The Enlightenment: Book 2 The Bloodmoon Wars (A Paranormal Shifter Series Prequel to Luna Rising)

by Sara Snow

  It seemed like people down here didn’t understand how the inheritance of traits worked. Any of Father’s children could have inherited his wings. Just because red wings were rarely seen outside the royal family didn’t mean it never happened.

  Okay, so I could understand Orias hating my guts for that. He was the only crowned prince who didn't get wings.

  I got myself a glass of wine and leaned against the wall by an open window. Loud music drowned out the sound of thunder outside, but at least I didn’t have to listen to all the gossip suddenly running wild about me.

  Loud drums echoed through the grand hall and everyone turned their attention to the door as demons in gold masks started making their way inside. Behind them, women wearing similar gold masks were dancing to the beat of the drums.

  Swirling gold lines twisted around their every curve, while a thin, sheer fabric covered their breasts. However, the rest of the women’s bodies were on display for all to see. Loud whistles echoed among the people as the girls disbursed within the crowd, their hips moving wildly with the rapid beat of the drums.

  “Well, well, look who it is.”

  I tilted my head to the side as a man with thick blond hair and blue eyes grinned at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering why he looked so happy to see me, especially considering I had no idea who he was.

  He came to a stop beside me and tapped his glass against mine. “How long has it been, brother?”

  I blinked as I realized who was standing before me. “Theanos?” I guessed, and his smile grew wider.

  “In the flesh,” he replied as he finished his wine in one swig, though some of it ran down his long chin. He threw the glass through the window and wiped his chin, then chuckled. “I was hoping you'd turn up. But I hadn't imagined you being the center of attention.”

  “Yeah, you and me both,” I grumbled, and he laughed.

  Before I had left the Demon Realm and moved to Earth when I was a boy, Theanos had been the only sibling I could stand, the only one who’d ever been kind to me. Because he was the son of a Dragon King, our mother used to drive him crazy, the way she did to me now that I was no longer the weak boy I used to be. Once it became known that I had inherited the King’s wings, I quickly became her new obsession. I liked it a lot better when she’d focused all her attention on her dragon-born son—though I didn’t know if Theanos would agree.

  I never thought I’d miss the days when my mother didn’t give a damn about me.

  "It's nice to see you, Cyrus," he said in a low voice.

  I nodded. “It’s nice to see you too, Theanos,” I answered truthfully. I was thankful there was at least one person in this place that didn’t hate me.

  The tempo of the drums changed, and Theanos and I watched as the palace staff led more humans into the hall. Both women and men were naked, dancing without a care in the world that they were being offered up as playthings and food.

  I swallowed hard as my hand twitched by my side.

  Maybe I should have fed before coming here.

  I could smell the desire rolling off the humans in waves, and I quickly looked away as an incubus grabbed a nearby woman and sank his fangs into her throat. My kind didn't feed on blood, but biting our victims allowed us to introduce a chemical into their system that heightened their arousal even further.

  It was also how we made our mark once we decided to take that path. It was, of course, not common to see since most incubi and succubi preferred to remain single.

  “Are you going to feed?” Theanos asked.

  I shook my head. Living among the wolves in Skye’s and Elinor’s pack had forced me to control myself, restraining my hunger to the point where I become ill. Yes, I knew that it wasn’t healthy, but my feelings for Skye had played a large part in preventing me from feeding on anyone else.

  I’d yet to tell her about my feelings, of what I’d felt for her ever since we were children. But I felt as if I’d betrayed her each time I had another woman beneath me. I didn’t learn not to care about such things—the way most demons do—because I grew up with wolves who dedicated themselves to one partner.

  “In that case, I want to talk to you about something,” he added. I nodded, thankful for the chance to get out of this place.

  We made our way through the castle until the loud music and the feeding frenzy going on in the ballroom didn’t seem so loud. I inhaled the scent of flowers as we entered a garden, trying to forget the sweet smell of sex we left behind.

  I caught Theanos looking at me curiously after we found a bench to sit down on, so I stopped taking deep breaths and arched a brow. “What?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you about using your portal.”

  That piqued my interest, and I crossed my arms over my chest. It was common to find unmapped portals in the Demon Realm—gateways that could take you to any other realm. After finding one close to Skye’s pack as a child, I spelled it so no one else could use it without my permission. It had taken me years to perfect the spell to the point where it would notify me if someone tried to break it.

  “Why?” I asked.

  His brows pulled together with frustration. “You and I are the only two sons Valencia has that are of royal blood. You got away . . . but I wasn’t so lucky.” He inhaled and held his head back to stare up at the black starry sky above us. “You and I think alike, but because of you, she keeps a close eye on me, watching me every time I go to Earth.” He looked my way, and I nodded with understanding. He’d grown tired of her, too. “I need a break, Cyrus.”

  More than anyone, I understood the weight on Theanos’s shoulders. Our mother wasn’t plaguing him to be the next leader of her Legion, but being the second-born son of a Dragon King, she forced him to stay close—just in case. As the ‘spare’, he’d be next in line for the throne if anything happened to his brother, the heir.

  “Sure,” I answered. It would be nice to have him visit sometime. And I was sure the girls would like to meet him.

  He was a little wild, maybe, but he was a good guy. At least, he had been when we were kids. Maybe inviting him before knowing how much he'd changed was a bad idea, but having at least one person from my family on my side couldn't be a bad thing.

  The towering form of the King appeared at the entrance of the garden, and Theanos and I fell silent.

  “King Abraxas, is everything okay?” Theanos asked as he stood up and bowed in respect. I remained seated.

  “Yes, of course, Theanos, thank you.” His red eyes drifted to me. “I'd like to speak to my son.”

  My eyes lowered at that, and Theanos looked my way. “Of course,” he replied and turned to leave, but not before raising a curious brow my way.

  “You don’t have to leave, Theanos.” King Abraxas raised his hand and Theanos froze. “This won't take long.”

  Theanos looked from the King to me and then back again. “Okay.”

  We waited in silence for a moment. Then the King’s lips curved with a smile. “You’re not what I had expected. You’re not the little boy I remember.”

  “That was many years ago,” I answered as I finally stood up. “A lot has changed.”

  He nodded once in agreement. “I’m looking forward to the time you take over your mother’s Legion. She speaks highly of you.”

  “I’m afraid I won’t be her successor. My older brother Baxton is in line to be the next Sin,” I replied, and his thick brow arched ever so slightly.

  “Let me rephrase that.” His voice was gravelly, as if he was growling each time a word left his lips. But as he stepped forward, his voice deepened. The air of calm that had surrounded him vanished, and Theanos and I got a glimpse of the powerful king he truly was.

  His eyes abruptly flared and the dark power vibrating off his body grew almost stifling. “You’re my son. You bear my wings as proof of that. No son of mine with your potential will be wasted among mortals. I’ll give you three more years on Earth, but after that time, you’ll return to me in
the Underworld. Do you understand? If you still refuse to return—the way your mother has been telling me you’re doing—I’ll give you a reason to come back. And you won’t like it.”

  I clenched my jaws at his blatant threat but remained quiet. Although I really wanted to take him down, I was no match for the Demon King in a fight. Not yet, and probably never. But I didn’t like the threat to my family on Earth. There was no doubt in my mind that, like my mother, he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Skye or Elinor if it suited his personal agenda. Clearly, my mother had been telling him everything.

  He turned to leave without waiting for my response. “My door is always open for you, my son. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

  Cyrus

  Present

  Skye's chest rose and fell slowly as she slept. She moaned a little, and a small crease appeared between her brows. I couldn’t help wondering what she was dreaming about. At least she was asleep and not suffering anymore. Extracting the poison from her blood was a painful ordeal—for both of us.

  I reclined in my chair, recalling the way those bastards had attacked her. She had been on the ground, so she probably hadn’t noticed that their eyes were black—proof that they were possessed. My father’s threat had echoed in my mind the moment I saw their eyes, and my rage had consumed me. I grew angry all over again just thinking about it, so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm and center myself. Getting upset now wouldn’t help her wake up. Nothing would, according to Nurse Hilary.

  I almost lost her. Those scumbags almost took her from me.

  I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly as I continued to watch her sleep. I would not tell her about my suspicions when she woke up. Because if I did, I’d have to tell her about what happened at my father’s ball. And I wasn’t ready for that yet.

  She’d been asleep for two days now, but I refused to leave her side. Now that all the poison was out of her bloodstream, I knew she’d be okay. But whatever toxin had been in that injection had almost shut her body down, forcing her into a coma. If I hadn’t found her when I did, she would have died.

  I shook my head and sighed. Thinking about what might have happened wouldn't help with my rage. I looked towards the window and saw the sun slowly rising. I hadn’t slept at all night long. But I just couldn’t—not with my thoughts running wild.

  Skye and I had finally acknowledged our feelings for each other, but there was still so much she didn't know—so much she didn’t know about me.

  Three years. I only have three years left.

  I thought again of the question Theanos posed before he left to head back to the Demon Realm after his visit. He had asked if I'd made my choice about Skye. I had told him that yes, I had every intention of making Skye mine and asking her to come with me to the Underworld.

  I turned away from the window to stare at her, a feeling of doubt settling over me. What if she met her mate before I had to go back? Or what if she refused?

  I wouldn’t blame her if she said no. I’d be asking her to move with me to the Demon Realm, leaving Elinor, her mother and her pack behind. But just this once, I had to be selfish. I needed her to come with me.

  Because I couldn’t see myself ever being with anyone else.

  “Once you mark her, there is no turning back,” Theanos had said.

  “The day I leave, I’ll have her by my side,” I had replied. But was that wishful thinking?

  "And if she says no?" he’d asked. "What if that's not what she wants, or she meets her mate? What will you do? I've been watching you, Cyrus. You need to stop restraining yourself—in feeding and in using your power. You might not want to accept it, but you are the son of the Demon King. Those red wings aren’t the only things you inherited from him. You have his power . . . and his rage. If you keep holding yourself back the way you have been, you’ll eventually explode. You’ll try to let it go, but you’ll end up losing total control.”

  I’d ignored Theanos’s words at the time, but the rage that ripped through me when I saw Skye fall to the ground was like nothing I’d ever felt before. My thirst for vengeance was almost blinding. And for a minute, all I wanted to do was kill those men.

  With the exception of a few times where a dark creature or two refused to leave me alone, I’d never taken a life here before. But closing my eyes, I recalled the feeling of satisfaction I felt after watching that vermin explode. Those men got to Skye so easily . . . I had no choice anymore. I had to tell her everything.

  “Wake up,” I said out loud as the morning sun beamed through the window. I smiled as Skye’s skin appeared to glow in the sun’s rays. “We need to talk.”

  Elinor

  The moment I heard Skye was finally awake, I was out of the house and on my way to hers. I got there in record time, my legs burning from running nonstop. Sure, our town wasn’t without its issues, but humans attacking a werewolf the way those men had gone after Skye? That was unheard of.

  “You moron!” I yelled, storming into her room. I found her sitting up in bed, with Cyrus by her side. And despite the rage I felt when I entered the room, my heart swelled with joy at the small smile on her face.

  “I’m okay, I swear!” she said, but I didn’t want to listen to her—I just wanted to grab her and hug her and make sure she was really alright. Since Cyrus had killed them all, there was no way of knowing exactly what they had wanted with Skye. But then, everyone knew there was a black market for supernatural creatures.

  I ran across the room, then pulled her into a hug, brushing that troubling thought aside. “If you do that ever again, I’ll be the one to put you into a coma.” I pulled away and sat on her bed beside her. “We both will.”

  Cyrus nodded in agreement, and I noticed how much better he looked compared to a few days ago. He hadn’t left Skye’s side since he had flown to the packhouse with her in his arms the night it had happened, startling everyone with the form he had been in.

  Before he arrived, even my mom had felt a chill in the air, signaling strong darkness heading towards the pack. We thought we were under attack, but after Cyrus arrived with a wounded Skye, we realized what was happening. I'd never seen him look so ferocious before. It was as if he shifted into a creature of pure rage and darkness.

  "How are you feeling?" I asked Skye, holding one of her hands while Cyrus held the other. "You need to be more careful. Our town is one of the more peaceful ones, but you know this crap happens from time to time. We're werewolves, but we're not immortal."

  Skye frowned for a moment. “I know that. They just . . . took me by surprise. That’s all.”

  When I first saw Skye after the attack and heard her faint heartbeat, I fell into a state of panic that I'd only ever felt once before—when I realized a vampire bit my friend Meeka during our examination to become werewolf guards. The sadness I saw in Meeka’s eyes when she’d realized she was about to die still haunted my nightmares to this day.

  My eyes burned with tears, and this time, Skye squeezed my hands.

  I can't lose Skye—not now, not ever.

  "Don’t ever fucking do that again, woman! I mean it!” I looked at Cyrus and saw that his eyes were wet with unshed tears.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said as he abruptly got up and left the room.

  Skye and I looked at each other, understanding the mix of fear and relief he must be feeling. Cyrus always kept his emotions locked up tight. We rarely saw him sad or upset. But this was something else—and we all knew it.

  "He'll be okay," I said as Skye’s eyes filled with sadness. She probably felt horrible for scaring everyone. "He was just worried, like the rest of us were. But you're okay, and that's what matters."

  “If he hadn’t been there . . ." She started but trailed off as she fought to hold back her tears. She inhaled deeply, then raised her hand to the bandage on her neck. “I’m just glad he was with me. But Elinor, he . . .”

  “I know,” I interjected as I looked in the direction of the door. “He was still in that form when he
brought you here.” I turned to her. “What happened? All he said was that humans attacked you, and that one man had injected you with poison. Father wanted to send the guards after them, but all Cyrus would tell us was that he’d taken care of it."

  “He killed them,” Skye blurted, as if she couldn’t bear to say the words. “He used magic I’ve never seen before, Elinor. And he had a power that I’ve never felt before, either. It was . . .” She shook her head as she sighed. “It was dark, and . . . I just . . . if I hadn't already lost all feeling in my body, I would have been numb with shock.” She took a deep breath. “But I knew he was still my Cyrus. It was just scary because somehow, he made one man turn to dust—just turn to dust! And I saw it, Elinor. I saw the excitement in Cyrus’s eyes when it happened.”

  All we saw when he arrived with her was sheer, utter panic. It wouldn’t surprise me if the entire pack now knew what he felt for her. The situation had looked so dire, Nurse Hilary had had to send for Yathleen the elf. The woman had arrived with a root that latched itself onto Skye’s neck and sucked the poison from her system.

  Though only semi-conscious, Skye cried and moaned in agony the entire time. Cyrus couldn’t handle seeing Skye suffering so badly and had turned to my father for comfort.

  “I get it. We were all shocked when we saw him. In fact, we all sensed him coming long before he arrived. He's strong—stronger than any of us realized, but—" I grinned. “It’s kind of cute how crazy he went over you, don’t you think?”

  I watched as she blushed, expecting her to tell me that Cyrus would do the same thing for anyone . . . but she didn’t.

  “We kissed,” she blurted, and my eyes popped.