Page 19 of Rhaz’s Redemption (Shifters of Valo Prime #6)

Rhaz

CW: Descriptions of violence including domestic violence, kidnapping of a child

My sire had kept me locked away in a dark cave for two weeks and only gave me one meal a day. I was weak, tired, and badly beaten. My sire had called the giant shifter back, but when he asked Gil to beat me until I could no longer stand, he refused.

“Nothing can be gained from this. I will help save the females you say are being held against their will, but that is all I will do.”

“You will beat him, or I won’t let you near the females,” Dameron growled. But Gil was not scared of him. Instead he shifted to his full height and towered over my sire.

“I’m not someone you want to threaten. If you take away my one reason for helping you, what reason do I have not to hurt you next?”

Dameron swallowed hard. “You’re right. I misspoke. This is a family issue. I’ll take care of Rhaz myself.”

“That’s better. I’ll be waiting for you to summon me when the females arrive.” With that, Gil turned and left the clearing near the cave where I’d been held, and then it was just me and my sire. He’d never beaten me before. For better or worse, my mother had always gotten between us.

My sire slapped me across the cheek and I bit back a growl. Then he punched me in the gut causing me to keel over and gasp for air.

When I looked up at him again he looked disappointed, as if hitting me wasn’t enough. Whatever it was he wanted to beat out of me, it didn’t seem to be fading with his blows.

There was a puddle on the ground near my hand. I caught his reflection in it. He looked down and saw himself too. His eyes darkened and he stomped on the puddle to get rid of the image.

“It’s not me you want to hit, is it?” I don’t know how I knew this, but there was something about the emptiness in his gaze that told me, his rage, although directed at me, wasn’t about me at all.

“You know not of what you speak, boy,” my sire replied. He looked at me one more time before he turned and walked away looking wholly unfulfilled.

Now I stood in another clearing. Dameron waved a hand and one of his hunters shoved me forward.

I heard a small gasp that sounded like Beatrice and my eyes searched the surrounding area.

I hoped it wasn’t her. She should be hiding somewhere safe, not out here so close to the male who was the most capable of hurting her the most.

A growl drew my attention back to the line of people before me. Tarak had bared his teeth and took a step forward before Orsu pulled him back. “We must hold the line. We’ll get Rhaz back soon.”

I was overwhelmed with emotion that they’d fight for me, but worried for them too.

This was a bold move even for Dameron. If he had brought Gil, then maybe his males could win against ours, but because he didn’t, I couldn’t see how he could win this fight.

My sire had something planned. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I’d hate it nonetheless.

“Disgusting,” Dameron spat. “Each and every one of you are disgusting.” His eyes scanned the line of shifters before him and the corner of his mouth curled back in a snarl.

“Why have you come?” Tarak asked. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” The older Savrix spoke his question in a tone that suggested he expected Tarak already knew the answer. “I want the truth. No more of these little games. No more lies.”

“What truth?” Tarak asked. “We’ve always told you the truth.”

“Have you? Then why is it that every time my hunters captures someone from your dekes they have a new female with them? Over and over again, you swear there are no more females, and yet, a new one seems to emerge with each full moon.”

Tarak clenched his teeth and a muscle in his jaw tightened. We had been lying to the other dekes letting them believe there were very few human females among us.

“You’ve met all of our new females,” Tarak continued. “Now I ask that you leave and let us tend to our wounded.”

Tarak’s gaze shifted to me and an expression of pity crossed his face. I didn’t want his pity. I wanted to be free from these bindings. I wanted to stand alongside my brother shifters.

Dameron leveled my Savrix with a glare. “I don’t believe you.

” He crossed his arms over his chest as if he were growing impatient with this conversation and continued, “This is what we’re going to do.

I will give you Rhaz if you bring out every female from that mountain.

I want to see exactly how many of them you’ve been hiding. ”

“NO!” Tarak growled. “You’ve met them all, now leave!”

Dameron pursed his lips in irritation and asked, “is that your final answer?”

“Yes,” Tarak answered through gritted teeth. There was no way he would parade his mate and child out in front of this male who couldn’t be trusted.

Dameron pulled on the rope that was tied around my neck and I stumbled forward. Then he wrapped one arm around my shoulders to keep me in place and with his other hand, lifted a bone knife to my neck.

“I will give you to the count of ten to change your answer before I slit Rhaz’s throat.”

Tarak stepped forward in shock, “you would kill your own son?”

“This is no son of mine,” Dameron replied and pressed the blade against me until I felt a trickle of blood roll down my skin.

“One,” he began, and no one moved.

“Two,” Tarak clenched his jaw and looked back toward the mountain, toward his family.

“Three,” Dameron tightened his hold on me as I attempted to squirm out of his grasp. I would not allow them to yield to Dameron.

“Four.”

“Don’t do it!” I pleaded, both to my sire and to Tarak. “Do. Not. Yield!”

“Five.”

“He cannot hurt me,” I continued until something caught my gaze. “He…” my words trailed off as I saw Beatrice slowly stand from behind one of the large rocks that lined the entrance to our mountain home. Fear and trepidation were clear on her face.

“He can’t hurt me,” I pleaded one last time, slightly commanding Beatrice to hide behind that boulder once again. She couldn’t do this. Whatever reason she had to show herself now, it wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t worth it.

“Six.” Dameron hadn’t seen Beatrice yet, but time was running out.

“Seve-”

“I am the last female!” She interrupted his countdown, and any hope I had for her safety was gone.

To my utter shock two more females rose from their hiding places and stood on either side of the one that I cherished.

“We are the last three females you have yet to meet,” Fatima shouted for all to hear. Beatrice gave her a weak smile and the three of them clasped hands as they stood side-by-side.

“Let him go,” I pleaded. “You have seen us. Be satisfied.”

A wicked grin spread across Dameron’s face and he loosened his grip on my shoulders. I stumbled to the ground, but kept my gaze on Beatrice. Go! Run! Flee from this place! I silently pleaded with her again. She had a chance. If she ran now she might just get away.

But she didn’t run. Instead, she walked toward me with her hands out, ready to help me back up again.

But my sire stopped her before she could reach me. He held her by the chin and turned her face side to side as he examined her.

“Let her go,” I growled as I rose to my feet.

A curious expression crossed Dameron’s face as he looked at me then back at Beatrice again. Then his eyes grew wide as if he’d just been given a twisted spark of divine inspiration.

“Seeing your act of selfless kindness toward this wretched creature has given me a new idea,” he said to Beatrice.

“You will be the lever that sets my new plan in motion. You will open the door to a new bloodline for my family. I will get another chance to raise a seitling, and this time I’ll do it right. ”

“No!” I growled then spit blood onto my sire’s feet like a curse. He grimaced but was undeterred from his goal.

“Grab the other two,” Dameron commanded as he wrapped his meaty hand around Beatrice’s soft arm and began pulling her toward the other dekes.

“No,” she voiced her protest as she tried to free herself from his grasp. “I won’t go with you!”

“You don’t have a choice,” Dameron hissed.

I looked ahead of me just in time to see two other males manhandling Fatima and Anusha. They were also struggling to be released from their grasp.

“Let them go.” A voice drew my attention to the left, and I saw Zander had stepped forward to challenge his Savrix.

“I knew you would turn aganist me eventually,” Dameron scowled, but continued to push Beatrice forward.

A crackling sound reached my ears and I turned again to see Zander had shifted into his flaming bird form. His arms had been transformed into burning wings and the scent of hot embers filled the air.

“I said let them go,” he repeated himself. Zander’s focus was entirely on Fatima and the male who was forcing her to walk against her will.

Everyone stilled at the sight of this new shifter who had emerged from years of secrecy. It was a risk to show himself like this, but, by the determined look in his eyes, it was a risk worth taking.

“You won’t be going anywhere with them,” Tarak stepped forward as well.

“I would sooner die than let you take Beatrice,” I stood to my full height in my shifted form and let my rage flood through me. He wouldn’t be taking Beatrice anywhere today.

My sire smiled as if I’d uttered some kind of joke. He alone knew the truth of my statement that I could and would die a thousand times over to keep this female safe.

“That can be arranged,” Dameron purred in a haughty tone.

“You’ll have to fight me too,” Brexl stepped up to the center next to Tarak and all of Dameron’s hunters shifted nervously on their feet. They knew Brexl, of all the shifters, was not to be messed with. He was built for fighting and his bone plating made him impossible to kill.

“These are empty threats. Keep moving,” the vile Savrix commanded, and his men obeyed.

The male holding Fatima continued to shove her forward and she whimpered in pain when he shoved her a bit too hard.