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

With a heavy breath, he broke their kiss. “Tala, I--”

Tala’s fingers on his lips silenced Kain. With a coy smile Kain had never seen, Tala stepped back and began to undress. The action baffled Kain. She’d been shy and reserved for most of their time together. Recently, she began to act on her more lycan features like a lack of fear of being naked in front of him.

“Hunt with me.” Tala purred.

Kain got up from the bed and removed his clothes. A teasing grin fell across his mouth when he saw how he affected the female lycan. The two of them shifted and jumped from the window and into the night.

Following their hunt, Kain and Tala found themselves sitting on a ledge known as the Lookout to the people of Big Timber.

In front of them lay a sea of trees, mountains in the distance. The top of the town hall stuck out just above the canopy bathed in the blues and silvers of the night.

Neither one of them cared about being naked together. To the lycans, the body was something beautiful, something they didn’t need to hide when they were together.

“Tala, tell me about your family. What your life was like before all of this?”

Tala leaned against Kain’s shoulder, savoring its firmness and comforting smell of wild pine and male musk. “We lived in Great Falls with my cousins. I attended school there and eventually went off to college to be an environmentalist. To pay my way, I waited tables at two different restaurants. My half-brother Tobias worked construction and our mother taught at the local middle school.”

“And your father?”

Tala sniffled, “He didn’t live long enough to see me past four. He gave his life so my mother could stay safe.”

Kain kissed her hair, his eyes sad. “I’m sorry.”

Tala took Kain’s hand, squeezing it. “What about you?”

“My father raised me to be a soldier. I never knew what a real childhood felt like,” Kain replied with a remorseful tone in his voice.

Hours seemed to pass as Kain asked more questions about Tala’s childhood. In return she quizzed him on whether he remembered a time before the Wars and if he had any friends outside of the pack.

In the end, Tala decided to introduce Kain to a world away from war and fighting. She would introduce him to her favorite kinds of music, show him how to play and share her favorite types of places to go to relax. She wanted to show him a life among the humans of Big Timber.

“Will you go out with me, Alex? On a real date? Not just to hunt but to see the life of the city?”

Kain thought about it for a moment. He’d remembered those times when Damien went out with his friend Rob and came back to recount it with Jill. Even Gabriel mentioned how he went out at times with Scott and Nathaniel to watch football games at the local sports bars.

Despite his raising Clint and dealing with a rebellious teenage lycan, Kain never really socialized. He found the transition from soldier to civilian to be more difficult than he thought.

Hesitant, he agreed to go out with Tala. Shifting back into wolves, they ran back to Damien’s house.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Kain jumped up into the window, followed by Tala. He proceeded to put his jeans back on, but Tala stopped him.

He glanced at her to see her eyes taking in his body.

She took his hand and proceeded to trace the scars of his forearm, her eyes sullen. “I know you don’t want to tell me, but I can’t help worrying about you.” She placed a soft kiss on one of the scars. “Do they hurt?”

“At times but they look worse than they feel. In truth, I’ve grown used to them,” Kain replied bluntly, his voice gentle. He didn’t share the details of the bane with many, not even Jill knew the full extent of his story.

Tala kissed one of the scars on Kain’s bicep before leading Kain to the bed. She laid down without putting on any clothing, her heart racing and hoping he’d join her.

A wide grin crossed over Kain’s mouth at the open invitation. He crossed the distance and lay down next to Tala, propping up on his elbow and using his arm across her waist to draw her into his body. His fingertips brushed over her arm, down her side to her thigh. The tender skin felt warm beneath them.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Tala asked, a bit embarrassed at such a frontal request.

Kain took in a deep breath full of her scent. “It would be my pleasure. Thank you for showing me a life outside of battle. For showing me I can love another without fear.”

Tala turned her head, confused.

Kain blew a breath out of his nose, half-giggling through closed lips. “It’s nothing.” He kissed her hair and settled in behind her. “Good night.”

Tala wasn’t satisfied with Kain’s answer. She knew he was hiding something from her and tended to dodge her when she approached the subject of his scars. It made her sad and a bit upset since she shared the vampire side of her.

Due to the heat of Kain’s body, she fell asleep, pushing the thoughts away and enjoying the muted sounds of him breathing.

The following morning, Tala woke up startled after a nightmare. Her eyes met the sight of Kain’s handsome face still asleep with his head resting on his forearm, using it as a pillow.

Tala’s cheeks heated at how perfect he was. She wanted to reach out and pet his hair but didn’t want to wake him. Instead, she snuck out of bed, got a quick shower and dressed to head downstairs.

Jill was still in her pajamas in the kitchen making coffee. When she noticed Tala, she smiled and greeted her.

Tala nodded and offered a greeting. “Jill, do you happen to have some