Bane of Tenebris (Wolfgods Book 2) by Blaise Ramsay (i love reading books txt) 📕

“The burns have healed for the most part. The damage has left me with limited use, but I can still throw a decent punch.” Kain smirked at Damien’s sarcastic eye roll.

Tala took Kain’s hand, her fingers tracing the distorted scar, wondering why she hadn’t seen it when they made love. She looked up at Kain concerned.

Kain responded with a gentle, reassuring smile and whispered he was alright.

The smell of blood took Kain’s attention from the conversation. He glanced at Damien. “Do you smell that?”

Damien nodded. “Yeah. We better go see what’s going on.”

Kain told Tala to stay in the house while he, Jill and Damien went out to the front lawn. Vincent limped up the gravel walkway, his body dripping with blood and reeking of silver. His tongue hung loosely from his mouth. One of his eyes had been gouged from his skull.

The stinging in Kain’s scars and hand revealed to him who the culprit was. He ran forward, catching Vincent just as he shifted and started to fall.

Vincent coughed up blood, choking as he tried to speak.

“No, do not try to speak, my friend,” Kain said, taking off his jacket and covering Vincent’s shivering form.

It took everything he had to keep from dropping the injured lycan due to the burn of the silver in his wounds.

Kain lay Vincent down in the soft grass. His eyes were a mix of sadness and great anger at how badly a condition Vincent was in.

“Gone …” Vincent gagged from the one word.

Damien knelt next to Vincent and asked what happened.

Kain could tell Damien was trying not to sound angry to keep Vincent comfortable.

“He need not speak, Damien,” Kain replied.

Vincent coughed again. “Need to know … Galek … Channon … Dead …”

Gasps erupted from Jill, Damien and Kain.

“Galeck is … dead?” Damien’s fists clenched on his thighs. He dropped his head, drawing up his shoulders.

“Vampires … werewolves … too many …” Vincent choked. “Nathaniel … captured.” Vincent’s breath grew shallow. A single tear mixed with the blood on Vincent’s face as it met Kain’s.

“Forgive me …” Vincent’s body stilled, his breath ceasing.

Kain pushed Vincent’s blood-soaked hair away from his face, closing his friend’s eye and raising the jacket over his head. He uttered a peaceful prayer to the gods to take the soul of another fallen brother before rising to his feet.

“Dammit!” Damien got to his feet and threw a fist into the nearest tree.

“Kain,” Jill said, her voice void of emotion.

“They are trying to cut us off. Stoker must have mentioned who our allies were in the battle against Lilith. It would be difficult for Anthony to fight so many.” Kain’s brow creased, his fangs clenched against what he saw as cowardice. He held onto the calm reserve despite his anger.

“We need to pull our remaining allies closer. We can’t risk Yuna or Gabriel falling prey to the same thing,” Jill commented.

Damien picked up Vincent’s body and carried him around the house. Kain and Jill joined him.

Tala came out of the back door and covered her mouth. She ran to Kain’s side, wondering what happened.

Kain stared at her with sadness in his eyes then back at Damien who proceeded to shift and dig a hole.

Once Damien finished, the four of them shifted and let out a mournful howl which echoed across the mountainsides. All along the ridges, howls joined theirs in a song sending off another soul to the arms of the gods.

Following Vincent’s burial, Kain contacted Gabriel over the phone to let him know the tragedy that had occurred. Gabriel responded with a line of cursing and after some calming words from Kain, gave his word he’d be at the First Moon event later that night.

Kain hung up his phone and set it down on the bedside table. He’d been spending the greater part of the afternoon helping Tala move into his room. He stared out of the paned window down at the fresh mound of earth covering Vincent’s body.

Tala’s arms around his waist helped ease the tension. She didn’t say anything but snuggled into his chest, wrapping his arm around her.

They stayed that way until the late afternoon hours faded into the gentler colors of the twilight hours.

The First Moon event would start at moonrise.

Kain instructed Tala to get dressed in something warm and to put a change of clothes in the backpack he set on their bed.

Tala kissed Kain then went to do as he asked of her. She’d never been to a First Moon but was always curious about them. She’d only heard about them from the older lycans in her pack. Her pack lacked leadership like alphas and betas, so it all felt new to her.

After she finished packing, Kain took the backpack and the two of them went downstairs to find Damien and Jill waiting with their pups. Maggie stood next to her mother, smiling wide upon seeing Tala and Kain. She ran to Tala and begged her to pick her up.

Tala obliged, earning a hug around the neck. Such a sight brought a hint of warmth to Kain’s heart despite the day’s earlier events. He wondered if he would live long enough to see his pups reach Maggie’s age.

“We’ll be taking Jill’s car, Kain. It has the girls’ seats in it. Meet you at the Woods Edge.” The moment that should be something to be proud of did little to lighten Damien’s mood.

After agreeing to meet there, Kain took Damien aside. “I know your heart is troubled, brother, but let this moment be one of great pride. Maggie is advancing fast. Do not let her see her father so broken. There will be time to grieve.”

Damien let out a deep breath. “You’re right. Thanks, Kain.”

Kain smiled and let his friend go out with his family. Tala put Maggie down and went with her mate to his car.

During the drive to the Woods Edge, Kain’s thoughts circulated through all that