Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

What the hell was this? The COs on the balcony held coins like they were betting on the fight while the ones below had weapons trained on the inmates.

My tattoo tingled as Fane's attention landed on me.

"You had to pick now to visit me, didn't you, fiera mika?"

His voice in my head was always a welcome sound, whether a sexy whisper or wrapped in anger. Right now, his exhaustion showed through.

"What is this?" I asked.

"We're they're entertainment." Fane's focus toggled between the two demons on the right and the one on the left attempting to sneak around him to land a hit.

Invisible daggers poked at my chest as the scene reminded me of the fighting ring in Karn's mansion where I murdered two humans. Their deaths stuck with me, and so did the guilt.

Normally, Fane could take three dux demons easily, but they each carried sharp, jagged blades along with their own teeth and claws .

"I'm guessing this isn't the first time they've made you fight."

Fane shook his head and averted a strike from the demon with a shaved head and green scales. "I win too easily, so they gave them an advantage this time."

As the demon on the left made his attack, Fane spun, ducked under a pair of talons, and slammed his fist into his opponent's face. Black blood sprayed the cement as he fell. The guards cheered while a few cursed, having bet against Fane.

Who would be stupid enough to bet against the demon shifter?

He kicked his opponent while he was down, sending him flying across the ring and into the wall beneath the balcony. The demon with yellow hair and eyes charged, his jagged knife lifted.

Fane slammed his elbow into the dux demon's sternum and shoved him away just as the guy with a shaved head came at him.

"You're going down, Maverick," the demon said, his pupils elongating into slits. "You can't beat all three of us."

Fane scoffed. "Three armed guys against one is hardly a fair fight, Duke, but I'll still win."

Duke's nostrils flared, and the demon that Fane had kicked across the room finally stumbled back into the ring, ebony blood dribbling down his temple from a gash. The tension in the room thickened as all three prisoners circled Fane again.

My heart crashed against my ribs, and my fists clenched, longing to join the fight. How could I sit back and do nothing as Fane fought for his life?

This was how he felt all those times watching me in his phantom form fend off attacks .

His luminescent gaze swiveled in my direction. "I want you to leave, Tate."

"I can't leave without knowing what happens."

The yellow-haired demon lunged forward and sliced his knife into Fane's side while the other raked his talons against his back, shredding the black jumpsuit. Shouts erupted through the room, and anticipation permeated the air.

I swung my fist, and it flew right through the demon's head. Duke tackled Fane to the ground, creating more chaos as all three inmates converged on him.

Panic sliced into my lungs. "Fane!"

The three demons attacked him, slashing and stabbing with knives and claws. My pulse pounded against my skull as the need to help hemorrhaged through my muscles. Fane was in danger, and I couldn't do a damn thing.

Sharp, searing power stirred within me, yawning and stretching like a beast waking from a long slumber. Air lodged in my throat as that dark, addicting presence came to life.

The Infernal Sol felt my terror for Fane and finally stopped playing dead.

Moments later, a vicious roar erupted from the demon shifter as he tossed all three opponents off and climbed to his feet. Blood ran down his face and oozed out of the cuts they'd rained on his body, but from the feral, untamed look he wore, it barely fazed him.

The crowd cheered as Fane released another bone-rattling snarl, his teeth and claws shining under the lights.

Heat twined low in my belly as he busted out of his chains of control that kept him from truly being a beast, even without entirely transforming. The Infernal Sol's power wasn't needed to help, but the amulet was awake now, enjoying the lure of Fane's feral side.

Duke led another charge toward the demon shifter with the other two behind him. Fane's talons arched through the air, slicing into Duke's throat.

Fane didn't stop there.

He gripped the dux demon's jaw and ripped his head off with his bare hands, tossing it aside. Duke fell forward, splattering black blood across the stone ground.

The COs leaning over the balcony went wild, most pumping their fists. Yellow-eyes was the next demon to fall as Fane tore into his throat with his teeth and then used his claws to decapitate him.

Instead of waiting for the last prisoner to charge, Fane stomped in his direction as his opponent stumbled to the edge of the circle.

"No getting away." A high demon CO shoved the inmate back. "Accept your fate, prisoner."

A twisted smile curved Fane's mouth as black blood covered his teeth and dripped down his chin. "Not so cocky now, are you?"

The sight would have terrified a normal person. Obviously, I wasn't normal, and the flames converging over my flesh could attest to that. Fane Maverick had me under a spell, and the beastly part of him always called to me.

"I'm not going down, Maverick." As fear pumped from the demon, he lifted his knife with a shaky hand. "I'll be the one to walk away from the fight."

"No, you won't." Fane ate up the distance between them with his long, powerful legs and crushed his fist into the prisoner's face before he could make a move.

The crunch of bone reverberated, and blood sprayed the ground, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The demon staggered back, dazed by the hit, and the knife fell from his hand. His gaze lifted to Fane as he loomed over him like a tidal wave about to crash down and pulverize every one of his bones.

"You'll be back in this ring soon, Maverick. And one day, someone will beat you."

Fane leered. "I will be back, and I'll be walking out every time." His talons carved into the demon's throat, and gurgling sounds erupted as his life neared the end. Fane tore his head off to put him out of his misery.

Cheers exploded through the room, and demon money changed hands as the winners who bet on Fane were paid. A few other prisoners were shoved forward to collect the body parts, tossing them into a laundry bin on wheels.

Fane's intense stare seared me, and I approached him, drawn in like a magnet. The sight of him covered in blood, his beast out, and throbbing with primal energy stirred the darkness within me.

My beautiful beast.

His nostrils flared, and he leaned into my touch as I stroked his cheek. "You feel it now, don't you?"

"The Infernal Sol is no longer napping." I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sure, it would be nice to rip that smug look off of Sorin next time he threatened me, but I also didn't want to lose myself in the powerful amulet.

Fane nodded. "My dark side has always called to yours."

And mine always answered back.

I pulled the dingy mop strings through the puddle of watery black, smearing demon blood across the stone ground as chills raked my spine. When the guards dragged Maddie and me out of our cell for work, I almost choked on my own spit as they tossed us into the room where I witnessed Fane fight for his life last night.

What were the odds?

Flashes of the brutal battle flooded my mind as I dunked the mop back into the bucket. Seeing Fane in danger had shocked the demon amulet back to life, and now it hummed within me, ready and willing to lend its power or simply take control.

"Did you hear me?" Maddie tapped my handle with hers, breaking me out of the unsettling thoughts.

"What?" I wrung my mop out and slapped it on the floor.

She chuckled. "You sure do have a habit of zoning out."

Last night when I returned to my body, I made up some bullshit about random trances to calm Maddie's mini meltdown. I claimed these episodes started after I became a nightworlder and had no idea why.

Maddie tucked her long midnight locks behind her shoulder and moved the mop back and forth over the blood. "Like I was saying, Coltrane found me after I beat up a couple of creeps attacking an old lady." Her rosebud mouth curled into a sneer. "Who does that? Attacks an old lady?"

"Is that why she recruited you?" I asked, my interest piqued now that she'd mentioned Coltrane and the ravens.

"Sort of." Maddie stuck her mop in the bucket to rinse it off. "She asked if I needed a ride home, and when I told her I didn't have one, she got this look on her face."

My brows knit. "What kind of look? "

She gave a noncommittal shrug. "Excitement, and then she offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She said she believed I was special and could save a lot of innocent people."

Unease spiraled in my gut, and I averted my gaze to the balcony across the room. A few other prisoners had been assigned to this area, including Knox and two of his friends. He could probably hear our conversation if he was paying attention.

"I gave myself over to the brutal training, and Captain Coltrane was hard on me, but by initiation, I was one of the best in my class, if not the best."

My pulse spiked as Maddie painted a story similar to mine.

Lonely homeless girl who could fight and had a habit of protecting people? Check.

The captain seeing something special ? Check.

Trained hard and strived to be the best, eventually becoming highly ranked and skilled? Check.

"Right after initiation, Coltrane called me into her office." Maddie's eyes turned pensive as if the memories played through her mind like a movie. "She sent me on this top-secret mission alone, and I got caught by some demons who worked in Heldrok. They thought this would be worse than death."

Frosty fingers slinked down my back, and I stopped mopping. She was also sent on a secret, lone mission? "What was the assignment?"

Maddie opened her mouth to speak, but Knox interrupted our conversation.

"It's nice to see you staying out of trouble, Tate." He regarded me in an assessing manner like he wondered how I was still in one piece. "Being Fane Maverick's mate has some advantages. Most of the prisoners are terrified of him."

"They should be." I didn't bother correcting Knox on the mate thing. Word had already spread, and things between Fane and me were too complicated to explain.

We weren't mates, and we still hated each other sometimes. We were just utterly and uncontrollably addicted to each other. There was also this inexplicable bond with freaky side effects. Couldn't forget that.

"Lucky girl." Maddie sighed and leaned on the mop pole. "I can only imagine what it's like being with that beast." She shivered and licked her lips.

Knox pointed to her. "Mads, you have a little drool on your chin."

She smacked his hand away. "Don't be jealous of all the worship Fane Maverick gets. You're not too bad to look at, Knox."

He scowled. "I'm only jealous that he can tear someone's throat out before his opponent even has a chance to make a move."

I dunked my mop back into the bucket, biting my tongue against the questions I wanted to ask Maddie about her mission. Since we were cellmates, I'd have plenty of chances later. "Are we starting a Fane fan club?" Not that I minded talking about the demon shifter. I just worried it might end with me accidentally popping out of my body to find him.

"As fun as that sounds, that's not why I came over." Knox crossed his arms, the rag in his hand flapping around. "Is Barric Hartwell still the head alpha of Georgia?"

"Yeah." My head tilted as I studied him. "Why?"

The wolf shifter rubbed the stubble on his jaw. "I'm surprised he's still in power."

Grimy, murky water dripped from the mop as I twisted the dirty strands of rope. "Why wouldn't he be in power?" Barric didn't seem like someone who would easily step down or fail if challenged.

"He hasn't been the same since he lost his wife and kid years ago." Knox's arms fell by his sides as he shrugged. "She was his fated."

Knots fisted in my chest, and my airways tightened until I could hardly breathe. Fane had experienced a similar loss when Marissa rejected him, but losing a fated mate who loved you had to be twice as hard. And then to add a child on top of that... "What happened?"

Knox dragged his fingers through his tussled chocolate brown locks. "She died giving birth to their child. The son died shortly after." A wave of sadness darkened his green gaze. "Something like that affects a shifter, especially a wolf."

"That would affect anyone," Maddie pointed out.

"Has Barric taken another mate or had other children?" Knox asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

He toyed with the rag in his hand. "That makes him look weak. Alpha's need a mate and an heir to keep them strong, and Barric's refusal to have either one will be seen as a weakness. Someone will challenge him eventually."

"Doesn't mean he won't win." I'd felt Barric's power, and it wasn't something easily conquered. I could only withstand it because Fane made me, and he was more than a shifter. The Infernal Sol probably had something to do with it too. "What about Camus, alpha of the Mohan Pack?" I'd never seen or heard anyone talk about his mate, Marissa's mother.

The shifter scowled. "Reese and Camus aren't fated mates, and their union was more of an arrangement. Camus wanted to form an alliance with her father's pack, so the alpha proposed the marriage." He shrugged. "She spends as little time in Mohan Wilds as possible."

"Is she anything like her bratty daughter, Marissa?"

He snorted. "Exactly like her."

Good thing I never had a run-in with Reese. Marissa was enough.

The door opened, and my scalp prickled as familiar yellow eyes seared into me. Mykel's mouth curved into a vicious smile, and the prisoners and guards scurried out of the colossal dux demon's way. His black suit fit around his broad frame, and his locks were smoothed away from his face as usual, making it appear even more severe.

All of the moisture evaporated from my mouth because there was only one reason Mykel was in this room, walking directly toward me.

"Time for more torture, Tatum."