Page 137 of Savage Bond

He stepped forward. “And I can’t let you go back. I can handle it.”

“Oh, and I want Tate too.”

As soon as Venna’s words hit the air, Fane’s muscles twitched as his beast rushed forward. “No!”

The royal pressed the blade harder into Kesandra’s throat, drawing another line of blood. “I want you both or no deal. Your sweet, caring mother returns to a cell in Heldrok where she will rot for the rest of eternity.” Venna ran her other hand through Kesandra’s hair. “She has the loveliest scream. I’m sure you heard it when you clawed her face.”

Hot daggers dragged against my veins, igniting my body into an inferno. Venna would pay for this one day. I’d make sure of it. But for now, I had to surrender. I had to play the part of a prisoner. This wasn’t only about redemption. It was revenge.

I moved to Fane’s side. “I’ll go.”

He jerked around, and his upper lip curled back in a snarl. “The hell you will.”

I leveled a hard look at him.“I already killed your brother. I can’t have your mother’s blood on my hands too.”

“Warin’s death wasn’t your fault.”Fane clenched his teeth so hard that I felt the vibrations in my own gums.“I can’t let you do this.”

“You have no say in this, Maverick.”I turned back to Venna. “Are you going to make the trade or what?”

Fane’s fingers dug into my arm to grab my attention, his eyes shining so brightly they were hard to look at.“I can’t trade you again.”

My mouth twisted into a wry smile.“You’re not trading me. It’s my choice.”

“Are you two going to stare at each other, or are we making this trade?” Mykel, who had been freed from the chains and leather gag—impatiently shifted on his feet.

“You can’t do this, Tate.” Ruin’s desperation hit me right in the gut. “I need you here.”

“I’m not breaking my promise.” I looked at him over my shoulder, silently pleading for his understanding. “I’ll be back.”

Venna snorted. “Not likely. You’re going to die in Heldrok.”

I angled back to her and smiled. “You don’t know me very well, but you will.”

Logan drew closer to Venna, keeping his distance when she dug the knife deeper into Kesandra. Mykel and another demon carried mystical cuffs as they marched toward Fane and me.

Fane squeezed my hand before we were ripped away from each other and shackled with the enchanted binds. Venna released the knife on Kesandra’s neck and shoved her toward Logan.

The high demon caught her and coiled his arms around her waist as she fought to get to her son. “He’s going to be fine, Kes.”

“Get her somewhere safe,” Fane said, his lips thinning as he strained against the shackles on his wrists.

Logan pulled Kesandra farther away as tears leaked down her pale cheeks. “I will.”

Fane’s mother dragged her hand over her neck to wipe away the blood. “I’m so sorry, Fane. This is all my fault.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, giving a casual shrug. “I promise.”

“This isn’t over, Venna.” Ruin’s irises darkened to navy, growing cold and sharp like a blade forged from ice. “You attacked me in my own territory, in my own home. You’ve started a war. And I’ll end it.”

She snickered. “I’m a royal, Ruin. You seem to forget that.”

“And I was once a warlord, Venna.” He cracked his neck and coiled his fingers into tight fists, blood still dripping from his wounds, but no pain showed on his face. “You seem to forgetthat.”

The tiniest bit of fear sliced through Venna’s expression, but it was gone in a flash as she angled toward one of the dux demons on her right. “Bring the car around.”

Fane’s ghostly touch ran down my arm even though he stood several feet away, Mykel gripping his binds.“We’re going to get through this, fiera mika. Neither one of us is the type to break.”

“I know.”An invisible hand detached from my body and ran over the scars on his jaw, his coarse stubble rubbing against my skin.“We’ll break them instead.”

His sinister chuckle had Mykel’s brow lifting.

Venna strolled to me, giving a proud toss of her head. “Ready to enter a never-ending nightmare?”

“I’ve been living in my nightmares for as long as I can remember.” My teeth bared in a savage smile. “Do your worst.”