Savage Fate (Den of Shadows #5)

Chapter 39

Panic cascaded down my back, yanking the air from my lungs as Barric’s rough, thick fingers dug into my arm like steel bars. The Underworld portal swirled in front of us, still open after I kicked the zubrek through to save Roxie.

Apparently, she had never been in mortal peril. It was all part of my father’s nefarious plan.

“You set me up, Roxie.” The words burst between my clenched teeth as rage hemorrhaged through my bloodstream.

How could I have been so stupid?

Time and again, Roxie had screwed others over to get what she wanted.

What the hell was she getting from Barric?

As hot fury filled my muscles, I swung my fist toward her face. Instead of attempting a block or even ducking, Roxie allowed the hit to connect.

Again, I should have suspected something from her conniving ass.

As soon as the satisfying crack of my knuckles against her jaw sounded, she gripped my hand and locked a vibrating circlet of metal around my wrist.

What the ever-loving hell!

My energy instantly drained, and the adrenaline pumping through my veins sheered off like something had sucked it all out.

Something had.

Magic.

I staggered back into Barric’s broad chest, his fingers still clutching my bicep. Glee sparked in Roxie’s blue gaze as she fastened the second cuff around my other wrist and secured my hands at my front.

The mystical handcuffs not only siphoned my energy, but they cut off my connection to my demon and shifter sides.

“Let her go!” Fane broke out of Roman’s magical binds again and sprinted in our direction, his mouth twisted in a snarl.

Barric’s relentless grip dug deeper as he yanked me toward the churning portal. “We better make our exit, dear daughter, before your pesky mate catches us.”

Roots exploded from the ground and wrapped around Fane’s legs to stop his approach. Roman stood a few feet away, his irises glowing violet and lips moving as he cast the enchantment.

My heels dug into the soft grass, stalling. “Fane will just follow us into the gateway.”

The former head alpha’s low chuckle had goose bumps prickling my flesh. “Thanks to Roman and a little help from my wonderful amulet, after we step through, the portal will temporarily close.”

A lump of concrete sank to the bottom of my stomach, and dread twisted around my throat, cutting off my air supply.

He’d planned this whole thing just to capture me. Once Barric appeared in the cemetery, I knew we’d been lured into a trap, but it was much more intricate than I’d imagined.

Barric really did have endless opportunities for chaos with the Infernal Sol.

“Tate!” Fane’s talons tore through the roots only to have more appear with each step he took, trapping him again and again. Sweat glistened on his skin as his muscles strained against Roman’s magic.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Barric dragged me to the portal, Roxie smirking as she vanished into the swirling magic.

As I peered over my shoulder, the mystical wind whipping my long hair around, the fear in Fane’s eyes gutted me. Somehow, he knew that once I stepped into the portal, he wouldn’t be able to follow.

Maybe he heard the conversation or sensed the storm of trepidation bleeding out of me.

Had I worn the same look when Mykel yanked him back across that bridge to Heldrok?

“I will survive this,” I whispered into Fane’s mind as purple and magenta lights engulfed me.

A savage roar—full of heartbreaking anguish—followed me through the portal, ripping my insides apart.

Fane’s voice swirled into my mind, so faint it was barely more than a whisper. “I love you.”

Hot tears blurred my vision as we stepped out of the portal into the unnerving Underworld forest. My boots barely made a dent in the hard, cracked soil, and the trees were black and barren as if burnt.

Did Fane really just tell me he loved me?

I should have been floating at finally hearing those words from him, but fate ripped us apart once again. Now I was trapped in the Underworld with my enemy.

When I used to fantasize about my parents, I never dreamed my own father would become my biggest threat.

“This was almost too easy, Tate. You’re so gullible.” Barric finally released my arm, bruises already forming across my tender flesh. “You get that from your mother.”

“You’re the gullible one if Tamara not only tricked you into thinking she was pregnant with a shifter but that I was a boy.”

His hand jerked back, and he slapped me across my cheek so hard stars popped in my vision. Blood spilled into my mouth, coating my teeth when I laughed.

“Is that all you got, Dad?”

It probably wasn’t in my best interest to goad the psycho, demon-influenced shifter.

Roxie gripped my hair and yanked my head back. “Want me to knock her out?” Her nostrils flared, and manic energy scented the air around her. “It would be my pleasure.”

The way she’d said pleasure had my stomach roiling.

Ugh, please tell me she’s not screwing him.

Barric gave her a placating smile and patted her cheek. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Roxie released me and fluttered her long lashes at him. “Just let me know if you need me to. I’m more than happy to please you, Barric.”

His chuckle made me want to hurl.

The portal shivered, and then Roman staggered out before it froze solid. “No one will be getting through that for the next day at least.” He wiped sweat from his pale forehead and blood from beneath his nose.

He’d obviously slipped by Fane with magic, or the witch wouldn’t have made it into the Underworld alive.

Barric gave a curt nod and shoved me toward Roman. “Keep an eye on her. Use magic if she tries anything.”

If I tried anything?

Oh, I was definitely trying something. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

The gateway in Bonaventure Cemetery had dropped us into the Underworld near Vlehull. Not many knew Logan had a house on the outskirts of the city. If I could just get free of these mystical cuffs, I could shift and outrun them, even Barric.

As we trudged through the eerie forest that looked like something out of a gothic horror film, I gingerly twisted my wrists within the restraints. I’d gotten out of handcuffs before. They weren’t normally tight enough.

These weren’t either.

Roman noticed my movements and silently shook his head, his dark gaze flickering toward Barric and Roxie as they walked ahead.

“You’ll never make it,” he mouthed.

The witch clearly didn’t know shit about me. I usually went against the odds. And won.

Why would now be any different?

Because I’m not with you.

I ground my teeth at the Infernal Sol’s voice. Why was I letting a little rock torment me?

You know I’m much more than a rock, Tate.

Rage bled through my system, and I savagely yanked my right wrist out of the cuff. To hell with this.

My boots dug into the earth, and then I took off, sprinting toward the left. I zigzagged between black, twisted trees as my pulse thundered. But my energy still lagged with the other magical cuff fastened around me.

I had to get it off.

Shouts finally sounded behind me once Barric realized I was making a run for it. Had Roman delayed alerting him to give me a head start?

One cuff rattled while I attempted to yank off the other, but my sweaty fingers kept slipping. Pain throbbed through my hand as I struggled while dodging thorny briars. Branches tore at my clothes and snagged my hair.

Damn it!

Magic crackled behind me, and something wrapped around my ankle, yanking me back. I careened forward and slammed against the hard ground.

Crimson burst in my vision as blood spilled over my tongue.

I should have known escaping wouldn’t be that easy.

A grip on my arm registered before I was rolled onto my back to stare at the ebony sky.

“I told you to watch her.” Barric’s rough voice, full of anger, made me wince. “If she tries to escape again, you’ll be the next person strapped to a table.”

Roman appeared above me, his mouth pulling into a frown as sorrow swirled in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Tate.” He lifted his hand and blew Malefic ash in my face.

Shit.

The magic dust hit me, and it must have been extra strong because the forest instantly blurred. Darkness seeped around the edges of my vision as Roman lifted me in his arms.

“There is no escaping this,” he whispered as he followed Roxie and Barric through the eerie forest.

My head pounded, and I winced at the soreness in my muscles from fighting those sub-demons as I was gently laid on cold concrete. The restraints were separated but locked around each wrist again.

“You came out of that too fast,” Roman whispered as I stirred. “Pretend to be asleep until we leave. He can’t realize how strong you still are.”

Even though the urge to fight clawed at my muscles, I willed my body to remain limp. My head slumped to the side, and I cracked my eyelids just enough to analyze my surroundings. Ice trickled through my bloodstream as I recognized the familiar dank cell and the hallway beyond the bars.

I’d been locked up in a similar one years ago at Karn’s manor in Vlehull.

Were we at Karn’s old place? Fane had demolished the gothic mansion when he busted in to rescue me, but maybe parts of it survived, like the decrepit underground prison.

Had Barric and his Collective minions been hiding in the Underworld this whole time?

Chains rattled, drawing my attention to the occupied cell beside mine, a wall of steel bars separating the two cramped spaces.

“Here’s your dinner, pet.” Wes, that prick from Silver Ridge, tossed a few pieces of meat at the high demon curled up in the corner. “If you’re a good boy, maybe we’ll let you out for some more torture.”

Wes had never been nice, but now cruel, sinister energy pulsated around him, and I could almost feel his thirst for chaos and violence.

“Leave him alone, Wes.” Roman stood and locked the door to my cell. “He’s not your pet.”

Wes snorted. “Of course he is. Barric said we can play with him as much as we want—as long as we don’t kill him.” His gaze swiveled to me, and I shut my lids, slowing my breaths. “I hope Barric lets us play with her. She’d be a lot more fun.”

The lust swirling in his voice curdled my stomach.

“Don’t even think about touching her.” Roman’s magic crackled in the air. “She’s not your entertainment.”

The shifter snorted. “We’ll see.”

Their footsteps hit the stone floor, and once they faded, I sat up. The demon’s bare back was toward me as he crouched and chewed on the meat, whelps, cuts, and bruises mottling his pale, tattooed flesh.

Chains that were wrapped around his arms and legs scraped over the concrete with every move.

“Do you know where we are?” I asked. “Are we in Lord Karn’s old place?”

He stopped eating and glanced over his shoulder, but the shadows were too thick, and his dark hair obscured most of his face. “Yes, Karn’s. That oversized bat.”

Fane had gotten to me at the mansion before. He had that special talent for finding things, but would the Infernal Sol block our connection? Was our bond strong enough to break through its ancient power?

“Did The Collective capture you?” I studied the restraints on my wrists, my nose crinkling at how snug they were now. Roman must have used magic to tighten them. My skin would rip to the bone if I tried to pull them off.

“It was a funny coincidence.” The demon snorted. “Not funny ha-ha but funny strange.”

My brow furrowed. There was something familiar about his voice. Maybe we’d met before.

“Who would have thought shifters—the nightworlders closest to humans—would revive a nearly extinct demon cult.” His feverish laugh echoed within the cell.

“The Nosterium?” So we hadn’t been that far off when we suspected the demon group was behind the murders.

Of course, we couldn’t have known shifters had replaced the power-hungry demons.

“They’ve been talking about you and preparing for your coming.” He shook his head. “I was hoping they wouldn’t catch you, but those bastards are sneaky. Maybe he’ll be along soon to spring you out before anything bad touches you.”

“He? He who?”

“Fane, of course. Your mate.” The demon turned and crawled toward the barrier separating us, the chains dragging behind him. “I hope he kills them all. I don’t even mind dying when he comes. This is worse than death. I would know. I’ve been there.”

I leaned forward, attempting to peer through the shadows to get a good look at him. “What’s your name?”

Long, pale, tattooed fingers wrapped around the bars, and then his face pressed against them, stealing the air from my lungs. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Ruin?” The grimy cell blurred out of focus, and my heart dropped as I stared into those haunting blue eyes. “You’re alive?”

To be continued…