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He pushed the sleeves of his green knit shirt up. “That looks disgusting.”
“Too scared? I get it. Not everyone can handle this much heat.”
Fane scoffed. “Really? You’re antagonizing me into trying it?”
“Is it working?”
He fought back a grin. “Give me a bite.”
I shoved the fork in his face, and he took the food off the end, chewing. He’d hate it.
But his grimace slowly smoothed out. “That’s not bad.” He leaned forward to examine my plate. “Actually, it’s kind of good. Give me another bite.”
I elbowed him back. “Get your own food, Maverick.”
He tore off a piece with his fingers and popped it in his mouth. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you to share?”
My childhood taught me to share with the less fortunate, and this giant wasn’t lacking in the food department. “Since when do you appreciate spicy cuisine?”
Fane licked his fingers, making my stomach do somersaults, and then he grabbed my orange juice. “I don’t know. Do you still like lemonade?”
I did.
He set the glass back on my tray. “We need to meet with Alpha Camus when he returns from the summit meeting tomorrow. Barric will call to ensure you’re here and have officially met the alpha.” Fane grabbed the fork from me and cut another bite. “If Barric thinks you’re a danger, he could hunt you down and kill you.”
My brows furrowed. “But I’m not a danger.”
“He wants you to prove that.” Fane licked syrup from his lips. “He’s already wary that you broke out of his alpha influence. I’m one thing, but someone I turned with that much power will remain on his radar for a while.”
I crossed my arms over the covers and sighed. “Shit.” Fane had been right to convince me to break out of his power, though. Barric would have forced me to spill the beans about the Infernal Sol, and considering how Coltrane acted when she found out I was a shifter, she definitely would have locked me up.
Maybe she would have killed me too.
Fane placed the fork on my plate and grabbed my glass of orange juice again. “In the meantime, we’re going to see an elder wolf about our link.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
A tiny,dilapidated cabin emerged between tall oak trees, their leaves turning sienna, copper, burnt orange, and pale yellow. Ivy vines grew along the porch, coiling around the rails and snaking over the wooden slats.
I cast Fane a wary glance. “Please don’t tell me there’s an evil book hidden in the basement of this place that’ll raise a psychotic demon.”
He rolled his eyes. “You can’t summon a demon that way. Everyone knows that.”
A snort slipped out. “Wow. You made a joke.” I reached up and put my palm on his forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
Fane grabbed my hand and pulled it down, his thumb absentmindedly tracing over the scars on my wrist before he let it drop. “Logan’s not the only one with a sense of humor. Idohave one. You’re just so hellbent on pissing me off that you rarely see it.”
My feet crunched under the leaves as we approached the porch. “I’m leaning into my strengths.” I jerked my chin toward the cabin again. “What is this place?”
“It belongs to an elder wolf who might have answers about this link.” His gaze dropped to where the sun tattoo remained hidden under my black shirt. “If the Infernal Sol is solely responsible, she can’t help.”
“Then we’d have to go to a demon.” I chewed on my bottom lip as we climbed the stairs together. “Maybe Ruin would know.”
Fane scowled. “Must we talk about your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend, prick. We kissed, like, twice.” My time at Ruin’s seemed so long ago, but it hadn’t even been a week since I fled while Princess Venna sent her demons to snatch me out of the lab.
He raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open, revealing a tall, slender woman with long waves of silver hair and skin so thin and pale blue veins showed through. Her loose pants hung off her hips, and the lilac sweater swallowed her tiny frame. “Fane Maverick. I’ve been expecting you.” She stepped out of the shadows, and the sunlight stippling the forest hit her golden irises as they seared right into me, attempting to read my soul. “And you must be his partner, Tatum Teague.”
