Bane of Tenebris (Wolfgods Book 2), Blaise Ramsay [best young adult book series txt] 📗

hand, taking Kain from the ground. A comforting heat filled his body, returning his strength. The brand of a tribal sun burned across his shoulder. The once faded ink of his family’s crest renewed, becoming vibrant.

Once it ended, Kain fell back to the ground.

“I have returned the wolf to your soul. He is stronger and bears the golden fur of sunlight. I was not able to return your full strength, for that I am sorry. The damage is too great. In time you will know me. Go, my soldier. Uphold the bargain we have made.”

After the encounter, Kain woke up naked on the floor. An overwhelming sense of joy filled his heart at the begging of the freedom from the wolf. He walked over to the windows, threw them open, and jumped to the ground landing on all fours. His head raised in a howl that rang throughout the night before he took off running, relishing his renewed sense of freedom.

Chapter Five

The sound of a wolf howling made Tala lurch in her bed. She whipped her head, gasping at the thought the werewolves might’ve returned to finish her off.

Unable to go back to sleep, Tala got out of the bed and went to stick her head out into the hallway. When she didn’t hear anything, she crept into the thin corridor, not getting very far after running into Damien.

The force of their collision made Tala lose her balance. She nearly fell until Damien reached out and caught her by the arm.

“Woah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was on my way to the girls’ room to take care of Maggie. She started whimpering.”

Tala rubbed the sore, throbbing muscle in her arm where he grabbed her. She reassured him she was okay and thought she heard the howl of a werewolf.

Damien laughed, “That wasn’t a werewolf call. Theirs sounds more demented and scratchier than ours. That’s definitely a lycan. If my memory is correct, it’s Kain’s. I guess he remembered how to change, finally.”

Damien patted Tala’s shoulder. Keeping his voice quiet and gentle, he said, “You should get some rest. Those wounds look like they still hurt.”

Tala watched Damien walk to the pups’ nursery at the end of the hall. After he closed the door, she lowered her eyes to the floor, clamping her teeth together.

She fled to her room, closing and locking the door, then to stare in the mirror. Sweat covered her face. Her fangs ached from denying the wicked need growing inside of her.

The fear of rejection and underlying possibility she could be killed kept her from sharing her dark secret with her new friends.

During the early morning hours, Tala’s dreams became a jumbled mess. She tossed and turned under her bed sheets, crying out in her sleep.

All around her, Tala could only watch as her family was slaughtered. The putrid smell of blood mixed with smoke and decay. Tears streamed from Tala’s eyes, her stomach sick at the screams of mothers, pups, fathers and the elderly. She heard a desperate woman’s voice call out to her amidst the screams of the dying members of her pack, telling her to go to Big Timber, find the Purifier and ask him for help.

Tala shot up from her pillow to find both it and her sheets soaked with sweat. She gasped, looking around the room to make sure what she’d experienced truly was a dream.

Needing to see Damien as soon as possible, Tala hurried from her bed to get dressed and head out into the hallway.

She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and nearly ran into Kain coming out of the bathroom. To avoid plowing into him, she slipped, hitting her butt on the hard floor. She rubbed it, uttering a silent “ow.”

Kain looked down at the small woman. With regret in his voice, he knelt and asked her if she’d been hurt during their collision. He offered his hand to help her get up.

Tala told him she was fine, taking his hand and rubbing her sore rump with her free hand.

“Where in Luna’s name were you going in such a hurry? It’s not even dawn,” he asked.

“I remembered why I was sent here! I need to speak to Damien. Please, it’s urgent!” Tala replied.

With a steely look in his eyes, he told her to come with him downstairs.

The two of them arrived in the kitchen to find Damien sitting with a cup of coffee in his hand. His head lulled over the back of the chair, eyes covered with his forearm. On one of his shoulders, a burp rag hung limp, yellowed from where a pup spit up on it.

Tala felt bad for what she needed to do. She left Kain’s side to stand in front of Damien, letting him know she needed to speak with him.

Damien raised his head, groaning. The wood of the chair popped and whined as he sat up. His dark hair looked more tousled than Tala ever saw it. His usually bright amethyst eyes appeared dull, likely from his lack of sleep.

Tala felt horrible for bothering him in such a state. “I’m so sorry for waking you but I remember why I came here. It’s important I speak with you.”

Damien stretched his arms over his head followed by a quick rubbing of his eyes. He hauled himself to his feet, grumbling. “Give me a few minutes then I’ll meet you in the living room. Gabriel’s going to love hearing from me this early in the morning.”

Kain led Tala into the living room to wait for Damien. Gesturing his hand toward the couch, he let Tala sit down before joining her. The two of them sat in an awkward silence.

Tala cleared her throat, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.

Kain looked at her in his peripheral. During his run the night before, he found a place he thought she might like and wanted to ask if