“I’ll take pictures so we can blackmail him.”
He chuckled. “Most definitely.”
As much as I wanted to believe Kaspin’s incantation could be broken, that might not be the case. Maybe this was Fane now, and I’d have to live with the pain of never having him. I always knew I didn’t deserve happiness. Was this my punishment for all the bad I’d caused?
Chapter
Thirty-Three
The full moon rose in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the clearing where the Mohan Pack gathered. Orange, yellow, and red flames from the bonfire created shadows across the grass, and the scent of food infiltrated the area.
I took another sip of my lemonade as a group of wolves disappeared into the tall trees lining the perimeter to shift and run. A twinge of sadness and envy squeezed my chest. What would it be like to experience the world that way? Would I ever know, or would my shifter form forever remain dormant?
That warm, comforting sensation stirred in my center, and heat pumped through my veins, but the Infernal Sol was more dominant, keeping the wolf at bay. Maybe if I hadn’t relied on the ancient demon magic so many times in the past, I’d be able to reach the shifter.
Then again, the Infernal Sol had kept me alive. I’d be dead without it.
My neck tattoo tingled, and I angled to the left to find Fane talking to none other than Marissa as she leaned against a tree, batting her lashes at him. The plastic cup in my hand crinkled as my grip tightened.
He smiled at her while she spoke and tucked her hair behind her ear. Marissa’s gaze flashed in my direction, her grin gaining a cruel edge. Even though she was mated to someone else and hated Fane, she flirted with him to remind me that they would always have a connection.
When he saw Marissa at the council meeting, Fane wanted nothing to do with her, so why was he giving her attention now?
Was it because he slept in my bed last night and woke up holding me? His body had known what he needed while his mind was muddled. He couldn’t deny our bond, and it terrified him. That was why he refused to allow the witches to even examine him.
Logan and Ruin wanted to concoct a plan to capture Fane and chain him down so Nadia and her friend could perform their magic, but if they couldn’t break the spell, he’d hate me even more.
Invisible bands wrapped around my heart at the thought, painfully squeezing. Fane’s head jerked in my direction, feeling the pangs through the bond. His face remained unreadable as he studied me, sending goose bumps across my flesh.
After a few tense moments, he turned away like I didn’t matter at all.
Bastard.
If Saint were here and flirting with me, Fane wouldn’t spare Marissa a glance. He’d be too busy being jealous.
I chugged the rest of my lemonade and tossed the cup into the nearest trash can, unsure of how much more of this bonfire I could endure. Cirilla and Julia claimed I needed to be around shifters, but watching Fane flirt with that skank would push me over the edge. The urge to poke the Infernal Sol awake and pull out her fears twisted through me.
Watching Marissa scream and squirm like a bug caught in a spiderweb would be so delightful.
No. I couldn’t do that. If the pack members saw how dangerous I was, Camus would kick me out in a heartbeat to protect them. He should kick me out before I hurt someone, like his bitch of a daughter.
Preston had gone off with some of his friends to shift while Dylan hung out with his cute girlfriend and a bunch of other shifters his age. Females surrounded Logan who lapped up the attention.
I shook my head and chuckled. They flocked to him like flies to honey. It didn’t matter that he was a high demon. Sometimes I forgot he was. The only time I saw him actually angry was when Hawk called me evil.
My throat tightened at the thought of my former best friend. He saw me at my worst, and his response felt like a kick to the gut. And he and Roxie were apparently partners now. Hopefully, she’d gotten better at watching his back.
A long sigh spilled out as I ambled around the food table, my appetite barely hanging on. My mouth pressed together at the display of brownies. Dylan ruined me with his spicy ones. Ordinary brownies didn’t satisfy me anymore.
“Tate?”
I turned to my left as a male with strawberry blond hair and light gray eyes approached me. “My sister said you were back.”
“Will.” Mina’s twin, the wolf who nearly died the night of the agrigon attack, was healed now. “You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.” He’d been unconscious and broken.
He shrugged. “I clean up well.”
I took a chocolate chip cookie, breaking it in half. “Seriously, I’m glad you’re okay.”