We are both purebloods, but the years of experience Ivan has over me puts him at a clear advantage. The only way I can fight back is by allowing bloodlust to reign. I’m consciously aware of how dangerous this is, but I have no other choice. If I can’t stay on my toes, I might as well forfeit my life and I have no intention of dying today.
He moves, giving no time for my transformation to be completed before two rows of needle-sharp teeth sink into my flank. A roar of frustration escapes my half open mouth. The pain is almost blinding, but I push through the wave of agony and immediately counterattack by clawing at the right side of his face with five knifelike claws, digging into his skin to cause as much damage as possible. One jagged claw unintentionally buries itself in his right eye and he screeches in agony, taking a hasty step back in protest. I leave no space for him to recover and sprint forward to rake my three inch claws over his neck and chest. They tear at his flesh with ease, bringing about a steady flow of blood pouring from each new wound. These injuries won’t kill him, but they will slow him down.
Ivan lashes out, extending one heavily muscled arm to strike the side of my head with his paw. The blow leaves my ears ringing and slightly disoriented for a second. I shake off the lightheadedness and turn my attention back to him in time to be subjected to yet another punch, this one to my right temple. My head snaps sideways with the force of the impact, but I fail to lose my balance.
Anger begins to fester inside me like cancer. This sets off a change in me I would have abhorred under different circumstances. Now, however, I welcome it. The bloodlust begins to work its dark magic and I give it full reign. I allow my rage, wrath, and resentment to simmer until it feels as if the large bubble of pure hatred inside of me is going to explode. I’m helpless during one of my episodes, but not during combat.
I meet Ivan’s gaze and let out a warning by means of a snarl. If he doesn’t back down, things will end up badly for him. But even as I give him a chance to leave and be done with this battle, I know he’s not going to take my offer. His purpose is clear and he won’t go anywhere until he has achieved one of two things, take Marjorie to the alpha or end my short life. Unfortunately for him, he has no idea what he’s dealing with. I may not be as experienced as he is, but I have bloodlust on my side.
He responds by coming after me, warning dismissed as hastily as it was given. This time I don’t wait for him to make contact before I act. I take off running toward him and in the last instance, before he careens into me, I move slightly to the right and grab a hold of his arm, winding it behind him. Open mouthed, sharp canines exposed, I sink my teeth into his thick neck and twist my head to right, using the element of surprise and the momentum I’ve gained to rotate his muscles until the bones begin to crack one by one. By the time I release him, his spine is broken, leaving his head disconnected from the rest of this large frame. His end is quick and as painless as I could manage under the circumstances.
His body drops like dead weight. I taste the bitter, life giving liquid that sprayed from his body in my mouth, but I shake off the disgust and spin around at the ready for the next wolf in line. Now that Ivan is dead, I wonder about Kenny’s next course of action. As I take note of the countless masses of furry bodies locked in mortal combat with a member of the ValKhazar clan, I’m filled with preoccupations of a different sort.
If most of the Gandillons are here, who did they send to retrieve Marjorie? My heart slams against my ribcage. Something isn’t right. I turn to Bayard in search of a confirmation of my suspicions, but find him otherwise occupied. He finishes off a Gandillon Tracker by tearing into the wolf’s abdominal cavity until the man-beast stops writhing, then turns his gaze to me.
He woofs at me, commanding me to run off to Bray. I don’t waste a second rethinking his request. Gyrating a full 180 degrees, I take off running through the woods, taking the same path Bray did as he went to Marjorie’s aid. Bayard follows closely behind me. I’m in such a hurry I blindside every other wolf I encounter on my way and continue on, practically soaring through the woods as if I’m about to take flight.
I push onward, fear and concern fueling my determination to get to my brother and Marjorie to protect both or either. My paws pound on the ground as my bulky frame tears through the woods at speeds I hadn’t reached before. Bayard keeps a steady pace behind me, his large dark form shadowing mine.
I focus on my surroundings as I go, listening for any warning of danger. But what I hear instead is the unmistakable sign of distress. Alexis is in trouble. Fear unlike any I have ever known takes a hold of me and I pick up pace, overwhelming my body’s capacity with the extra effort. Trees become blurry images of green and brown as I flash on by. I run, jumping over fallen logs, landing swiftly on my legs before continuing on. I let nothing stop me. Not the threat of other wolves nearby. Not the signals of protests I receive from my brain in an attempt to warn me to take things slower as I am hurt and losing a lot of blood.
I can’t stop now.
Alexis is close enough I can already smell his favorite cologne in the air, blowing in my face. But then I hear it. There’s no mistaking the sound of snapping bones. Hot searing pain spreads through me as if I’ve been speared by a sizzling poker stick. My steps falter and I end up smashing my left shoulder into a large oak tree in front of me, which causes it to pop out of place. The air is knocked out of my lungs and I fall to my knees, struggling to catch my breath. My ears perk up in a vain attempt to pick up on any signs from my twin, but all they note is the silence.
I’m sorry, Kyran.
I can’t hear him anymore. I can’t read his thoughts. All I catch before his mind goes blank is a heartfelt apology. Three words that stick with me and play havoc on my emotions. My muzzle opens and releases a prolonged whimper, which reaches as far as the other side of the park where I know the rest of my family will hear.
Alexis is gone and every cell in my body feels his absence as if he and I wore the same flesh. Bayard nudges my arm with his nose, encouraging me to stand, but numbness spreads through me like a cold winter chill. My legs refuse to cooperate, continuously buckling under my weight. He can’t be gone. Not like this. A few hours ago he promised to go hunting with me once the Gandillons were taken care of. He can’t be gone.
Though my body has accepted the fact, my mind refuses to make it official.
Alexis! Josephine’s cry in my head provides me with the courage I need to get up and start toward the cave where the sounds of an ensuing battle alerts me to Bray’s presence in the area. There are many wolves, and Bray is dealing with them, but I can only think of what I will find once I arrive.
I have to get there first before my sister lays her blue eyes on Alexis’ still form. I don’t want her to see anything traumatizing. I’d rather take the brunt than force her to live with the haunting image for the rest of her immortal life.
With Bayard by my side, I trek to the cave, covering the distance as quickly as possible, all the while ignoring the pain in my left shoulder. Once I arrive, I find about half a dozen maimed Trackers lying in a pile of dead bodies, and a bloodied Bray bending over to pick an unconscious Marjorie off the ground.
Chapter Ten
Once I’ve assessed the situation, I conclude Marjorie’s unhurt though likely in shock, so I move on past the pair and into the cave. Bayard follows me in. I don’t know why he trails behind me, but he doesn’t seem comfortable leaving me alone. I’m not in the right frame of mind to tell him to leave, so I refrain from acknowledging his presence.
The smell of blood is pungent and devastating for me in my state. I glance to the right and spot my brother lying in a pool of his own blood, with his back on the earth, and his arms to the sides as if he’d just laid down for a nap. His eyes are closed, his lips sealed, his heart no longer beating. His clothes are in tatters, his long chestnut hair wet with sweat and body fluid.
I will the transformation from beast to man to commence, and kneel beside him as I become human—if only in appearance�
��once more. I take his left hand, which is still warm, in mine. My gaze roams over his body briefly. He’s covered in bites, most of which were placed in strategic locations, aiming for major arteries. He didn’t have a chance. Inexperienced and tired, he was easily overcome by the Gandillon Trackers.
“Alexis,” I whisper his name, willing him to answer me. To say something immature and out of place as he usually does, but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t roll his eyes at me. There’s nothing there but the shell once responsible for housing his soul.
How could he do this? How could he play the hero? He promised Josephine. My mind reels. I have verified his death, but I can’t see beyond this point and what it will be like to live without him. Why didn’t I try better to get along with him while I had the chance? Why can’t I trade places with him? He deserves to be alive. Not me. He carried not only his burdens but mine as well and never protested. He never complained nor asked me to leave him out of whatever decisions I made.
A steady stream of tears falls down my face. I tune out the world, trying very hard not to notice my sister’s shrill screams, Gage’s sobs, or Marquis’ enraged rants as they gather outside. Marquis can’t fathom Alexis’s death and like me, he refuses to accept our brother’s passing, but with each scream, he sorts through his denial phase. No one dares intervene. Even Bray takes a step back to allow him to grieve as he sees fit.
Upon sensing my need to be momentarily alone with my brother, Bayard exits the cave to keep my family out for a bit longer. But I struggle to come to terms with yet another tragic event. It’s not something I can bring myself to do. I can’t picture my life without my twin. Neither do I want to.
Alexis and I shared a link, even more powerful than normal twins do, and now it feels as if a part of me has died along with him, literally. I can’t find my inner self. I feel lost and disoriented. Confused. Scared. Soulless. A part of me is missing. A tie has been severed. And nothing can repair the damage. Nothing can bring my better half back.
I let go of my anger for once in my life and allow the deep, heartbreaking sorrow buried deep in my chest to surface and with it the sobs that accompany it. I squeeze my eyes shut and cry. I lose track of time as I kneel next to my brother and weep until my eyes are swollen from excessive crying. I hold onto his hand until Marquis and Bayard pry me away from his still form and force me out of the cave.
I’m still lost in my grief when the ValKhazar clan ushers me away in their car and take me home.
***
The house is clouded in silence. The ValKhazar clan lingers on the first floor, paying their respects since one of our own has fallen to protect one of theirs. They number many and space is limited downstairs, so quite a few of them spread outside to keep from standing on each other’s toes in the cramped area.
I decided a few hours ago to shut them out. Not that any of them are expecting us to be necessarily social after this afternoon’s events. I have resorted to hiding in the shadows, avoiding all contact, even with Marjorie. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to deal with Alexis’ passing right this second. Trapped in a coma-like state, it’s unlikely she’ll wake up soon, and even if she does she’ll be too out of it to understand what’s going on.
The Rousseaus are grieving. Each in their own way. Marquis has locked himself in his office with Simone for the last hour. Josephine and Gage sit outside of Alexis’ bedroom. Both silent and detached, but a balloon of jangled thoughts and lasting doubts continues to expand in their minds. They are quiet now, but they have only been suppressing their emotions for the last ten minutes or so. Neither has much to say and I don’t blame them. I can’t utter a word either.
I have cried myself out. No more tears come, even when I’ve just begun to grieve. I sit in a chair at Alexis’ bedside, staring at my brother in disbelief. It seems surreal. Like a bad joke gone sour. But the situation is far from it. He really is gone. It’s been four hours since he lost his life and I continue to wait for him to sit up and grin, calling my bluff. He’s not going to. I realize that, but I’d hoped my senses were shattered due to the battle with Ivan and I couldn’t get into his head or hear his heart beating. It’s not the case this time.
Alexis is dead. Gone. Passed on to a life I hope is a lot better than this one. I have faith he’s been reunited with our parents once again and will suffer no more. I hope his concerns have ended for good. I wish for him to be at peace. And above all happy.
“Alexis, you jerk...” my voice breaks. New tears blur my vision and I wipe them angrily away with the back of my hand. “...you promised you’d go hunting with me.”
My eyes settle on his pale face. After Marquis, Bayard, and Sabine brought him back home, Gage and I cleaned Alexis up and dressed him in one of his favorite outfits, which consists of a button down white shirt and blue jeans. His face is locked in a serene, almost relieved expression and I can only wonder at what was going through his head as he succumbed to his injuries.
A knock on the door breaks me out of my reverie. I don’t acknowledge the person at the other end, but keep my gaze on Alexis. I’m aware of the door opening and of Josephine stepping into our brother’s room a moment later, but I don’t look at up her.
“Kyran, the ceremony will begin soon.” Josephine strolls over to me, pulls a second chair in a corner of the bedroom, and settles it beside mine. She sits, enveloping one arm around me. I welcome the warmth and her presence. I haven’t spoken since I was forced out of the cave earlier though my mind rambles. “None of us are ready for this...”she pauses to breathe in some air, “...but it must be done.”
I can sense her anguish. She’s distraught. Only this morning, she had warned us to be careful and now, she feels as if she has let us down because she wasn’t able to cover our brother’s back. She’s not the only one who feels this way. We all carry that heavy burden on our shoulders. Even Bray has expressed his regret at arriving a moment too late. But nothing can change what happened.
The ceremony, well, it just makes things official.
“I should be lying there. Not him.”
Josephine buries her face in my left shoulder, which has since popped back into place, yet remains slightly sore.
“Don’t do this to yourself, Kyran. It was nobody’s fault.”
I should have left when the thought crossed my mind a few days ago. Maybe, just maybe, Alexis would still be alive. But because he was always taking care of my responsibilities, he had been with Marjorie because I couldn’t be. Now he’s lying on his bed, dead, and awaiting a ceremony designed to leave no evidence of his existence. All we’ll have left of him is the memories. The mementos scattered throughout the house, which will remind us he once shared a living space with us.
I’d give anything to bring him back. To have him sit by my side one last time. To hear the sound of his amused chortle. To be able to prolong that hug we exchanged yesterday. I would have held on to him longer had I known he wouldn’t be with us today.
“I miss him so much.” The pain is unbearable. I can’t see myself going on without him though I know I have to. We all do. Just like when our parents passed away. “I even miss his stupid jokes.”
“So do I,” Josephine whispers, her arm taught around my shoulders. She’s struggling to keep from falling apart and honestly, I don’t know whether I should hold it together for her or tell her it’s okay to cry.
“I hate that I took him for granted so often. Now he’s gone and I can’t take any of the things I said to him back.”
A sob escapes Josephine’s lips. “I...know.”
We will take Marjorie away from here to ensure she has a safe transformation. It will not be long now. I am afraid the Gandillons will try harming her since she is no longer human.
I hear Bray’s voice as he converses with Bayard and Marquis down the hall. The trio must have been on their way over here before stopping to discuss future plans.
I understand, Marquis responds.
But I will leave you well-armed until we get back. Ou
r mission is not over and it is even more imperative to bring down the Gandillon pack before they kill more of our own.
“Alexis turned her. He was cornered and acted hastily to save her life,” Josephine adds with a whimper. “We can’t let anything happen to Marjorie. Otherwise Alexis’ sacrifice will be been in vain.”
Marjorie hasn’t turned yet, but she will. Soon. “Being that she’s from royal blood, I doubt she will need the full moon to change,” I say.
Josephine nods in accordance.
I stiffen as Bray, Bayard, and Marquis stride down the hall in our direction. The time has come to say the final goodbye to Alexis. And I’m not ready. I don’t think any of us is. While it is true death doesn’t exactly announce itself, Alexis’ passing is too sudden. We have been left reeling. We always tried to get ready for the inevitable, but nothing can prepare a family for the loss of one of their own.
I blink to make sure I’m not having a nightmare. I have lost all sense of time since Alexis took his last breath. There’s an emptiness inside of me I can’t quite make sense of. There’s a more prominent void now than there was ever before. Life has continued on, but in the Rousseau household everything has stopped. In spite of the threat of an eminent attack, we have decided to honor Alexis as he fully deserves. And even as unprepared as we are to say goodbye, we will lay him to rest respectfully.
The ValKhazars have secured the area to make sure no Gandillons slip in, though I doubt they have enough gall to do it. They have suffered a significant hit to their numbers and are probably in a den somewhere licking their wounds, trying to figure out how to go about telling their alpha their mission ended in failure.
The door to Alexis’ bedroom is soon blocked by three tall figures and even though I catch sight of them through my peripheral vision, I don’t turn to look at any of them until Marquis calls out my name. It’s the deep sadness I detect in his voice which makes me turn my head to the left. Our gazes lock and hold. He may be composed, but his blue eyes are filled with unshed tears.
Blood Moon Page 8
