Redeemed In Shadows (23 page)

“I’ll have no part in this. The sisters will go to the council and I won’t be held accountable for your action in this.”

His brother disappeared leaving him to deal with the Incubus. He knew there would be no divine intervention. All life whether born of this realm or not had free will. Which truly pissed off the sisters. The Spinner of life, the Measurer of life, and the Cutter. They were all soft in the skull as far as he was concerned. They were the worst kind of females ever to be created and their purpose in life was to make others miserable. That day Gabriel took the Incubus’ life to save three. He paid for it by being stripped of his wings and thrust onto Earth for two hundred years. The worst part of it all was that his brother, who’d asked for his help, had been nowhere to be found when it came time to charge him with the crimes. Crimes that should never have been committed to begin with. He knew better now, and even though he’d meddled more after, it was on a smaller scale.

Now he would face his past and in the process loose his friends. Dravaggio had every right to hate him. After Gabe had taken his father, his mother and her children were forced into slavery at the hands of a broker demon name Ceras who in turn sold them, except for the twins to Azrael. The mother being human went insane, but his brother had reared Stefan and his sister breaking them both repeatedly. He’d broken Dravaggio and his sister down piece by piece until they no longer had a care for life. The twins Kiel and Kellen were assumed dead, Gabe knew that wasn’t the case. Death would have been kinder for the twins. When Ceras set them loose into the world, they suffered from insatiable hunger, going on rampant killing sprees in order to get the energy they needed. Now they were locked away from the world, in cages where they were tormented daily for their transgressions. Gabe was still paying for the crimes he committed against the Incubus and his family. He knew the death of Stefan’s mother and loss of his siblings haunted the other man still to this day.

Chapter 20

There was too much going on. Obviously back up had come for them, but like their group, they’d been captured.

“Are we fucking immortals or mortals? I’m about sick and tired of having my ass handed to me on a silver platter.” Royce complained.

At least Cleopatra was on their side. Did he mind that he and his brother were going to fight two of his father’s men? Not really, they’d be equally matched.

“Are we fighting or jaw jabbing?” Ronin asked as he cracked his neck.

“You will be given your natural skills. Weapons at your disposal should you choose.” This came from another one of the hooded figures that’d yet to reveal themselves. That translated to them having their Feral capabilities and nothing else. Which was fine by Royce, he didn’t have to connect via head chat to his brother, they’d be able to take both men down without verbal communication. It was a done deal. They’d use every weapon at their disposal taking their father’s men out and maybe save some scraps for the crowd.

“Belinda.” Ronin looked to their mate and closed his eyes before he spoke. “No matter what Deva, you close your eyes and keep them closed. Block out the noise. I don’t want you to see us like this.”

His brother was right of course. She didn’t need to see the carnage that was going to take place. Flesh would be ripped from bone, chunks of meat would fly, and blood would be on tap, in a constant flow, turning the sand a dirty blue. She shook her head no, placing both hands on her hips as she eyed both of them.

“Baby, I’m gonna watch them go down. I need to make sure you’re alright.” Her voice was strong, but Royce could hear the slight wavering in her words.

“Bells, I don’t want the babies to tap into your memory. They can, and they will while they’re in the womb.”

His beautiful bird nodded, the guards allowing her to turn around so she couldn’t watch them. Cleopatra turned with her, pulling Bells into her arms for comfort and walking them back towards the closed gate, Alexander following closely behind. The crowd grew louder and the ground shook with their excitement. Two large men stepped from the same gate their father had come through. Two men, he and his brother knew well.

“Oberon and Maspheos.” The two feral warriors said nothing.

The traitor Xee and her bumbling companions, asshole number one and asshole number two backed away with Enri and Draven close on their heels. They too went to their side of their closed gate. Silence descended on the crowd and the beat of two drums sounded out a cadence, signaling the start of the fight. Right away their two opponents began changing. Muscles popped and skin stretched to accommodate their bulky frame.

“Game on,” Royce whispered, allowing his true from to take shape. The team had only seen their bodies grow, and their claws lengthen. Ferals had a long list of attributes that helped them to adapt during times of extreme stress or danger. Royce’s muscles popped adjusting to the form very few got a chance to see. His spine cracked as each vertebrae separated allowing his razor sharp horns room to protrude through his back. His faced cracked as his jawline became more pronounced and his cheeks protruded. The snout he went to great lengths to conceal pushed free of his nose, snapping cartilage. His arms and legs now covered in a thick pelt of hair stood on end from the threat they perceived in Oberon and Maspheos. Damn, his shorts were ripped at the seams, leaving only the waistline intact. Their true form was beast like in nature and Royce sent up a silent prayer that his mate would honor his request and not look.

The change took seconds to complete and then they were facing off with their would be killers. Oberon struck first lunging forward and raking Royce across his now bare chest. Deep lacerations burned in his gut and flared to life with fire worms. Disgusting little vermin with a razor sharp teeth and a neurotoxin that would cause its target complete paralysis. It almost worked, almost. Working for the Unit came with its advantages including a heavy dose of inoculations that were administered yearly to protect from things just like these. The first drop of blue blood on the sand had the ground shaking.

Ronin was fairing far better than he was as he had Maspheos on the ground. Royce wiped his chest free of the worms that were dying as they tried to latch onto his skin and raised a bloody brow to Oberon before taking him down. The taste of the other man’s blood burned as he latched onto the other Feral’s jugular, ripping his windpipe clean from his throat. Oberon wasn’t dead, but he was down.

Again, the floor shook, as if it was shuddering in either pain or ecstasy as blue blood soaked into the sand. Oberon lay on the floor, body convulsing as his blood continuously fed the hungry ground.

Interesting.
Royce thought.

He looked to his brother Ronin, who’d successfully removed Maspheos limbs, leaving his torso and neck intact. It seemed the other man’s head was now part of the menu as Royce watched his brother feast on the brains. This was an old custom reserved for the lowest of men within the Feral community. To have another male eat your brain was the equivalent to getting skull fucked literally. Gross to some, but in their society it was only the strong that were able to lord over the weak, and by his brother taking the other man’s head and gorging himself on his thoughts and past memories, Ronin would be able to later share what information he could get.

Blue blood was splattered against the walls, soaked into the sand making the ground sticky and mud-like. They’d barely broken a sweat but form the look of things, they were far from over. Death Walkers with varying stages of decay approached Royce and his brother on all sides.

“For serious, we defeated my father’s merry men of idiots and still there is more to this joke you want to call justice?” Royce threw his hands up, but Ronin egged their attackers on wanting the fight to be over. The crowd yelled and cheered as the zombie-like attackers drew closer.

Six total rushed him and his brother. Black blood spurted in all directions as they began severing heads from bodies. Limbs were disconnected from arm sockets when Ronin picked up a broad sword. A Death Walker who was wielding a sword of his own tore into Royce’s calf muscle, shredding it to the bone. His leg almost gave way but he fought through the pain, his only thought to get back to Bells. His breathing starting to labor as he turned and took yet another head until there was nothing left standing but him and his brother.

On his last leg, Royce collapsed to the sand amidst the blood and twitching bodies of Death Walkers as he tried to catch his breath. He’d been in worse battles, but damn, he was getting too old for this shit. He looked to his left and then his right, searching for his brother. When he couldn’t find him, dark panic and icy fear clung to his blood soaked skin. Scanning again, he spotted Ronin collapsed at Bells feet, arms clinging to her waist as he buried his head in her stomach. Royce crawled over to the couple and his mate immediately dropped to her knees so that she could hold them both in her comforting embrace.

The darkness inside of Royce was set to boil, his hands shook, and not from adrenaline, but for more blood. He felt his woman’s fingers sifting through his hair. In a soothing motion, she conveyed her love and her understanding of what had to be done. The pent up rage was slowly draining from his body leaving him exhausted.

“Royce,” Bells soothed. You gotta beat it back baby.”

She gently wiped the blood from his forehead and slowly the three of them rose to face the All Seeing Eye. Cleopatra taking the side of Ronin, she addressed the cloak figures on the dais, her voice strong and loud as she spoke over the den of voices from the crowd.

“These men have fought well. Has justice been served?”

The hooded figure nodded her head. Albanus as usual was not happy.

“All Seeing Eye, I ask you to reconsider your final judgment. My sons have done much damage in their long lives, the latest includes killing my mate.”

The hooded figures head whipped around so fast, her hood slipped revealing a human face with serpent-like features. She had reptilian eyes, with black scales covering only her cheeks. Her tongue was forked when she hissed and her eye sockets were sunken into her head. She didn’t have a nose but two holes for the purpose of smelling. She was hideous in a way that if you looked long enough she could almost be beautiful.

“Justice. Has. Been. Served. I will hear no more of your words Albanus. Take them back, and get them some food and clean clothes so that they may be comfortable in their stay here as my guests.”

She turned her attention back to the crowd, not bothering to replace her hood. Her mouth opened up to smile. “Bring out the next offender.”



It was going to happen and it was going to happen now. All her fears she thought long gone were surfacing to the top of a hill and couldn’t hold the weight of her worry any longer. It was a cluster fuck so clustered, Jes couldn’t see her way clear. Draven was back under the lure of the Red Sun Organization. He made sure to remind her of his complete and utter lack of morals when he’d thrown her in the cell with the others. She was carrying their unborn child, and Enri had a smile on his face so sinister, she couldn’t stop shaking.

Enri prowled towards her and her friends who were inside the cage listening to the carnage that had taken place in the arena. Gabe put a comforting hand on her shoulder as if he knew what was going to happen. Even Cyrian stood, walking slowly to her other side. The Fallen Angel glared at them through the bars, then turned harsh eyes on her and winked.

“Cyrian, are you coming as well?”

“Fuck you Enri,” Her longtime friend said, “Just take us to the circle.”

“I’m not taking you to the circle,” he pointed to two figures dressed in black robes. Their faces devoid of any emotion, their skin flawless and glowed as if there was an inner light shining through. They could have been described as possessing an ethereal beauty, if not for the lack of emotion on their faces. “They’re taking you.”

Taking them where?

The door creaked open and Cyrian led her through the door and towards the robbed figures. They walked down a darken corridor where the roars from the arena could be heard. Jes’ heart worked overtime as the uncertainty of her fate bombarded her thoughts. Cy seemed to know where they were going.

“Where are they taking us?”

“To the Elder Council.”

The Elder Council was here. That would mean she’d see Odessa. Her ancestor was on the council. Some of the dread slid away as she breathed a sigh of relief. Odessa wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. They were family. The corridor became darker the further they moved down the passage. Torches were lit along the way and she could see the walls were sweating water. They were under the Nile, she thought. There was no other explanation for the incessant drip of the water as it hit muddy pools on the ground floor. Each plop of the water made her nerves tighten further. It felt like she was sucked into a vortex where everything and nothing was leading to her demise. It was the kind of dread that one felt crawl up their spine and rest on your neck, constantly counting down the seconds until the end.

Jes saw a dim light ahead and realized they were heading towards an antechamber. The closer they got the more she was able to see. At a half-table, sat six figures all dressed in black robes. Emotionless, they sat as Cyrian and her approached.

“Bring forth the accused.” One of the robbed figures said. His voice monotone as his shrewd brown eyes assessed Jes. She looked to her friend for answers and his only response was to step forward holding her by the shoulder.

“Elder, Raniq may I speak in her defense?”

The Elder shook his head no, before one of her escorts bumped her forward causing her to almost stumble and fall.

“Jesminda Zealand-,”

“I’m Jesminda Stone.” She interrupted. Whoever this Raniq was would at least address her properly.

“Aah yes. You mated with a Lycan from Pack Stone.” A single hand peaked out beneath the robe, pointing in her direction. “You stand accused of abusing your status. You’ve given birth to an abomination, and carry another. You’ve used your masking powers to do more harm than good, and you openly revealed your true nature to other’s around you. The Elder Council finds you guilty on all counts and you and your offspring are hereby sentence to death. Your souls are to be contained, never to be released again upon Earth’s plane.”