Free Rhal Part 5 by Erin Tate Page A

against his skin. He stiffened beneath her touch, and she had no doubt he was aware of what was to come, and she whispered to him. “I’m sorry. I love you and will not let you die.”
    Then she stepped from his shadow and focused on the gathered royalty. No, she focused on the queen. She was the one who truly held the power. The males would bluster and rage, Otta would screech, but the queen could put an end to it all.
    “When Lord Rhal fa Adar was three, his mother was killed and Lord Adar was left with a young child and a domain to oversee. It was then that Rhal was sent to King Davir to join the royal household. He was young, and it was decided Rhal would make a good playmate to Prince Tave.”
    The king waved his hand. “Quit repeating history. We are not—”
    “And Rhal remained in the king’s household until Lord Adar remarried. He returned to his sire’s home at the age of five. He remained in his sire’s care until he turned six and then returned to the king’s care once again with a clear message. The Lord and Lady Adar did not want their son and the king could do as he wished with Rhal.”
    “Liar.” Lord Adar snarled the single word.
    “If I would kill a king, what do you think I will do to you, Lord Adar?” Rhal’s voice was smooth and deep, and his sire paled.
    When quiet enveloped them once again, she continued. “So the king did as he wished and that was to train Rhal as a soldier. He no longer played with Tave—”
    “Respect,” Davir bellowed and Cara continued.
    “And he no longer attended lessons as a lord’s son should. Instead, he fought day in and day out. He learned how to kill quickly. Efficiently. At first, he didn’t realize that’s what he was doing. He was a child. He was playing with swords and enjoying great battles even if he ended up bloody and bruised by the end of the day.”
    Cara swallowed past the lump in her throat. “At seven, Rhal saw a young boy stealing from the king’s kitchen, and when he was caught, Rhal confessed to the theft. But the king knew Rhal was lying to protect the boy. So the punishment for the young boy was death. Rhal’s punishment was to kill the boy he’d tried to save. To honor Rhal’s achievement, he was sent to his sire’s home. And there…”
    “Cara…” She ignored Rhal’s low warning and instead focused on the paleness of the queen’s face.
    “Otta fa Adar—”
    “ Lady —”
    “You are not a lady,” Cara spat. “You never were. You took in a child you were supposed to love, and perverted him. Abused him. Tormented him. For years.” Cara took a step toward the female. “You boast of taking Rhal’s virginity, but tell everyone his age! Tell them! ” Her shout rivaled Rhal’s, and her words echoed off the walls, not allowing them to answer. “You both pushed him back and forth between your homes.” She pointed at the king. “You turned him into your assassin at ten and executioner at eleven. My queen, while your son complained about his bedtime, Rhal was slitting the Minister of the South’s throat. And when he wasn’t killing for the king, his own dam-by-mating forced him to share her bed.”
    She let her gaze envelope the room, meeting the gazes of the others—the guards—and finally returned to the king. “You accuse him of being a monster. Of being uncontrollable. Of having no soul. You accuse him of attempting to end another’s life,” she sneered. “He is what you made him. I,” she pointed at herself, “am the only good thing he has ever had out of your perverted, fucked up society. The. Only. Thing. So when that’s threatened, you better fucking well believe he will kill anyone who comes near me.” She pointed at the king. “And you need to remember that. You need to remember you had him taught how to sneak into any stronghold, creep into any room, and silently end a life. Leave him be, and you won’t be next.”
    Davir glared at her. “Is that a threat? You cannot—”
    “Rhal doesn’t