Running with Raiders: (Alphas of Black Fortune: Part 5) BBW Werebear Shifter Menage by Scarlett Rhone Page B
Authors: Scarlett Rhone
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the odds.
Chapter 2
Reza hugged Kamala close as she cried, and over her head he watched Kelly pull Cressida back behind the vines, where they were circled by a half dozen of the tribe’s best warriors to keep them from interfering.
“Listen to me, salamander,” he murmured softly to his sister. “I’m going to defeat Chaiya and then I’m going to take you with me. You and Prija. We’ll leave here and we’ll start over somewhere else.”
He leaned back a little so that he could look into her face, and Kamala sniffled and wiped at her cheeks, her typically shining brown-gold eyes a ruin of misery. Reza felt a sudden spike of fear lance right through his heart.
“Kamala,” he said. “Do you… love …Chaiya?”
Kamala shook her head a little. “No, no,” she insisted. “It isn’t that. I…I don’t hate him, though, Reza. And he’s taken care of me. And I just…I hate that the two of you have to do this. I hate that he’s making you do this. I don’t…I don’t know how to live any other life than this one.”
“I’ll teach you,” Reza promised. He pressed a kiss to her brow. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I just got you back,” Kamala whimpered. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
Prija came forward, taking Kamala’s hands with a heavy look at Reza. “Come on, sister,” she said softly. “Come sit with me.”
Reza nodded to Prija, sympathy in his heart for her as well. “Thank you.”
Prija smiled at him, something sad in it. “Fight well.”
As the women removed themselves, returning to sit on chairs produced for them, alongside those for Sajja and the other elders of the tribe, Reza looked at the circle drawn by the vines. Chaiya was already inside it, removing the wreaths from his neck that marked his station. Reza had no wreaths to remove and wore nothing but the borrowed trousers Kelly had carried with them into the jungle. He didn’t resent any of it, though. Facing down Chaiya and the fight of his life, he finally felt something like freedom, or the hope of it. Like the first rays of dawn that touch the skin. A fragile promise of the warmth to come.
His heart was calm, and when he looked over at Cressida again, he realized why. It was the mark. His heart was bound to hers and bound to Kelly’s, and he felt bolstered by their closeness, by their belief in him. The mark strengthened him. He could feel the power of it flooding through him, and he inhaled deeply as he stepped across the vines and onto the field of battle. Chaiya had stripped down to nothing but his skin and now Reza did the same, and he felt the tiger in his heart roar with anticipation. This fight was long in coming, and though Reza could not blame Chaiya or Sajja for his capture, his enslavement or all the wounds and misery to follow, he did hold them responsible for this ruin of a homecoming. They had taken his home from him, and now that his heart had found another, he felt righteous in his anger instead of scared and weak. He would win this fight for himself and his own honor, but also for Cressida and Kelly, for Kamala and Prija.
Sajja rose from his chair and lifted a hand as Chaiya sank into a crouch across from Reza, and Reza assumed the same position. His muscles burned, strength singing through his limbs as he summoned the animal power deep in his soul and felt it twine with the bright heat of the mark. When Sajja’s hand fell, Reza launched himself at Chaiya. They slammed together and went crashing to the ground in a fury of limbs and snarling. Reza felt Chaiya’s grappling hands turn to claws, and he howled as they dug into his flesh, and gave his heart and body over to the tiger.
He shifted and as he snapped his jaws at Chaiya, Chaiya shifted as well, the black-and-gold fur sprouting over his skin as he twisted and slashed at Reza. The fight was a blur for Reza then, a red-tinged whirl of blood and flesh, stripes and claws and pain. Fury poured through him as he fought, stronger than the
Chapter 2
Reza hugged Kamala close as she cried, and over her head he watched Kelly pull Cressida back behind the vines, where they were circled by a half dozen of the tribe’s best warriors to keep them from interfering.
“Listen to me, salamander,” he murmured softly to his sister. “I’m going to defeat Chaiya and then I’m going to take you with me. You and Prija. We’ll leave here and we’ll start over somewhere else.”
He leaned back a little so that he could look into her face, and Kamala sniffled and wiped at her cheeks, her typically shining brown-gold eyes a ruin of misery. Reza felt a sudden spike of fear lance right through his heart.
“Kamala,” he said. “Do you… love …Chaiya?”
Kamala shook her head a little. “No, no,” she insisted. “It isn’t that. I…I don’t hate him, though, Reza. And he’s taken care of me. And I just…I hate that the two of you have to do this. I hate that he’s making you do this. I don’t…I don’t know how to live any other life than this one.”
“I’ll teach you,” Reza promised. He pressed a kiss to her brow. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I just got you back,” Kamala whimpered. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
Prija came forward, taking Kamala’s hands with a heavy look at Reza. “Come on, sister,” she said softly. “Come sit with me.”
Reza nodded to Prija, sympathy in his heart for her as well. “Thank you.”
Prija smiled at him, something sad in it. “Fight well.”
As the women removed themselves, returning to sit on chairs produced for them, alongside those for Sajja and the other elders of the tribe, Reza looked at the circle drawn by the vines. Chaiya was already inside it, removing the wreaths from his neck that marked his station. Reza had no wreaths to remove and wore nothing but the borrowed trousers Kelly had carried with them into the jungle. He didn’t resent any of it, though. Facing down Chaiya and the fight of his life, he finally felt something like freedom, or the hope of it. Like the first rays of dawn that touch the skin. A fragile promise of the warmth to come.
His heart was calm, and when he looked over at Cressida again, he realized why. It was the mark. His heart was bound to hers and bound to Kelly’s, and he felt bolstered by their closeness, by their belief in him. The mark strengthened him. He could feel the power of it flooding through him, and he inhaled deeply as he stepped across the vines and onto the field of battle. Chaiya had stripped down to nothing but his skin and now Reza did the same, and he felt the tiger in his heart roar with anticipation. This fight was long in coming, and though Reza could not blame Chaiya or Sajja for his capture, his enslavement or all the wounds and misery to follow, he did hold them responsible for this ruin of a homecoming. They had taken his home from him, and now that his heart had found another, he felt righteous in his anger instead of scared and weak. He would win this fight for himself and his own honor, but also for Cressida and Kelly, for Kamala and Prija.
Sajja rose from his chair and lifted a hand as Chaiya sank into a crouch across from Reza, and Reza assumed the same position. His muscles burned, strength singing through his limbs as he summoned the animal power deep in his soul and felt it twine with the bright heat of the mark. When Sajja’s hand fell, Reza launched himself at Chaiya. They slammed together and went crashing to the ground in a fury of limbs and snarling. Reza felt Chaiya’s grappling hands turn to claws, and he howled as they dug into his flesh, and gave his heart and body over to the tiger.
He shifted and as he snapped his jaws at Chaiya, Chaiya shifted as well, the black-and-gold fur sprouting over his skin as he twisted and slashed at Reza. The fight was a blur for Reza then, a red-tinged whirl of blood and flesh, stripes and claws and pain. Fury poured through him as he fought, stronger than the
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