RW1 Ravyn's blood

by Downs Jana

  “A slave master bought me at auction for a brothel to the ice cities in the northern sections of the realm. I was cold all the time. I don’t remember a night that I wasn’t freezing. I fought at first. I vomited every time he touched me.” Dageus paused, trying to force back tears that were threatening over come him. He could feel Alex’s penetrating stare but couldn’t muster up enough courage to look back at him for fear of what he might see on his face.

  “He cast so many spells that eventually I became just a receptacle for his will. He—the slave master—he taught me”—he paused, swallowing hard—“how to please him.” He felt like he was choking on the past. He tried again. “He taught me how to please him in every godforsaken way to give and receive pleasure. There were men and women from all over Demontia that came to his brothel. He was famous for the beauty of his slaves. I was his favored slave for years. I don’t know how long, time passes differently there. All his top clients preferred me. Alex,” he said, his stomach rolling, “I betrayed you a hundred times or more. Any demon who had the gold to pay my fee took me. I let them…” He started to breathe heavily, nearly hyperventilating from the memory. Alex squeezed his hand again, giving him courage to continue. “I let them take pleasure from my body. I received pleasure if they willed it. There were days in which all I did was lay around and serve client after client. I’d break down after a while, and the Master would hold me. I’d let him comfort me. After a while, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I– I killed him. I pleasured him, and then I poisoned him to dampen his powers, and finally, I stabbed him to death. The rest is pretty simple. I ended up in southern Demontia, fought for my place as a Ravyn, not knowing that they would erase my memory when I won the spot. All I could think about was getting back to you. You have to believe me…” He sniffled, trying not to erupt into full hysterics. Alex made a noise that sounded painful and jerked Kal to his chest.

  “Goddess, boy! I love you. Whatever happened in that godforsaken place is over. You’re back now. That’s what counts. You’re my heart, the breath in my lungs. You’re my Bride. My soul mate. You’re the best dancer in this troupe in a hundred years. That’s who you are, baby. You’re a Ravyn, for God’s sake! An elite warrior! Don’t buckle under the weight of your past. You belong to me forever and always.” Dageus tried to muffle a sob against his chest. “Easy, lover. Easy.” He petted Dageus’s auburn hair as he wept for the loss of his innocence. Alex whispered promises to the Ravyn of eternity, soothingly petting and kissing his love.

  After what seemed like hours later, Dageus drifted into a deep, healing sleep. He surfaced long enough to hear Alex’s whispered devotion as he carried them into the vampire’s bedroom. “I love you, Kal, my sweet Dageus, I love you.” He kissed his temple. The Ravyn murmured something incomprehensible as they fell into the silken sheets of their marriage bed. They were both emotionally and physically exhausted. Alex yawned and pulled Dageus’s phone out of his pocket as he stripped them both for bed. It had a couple missed calls from the Ravyns.

  “Want me to turn your phone off?” Alex asked. Dageus stirred weakly, petting the bed beside him.

  “Ringer’s off. Doesn’t matter. I’ll call them back.” Alex slipped into bed behind him and wrapped his arm around Dageus’s middle. The warrior sighed in contentment as he started drifting back to sleep. If anything major happened he’d feel the distress of his brothers through their bond. A couple missed calls were nothing to worry about, right?

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Where is the Prince?” the shifter demanded for the fourth time. Tony met his eyes unflinchingly. The shifter sighed and made a signal to one of the much-larger males that were partially shifted behind him. Germany screamed as they took their razor-sharp claws through his still-healing wounds. Tony strained against his bonds, but they were made of a type of demonic alloy only found in Demontia. More specifically, they were only found in the dungeons of Desmond’s palace.

  “I’ll only ask once more, Anthony. You’re the leader of the Ravyns. I know what it’s like to lose one of my own. Don’t let them die in the name of a monarch that was overthrown hundreds of years ago. Now, tell me where Prince Salvatore is.”

  Tony lowered his eyes to the ground, gritting his teeth. These men knew that if they hurt him, they’d never get answers. Attacking his brothers was the best possible method to wear down his control. The shifter thug sighed.

  “Fine then. Have it your way. Joey, slit that one’s throat, and bring me the next one.” Tony made a keening sound of protest. The shifter raised an eyebrow. “I have three more to go, Tony, and I have all night to get this answer from you.” He grinned sardonically. “In fact, I have days and days to get this before Desmond arrives.”

  Tony struggled against his bonds, seeing red. Anger poured off the Ravyn in sick waves. If he could just tap the power of their supernatural bond, he would bury this fucking shape-shifting punk. The other shifters cackled at Tony’s helplessness like the hyenas that they shifted into.

  “Don’t give him anything, Tony!” Allasandro yelled from somewhere behind him. “These fuckers don’t know what they’re talking about!”

  Tony’s eyes clouded with tears as Germany started to scream. Oh, God. Please let me be strong, Tony prayed. Please let Salvatore be safe. Please. It was his sacred duty to protect him at all costs. The Gods knew that the costs were too high to bear. He centered himself as the screams grew louder. Hold on, Germany, he whispered through their bond. Dageus will be here soon.

  * * * *

  Dageus jerked awake with a scream. The brothers needed him.

  “What is it?” Alex asked, startled. Dageus shook his head at the visceral memory.

  “The Ravyns need me.” Alex’s sleepy voice rose in question as Dageus pulled himself from Alex’s grasp and began to dress.

  “What do you mean they need you?” he demanded. “What in the bloody hell are you talking about?” Dageus searched for his cell phone in the mess surrounding the bed. “Darling, answer me!”

  Dageus found what he was looking for and turned it on. The chime from his cell phone signaled the phone’s power-up. He hit star 86 to go to his voicemail, and what he heard chilled him.

  “Dageus, it’s Allasandro! Damnit, answer the phone! We’re under attack, the same shifters that attacked Germany and me. Desmond sent them. He’s found us. We’re moving the Prince, and then we’re going to lead them away. Find the Prince, you know where. Get him to your vampire’s house. We’ll lead them out of town. Follow our power trail. I love you, my brother. Hopefully be talking to you soon.”

  Beep.

  “Hey, Dageus, Tony. We’re outside Haven at a bar near Sweetings. Hurry up and call us back, man. We need to—” The sound of a gunshot made his heart skip.

  “Oh fuck!” Allasandro screamed in the background. More cursing followed heavy footsteps. More gunshots.

  “Grab Germany! Grab him!” Tony screamed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Stop the bleeding, Ally. Apply pressure to the wound!” Click.

  “End of new messages,” an automated voice claimed cheerily.

  “I have to go,” Dageus said. Panic infused him with a nervous frantic energy. Every muscle in his body was tensed. Alex grabbed him and pulled him into his embrace, holding him tightly.

  “What do you need me to do?” Alex asked. Vampire hearing was excellent, and the Ravyn knew he’d heard every word. Dageus sighed and clutched his mate, burying his face in his chest.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “Can you prepare a room for Salvatore here? Get a couple bodyguards ready. I’m going after him. I’ll bring him back here before going after the guys. Can you watch him for us? He’s our Prince. It’d mean everything to me.” Alex nodded and kissed his Bride.

  “Of course, my love,” he answered, gently rubbing his lover’s back. His own heart took on a sick rhythm. His Kal hadn’t been a warrior, and the thought of letting him go into the night to fight enemies now left him chilled. Alex struggled to deal with his insane
urge to protect his mate no matter what. This was his lover’s job, his other life, and his destiny. “Please be careful. Please. I can’t lose you again.”

  Dageus kissed him with all the pent up passion he had within him, leaving the Master of Haven gasping for air.

  “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Salvatore paced the length of the room in agony. His Ravyns should have been back to get him by now. For the first time in a good hundred years he was completely alone, and he hated it. He was used to his overprotective Ravyns. The easy humor that they employed to keep their Prince content eased him in times of great danger. He still didn’t understand why their powers had been ineffective against the shifters and why they couldn’t call out to Dageus. He was bound to Salvatore. It shouldn’t have been an issue. He sighed and continued to wait.

  Salvatore tensed as he heard the familiar chime of the elevator as it opened to the penthouse level of the Marriott hotel. He barely breathed. Was it his Ravyns or the enemy? How would he know either way? He swallowed. He wasn’t used to being in the middle of so much potential combat. He gripped the jeweled dagger in his fist tighter. “Salvatore?” A very-familiar tone called once down the hallway, his movements graceful and silent. Salvatore’s head snapped up at the voice.

  “Dageus!” he cried, flinging open the door to his room and barreling out the door. Dageus jumped, and his sword swung in a dangerous arch, barely missing the Prince’s head. “Well, that was unexpected. You going to hurt me with that?” the Prince joked. Dageus chuckled as well, but the sound was strained. The years of training with the demonic sword, which was shaped similarly to a scimitar, had served him well in the past. That training enabled him to handle a weapon that literally bent light. Most enemies couldn’t even see the blade because of the way it bent light around it. The type of demonic alloy it was made of was unheard of in most realms. It still wasn’t a good idea to swing it at a monarch’s head. Salvatore was very grateful that Dageus was practiced with the thing.

  “Just wanted to make sure it was you. I’d never hurt you,” Dageus murmured. He clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get you to Alex’s house.”

  “Have you heard anything from the others?” Salvatore asked, his red eyes colored in fear. Dageus hesitated.

  “Nothing yet, my lord,” he said swallowing hard. A determined look passed over Salvatore’s face. He would not lose his Ravyns this way.

  “I have faith in you, Dageus. You’ll find them.”

  Dageus bowed before his Prince. “Thank you, my lord. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “Thank you for putting me up like this, Alexander. I do appreciate it,” the Prince of the demon realm said humbly. Alex nodded in acknowledgement, but his eyes were only for Dageus.

  “What is he doing?” Alex asked as Dageus drew a circle on the floor of the theater. Salvatore chuckled at his curiosity.

  “The circle stands for unity. He’s doing old demon magicks, attempting to locate his brothers. With their bond, he shouldn’t need this but something has been interfering with their bond lately. It’s sporadic at best and nonexistent at worst.”

  “Can he do demon magicks if he isn’t a demon?” Alex wondered as Kal finished drawing the circle.

  Salvatore frowned. “He shouldn’t be able to. That’s strange.” He seemed to ponder it for a moment. “Were either of his parents of demon origin?”

  Alex shrugged. “God only knows. He was adopted by my brother when he was very young. I have no clue what his heritage is.”

  A light flared to life at the center of the room, momentarily blinding both Salvatore and Alex.

  “What the hell is that?” Alex growled. Salvatore just smiled.

  “I found them!” Dageus crowed triumphantly. He snatched up his sword and strapped it to his back. “I’ve got to go,” he said, jumping to his feet. Worry creased his brow and caused his jaw to twitch.

  “Be careful, my love,” Alex said, gripping his arm as he passed. Dageus turned and gave him an encouraging smile.

  “I’ll be back sooner than you know it,” Dageus said, kissing the Master vampire. He was out the door before Alex could muster a reply.

  * * * *

  Hold on guys, Dageus said, trying to force the message across space to his brothers. Silence answered him. Come on, he thought desperately as he pushed the BMW to dangerously high speeds on the open highway at almost two a.m. He hated being without real powers. He felt useless, almost like when… His mind trailed off as he sped toward destiny.

  “Please stop! Please! In the name of God, stop!” He was being held against the demon’s chest with an ease that was pathetic.

  “Hush, little one.” The demon growled, pushing away his flailing hands.

  “You bastard!” Kal screeched.

  The demon whispered an incantation that Kal didn’t recognize, and it caused him to jackknife with desire. Suddenly he was desperate for touch, and he plastered himself onto the demon’s body. The demon Master chuckled.

  “I’ll take this one.” The slave Master pushed him to his knees, and he eagerly began to lick and suck at his exposed cock.

  He tasted so good he couldn’t help but practically beg for him. He was jerked up by his waist-length auburn hair and bent over a conveniently placed auction block. The slave Master slathered the crack of his ass with something sticky.

  “Please,” he begged, angling his hips to give the slave Master access.

  “I’ll pay whatever you want. He’s too damn responsive not to install at my business,” the slave Master said to someone beyond Kal’s range of sight.

  Money changed hands quickly, and then he was being filled with a thick cock. A face flashed through Kal’s mind, and tears fell down his cheeks. He moaned all the same, helpless against the demon’s superior magick.

  Headlights blinded Dageus, causing him to swerve out of the road. “Shit!” he said, overcorrecting and nearly sending the car into a median. This whole gaining his memory back thing was seriously putting a damper on his riding to the rescue.

  Twenty minutes later, he pulled into a parking lot next to a supposedly empty warehouse. They were here. He knew it to the core of his being. He turned off the car at the far end of the lot and sighed. “Here we go,” he said to himself.

  He tried to summon his magicks and failed. I’m human. I can’t summon magicks. I don’t have any. His memory showed him all too well how pathetically human he was.

  Brother. Tony’s strong voice echoed through his mind. Curious, Kal reached through the webbed networks of his mind and found the cord that connected him to his brothers. He felt the bond flare to life and then dissipate once more. He growled in frustration.

  Brother, you’ve got to stop doubting yourself. Again, Tony’s voice acted like an anchor for him. Ever since you joined the brotherhood, you’ve doubted your worthiness. Judgment isn’t wrong. You belong with us. Trust yourself and your powers. You can’t reach us because you doubt in your heart that we are truly your brothers. Let go, Dageus. Kalel, just let go. The whispered command was enough.

  Dageus closed his eyes and called the memories to him, not just those of his past but those memories in which his brothers were everything to him. He watched himself through new eyes as, in his memories, he grew to love the brotherhood. He smiled to himself and reached for Tony.

  I’m coming, Tony. I’m coming. The bond slid into place, and a sense of peace swirled through them all. Finally, the two halves of Dageus’s life were together.

  * * * *

  “Joey, go see what the fuck that is,” the shifter leader demanded as sounds of violence filled the echoing tin walls. Germany’s bruised and battered body hung from the rope that suspended him for abuse. No one but the brothers saw the feral grin that twisted his broken lips. A scream followed a few minutes later, and the sounds of pounding footsteps caused all the Ravyns to watch the door expectantly. Four shifters crowded around th
eir leader and started to shift into their feral forms.

  The pounding footsteps stopped, and every being in the room held their breath. The door swung open to reveal an empty hallway.

  “What the hell?” one of the shifters growled.

  “Check it out,” the leader said, nudging the one who had spoken toward the door. Hesitantly, he approached.

  Crack! The feral hyena fell to the ground, missing his head. The shifters growled uneasily. The Ravyns were ready when a blur of something separated the shifters into two distinct groups, slashing the chains that held the Ravyns. Druas took one side of the room, Tony the other, and Allasandro took the middle. Germany slumped to the floor in a heap, unable to move.

  The battle ensued. The Ravyns, weakened from their lack of bonding, were only able to provide the energy needed to conjure up their powers and use them as weapons against the onslaught. The Ravyn bond was both a gift and a curse. If one could access it freely, it held unimaginable power, but without the constant renewal of their bond it created weakness within each individual.

  Dageus slashed his way to Germany’s side. The shifters fell under the weight of the Ravyns’ relentless force. The leader was the last one standing. Dageus felt the demonic rage that the Ravyns were famous for. He felt the power well within him like a fountain, and the other Ravyns howled with approval. The bond within them solidified as if their souls had been waiting to see if they were truly as loyal as they pledged to be. Tony grabbed Dageus’s arm as he raised his sword for a killing blow.