time."

"This won't make me a nightworlder." She managed to kick the demon off, but as she tried to crawl away, he grabbed her wiry, silver hair and yanked her back. "This will make me a better soldier. All I want is to protect the innocent."

"Liar!" My manic laugh bounced around the cell. "You want to kill every nonhuman creature in this city, and if you had the Infernal Sol, you'd have decades to amass followers."

Hurried footsteps pounded the concrete, and Hawk sprinted into the room, screeching to a halt when he saw his aunt writhing on the ground, struggling against an invisible foe.

"What's wrong with her?" His cheeks paled when he noticed my glowing eyes and diamond pupils. "Are you doing something to her?"

I picked at a piece of lint on my shirt and shrugged. "She wanted to know more about the Infernal Sol."

Hawk hovered over her. "Please, Tate, stop this! I'm begging you." When I didn't, he ran to the bars, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles showed white. "Please stop."

The desperation in his voice penetrated the shadowy fog in my brain, and I sighed. "Fine." I snapped, and Coltrane's hallucination vanished .

She rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. "How did you do that?"

"Interested in learning how so you can do the same when you get the amulet?"

She's not getting shit.

The side of me controlled by the amulet didn't like the captain. Even if she managed to dig the Infernal Sol out of my body, it was unlikely that it would choose her as a host.

"Your aunt wants the Infernal Sol to become immortal."

Hawk's head jerked in her direction. "Is that true?"

Coltrane crawled to her feet, her limbs shaking and skin pale. She wiped a dribble of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. "Of course not. I want the Infernal Sol to create a more permanent solution for ravens."

"She wants to bond with the amulet and become immortal to take out all the nightworlders." I took a deep, calming breath, taking control back from my dark side. Something told me she allowed me to do it so easily. "Your aunt has no intention of sharing that power with anyone. She only wants it for herself."

Coltrane grabbed the needle she'd dropped and carefully approached the cell. "Do as I asked, Tate. I don't want to force you."

The underlying meaning in her words was clear. She'd hurt Hawk to force my hand.

Hawk slipped in front of the cell to block her path. "Stay away from her, Aunt Anna." The sudden fury in his tone starkly contrasted with the worried one he'd had a few moments ago. "I found the files on those ravens, including Tate, and all of your research notes on the Infernal Sol. There's no denying it."

The captain scoffed and lifted her chin, smoothing back the blonde strands that had come undone from her ponytail during her struggle. "I'm your family, Hawk. You wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize the life we've built, right? We're doing good in this world. Let's keep it that way."

Tension wrapped his shoulders beneath the tight black shirt as he refused to move. "You're right. We need to keep doing good." Coltrane gave a triumphant smile until Hawk continued. "And stopping you from doing any more damage will keep it that way."

Shadows crawled over the captain's face, and that smile became a vicious snarl. "Do you really think you, of all people, will stop me, Hawk? You've always been an unfocused screwup, and now you're even worse, barely maintaining your sanity all because she was turned into a nightworlder."

My mouth dropped as she spewed the toxic dribble on her nephew. I wanted to reach through the bars, grab her ponytail, and slam her head against the metal poles.

"Thanks for showing your true colors, Aunt Anna. It reaffirms my decision." Instead of letting his aunt's words hurt him, Hawk stood his ground. "I've made a few phone calls."

Fury lashed through her harsh brown eyes. "Who did you call?"

Shouts sounded, and footsteps suddenly struck the concrete before several figures filed into the underground room. The tingle on my neck registered as Fane emerged with Barric behind him.

"Let her out," the demon shifter demanded, his intimidating presence choking the atmosphere.

Coltrane backed away from him, her muscles so tensed they shook. "How did you get in here? The wards should have kept you both out."

"I let them in." Gia stepped forward, her voice calm but her expression severe. "You can't keep a nightworlder detained in the basement without probable cause, Captain. "

She scoffed. "I have plenty of cause for concern with Tate."

Barric approached Coltrane, a small dose of his alpha power filling the air. His tan leather jacket and jeans strained against his thick muscles with every move he made. "This looks like a personal vendetta. You've had something against Tate from the moment she was turned. Did you forget that as head alpha, she's under my authority—and protection? You have no right to detain her without consulting me first."

"This is a raven matter, and?—"

"You are breaking the accords, Captain." Gia stood beside Barric and jerked her chin to the cell, her caramel braids swaying against her back. "And this isn't the first time. Release Tate or explain yourself before this goes any further."

The captain ground her teeth as her hands curled into fists, dying to punch someone, probably me. Revealing why she had me in a cell would open a whole new can of worms, eventually leading to her demise. If her superiors knew she'd been sending ravens on secret, personal missions, she'd be fired and stripped of the Calling spell.

"I don't give a fuck what reason she has." Fane pushed his way through Gia and Barric to tower over the captain, his body trembling with the effort it took to maintain his human form. "I'll give you ten seconds to open this door before I start breaking bones."

A thrill zipped through my stomach at the violence he wanted to rain down on her—because of me.

"Is that a threat?" Some of Coltrane's bravado faltered. "Threatening the leader of the ravens is breaking the accords and is cause for?—"

"Enough, Aunt Anna." Hawk stepped forward and nudged himself between Fane and the captain. "Let Tate go. It's over."

Her mouth curved into a contemptuous sneer, finally removing her mask in front of everyone. "I can't believe you betrayed me after all I've done for you." She shook her head, her nose wrinkling like she smelled something foul. "You aren't raven material. I'm ordering the Calling spell be removed immediately."

"That's not happening, Coltrane," Gia said, shoving her phone back into her pocket. "I have enough complaints and evidence to order an investigation into you and how you've been running this operation, which I've just sent to the heads in Chicago."

The blood drained from Coltrane's face, and she staggered back, hitting the cell bars with a clank. "You did what?"

"Someone will be here tomorrow to conduct phase one." Gia opened her palm. "Now give me the key."

After several tense moments, Coltrane dug into her pocket and slapped the key in Gia's hand. "You will regret this."

"I already regret not doing it sooner." The raven, one of my former mentors, used the key to unlock my cell and opened the door. "I'm really sorry about this, Tate."

I nodded and slipped out, my legs pulling me to Fane's side. "You should probably put a guard on the captain. She seems like a flight risk."

Fane pulled me closer until I was tucked against his side. "Let's get out of here." His attention landed on Hawk, a low growl vibrating the back of his throat. "If you expect a thank you for calling Barric, you can forget it. You're the reason she was down here in the first place."

"Fane," I hissed, elbowing his ribs.

The raven bowed and palmed his nape. "I deserve that." He blew out a heavy breath. "I really am sorry, Tate."

"I know." He should be sorry for his part in this, but he could only hold so much of the blame .

Gia moved to Hawk's side and patted his arm. "We'll get everything sorted out. I promise."

He forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. I really hoped he'd work through his anger and return to the happy guy I used to know, at least a little. We weren't enemies, and we'd probably never be best friends again, but maybe we could meet somewhere in the middle.

"Well, I can say thank you." Barric ignored Coltrane as he approached Hawk and Gia, shaking their hands. "Keep me updated on the investigation. I'm sure someone will need to speak to Ruin and me both."

"I'll call tomorrow with an update," Gia said.

As Barric walked by, he unzipped his leather jacket, revealing a fitted button-down shirt with The Collective Hunt symbol stitched on the left breast pocket.

My pulse skyrocketed, and I froze, unable to look away.

"Everything okay, Tate?" the head alpha asked with a purposefully blank expression.

"Y-yeah." I swallowed hard and shoved my trembling hands behind my back. "Just tired."

He gave a smile that sent chills down my scalp. "Let's get home then. You can get plenty of rest."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Fane asked in my head as we settled into the back seat of the SUV while Jax drove and Barric took the front passenger seat. His beta and a few others in his council had been waiting outside Corvin Manor in case the situation escalated. "Why are you freaking out?"

I wiped a dribble of cold sweat off my forehead. "I'm guessing you can't see the tree symbol on Barric's shirt."

His brows furrowed as he peered into the front. "No, I can't. Are you sure you're not hallucinating? "

"I wish." I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "He's taunting me."

Fane cursed out loud, his teeth grinding so hard the vibrations traveled through the bond.

"Everything okay back there?" Barric asked as he swiveled around to scrutinize us. "You seem a little nervous, Tate."

I was nervous. He was testing me to find out if I really could see that mark. Of course, that wouldn't make sense to him because I was a bitten shifter.

Fane clamped his hand on my thigh, holding me steady. "She's nervous because of me." He flashed a crooked smile. "Shortly before she got herself locked up, we had a, uh, moment together."

Barric sniffed the air, realization crossing his face. "Oh. I see."

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I internally groaned. Apparently, I still smelled like Fane and sex.

Kill me now.

Jax's laughter echoed from the driver's seat. "It's about time. You two have been dancing around each other for months, the sexual tension oozing every time you're in a room together."

I slumped in the seat as the hot blush reached the tips of my ears. "I'm so glad my sex life amuses you, Jax." Was he part of The Collective? As Barric's beta, it would make sense, but Jax didn't seem like the type.

Neither did Barric.

At least, I hadn't thought so.

"You two have a complicated relationship." Barric's amber eyes flicked to the mirror. "I'm happy you're moving in a better direction. Living in denial about your feelings is torture."

"Yeah. Torture." Fane slid the hair away from my neck, examining the finger-shaped bruises I was trying to hide. His lips thinned, and I felt a wall sliding back into place between us .

I grabbed his hand and shook my head. "You can't go back to pretending you want me dead. I know you care. You admitted it, so save yourself the trouble, Maverick."

His mouth thinned, but he didn't protest or deny my words. He just pulled our hands into his lap, his fingers twisting around mine as he silently stared out the window.