Chapter 33
Chapter
Thirty-Three
My fingers skimmed over the Infernal Sol, and a moan slipped out as a throb of dark power hit my gut. It had been so long since I felt that familiar, sinister rush. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
And inhale a delicious fear…
My eyelids popped open, and I was back in the club, Wraith staring at me with a furrowed brow.
Son of a bitch.
“Tate, are you okay?” he asked, his voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” I lied.
I wiped sweat from my forehead and breathed heavily, studying the hand that had touched the Infernal Sol. Was that real? Had I really been in Barric’s hidden location with the Infernal Sol?
For shit’s sake, that intoxicating power pulsating around it instantly drew me in. It wanted me back. It would willingly come to me if it could.
My hand rested on my sun tattoo, aching like an addict for a fix. “I just had a vision.” My brows furrowed. “I think.”
Wrath opened his mouth to speak, but his head snapped toward the dance floor. “What the fuck?” he muttered and marched toward the balcony.
As a wave of fear hit me, I followed him and scanned the area below. Several dux demons had dropped their glamours and surrounded a group of women.
“What the hell are they doing?” I hissed.
Wrath’s fingers curled around the railing as his irises darkened. “They’re pushing their luck.”
Logan appeared next to the new high demon lord. “Some of the demons aren’t happy with the way Wrath rules. He’s stricter than Ruin.”
“It might be time for me to inflict some punishment.” Wrath’s gaze burned into mine as his lips arched into a wicked smile, reminding me too much of Demarcus. “I picked up some wonderful techniques as the warden of Heldrok.”
Wrath obviously had a dangerous side. I’d seen it when he was the warden, but I preferred the calmer, kinder version of him.
I lifted my hand to stop him from unleashing his inner tyrant. “Let Hawk and me take a stab at this.”
Hawk flanked my side, analyzing the unruly demons on the dance floor. “Hell yeah. This is the kind of shit ravens are supposed to handle.”
Wrath pursed his lips, and after several tense moments of debate, the blackness cleared from his gaze. “You two can give it a whirl, but I’ll step in if shit goes south.”
“You got it.” I pivoted and headed for the door. “Come on, Hawk. Let’s try to defuse the situation or at least force them to back off and restore their glamours.”
“How are we handling this, Strawberry Shortcake?” he asked as we sprinted down the stairs. “Good cop, bad cop?”
I scoffed. “How about pissed-off, mentally unstable demon shifter and rogue raven.”
He flashed a boyish grin that masked just how dangerous Hawk really was. “Works for me. Although, you could probably add mentally unstable to my persona too.”
Hawk and I pushed our way into the middle of the dance floor where the group of un-glamoured dux demons enclosed the petrified girls. I cracked my knuckles and rolled my shoulders, aching for a fight.
“You need to back off.” I slipped in front of a woman, her body trembling and teeth chattering so hard I could hear it over the music.
A tall dux demon tilted his head down, neon-green eyes glaring at me as the colorful lights bounced on the slick onyx horns protruding from his forehead. “Look, boys, it’s a little shifter.” His sharp teeth violently clicked together. “You can be my dessert.”
I gave a dark chuckle. “You’ll choke on me.”
“Shall we find out?” He leaned forward, attempting to use his power to grab my soul.
Hawk shoved between us. “All of you are breaking the accords. This place will be swarming with ravens in no time.”
A shorter demon with fuchsia hair and yellow skin peered around the crowd. “Verik, I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to tussle with a bunch of ravens tonight. I’d like to keep my head.”
“Don’t be such a bitch, Frenz.” Verik grabbed his friend before he could walk away. “Besides, this kid is the only raven I smell.”
“You aren’t looking hard enough.” Hawk stepped toward another demon, one with green scales, a forked tongue, and slitted pupils. “Don’t be surprised when heads start rolling.”
One of the girls behind me whimpered. “What’s going on? Why do they look like that?”
I pivoted in their direction. “They’re just costumes. Everything is fine.”
The tall blonde closest to me gave a skeptical look. “Costumes?”
“Yep.” If I had the Infernal Sol, I’d probably be able to glamour their memories so they didn’t remember shit.
Of course, if I had the Infernal Sol, I’d join in on the chaos, feeding on fears and maybe souls too.
Doesn’t that sound like a delicious idea?
I ignored the voice and focused on the trembling females. “You should get out of here, though. A fight might break out, and you don’t want to be caught in the middle.”
“They’re not going anywhere,” Verik snarled. “Not until I’ve tasted their souls.”
Fear spiked from the women, and they huddled closer together. These idiot demons would let all of Nightworld get exposed.
As Hawk continued bickering with the green scaly demon, I spun toward Verik and didn’t wait for provocation before crushing my fist into his face. His head snapped to the side, and when he turned back to me, black blood oozed down his chin from the split in his lip.
“You’re biting off more than you can chew, little wolf.” He grinned, blood staining his teeth. “Instead of dessert, you’ll be my appetizer.” Verik grabbed my shirt and yanked me toward him.
Instead of backing down like he expected, I let out a sinister laugh. “I haven’t broken bones in a while. This is going to be fun.” My pupils thinned into diamonds as long black talons pushed out of my fingertips and my teeth sharpened, making me look more demon than shifter.
Frenz cursed and backed away. “Oh, hell no. I know exactly who you are, and I want no part of your crazy shit.” He grabbed the only female demon in the group and hauled her away. “That psycho, Fane, is probably hiding in the shadows, watching.”
Verik’s lips curled back as he growled. “Leave then, you weaklings. More fun for me.”
A sudden wave of power pulsated in the air, and my head swiveled toward the balcony as Wrath gripped the railing, his electric-blue eyes burning.
“All of you demons will fall in line and start acting civilized again.” He didn’t yell or hold a microphone, but his words traveled through the club and stole every demon’s attention. “Or you’ll feel my fury.”
I peered at Hawk. “Can you hear Wrath?”
“No. You can?”
“Maybe because I’m part demon.”
When a few protests traveled through the crowd, another blast of power shot out of the high demon, and those around me, even Verik, wobbled on their legs.
“Disobey me, and you’ll discover why I was named Wrath.”
A shiver slinked down my spine, and I wiped a dribble of sweat off my forehead. Wrath was a hell of a lot more powerful than he let on. Was he even stronger than his twin?
Maybe that was why Ruin wanted him dead, not simply because he knew too many of his secrets.
Had Ruin feared that his twin would steal his throne?
“My brother is gone, but I’m still here. And unlike Ruin, I don’t give second chances.” His irises darkened to impenetrable holes, and his cheeks hollowed out while his flesh paled. “I won’t hesitate to rip heads off for defying me.”
The trepidation swarming the club didn’t come from humans anymore. The demons shifted uneasily, and most returned their glamours.
Hawk nudged me. “What’s he saying? I’ve never seen Wrath look so scary.”
“He’s letting the demons know he’s in charge and to get in line or he’ll kill them.”
Verik shook his head, murmuring curses in a demon language before pulling his glamour back into place, making him appear human. “You got lucky, wolf,” he snarled, his bravado a little lackluster now. “I would have torn you to pieces.”
“Doubtful.” Wrath suddenly appeared beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “My lovely friend would have destroyed you.”
The color drained from Verik’s face, and his gaze lowered to the ground. “I, uh, didn’t know you were personal friends.”
“Now you do.” His chuckle sounded lighthearted, but there was no mistaking the threat it held. “You’re the lucky one, Verik. Had I not intervened, you would no longer be standing.”
I peered up at Wrath, wondering if he really believed that. Did he think I was still that dangerous without the Infernal Sol?
“Come on, ladies.” Logan showered the terrified girls with his boy-next-door smile. “I’ve got a special treat to compensate for those pricks scaring you.”
Even though they were wary, they fell for Logan’s charm and followed him off the dance floor. Obviously, he’d glamour their memories before letting them leave.
“That was kind of cool.” Hawk held his fist out for Wrath to tap.
The club suddenly spun in a dizzying whirlwind, and I reached for Wrath’s arm as I swayed. I fell backward, and it took forever before I hit something solid…
I was stretched out on a table, bound and unable to move.
The thumping music, colorful flashing lights, and clubgoers were gone. Instead, gothic candelabras cast light and shadows across slick crimson walls. Even the ceiling was the color of fresh blood. Thick chains twisted around my body.
Panic crashed over me, and I thrashed against the binds until they painfully dug into my flesh. Sweat soaked my clothes as I inhaled frantic breaths. The chains weren’t made of silver, so I should have been able to break them.
My heart slammed into my rib cage. Why couldn’t I break them?
“There’s no need to fight anymore.” A familiar deep tenor echoed moments before a cloaked figure with a stark-white mask appeared above me. “It’ll all be over soon.”
“What do you want from me?”
That sweet, lyrical feminine voice wasn’t mine.
“Why are you doing this?”
The man, Barric, tugged the mask down, revealing the manic smile twisting his mouth. “I want to cleanse the world of impurities.” He brushed the hair from my face, making my skin crawl. “You are just another stepping stone to a better world.”
“Why can’t I shift?” I couldn’t even feel my animal.
The former head alpha pressed his lips together. “That part of you shouldn’t exist.” He rested his hand over his chest, feeling for something.
Was he wearing the Infernal Sol beneath the creepy black cloak?
Terror poured through my veins as more cloaked figures moved through the room, all holding candles and whispering an eerie chant. The words weren’t in English.
They were demon.
Barric waved two members over, the daggers they clutched looking liquid in the flickering candlelight. “I can’t allow you to taint this world anymore.”
They slammed the blades into my arms, fire exploding in me with each hit. A scream tore from my mouth.
“Stop!” I cried out as they moved down my legs. “Please.”
But they didn’t stop.
Blood oozed out of the wounds, collecting beneath me on the table and dripping onto the floor.
Another cloaked nightworlder came forward with a jewel-encrusted chalice, lowering it to the edge of the table to allow my blood to drain into it. My stomach heaved as Barric then took the cup and raised it over me.
“Shadows rise, obey my call. Blood is the key to shatter it all.”
Barric’s eyes darkened, and a sinister air coiled tightly around him as he continued the creepy chant.
“Ancient power, dark and deep. Awaken now from this endless sleep.”
Barric drew the cup to his mouth and gulped down my blood.
What in the hell was happening? The head alpha had gone from overseeing every shifter pack in Georgia to conducting cultish ceremonies and drinking blood.
He passed the chalice back to his minion and brandished a twisted knife. “Your life will no longer stain our world. Find comfort in knowing you are helping our cause.” Barric slammed the knife into my chest so savagely that the blade scraped my bones.
Sharp pain exploded everywhere, and I screamed until my voice cracked and my throat burned. Hot blood pooled out of the wounds, and the chants grew louder as Barric sawed through my flesh and bone. My vision grew hazy as the life drained out of me.
Velvety darkness coated me, and the pain had vanished. Fire didn’t consume my chest and limbs, and agony wasn’t drowning me. The creepy red room was gone.
Strong arms tightened around me, and I snuggled into a hard form, breathing in a comforting scent. How did I end up with Fane? The last thing I remembered was passing out in Wrath & Ruin and having that sickening vision.
Hawk must have brought me home.
I stretched my legs and wiggled my toes, letting out a little moan. I hadn’t felt this good in a while. Maybe I’d just needed a good night’s sleep to recharge my batteries and shake those horrible cravings.
“What time is it?” I murmured, my hand roaming over his smooth chest.
My brow furrowed. Since when was Fane’s chest smooth? Scars riddled the tattooed area. I knew every one of them by heart.
A low rumble vibrated as fingers massaged my back. “A little after five in the afternoon.”
Unease curled around my throat at the sound of that voice.
It was definitely not Fane’s.
I opened my eyes and bolted upright when I found a shirtless Saint beside me. “What the fuck is going on?” My question came out in a shrill squeak. “Why are you in my bed?”