Page 81 of Savage Claim

Twenty-Nine

Heavy paws slammed into my shoulders, shoving me to the hardwoods. Pain ricochetted against my spine and the back of my skull as I hit, and blood spilled over my tongue. The force of Barric’s violent snarl stirred the hair around my face.

He murdered his own fated mate. I had no doubt he’d kill me, or at least try.

Why hadn’t the Infernal Sol stirred awake? I might need that sinister power to take on the head freaking alpha.

Saliva dripped on my neck as his jaws snapped. My hands pushing into his furry torso were the only things stopping him from ripping my throat out. But my strength wouldn’t hold him back for long.

Had Valeria tried to warn me about Barric by showing me that symbol, the one clue that tipped me off about The Collective Hunt? Why couldn’t she have simply told me he was a murderous, prejudiced psycho?

Unless, of course, he used his alpha power to keep her from spilling his secrets.

I gritted my teeth and shoved as hard as possible, forcing the russet wolf off. My heart pounded as I scrambled to my hands and knees and crawled toward the door, but Barric was too fast. His claws raked against my calf, ripping my jeans and flesh.

A cry burst out as blood perfumed the air. Barric’s mouth clamped around my boot, and he yanked hard, my cheek crashing into the floor. Scarlet lights exploded in my vision.

Shit. That would leave a mark.

The head alpha dragged me back to the other side of the room, my nails leaving gouges in the floorboards as my blood smeared on the ground.

Hello, demon amulet! Time to wakey. What happened to you keeping me alive? If I die, you die.

Something stirred within me, a warmth brewing in my chest, but the Infernal Sol’s power had never felt like this. This wasn’t that dark, addicting, and all-consuming rush I’d started to secretly crave.

This was something else.

Barric flipped me over and crawled on top of me again. This time, his paws pressed against my chest while his back legs caged in my lower half. He licked his lupine lips, salivating for my death. His mask was completely off now, shattered into dust among all the lies he’d told. He was worse than Coltrane.

Something hot suddenly erupted in my center, spilling into my veins like a burst of adrenaline and power. Fine tremors shook my body while I tasted something salty and pungent. The room snapped into hyperfocus as my senses sharpened.

Barric must have sensed the change because he stopped licking his chompers, and his head tilted. If a wolf could look confused, he nailed it.

As more power flooded my bloodstream, my back arched off the ground, and a gasp burst out.

That gasp turned into a growl.

I kicked Barric off and into the rocking chair, demolishing it. Wood shards blasted through the nursery as I jumped on top of him, pinning his back to the ground before he could recover. A vicious roar exploded out of my mouth, shaking the entire room.

Everyone in the house had to have heard and felt that.

And I finally understood why the Infernal Sol hadn’t shown up or tried to take over.

My shifter side—a mix of wolf and demon from Fane—had broken through and kept the demon amulet at bay. The fight with an alpha had dragged the animal part of me out of her cage, provoking her to finally battle the amulet for dominance. She won and then some.

Barric’s gold eyes widened when he felt the intense waves of shifter power pulsating off me. Claws sprouted from my fingertips, puncturing his furry chest. Now his blood soaked the air. And something else.

Fear.

A smile hitched the edges of my lips, welcoming the alpha’s fright.

But why would he be so afraid of me? I hadn’t become that terrifying creature controlled by the amulet. This was only my shifter finally emerging.

My blood boiled, and heat enveloped my bones as they longed to twist and break to reveal my wolf form. An ache throbbed in my jaw as my teeth elongated, canines extending from the top and bottom. A glow spilled through my irises, and my pupils thinned, their reflection cast in Barric’s gaze.

Another roar tore from my mouth, and the ability to transform spread into every fiber of my being. I knew, without a doubt, if I wanted to, I could finally become the wolf.

But a voice whispered in my ear to hold off. If I changed now, I’d lose my advantage. Barric knew how to fight as a wolf. I didn’t. And the change would probably require a shit-ton of energy that might leave me confused for several minutes.

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