Page 24 of Rhaz’s Redemption (Shifters of Valo Prime #6)

Rhaz

Beatrice seemed less than pleased to be trapped here with me.

She’d barely spoken a word since my sire left.

I thought my vow to get her out of here might bring her some comfort but she only pursed her lips, turned her back to me, and walked into the small cabin, where she’d stayed for the entire morning.

One week. We had one week to find a way out of this ravine.

I tried to distract myself with the task at hand.

The ravine was long and narrow and filled with fruit trees and some animal dens.

At least we wouldn’t starve to death out here.

I could provide Batrice with fruit and meat and whatever else the ravine had to offer including the fresh water that flowed along the side.

All in all, things could be much worse. We could be back in the dark cave they’d locked me in before this mess all started, but instead we were here, away from Dameron’s hunters, with a cabin to keep us out of the cold.

I looked up at the smooth walls again and let my claws extend out from my fingers.

I had to at least try to climb up. I let the sharp tips of my claws sink into the rock and then reached up to climb a little higher, but my hand slipped on some moss and I went sliding back down.

The smooth rock combined with the slick moss that was growing everywhere made for an impossible climb.

Unless someone from our dekes got us out of here, we were stuck.

I looked toward the cabin and saw Beatrice walk in front of the window. She looked…sad and tired. I hated seeing her this way and the news that we wouldn’t be able to climb out of here wasn’t going to improve her mood. Unfortunately, it had to be done. I took a deep breath and headed inside.

I closed the door behind me to keep the cold out.

Beatrice had started a small fire in the hearth from the woodpile that sat nearby.

Her back had been turned to me when I entered but once the door closed she glanced at me over her shoulder and then returned to her task of looking through the storage jars and baskets along the far wall.

“Um, I don’t think I’ll be able to climb out of here,” I began. Beatrice made an affirmative sound in her throat and kept looking through the storage.

“The walls are to vertical and the moss covering them makes them too slick to climb.”

“I figured that might be the case,” she commented without looking my way.

“I’ll find another solution though,” I promised. “There are a lot of reeds and other strong plants in the ravine. I might be able to make a rope long enough to hook around a tree and then we can climb out of here that way.”

“That sounds promising,” she finally turned around and met my gaze. “Let me know if I can help. I want to get out of here as much as you do.”

“Of course,” I nodded. Her words were filled with ice and her gaze was empty. The thought of being trapped here with Beatrice wasn’t unpleasant for me. It was actually a bit of a dream come true, but I got the feeling she didn’t feel the same way.

I left the cabin and went searching for hearty plants to make a rope with and was pleased to find a cluster of raka leaves along with plenty of reeds.

I harvested the leaves and let them dry out in the sun for the rest of the afternoon as I worked on weaving the reeds together into a strong rope that could hold us both.

For lunch we ate some of the rations in Beatrice’s pack and for dinner I cooked two small forest creatures that I’d found in a nearby burrow.

Beatrice remained quiet for the rest of the day despite my efforts to draw her out into conversation.

“Did I miss anything while I was gone?” I asked as we sat across from each other inside the cabin in front of the fire place.

“No,” she shook her head. “Not much happened.”

“I see,” I commented.

A long silence fell between us as we ate and I decided to comment on our lack of firewood just to make Beatrice aware of our situation.

“We won’t be able to burn much wood while we’re out here. The number of trees in this ravine are few, and I don’t want to cut down the fruit trees unless we have to.”

Beatrice looked up from her dinner then then gazed into the fire. “I’m assuming that means we won’t be able to burn wood at night.”

“Unfortunatly yes,” I confirmed.

She nodded to herself then got up and left the cabin. She returned a short time later with three large rocks and placed them onto the fire. I wasn’t sure what they were for, but I assumed Beatrice had her reasons.

“Um,” I began again while running my hand through my hair. “We could share a bed at night so you can stay warm.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Her comment was quick and direct.

She was not interested in sharing a bed with me, and I didn’t blame her.

I would do as she wished, but if she started shivering in the night I might have to sleep near her either way.

We wouldn’t share furs, but I’d find a way to keep her warm.

After dinner I found a basket of furs and pulled a few out for myself. Beatrice had two furs in her pack and there were still five in the basket. So I was satisfied that she’d have enough to be comfortable.

I pushed her bed closer to the fire so she’d stay as warm as possible for as long as possible, and I set up my furs close to the fire as well.

Once that was done I went to check on the rake leaves I’d found earlier. They were sufficiently dried out by now, so I brought them in and set them in front of Beatrice who was sitting by the window and looking out at the stars.

“I found these while looking for reeds to make rope with.”

Beatrice traced the top leaf light with her finger then looked up at me with a bewildered expression on her face.

I wasn’t used to being so direct. Even with my brother shifters I tended to to keep to myself. Should say more?

“They’re dry.” I added, but her expression didn’t change.

“Oh, here’s a writing stone. I don’t think it’ll work as well as the ones near the mountain, but it was the darkest one I could find in the ravine.”

I turned her hand over and placed the stone in her palm, but she just kept looking up at me as if she were just as at loss for words as I was.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said in nearly a whisper.

“I know.” Now it was my turn to be confused. Why wouldn’t I collect raka leaves for her? This was Beatrice, the female who held my heart. The beautiful human female who’d I’d fallen for since the moment I first laid eyes on her.

She closed her fist over the writing stone and looked down at the leaves. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“It was my pleasure.” I assured her but that apparently wasn’t the right thing to say.

Her gaze snapped up at me and her face was fixed with a scowl.

“I think I’ll go to sleep now,” she informed me then grabbed two sticks from outside and rolled the rocks from the fire onto a fur.

She then bundled the blanket up and placed it on the bottom of her bed of furs.

I wasn’t sure where she learned this trick, but it became even more clear to me that Beatrice did not need me out here.

If we did ever manage to form a relationship it would be because she wanted me and not because she needed me.

That thought was both exciting and daunting.

I would make myself worthy of Beatrice, the beautiful female with the big brown eyes, warm brown skin, lush black curls, and a head full of knowledge.

It might take me a lifetime, but I would be glad for every moment.

For there was no more worthy a task than to make myself worthy of her.

I piled up a few furs on the floor for my own bed, and set the leaf star Beatrice had given me on the table. Then I bedded down for the night and hoped I’d find more success in wooing my mate tomorrow than I did today.