Page 20 of Rhaz’s Redemption (Shifters of Valo Prime #6)

Within seconds, Zander was there. He unshifted one of his arms and grasped the other male’s shoulder. But apparently his hand, although unshifted, was still hot as coals, because the hunter screamed in pain and fell to his knees.

The other males took this as an unacceptable act of aggression against one of their own and let out a battle cry as they raised their spears and charged forward.

Hunters clashed with shifters as spears were met with claws and fangs. The hunters were quickly overwhelmed by the shifters and their prowess in fighting. Blood was spilled on both sides, but it was Dameron’s men who were suffering the most fatal blows.

I stood beside Axon ready to fight, and held up my wrists to him. He understood what I needed, and with one quick slash of his claws, he cut me free of my bindings.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two of Dameron’s males approaching Beatrice with lust in their eyes. It had been many moons since any of these males had been around an unmated adult female.

She screamed as one of them pinned her to a tree, and I ran in her direction. I’d let her down before. I wouldn’t do it again.

I sank my claws deep into the male who was holding her and his screams filled me with an uneasy pleasure. The other male looked at the destruction happening all around him and fled into the woods.

Beatrice was trembling with fear and rubbing her wrist as if she’d been injured.

“Are you alright,” I asked as I checked her over for any other wounds.

“Am I alright?” she laughed. “You are the one with dried blood all over your fur.”

“My wounds do not matter,” I brushed her concerns aside. “She didn’t know I couldn’t be killed, but that revelation would have to wait for another time.

Beatrice furrowed her brows and lifted her fingers to my temple. “That’s not true.”

Her delicate touch made me shiver with delight as she gently brushed a gash that was quickly healing. I wanted to sit by this tree forever and let her touch me as she pleased, but now was not the time for slow touches or the inspecting of wounds.

“You have to get out of here,” I took her hand and placed it in mine. “It’s not safe.”

I looked over my shoulder at Dameron and inwardly smiled at the grimace on his face. He was clearly disappointed in his men and that brought me unspeakable joy.

“What about you?” Beatrice, who was far more compassionate than I deserved, asked.

“I will be fine as long as you are safe. I…”

What could I say in this brief moment? I’m sorry? I want to take back everything I’ve ever said? We will one day have a son with your eyes? The list went on and on, but my time was running out.

“You are everything, Beatrice,” I confessed as I held her hand over my heart. “You make life worth living, and I want to live my life with you. I want to make myself worthy of you.”

“I-” I was desperate to know her thoughts, but she never finished that statement. Instead her eyes grew wide and her jaw hung open as she stared at something over my shoulder.

I turned just in time to see my sire, the Savrix who hated shifters, who had blamed us for the disease that had taken so many lives, suddenly shift into a red shadowy mist.

One moment he was standing just a few feet before me and the next he had turned into a red cloud. That mist rode the wind mid way up the mountain where he rematerialized on the ledge.

There was a scream and then I watched in horror as that same red mist carried Tabby down into the clearing.

Her loud cries caused everyone to pause in their fighting.

Dameron held what was clearly a half human, half sirret baby.

Her brown skin coupled with her horn nubs and tail was all the evidence they needed to know that it was possible to not only mate with a human but make a child with one too.

A growl ripped from Tarak’s throat as he stalked toward the other Savrix, but Dameron was quick, too quick. He held a blade in front of Tabby as a threat of violence he would commit if the other Savrix disobeyed him.

“Take one more step and the sietling dies,” he warned and Tarak stopped in his tracks.

“Good,” the vile male nodded. “There are eight more human females on the ledge,” Dameron informed his hunters. “Go get them.”

Both Axon and Orsu stepped toward the hunters in a fighting stance, but Dameron only needed to show them the knife he held as a silent warning to back down.

A group of hunters made their way into our mountain home, and came back out escorting all the human females of our dekes. One of them even grabbed my Beatrice.

Everything within me screamed to fight them off, to gnaw off the very hand that dared to touch my mate. But I knew if I made any move to attack, my sire would kill Tabby. The babe was screaming now and squirming in Dameron’s arms as if she knew exactly how evil he was.

“Please, Savrix,” Favalor bowed low before his leader then lifted his head to request, “May I hold her. I have helped raise many siblings. I know how to soothe a baby.”

Dameron narrowed his eyes at the young hunter who had only recently reached adulthood. After a long, tense moment, the Savrix sighed and handed Favalor the baby.

“Keep it quiet,” he commanded.

“Yes, sir,” Favalor bowed again and melted into the crowd while rubbing soothing circles on Tabby’s back.

“What about the pregnant ones?” Scaron, a childhood nemesis of mine asked.

Dameron looked at the three visibly pregnant females, Julie, Kayla, and Taylor, and shook his head. “They aren’t worth the trouble. Leave them here.”

The three women walked to their mates and were embraced in tight hugs. Relief shown on Orsu’s, Drovo’s, and Brexl’s faces. Their mates would be safe while the others still faced unknown danger at the hand of a mad man.

“Tie him up again. He’s coming with us too.” To my surprise, my sire was pointing to me. He looked to Beatrice then back up at me and I had a sinking feeling that whatever his plans were, whatever future torture he could devise, he wanted my mate to watch.

Good. I was glad I was being forced back with the females. At least now I could help set them free.