Page 90 of Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter 17)
Thorn swung the sword up to rest on his shoulder. "Getting the demon out of you, dumbass. I figured you'd had about enough of him."
Bewildered by the unexpected change of fortune, Fang looked back and forth between them. Was this another head game they were playing with him? Until he knew for sure, he wasn't getting up. "I don't understand."
Savitar dropped the locket on his chest. "The easiest, and I use that word with all due sarcasm, way to get Phrixis out of you required an act of unspeakable altruism. I threatened your brother's life and you came, ready to die to protect him."
Thorn nodded. "The simple love of that one act was more than the demon could handle and out he came. Since he had no body to return to, he was destroyed. Simple."
"Yeah." Savitar held his hand out to Fang to help him to his feet.
For once, he let Savitar pull him to his feet. He wanted to kill them both, but right now he was too grateful to be alive. "You're both sick, but I appreciate what you did. The bastard was getting a little hard to handle."
Thorn twisted the sword on his shoulder, making the blade flash wickedly in the daylight. "Sorry for the trauma. There really was no other way. Had you had even an inkling, it wouldn't have worked. But if it makes you feel better, we know you're not the one killing those people. That would be Misery and Crew, who you now have to find and kill."
Savitar grinned. "If it makes you feel better, you took it like a man."
"No," Fang corrected him. "I took it like a wolf."
Savitar saluted him with respect. "Touche."
Fang looked out at the beach, grateful that it hadn't been his last sight after all. "Can I go home now?"
Savitar shook his head. "Not quite yet. There's something I want you to see."
The next thing Fang knew, he was back in his cell and this time his powers weren't working at all.
Thorn sheathed his sword. "Thanks for the assist."
"No problem."
Sick about what had happened, Thorn looked around at the scattered ashes of the demon. "Damn shame Fang couldn't control him. I'd had great plans for them."
Savitar arched one brow. "What kind of plans?"
"You're omniscient. Don't you know?"
Savitar gave him a droll glare. "You know better. I can only see the future after I've impacted it." Which was why he tried to stay on his island, away from the world. Here there was nothing and no one to change.
Life went on without him and he preferred it that way.
Most days.
Thorn shrugged. "I guess we all have a limit to what we can do."
That was supposed to be the law of the universe and yet he'd seen and felt things from Thorn that defied that. "That's not what I've heard about you."
"You going to believe everything you hear?"
Savitar watched as Thorn vanished. He knew that man was playing a game with all of them. He just wished he knew which one.
And who Thorn's real teammates were.
Fang pounded at the clear door, furious over being locked in after what they'd done to him. He'd been put through the wringer and right now he was ready to tear both Savitar and Thorn apart.
"Hold your fur, wolf," Savitar snapped as he appeared in the hallway.
"Why can't I go?"
"Because I think you need to see this."
"See what?"
He jerked his chin toward the wall behind Fang. "Your brother's time is up to bring you in."
What did that have to so with anything? "I brought myself in."
"Vane doesn't know that. I think you should see his reaction."
"You are really sick, aren't you?"
"No. I just know how much in life goes unsaid and hidden. Everyone needs to know, just once, how much they mean to the people around them."
Fang frowned as he vanished. The moment, he did, the clear door darkened to black and the wall Savitar had indicated a second ago turned transparent, showing him the council room on the other side.
Vane was already there. Alone.
Savitar strode over to him, again with that stoic expression that gave away absolutely nothing. "Where's your brother?"
"I don't know."
"You couldn't find him?"
Vane's features hardened with determination. "I didn't look."
Savitar's expression turned dark. Lethal. When he spoke, his tone was filled with malice. "Do you understand what you're risking?"
Vane nodded. "My mate and I are bonded. I offer you my life for Fang's, but please, don't leave my children orphans. I know you have the ability to break a bond-mating and I ask you to have mercy. My family is innocent and they pose no threat to you or anyone else."
"You're really asking me for mercy?"
A tic worked in Vane's jaw and Fang knew exactly how hard the next words were for a man as proud as his brother was to say. "I'm begging for your mercy, Savitar. I can't hand my brother over to you."
One taunting eyebrow shot up. "You can't or you won't?"
"Both."
"And your mate? What did she have to say about this?"
"She agreed with my decision."
"Even though it means she might not live to see your children grow up?"
Vane nodded. "We understand the consequences. As I said, we're hoping for your mercy. But whatever you decide, I can't live knowing my life was paid for with my brother's blood."
"That's a hell of a thing to hope for. You're not really counting on me to play with a conscience, are you?"
Fang frowned as he heard someone at the door of his cell. He looked back at Vane and Savitar who were still talking.
What was going on?
"Fang? Are you in there?"
His heart stopped beating at the sound of the last voice he expected to hear. "Aimee?"
"Hurry. Get the door open."
Who was she talking to?
"Stand back, akri-wolf! The Simi's gonna huff and puff and melt that door down. And you might not want to be too close when I do it, 'cause melted wolf is tough on the enamel and akra-Aimee might not like it if you turn into a puddle of bloody goo. Besides, burning wolf is kind of smelly to the Simi's delicate nostrils. So stand back."
Fang was stunned. Simi was with Aimee? Ash's demon companion? What the hell was she doing here?
What was Aimee thinking?
Knowing better than to argue with Simi, who never took no for an answer unless Ash was the one saying it, Fang did as she said. He'd barely cleared the area when the door literally disintegrated into a molten pool on the floor.
Beaming with pride over what she'd done, Simi wiped her hands together. "That was fun . . . you think Savitar will let the Simi blast through something else? Maybe that curtain over there . . ."
"No, no, Simi," Aimee said, pulling her to a stop. "We don't want to torch the curtains."
Simi's bottom lip jutted out into a strangely becoming pout. "Oh, pooh, you're just like akri. No, Simi, don't be breathing fire around the flammable objects or small children. Except for that black plastic card that's not really plastic. It some metal thing, but the Simi loves it 'cause it let her buy everything she want without limit. He never say no to Simi when she use it. Oh, hello there, Fang. You okay? You looking kind of peaked or piqued or . . . ? Oh, heck, the Simi can never keep those straight."
Ignoring Simi's rant, he looked at Aimee. "What are you two doing here?"
"We're saving you."
"Aimee," he said, stressing her name and the danger she'd placed them both in.
He also stopped as he saw Savitar flash in behind her with a look of extreme fury on his face.
"No buts, Fang. I can't let you do . . ." Her words faded as she caught sight of Savitar standing behind her in the glass's reflection.
Aimee froze to the spot. Her heart sliding into her stomach, she turned around to face what had to be the most terrifying grimace ever conceived.
"Hi," she said, hoping to lighten his mood.
His look only darkened-so much for trying. It'd only made it worse. "What are you doing, bear?"
"By the unhappy glower on your face, I would say making the single worst mistake of my life."
Fang moved to stand in front of her. "She was only trying to help me."
"And going against me in the process. No offense, but that seriously pisses me off."
Simi's eyes widened. "Ooo, you got that throbbing vein like akri gets right before he turns blue. You gonna turn blue too, akri-Savvy?"
Aimee gulped. "No, Simi, I think he's turning redder."
Savitar looked as if he was working hard on not killing her. "Answer me one thing. . . . What were you going to do after you took him out of here?"
Aimee hesitated.
"You didn't exactly think this through, did you?" Savitar looked at Vane who'd just moved into the area to see what was going on. "Wolves and Simi, leave. Now."
Vane passed a sympathetic look to Aimee before he followed Savitar's command.
Fang knew he was about to commit suicide, but he couldn't obey him and leave Aimee here alone. The protective wolf inside him would never abandon her to anyone's wrath, especially not someone as capricious and lethal as Savitar. "It's my fault she's here. I take full responsibility."
