Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

The atmosphere in the kitchen thickened as the two male wolves inched closer. Goose bumps rose on my body, and my muscles tensed, but I remained glued to the spot.

If they sensed fear, they'd pounce.

Gray was the bigger of the two, but not by much. The alluring combination of bright-green irises and russet hair earned him tons of female attention, and he knew it. "Since Fane hasn't officially claimed you, plenty of males here think they still have a chance."

Marcel rubbed his hand over the stubble coating his square jaw. "Careful, Gray. The little she-wolf might think you're threatening to steal her from the hybrid."

"Maybe I am." Gray tightened his path to bring him closer. "Don't act like you wouldn't jump at the chance."

For shit's sake. These two idiots were circling me like sharks.

"Not interested." I passed Marcel on my way to the fridge. "You two aren't the first to prowl around me in Fane's absence."

"If he's not going to claim you, maybe someone else would like to." Gray grabbed the fridge door after I pulled out a carton of lemonade, blocking me. "You wouldn't consider anyone else?"

I ducked under his arm, grabbed a glass from the cabinet, and returned to my spot at the center island. "Nope."

"Stop wasting your breath, Gray." Marcel had finished his sweeps and stopped on the other side of the island. "Fane wouldn't give her up without a fight. And I doubt you could take him."

The swirling tattoo on my neck tingled briefly before the demon shifter crossed the threshold, his powerful presence choking the kitchen.

"You couldn't take me."

No one was as intimidating as Fane in sweatpants and no shirt. His multitude of jagged tattoos and scars were on full display, reminding the other two males of how dangerous he was. A faint glow pulsated in his eyes as a warning that his demon wolf paced just under the surface. And even though he didn't need to fully transform to rip Gray and Marcel to pieces, he could shift within moments compared to a regular wolf.

The other males backed away to the edge of the room, some of the color draining from their cheeks. Fane settled behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist, a low growl vibrating his chest.

"Why are you bothering my mate?" Danger weaved through his gravelly voice.

"We were just talking," I said, trying not to laugh at the shifters across the room as their knees quaked under the weight of Fane's power.

Part of me believed this had nothing to do with his desire to kill me and everything to do with the hints of jealousy ricocheting through the bond.

"Talking about stealing my mate," he said .

As I lifted a chip, Fane lowered his head and snagged it right out of my hand, his tongue purposely gliding over my fingers. A burst of heat erupted through my belly.

"We were only pointing out that some males might take advantage of the situation." Marcel shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "You haven't claimed her yet."

Fane casually took a sip of my lemonade, licking his lips in a way that set my body on fire. That tongue could do so many wicked things.

A crooked grin hitched the edges of the demon shifter's mouth as he caught the lust brewing in me. "She wouldn't pick either of you over me." He set the glass down and wrapped his arms around my waist, his hard form pressing into mine.

"Maybe she's tired of waiting on you to piss or get off the pot, Maverick." Gray had the balls to smirk at Fane.

The demon shifter let out a sinister laugh that wiped the humor from Gray's face. "I keep my mate satisfied. She doesn't need to seek out a weak wolf like you."

"Would all of you stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

Before I could shove Fane off, he spun me and hoisted me onto the island, shoving his hips between my legs. "You're right. I should be focused on you instead of them." His mouth caught mine, his tongue licking the spicy seasoning from my lips before plunging between them.

A moan slipped out, and I curled my arms around him, instantly melting into the kiss even though it was a lie.

But was it?

Fane's hand tangled in my hair, tilting my head as his tongue licked and toyed with me, his hips rocking into mine. He hardened between my legs, and the urge to beg him to take me poured through my veins.

When he finally broke away, only because we needed to breathe, the reflection in the kitchen window revealed that Gray and Marcel had left.

"Are you finished laying your claim, Maverick?" I licked his salty-sweet flavor from my lips. "They're gone."

He ran his nose along my temple, breathing me in. "Others could be hiding around the corner. I better make sure they know who you belong to." The demon shifter returned for another kiss, his hands dragging down my back and cupping my ass to press the apex of my legs against his hard length.

I gladly surrendered to the desire burning in my veins and allowed Fane to kiss me until the kitchen spun in circles. If I'd been standing, I might have fallen to the ground.

"Don't pass out on me, fiera mika." He sucked my bottom lip before drawing away, his pupils in thin slits like mine probably were. "Are my kisses that spectacular?"

They were, but I wouldn't admit it.

I shoved him. "Can you get off so I can enjoy my snack?"

"You're going to need more than a plate of chips."

"It'll do." I wasn't in the mood to make anything anyway.

Fane untangled himself from my arms and legs—didn't realize I was still clutching him—and he opened the fridge, rummaging through the contents. "Have some of Ari's pizza."

My brows dipped. "I can't just eat someone else's food."

"Yes, you can."

"I'm not doing that," I said even though my stomach growled at the thought of pizza.

Fane grabbed a plate and dropped two pieces of pizza on it. "Just eat it. I'll leave a note." He popped it in the microwave and grabbed a pen and sticky note from the drawer.

I gave my mate some of your pizza. She was hungry. I'll replace it when they open.

-Fan e

"Ari's a mated male, so he'll understand." Fane slapped the note on the pizza box in the fridge and then removed the plate from the microwave after it dinged. "He knows what it's like."

My lips pursed. "What do you mean?"

Fane set the plate next to me on the island. "A male shifter's need to take care of his mate."

"But you're not really my?—"

"Just fucking eat it, Tate." He snatched the glass of lemonade without making eye contact and poured a refill.

My chest constricted, and I could scarcely breathe. Fane felt that need even though we weren't mates, even though he was supposed to kill me.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "Thanks," I mumbled, trying to keep my emotions in check so they didn't scare him off.

Instead of leaving, Fane brushed his lips over my temple. "Don't make a big deal over this."

I nodded, unable to keep my thoughts in a straight line. Fane just admitted that this bond affected him as if we were mates.

This wasn't a fated mate bond, but was our link evolving into something similar?

The rickety desk in the archives rattled as I slammed the book closed. I'd been here so long my ass had created a permanent imprint on the wooden chair. A frustrated huff burst out of my mouth as I pushed the pile of useless books away.

"Are you okay?"

I jumped at the feminine voice and turned to the young, petite blonde across the room, her warm brown gaze surveying me with a thinly veiled level of caution .

"Oh, sorry." A headache bloomed in the center of my forehead after hours of aimlessly searching for info on my parents. "I didn't realize anyone else was here."

"I'm usually really quiet." She laughed nervously and pushed her black-framed glasses up her nose. Since she was a shifter—bitten—she'd have perfect vision, so they must have been a fashion choice. "Need some help?"

My lips pursed as I debated on how much I could say. "I was just researching humans born from shifters in a specific year, but I can't find much."

"A lot of human babies born from shifters don't survive. I'm not sure why." She twisted a lock of golden hair from her bouncy ponytail. "Maybe try looking at deaths from that year." The female shifter disappeared around a corner and returned with two worn leather-bound books, dropping them on the desk in front of me.

"I never would have thought of that." Probably because I didn't realize human kids had such a low survival rate.

A bright smile spread her glossy lips. "I'm Charla Campbell, by the way."

"Tate."

"I know. I've seen you around." She grabbed the papers she'd been collecting before I interrupted her work with my mini-tantrum. "If you ever need a break from your hot, super-scary mate, come hang out. You can find my number in the directory downstairs."

My mouth opened and closed, unable to form words. Maddie was the last person who offered to be my friend so easily, and it didn't end so well for her. "Oh, um, sure." I forced a smile. "That would be great."

"Cool." She waved and flounced out of the archives, her ponytail swaying.

Most of my so-called friends either ended up dead or hated me now, so hanging out with Charla would only lead to disaster.

After flipping through the books she brought, I found a few newborns—or slightly older—deaths that year and noted them. What was next? Look for information on the parents?

I needed to go to detective school for this shit.

As I continued to study the books, I came across an entry for Barric's son. Anton Thames Hartwell would have been my age. Actually, we were only a few weeks apart—if my birthday was correct. Notes in small, sharp handwriting were scrawled along the bottom of the page.

There was no reason Anton should have died. Was this foul play?

Did someone hurt Barric's son and wife, maybe an enemy of his? You'd think a child born from a head alpha would possess some seriously badass genes, so how did he simply stop breathing? Shifters didn't get sick, so what caused Anton's death? Even Tamara's death could have been suspicious. Women died in childbirth, but there had to be serious complications for that to happen to a shifter.

Had Barric gone nuts after they died, wondering what really happened?

Tingles rippled across my scalp as the faint lines of the tree symbol Valeria showed me on Barric's painting appeared in the middle of the page, drawn over the writing. What the hell did it mean?

The door opened, and a golden-brown head of hair appeared in the crack. "Roomie!" Logan jogged toward me like a happy golden retriever. "I missed you."

"Hey, Logan, I mi?—"

He wrapped me in a bear hug and lifted me off the chair, swinging my feet in the air. "If Fane wasn't obsessed with you, I'd beg you to marry me. "

I snorted. "Fane obsessed with me?"

The high demon set me down, grinning. "Don't deny it. That beast has a one-track mind focused on you, spell or not."

"On killing me," I muttered.

"Where's my hug?"

I peeked from behind Logan as High Demon Lord Ruin Bacchus glided toward us. The ebony suit enveloped his lithe body like a second skin while the navy shirt almost matched his eyes. Sharp black tattoos coiled from the collar, running over his neck and ending beneath his jaw. Black hair shone under the bright overhead lights.

My brows knit. "Are you even allowed in here?"

"Of course I am." He pulled me into his arms. "Are you doing okay? Is Fane being nice?"

"When is Fane ever nice?"

His chuckle stirred my hair. "He has his moments."

"Let's make a sandwich!" Logan moved behind me and enveloped us in a hug, squishing me between the two high demons. "Yummy."

My laughter was muffled in Ruin's chest. "I'm going to suffocate, Logan."

Ruin shoved him off, giving a dramatic scowl. "You act like you haven't seen her in years. Get a grip, man."

Logan shrugged and smoothed his Spaceballs t-shirt. "Feels like years."

Logan was the epitome of adorable, but his dangerous side had appeared once or twice. He'd switched that happy-go-lucky side off when Hawk called me evil after I attacked Roxie in Bonaventure Cemetery.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked before they started bickering. "Does Barric know you're here?" Barric and Ruin ruled over the nightworlders in Savannah but rarely saw eye to eye. Demons and shifters weren't besties. Their relationship wasn't as bad as vampires and shifters, though.

Logan perched on the edge of the desk and pulled a bag of Skittles from his pocket. "He knows. He's not happy about it, but we wanted to see you, and he'd rather it be in Silver Ridge than at Ruin's house." He held his hand out toward me. "Taste the rainbow?"

I plucked a few colorful candies from his palm. "Thanks."

Shadows poured over the demon lord, blotting out his charm and making way for the danger humming just under the surface. "I still don't think this is the safest place for you, Tate, especially if Maverick isn't going to actually claim you. Shifters can sense when the mate bond isn't fully established."

Why did everyone think I was some meek, vulnerable she-wolf? I was a trained raven for shit's sake. And before that, I wasn't exactly defenseless.

Blood had stained my hands for years now.

"I don't need protecting." I tossed the fruity candy in my mouth.

"It only takes one moment for you to slip up and some asshole to decide to stake his claim on you with a bite," Ruin said.

Images of Gray and Marcel as they circled me in the kitchen last night rushed forward. If Fane hadn't interrupted, they might have gotten bolder. But I could have handled them.

Logan grabbed my bottle of water off the edge of the desk and took a sip. "Fane would slaughter the shifter if that happened, erasing any claim the prick thought he had on Tate." He peered at the book I was studying. "Why are you looking into kid deaths? Kind of morbid, roomie."

"I'm just researching something." Neither of them knew what Julia discovered about my birth. I plucked the book off the desk and held it up to Ruin, pointing out the drawn tree emblem. "Do you recognize this?"

His brow furrowed as he examined the page. "Recognize what? The account of Barric's unfortunate loss? Everyone knows that his son and mate died."

I angled the book toward Logan. "Do you know what this symbol is?"

His lips pursed. "What symbol?"

Ruin took the book from me, gently closed it, and placed it on the desk. "I need a favor, beautiful."

I angled my head, waiting for the inevitable. "Well?" I could already guess what he wanted.

He slipped a small leather case out of his jacket pocket. "I was hoping for a blood sample and a bit of your soul if you're willing."

"For you?" I dramatically sighed. "I guess."

Logan hopped from the desk and patted the spot he was just in. "Come sit, roomie. We'll be gentle." He winked. "Not too gentle. I know how you like it."

Heat spilled into my cheeks as I jumped onto the desk. "You don't know shit, Logan."

After Ruin quickly pricked my arm with a needle and collected a small sample of blood, he pulled out a tiny glass bottle and shook it. "Now for the soul."

Ruin sipping on my soul felt nothing like other demons ripping it out. The act was pleasurable, almost sinful, and I could see why humans flocked to his club to get a taste of that high. Logan could probably do the same. I doubted either one of them had a dissatisfied partner.

Ruin's fingers curled around the back of my neck, and he drew me toward his lips as his head lowered. A hot sensation swirled low in my belly, and soon, a white mist seeped out of my mouth. The demon lord breathed deeply to take my soul in, his lips barely brushing over mine.

Fiery tingles radiated down my back, and I couldn't help but lean into him, the desire coursing through my veins taking over. The tiny voice of reason in my head kept me from fully kissing him.

He reluctantly stopped the flow of my soul and lifted the little bottle, draining the white mist into it while his electric-blue eyes smoldered into mine. If I showed the tiniest amount of interest, he'd go for it. Ruin had made it clear that he wanted me, and not even my bond with Fane would stop him—if I reciprocated.

A tingle in my neck registered just as Logan's laughter echoed. And then Ruin was ripped away, a huge fist crashing into his cheek.

I gasped as the demon lord hit the ground, black blood bursting from his lip as Fane stood over him, rage pouring off him in thick, choking waves.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing?" The growl that curled out of Fane could probably be heard within half the compound.