Page 126 of Savage Claim

Oh God. Hawk was still in there. And Wrath.

“I saw everything, Tate.” Fane’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding so hard the vibrations rattled my own bones. “I know all about Ruin’s betrayal.”

The fury that throbbed from him almost stopped my heart.

“We’re going to get you all fixed up, roomie.” Logan bolted across the room and lifted a demolished set of cabinets, revealing Estella. “You’re going to help.” He dragged her out of her hiding spot and yanked her in the air until her feet dangled. Her lab coat was torn, and smudges of ash and black blood speckled her.

“I’ll do whatever you want.” Sobs spilled from her mouth as more tears leaked out of her already red-rimmed eyes. The waterworks weren’t all from her fear. Ruin’s death brought them on.

She’d loved him.

The high demon dropped her to her feet. “Do you have any Emaculum elixir?”

When Estella nodded, he released her, and she dashed around the corner, rummaging through cabinets. Emaculum was a highly rare healing potion, but I wasn’t surprised Ruin had it for emergencies. It still wouldn’t have helped his lying ass this time. He evaporated into ash. There was no coming back from that.

“The spell?” I asked Fane.

He shook his head, his expression grim. “We never made it. I knew something was wrong, so we turned around.”

My heart sank even though I’d guessed there hadn’t been enough time.

“We’ll try again, Tate.” Logan gave his boy-next-door grin, but it was tight around the edges and didn’t reach his eyes.

A small bit of relief loosened the tension in my chest when I realized Logan had never been in on Ruin’s plans. He hadn’t known anything about the demon lord’s deal with Barric, the shifters, or Warin’s death.

I couldn’t take losing him too.

Estella finally returned with a tiny vial full of shimmering aqua liquid and passed it to Logan. “She should drink it all.” Strands of emerald hair fell into her face, and she refused to meet my gaze.

Logan nodded but before he went to my side, he sent her a glare. “Stay right there. We’re not finished with you.”

Her shoulders slumped as she kept her feet firmly in place. The pretty dux demon knew Logan would hunt her down if she tried to escape.

“Drink all of this in one go.” Logan tipped the bottle to my lips as Fane helped me sit, and I swallowed the tart concoction, trying not to gag.

As soon as the potion infiltrated my system, tickling wriggled over the wound, and the skin began to heal. It wouldn’t happen instantaneously, and it was so severe that I might still need stitches. My attention fell on the Infernal Sol again. I wouldn’t need stitches if I had the amulet…

An explosion rocked the lab again, and Fane jerked me into his chest, shielding the debris from striking me.

Son of a bitch.

My ears rang, and clouds of smoke and ash permeated the room, covering the white tiles and stainless steel in soot. Logan crawled out of a broken cabinet, picking glass out of his hair. Estella wiped black blood from her face and shook Denton, who’d finally come to after the second explosion.

Power choked the atmosphere as Roman strolled into the room, going straight for Barric.

Logan cursed and darted toward them, but an invisible barrier like the one at the safe house tossed him back on his ass.

“No!” I hissed, struggling in Fane’s grip, wanting to stop my father’s escape. He didn’t get to walk free after all he’d done.

Fane’s hold tightened, knowing I’d only hurt myself if I tried to break the barrier. “He won’t be free, Teague. Everyone will know what he did, and he’ll be on the run.”

That still wasn’t enough.

“Barric, wake up.” Roman used magic to shatter the silver chains into a hundred pieces, freeing the head alpha, and then he yanked the two arrows out of him. “We don’t have much time.”

A low snarl rattled Fane’s chest. “You’re going to regret this, Roman. You picked the wrong side.”

“My loyalties were decided a long time ago.” The blond witch shrugged. “It’s just the hand I was dealt.”

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