Page 92 of The Lands Defying
I resist moving my eyes to Darius and his men, to not give them away as I continue to watch the purple strand that feel wrong attached to him.
Another chuckle brings my attention back to Frederick, but making sure I watch that magic out of the corner of my eye.
“Ahh, yes,” he says. “You didn’t know the Highers have Heir power, did you?”
“How do you have it?” I grind out between clenched teeth, my hand tightening around the hilt of my blade.
“We Highers have had Heir power in some way, shape or form for over twenty years now,” he hums, smiling as more snarling comes from the hole where the grate was lifted. “Now, some have more than others, but what a gift it is that we have received. You can thank your mother for that, Lasandrhea.”
My heart lodges in my throat at the mention of my mother. “What?” I barely get the words out, the word no more than a whisper, but the malicious glint in his eyes lets me know he heard me.
“She was a beautiful woman,” he says wistfully while I try not to throw up for Gods knows how many times now. “But alas, she was off limits to us.”
Mathew pulls the chain harder, moving towards the center of the room and I step further away, wanting to make sure I have all of them in view as I see more guards join the others.
Gods, we are outnumbered.
But that’s the least of my problems with what I see next.
A clawed hand appears from the hole in the floor, the sharpness of them able to dig into the hard stone and gripsit tightly. The dark violet of Mathew’s power thickens slightly as the male grunts, and another clawed hand emerges before a snarling beast appears.
I finally move my panicked eyes to Darius, and he begins to move through the shadows.
“Rhea…”Josh says worriedly.
The beast lifts himself out of the hole, the huge mass of his body revealing itself as he gets a hind leg up, and a clawed foot is placed on the floor. Mathew’s powers is wrapped around its waist, and I realize it was used to help the rogure out of whatever the fuck is below.
I move further back, looking toward Darius again, but don’t see him there.
My hands start to sweat, and my legs shake slightly as the new rogure stands to its full height of over seven feet. The lower half of his bottom rots off in chunks like a rogure, as hair covers the rest of him. Just like the others.
It lifts its head and inhales deeply through its still wolf-like snout, and lets out a terrifying, screeching growl.
“Do you see? It’s magnificent,” Frederick says, but I keep my eyes locked on the beast. “It has been many years in the making, and finally, we have succeeded,” he laughs, holding his arms out to the beast.
“Succeeded in what?” I ask him through trembling lips, dreading to know.
“In making these new rogures of course. We can breed them, we can control them, we have an army of them,” he boasts. I lock my knees, willing them not to fail me with the words he is telling me. “My, Lasandrhea, this is perfect timing that you have arrived. This beast hasn’t been tested yet for breed ability, but it would be good to work you in.” Work me in… “And you have been wanted since Lord Higher found out you were alive to be fucked and bred. It’s perfect timing.” I gag. “Your mother saw tofoiling his plans, but alas, Lord Higher has been working toward this new goal for some time.”
Mathew clicks his fingers, and the snarling beast stops, every sound stops. “Ricurium,” Mathew murmurs as he runs a hand down its hairy side.
The rogure, beast, whatever the fuck monstrosity it is, snaps its head toward him, and Mathew drops the chain while recalling his magic.
Fuck.
My eyes bounce between them and the new rogure, sweat beading my brow as a roll of familiar power fills the room. My head snaps to where Darius was, and I see him now walking out from behind the row of cells.
“Higher Frederick, Higher Mathew of Vrohkaria, you are guilty of treason and are sentenced to death under the laws of the land,” he announces, and comes up to my side, power flowing from him that calls to my own without hesitance. My marking appears as he continues. “You are going to die today,” he tells them. “Have no doubt about that.” The other Elites and Josh come behind us and stand at our back, ready.
Nerves rattle through me as Frederick lets out a booming laugh, his manic eyes alight.
“My, my, Alpha Darius,” he says. “Who knew a wet cunt would make you commit treason against the Highers. I can smell your scent on her, boy.” Darius snarls, inky tendrils of his power coating his body like a second skin. “I cannot wait until we let Lord Higher know that your loyalty has changed. He will have his fun with you. Your father would be disappointed.” He frowns like he’s upset about that.
“I do not claim a man or a wolf who kidnapped people and experimented on them against their will, or abused others as my father did.”
“Ah, but he was your father,” Frederick smiles cruelly as Mathew laughs, their eyes on me. “And he very much liked watching females getting their throat fucked and playing with their body while they were unconscious, as did we. We very much enjoyed visiting you in your home, Lasandrhea.”
My vision blurs, and I grip onto Darius’s arm, trying to keep the memories at bay, trying not to let myself sink into them so they can suffocate me.
