Savage Fate (Den of Shadows #5)

Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Fury sped through my insides as the pretty female wolf flirted with Saint right in front of me.

Didn’t she know who I was?

Was she trying to piss me off by touching my, uh, Saint?

I should claw her face off.

Saint must have sensed something, because he angled away from her and turned in my direction, worry flashing over his handsome features. “Sadie, this is Tate.”

“Where are my manners?” She skipped over and lifted her hand for me to shake. “I’m Sadie Montana.”

I choked back the violent urges and took her hand. “It’s nice to meet a friend of Saint’s.”

What the ever-loving hell was wrong with me? Saint wasn’t my anything. Not really.

Sadie giggled and fluttered her thick lashes. “We go way back. I’m talking crib days. We shared one a time or two.” She winked at him, making my food threaten to reappear.

“Our mothers are best friends.” Saint shook his head as a fond smile crossed his mouth. “Since we were born around the same time, we were forced to endure many playdates.”

Okay, there goes my appetite.

I pushed my plate forward and sipped the juice to force the rest of my food down my throat. “Sounds fun.”

“It was!” Sadie laced her arm around Saint’s. “We were two peas in a pod. More like two cubs, but you get it.”

Not really. I’d never been close to anyone until I met Jayla, and that all went to shit.

“Are you finished?” Saint asked, noticing that I’d set my fork down.

“It was delicious.” When I stood to wash my dish, Saint motioned for me to sit back down.

He grabbed my plate. “I got it. You’re the guest.”

As Saint meandered into the kitchen, Sadie leaned toward me. “So, you’re the one fate finally chose for him.” She pitched her voice low enough that Saint couldn’t hear it over the running water.

“Yep.”

She scrutinized me from head to toe. “He must be so disappointed.”

My head jerked back as claws threatened to tear from my fingertips. “Excuse me?”

Her mouth parted, and a blush swept across her cheeks. “I just meant that he must be disappointed because you’re already mated to someone else.” She twisted a lock of shiny hair around her finger. “I heard you and that hybrid shifter are together.”

If she didn’t seem so sincere, I would have punched her.

She obviously had a thing for Saint. Had they ever hooked up?

He wanted to find his fated mate, but a guy as sexy as him—an alpha, too—probably fooled around a lot. Maybe Sadie had been hoping to be his mate one day.

Why did the thought of that fill me with rage?

I shook the anger off and ignored the reason behind it.

A young male shifter strolled into the kitchen, grimacing at Sadie. “I thought I’d find you here. Didn’t you tell Mom you were going to Bonnie’s to get Grandpa’s tonic?”

Crimson rushed into the female shifter’s cheeks again. “I am, Xavier. I just had to make a stop first.”

“I’m sure.” He made a humming sound before nodding at Saint. “What’s going on? I heard your fated showed up. Is that her?”

My brows slammed down. “Yeah, and I have a name.”

“Tate.” His brown eyes, a few shades darker than his sister’s, drilled into me, and I definitely sensed some hostility. “And where you go, so does your demon shifter shadow. Is Fane Maverick here?”

I hopped off the stool and crossed my arms over my chest, forcing my talons to stay under. “If you have a problem with Fane, then you have a problem with me.”

Xavier smirked and flicked shaggy brown hair from his face. “Are you going to challenge me to protect his honor?”

“Xavier,” Saint snapped, a warning growl building in his throat. “Don’t take your anger out on Tate. Neither one of us asked for this.”

The other male lifted his hands. “I apologize.”

He didn’t seem all that apologetic.

Sadie marched toward her brother and grabbed his arm. “Why do you have to be such an asshole?”

“Why do you have to be so obvious?” He jerked his chin toward Saint. “It’s over, little sister. You lost. Trust me.”

She glanced back at Saint. “Sorry about my brother. He clearly hasn’t had his meds today.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Saint said. “Since Xavier wants to be rude to my guest, he can return later and help the others patrol the perimeter again. I’ll stick him with Helena.”

Xavier groaned. “Anyone but her. All she does is talk about the farm in Oklahoma she grew up on. If I have to hear one more story about her horse, Snowdancer, or that damn pig, Beans, my ears will bleed.”

Saint shrugged. “Should have been nicer.”

As Saint took me around the house—or large log cabin—I marveled at all the detailed woodwork and art. Fane would appreciate the scenic paintings of mountains and forests. Hell, most shifters would. They made my inner wolf stir and long to run outside.

A huge theater room in the basement was equipped with a large projection screen and comfy leather seats. At least a dozen people could fit inside. There was even a popcorn maker and soda machine in the corner. You’d get the theater experience without having to leave the pack.

Jayla would have loved it. She would have watched action movies all day and stuffed herself with junk food.

“What’s wrong?” Saint asked when he noticed my sudden melancholy mood. He moved closer and rested his hand on my shoulder. “Is it the separation from Fane? I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

I shook my head and forced the sadness away. “I’m fine.”

Would there ever be a time when I could think of Jayla and not want to curl into a ball and weep? She deserved to be remembered. She deserved to have people know she existed and left a mark on this world.

She had certainly left one on me.

Saint continued the tour while he talked about some of the other pack members who lived in the house. He didn’t flinch or turn somber when he mentioned the other fated mate pairings in Blackwater Falls.

“And here is my favorite place.” Saint motioned me into a room packed with various musical instruments.

Guitars hung on the walls, a full set of drums occupied the center, and black cases of smaller instruments filled the shelves. A few mic stands and microphones were in the corner. There was even a harp on the left and two pianos.

I motioned my finger around the impressive collection. “Do you play all of these?”

“Not all of them.” He gave a casual shrug and then jerked his head to the right. “The drums are my favorite. I could play for hours.”

My gaze roamed over him, taking in the gorgeous guy with otherworldly silver eyes, sharp features, wild black hair, and colorful tattoos painting his muscular arms.

I could definitely picture him playing those drums.

“Don’t let Saint fool you.” A large man with the same black hair and dark gray eyes strolled into the room, giving a crooked grin. “Saint is a musical genius. He can play everything. Even the harp. He sings too.”

“That’s not true.” Saint shook his head. “I can’t play the harp.”

The man—probably Saint’s father—laughed. “Have you tried?”

“Layla would kill me if I broke it with my”—he used air quotes—“big, dumb man hands.”

“Your sister loves picking on you.” He tossed his tattooed arm over Saint’s shoulders. “And you let her, so don’t complain when she hurts your feelings.”

Saint scoffed. “Layla thinks she’s tough, but she’d bawl like a baby if you took away her prized book collection.”

The man shuddered. “And then she’d turn feral and start hunting us one by one.”

Saint’s laugh sounded like warm honey and chocolate. “Tate, this lively guy is my dad, Ryland.”

His father extended his hand, and I reluctantly took it, his massive one nearly swallowing mine whole. “It’s nice to meet you, Tate. Of course, I wish it were under better circumstances.”

My hand fell back to my side. “I don’t recommend falling off a cliff into a freezing river. It’s not as fun as I’d hoped.”

Ryland’s head tilted back, laughter pouring out. “I bet not. You’re lucky you ended up here, running into Avery. Those cute little fingers would be frozen by now.”

I frowned. “These cute little fingers can do some damage.”

Saint playfully shoved his dad off. “It’s true. She has a set of lethal talons that could shred your face off in seconds.”

Ryland took a step back and showed his palms in surrender. “Please don’t rip my face off. My mate is rather fond of it. And I’m too handsome to be faceless. You can’t deprive the world of this beauty.” He fluttered his lashes.

This was not who I pictured as Saint’s dad or the former alpha. “We wouldn’t want that. You are very pretty.”

“Thank you. I’m delighted you think so.” He elbowed Saint. “I like her. Let’s keep her around for a while. Maybe she can teach your sister the art of compliments.”

Saint attempted to smooth the hair his father had ruffled, but the black waves remained tousled and wild. “If we keep her, I’m pretty sure we’d have to make room for Fane Maverick. He wouldn’t be too happy without his mate.”

Ryland winced. “I’ve heard he’s quite grumpy. It’s probably best not to poke the bear.” He pursed his lips, tapping his chin. “Then again, I’d be willing to make room for Grumpy if we got to keep Tate around.”

“You are trouble, aren’t you?” A genuine smile crossed my mouth. “I bet you keep this guy on his toes.” I tilted my head toward his son.

“I sure as hell do.” Ryland playfully smacked Saint’s chest. “Got to keep the big bad alpha of Blackwater Falls sharp. Can’t let him get lazy and slow.”

“I think you have a little too much fun with it. You should—” Saint’s words suddenly cut off, and his head cocked to the side as a commotion reached my ears.

Josh, the healer who had cared for Hailey, burst into the room. “We have a problem, Saint.” His gaze flickered toward me. “I think her?—”

A fiery tingle erupted across my neck tattoo and then down my arm to my hand.

Yep. Fane was here. And he was most likely at the center of this problem.

I bolted out of the room and ran for the stairs. Even though I had no idea where they were in this maze of a house, I followed the invisible string pulling me toward my mate.

Saint, Ryland, and Josh trailed me, and before the stairs even came into view, a deep, threatening voice resonated.

“If you don’t get out of my way, I will move you by any means necessary.”