Page 47 of Rhaz's Redemption
Rhaz slowly turned as he took in the sight of our new location. The walls of the ravine were so high and so perfectly straight, that we had no hope of ever climbing out of here.
“Where are we?” Rhaz asked.
“This place is…” Dameron began and then stopped himself as he looked around too. The sun had risen above the horizon providing us with the light we needed to see things clearly.
“This place is a refuge I built for myself long ago. When I discovered what I truly was I tried to hide away from the world, and it worked until Kahina called for us to gather to choose a new Savrix. I cast my lot with the others and my talisman stood out from all the rest.”
Dameron’s shoulders slumped and even though I’d only met the male two days ago, I never thought I’d see him look as dejected as he did now.
“You never wanted to be Savrix,” Rhaz commented.
“No,” his father shook his head. “I just wanted to hide away from the world. Our people are so obsessed with everything staying the same, that the shame of knowing I was different from everyone else ate me up inside.”
“It’s not shameful to be a shifter,” I stated. This self-loathing of his had cost Rhaz and many others a childhood of comfort and love. None of those guys had to be exiled, but because Dameron hated himself for being a shifter he punished everyone else in the same way he believed he should be punished.
“It is shameful!” Dameron hissed. All of his rage had returned. Rhaz quickly stepped between us so his sire couldn’t hurt me.
“We are all monsters, but today marks the beginning of my new plan. You two have an affection for each other. That much is clear,” the Savrix eyed both of us and neither Rhaz nor I denied his claim.
“You will lie with her in the furs and make a child and I will raise my grandchild to be better than the both of us combined. They will be strong and pure and everything we are not.”
“No,” Rhaz growled. “I will not bend to your will, and if Beatrice and I ever make a child together, it certainly won’t be here trapped in his ravine.”
“You say that now, but I have ways to make you yield to my wishes,” Dameron vowed.
“I can handle any punishment you give me,” Rhaz shot back.
“Not the one I have in mind…” Dameron’s grin was unnerving, and I had no interest in finding out what he had planned.
“How much time do we have?” I asked. Perhaps we could stall long enough to make an escape plan.
“I’ll give you a week. I want to smell your scent on her by the time the big moon is full.”
“I will not yield!” Rhaz vowed again, but Dameron wasn’t interested in arguing anymore. He again turned into mist and vanished out of the ravine. Then we were alone, just Rhaz and me.
He slowly turned and met my gaze. “I, um,” he swallowed hard and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll get us out of here. You won’t have to mate with me.”
And for some reason those words really hurt. He was being completely logical and I agreed that we did need to get away from this place, but yet, it also felt like he was denying me all over again. He’d vowed once before that we’d never be mates and now it felt like he was reiterating that stentiment again.
Whatever his reasoning was to be kind to me earlier in the cabin it wasn’t to woo me. He didn’t want me, not like that, not then, and certainly not now.
Chapter 20
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 upto 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.
