Page 97 of Savage Claim

Nora passed me the bag of oversized marshmallows before settling beside her husband on the log adjacent to mine. The fire we sat around crackled and popped, tiny ruby embers drifting toward the pitch sky spotted with bright stars.

Fane stood a few feet away, a brooding sentry watching everyone but not participating. His gaze flicked in my direction every few minutes, like a tic he couldn’t resist.

The conversation shifted from movies to scary stories only nightworlders knew. Their tales of exploding sub-demons and ancient fae creatures put the human ones to shame. Jayla would have gotten a kick out of their urban legends.

Two days had passed since the Anders arrived, and I found myself in a dream. We had dinner together, walked around the vast grounds, fished in the lake, and now that I could shift, we ran and played in the woods. I never imagined I’d have a family, even if it was temporary. I felt like one of those people on TV I used to envy.

Barric’s blood flowed through my veins, but I would never think of him as my father. Hopefully, I’d learn more about Tamara when my life wasn’t in such peril.

For now, Nora and Kesa were the closest things I’d had to moms, the kind I always imagined having. As we sat by the fire, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores, I studied the sweet, warmhearted women and couldn’t stop the smile from crossing my lips.

“I don’t have three girlfriends, Dylan.” Preston shook his head as he pulled his stick from the fire and blew on the marshmallow. “We’re just casually dating. It’s what you do in college.”

His little brother grimaced. “I’m a one-woman kind of guy. I wouldn’t want to share, so she shouldn’t have to share me.”

He was so freaking cute. I hoped he kept that same sentiment when he got older.

Ephraim kissed his wife’s cheek, the firelight dancing across his copper hair and the matching beard covering his jaw. “I bet you’ll find your fated, Dylan.”

Nora patted her husband’s leg. “But even if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll find that special someone to be your mate forever.”

Fane’s heavy stare burned into me, those glowing eyes trying to melt away my flesh and bone to capture my soul. The air rushed out of my lungs as his invisible touch traveled over my back and curved around my waist. Hot breath blew on my neck as phantom lips brushed over my ear.

The demon shifter hadn’t moved from his spot, but his presence surrounded me and turned my blood to fire. If he didn’t stop, the other shifters would smell the arousal. Hell, the moan I was choking back would tip them off.

Wrath wandered outside, looking lonely as he watched our little family circle. He’d kept to himself the last few days, lingering in the shadows and on the edges of the room. Fane had made it clear he didn’t want the demon around.

Ruin had never looked as sullen or dejected as Wrath meandering on the outskirts. Sure, the demon lord had his moments of sadness, but his twin had him beat by miles. Wrath didn’t have that perfection he’d projected as Demarcus either.

The high demon seemed so—human.

A low growl curled out of Fane as Wrath approached, stopping him in his tracks.

Kesa noticed and frowned. “Stop that, Fane. Wrath can join if he wants.”

Wrath palmed the back of his neck and kicked at the ground. “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun.”

“Nonsense.” Kesa patted the empty seat beside her. “Have a s’more.”

A timid smile worked its way across his mouth as his long legs ate up the ground toward Fane’s mom. “Thanks.”

“How could you let him sit next to you after what he did?” Fane snarled as Wrath settled next to her. “He allowed you to be tortured in Heldrok. Why did he allow you to be imprisoned there in the first place?”

“There are hundreds of creatures in that place,” Wrath said as he plucked a marshmallow from the bag. “It’s not a human prison. Just because I was the warden doesn’t mean I knew every inmate there.”

Fane folded his arms against his chest. “You’ve known my mother since you were little. How could you not know she was brought in on some bullshit lies over stealing charus coins from a royal?”

“I kept to myself, Fane,” Kessa said. “I stayed out of trouble and was invisible for the most part.”

She was still tortured, though, just not as bad as others.

“When I found out Kesa was there, I did everything in my power to keep her separate from the worst inmates, and I ordered her torture to end.” Wrath pushed navy locks out of his pale face and heaved a tired sigh. “She wasn’t bothered after that. I couldn’t get her out at the time, but it was the least I could do.”

“But Ruin got her out,” Fane pressed. “How did he manage that?”

A dry laugh burst out of the high demon. “I let him take Kesa. When his men were sneaking in, I turned a blind eye.”

Fane cracked his neck and grumbled a string of insults under his breath. If Dylan wasn’t here, he’d probably storm over and knock Wrath out.

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