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I kicked the demon so hard his horn broke off, and he flew across the lab, shattering a glass cabinet.
“Holy shit.” I looked over my shoulder at Fane. The color drained from his face, and he stumbled forward. “What’s wrong—”
“Just get out of here,”he said into my mind as he slowly vanished.
What the hell happened to him? Where did he go?
While distracted, a female with messy red hair and horns on her shoulders tackled me to the ground. One of her spikes slashed my arm, and her talons cut my side, ripping my shirt.
My nostrils flared, and I kicked her into a metal cabinet, denting it. The pain drifted to the background as she scrambled to me, her jaw snapping. I staggered up, snatched an empty glass container from the counter, smashed it, and jammed the broken end into her eye.
Her shriek ricocheted through the lab, and she shuffled back as black blood oozed down her cheek.
A firm hand gripped my shoulder and whirled me around. I lifted my fist to strike out moments before Ruin appeared.
“This way.” He pushed me forward as his security demons swarmed the room, taking on the attackers.
“Are they here for me?” I asked as Ruin shoved me through a hidden door in the wall leading to an ascending staircase.
“Venna must have sent her underlings.” After making it up the stairs, he kept a firm hold on my hand and moved in front to lead the way through a maze of sleek, black corridors. “She wants you more than I thought and is willing to risk my wrath by breaking into my home.”
Ruin stopped in front of a wall and placed his hand on it, whispering something under his breath. A click echoed, and the door opened onto the street. “If she finds out about the manufactured souls, she’ll stop at nothing to ruin my progress. And if she discovers you’re carrying the Infernal Sol, she’ll lock you up until she can find a way to retrieve it by any means necessary.”
So she’d kill me.
“Where are we going?” I asked, keeping pace with him as the chilly autumn air soaked through my torn and bloody clothes. “Am I safe anywhere?”
The demon lord stopped at the mouth of the alley and peered out before turning back to me, his expression pained. “You’re not safe with me until I can deal with Venna and keep her out of my territory. She’ll use her royal status to search my house next since brute force didn’t work. You can’t be anywhere near me.”
Knots formed in my chest, obstructing my breathing. I’d wanted to leave for so long, but where the hell would I go?
“Run to Logan’s. He’ll find you a safe place while I deal with Venna.” He framed my face, those blue eyes boring into mine. “You can’t tell him about Soulvation. The fewer people that know, the better.”
I nodded even though Fane already knew and had probably told Logan. “I’ll come back when you need me, so we can finish this.”
“Thank you, Tate. You have no idea how much that means to me.” He lowered and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Please stay safe, no matter what. And don’t return until I contact you.”
“Okay.” The demon lord had slipped beneath my hard exterior walls enough to make my heart hurt at this goodbye. Did I trust him? Of course not. But would I miss him a little?
Yeah, I would.
Ruin pulled back and ran his thumb over my cheekbone before letting his hand fall. “Be careful, Tate. I’ll see you again.”
I turned and jogged out of the alley, heading toward Logan’s apartment and hoping not to run into any of Venna’s demons on my way.
* * *
The temperature had droppedsince this morning, and the damp air clung to my skin, even colder where blood leaked from my arm and down my side. More blood—mine and demon—spotted my torn green tank top and jeans. It was late enough on a weeknight that most of the streets were clear of humans, and any that remained wouldn’t blink at my state.
I darted through another back street, keeping to the shadows. Venna could have more demons searching for me. Did she go after Fane too or just me since she found out I was with Ruin?
What the hell had happened to Fane back in the lab? One minute, he was as solid as me, and the next, he was on the verge of passing out before his presence faded.
I turned down Henry Street and kept my head low. After dipping into another backstreet, shadows coating the grimy walls and dumpster, I continued toward Logan’s. Did Ruin call him, or would he be surprised to find me at his door?
A crash reverberated in the distance, like a metal trash can hitting a brick wall, and shouts echoed.
Ice flooded my veins as a familiar timbre swirled into my ears. I swallowed thickly.No. Not Hawk.
