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

by Sara Snow

  I swallowed hard as I looked around us. He was smart to take us so far into the forest. Any supernatural within a mile of us would’ve easily detected the energy coming from the portal.

  “I assume the other vial I saw will bring us back here?” I asked, and he nodded.

  I slid my hand into his before I could change my mind. What was I doing? Could I trust him? Then again, after all this time, why would he hurt me now? He’d had plenty of chances in the past.

  Still, my heart hammered in my chest as he led me towards the portal. He squeezed my hand reassuringly, no doubt sensing my anxiety.

  Half of his body entered the portal, then he looked back at me and pulled me closer. I didn’t protest as he snaked his hand around my waist and pinned me to his side as we entered the portal together.

  I closed my eyes as a bright light engulfed us. I noticed immediately that I felt the same way I did when Cyrus carried me on his back. It felt like Will and I were floating through the air, and my skin dotted with goosebumps at the amount of raw energy around us.

  However, it lasted for only a few seconds. Then Will tightened his hold around my waist, and we stepped out of the portal together.

  I opened my eyes and was stunned by what I saw before me. I looked at Will and saw he was grinning. The portal at our backs vanished, and I walked forward into this new place, my eyes moving around rapidly as I took in my surroundings.

  Night had turned into day, and the dark beauty of the forest we’d left behind was nothing compared to the one I was now standing in.

  “Th-This is . . . incredible,” I said under my breath, holding my hand out to the most beautiful butterfly I’d ever seen.

  The butterfly’s wings were a bright blend of red and orange with two long feather-like tails at its back like a hummingbird. It landed on my finger, its wings fluttering slowly. I watched as it turned a light blue and green before flittering away again.

  Everywhere I looked, the world seemed awash in brilliant colors and light. Above us, the light blue, pale pink, and orange hues of the sky reminded me of a giant watercolor painting. Even the forest was incandescent—the trees, animals, and insects all glowed. An animal cried in the distance and was immediately answered by another. I turned to Will and found him watching me.

  “What is this place?”

  He walked over to me and handed me a flower. I took it timidly because its red petals were moving in and out rhythmically, as if it were breathing. I froze as the petals slowly morphed into wings, and before I knew it, I was staring down at a small green-eyed lizard.

  "I've never seen a lizard with wings," I said under my breath. The lizard jumped out of my hand, startling me, and I watched in wonder as its wings quickly carried it away. "Will, where are we?"

  “Dragon Territory,” he answered.

  My face fell. “Have you completely lost your mind?” I reached into his pocket for the second vial, and he grabbed my wrist. “Let go of me. If you’re into getting burnt to a crisp, then good for you. But that’s not what I signed up for!”

  He pulled my hand out of his pocket and laughed. I just stood there, staring at him, not sure just what I’d gotten myself into. "You're a madman."

  “Elinor, calm down.” He continued laughing as he walked around me. “I know dragons are even more territorial than wolves are, but the dragon who governs this land is a friend of mine.” He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing for a moment, and when they reopened, they flashed red for a moment before returning to blue. “We’ll be fine. So relax. You look a little panicked.”

  “A little?!” I said. In response, he walked over to me, took my hand, and began pulling me through the forest.

  It was hard to stay tense as I took in everything around us. The forest was alive with so much life and light that it made it hard to focus on just one thing. I pulled on Will’s hand when I spotted a tiny black and white cat with two tails sleeping on a rock. Her white tail swished steadily while her black one remained still. Sensing our presence, she opened her eyes, revealing one green iris and one blue one. She meowed loudly, then jumped off the rock and strolled over to us.

  I chuckled as I stooped down to pet her. “What are you complaining about?” I asked as the cat rubbed herself against my hand, then walked away to do the same to Will.

  I blinked rapidly. The rest of the cat’s pure white fur darkened to black as she returned to her napping spot on the rock.

  “I come here when I need to relax, but the chance to get away rarely presents itself,” Will said.

  “How are you friends with a dragon? It would have to be a noble if he or she governs this land, right?” I thought for a moment. “Do you know Theanos? He’s half-dragon, isn't he?”

  “He is,” he answered. “But his father is the King of the dragons. My friend is just a noble, as you said, but that—”

  His words were cut short as a dragon flew above the forest. It was massive, and my mouth fell open at the size of the shadow it cast over the forest. I kept my eyes on the blue-scaled creature until I could no longer see it, but the wind created from its wings was blowing everything violently. I staggered, trying to keep my footing.

  “Goddess,” I murmured when the wind died down. “Do you think it saw us?”

  “She,” Will said, walking away as if nothing had just happened. “And I’m sure she did.”

  “How do you know it was a female?” I asked, hurrying to catch up to him.

  “Her size. Female dragons are much smaller than males.”

  Nodding in acknowledgment, I couldn’t help but wonder how Theanos’s mother had managed to get pregnant. I shook my head and forced the images that were popping up my head back into the dark recesses of my mind with a shudder.

  “Hey, um, I meant to tell you, I’m sorry about what happened with Cyrus. And also, I apologize if it seemed as if I was accusing you of having something to do with Keith’s death.”

  He waved his hand dismissively, before pushing his hair back from his face. I watched as the long strands fell down his back, and my stomach clenched at the thought of running my fingers through it the way he had.

  "Don't worry about it. I heard you found the creature responsible?"

  “More like it found us,” I grumbled. “But yeah. Cyrus took care of it.”

  “Good,” he said, nodding. “Now follow me. I want to show you something.”

  “You’re showing me a lot already,” I joked. “But okay.”

  We walked in silence while I admired the forest and its strange creatures, until a large white tree came into view. It was as large as an oak tree but wider, and its branches had what looked like white hair hanging from it. As we drew closer, I realized it was just the tree’s leaves hanging down on vines.

  “This tree reminds me of a weeping willow. Dragons considered it a symbol of peace,” Will explained as I bent under one of the long vines to avoid being hit in the face. Once we were underneath the tree, it was as if the weather had changed from being semi-warm to cool. But I could feel the aura of peace throughout the forest coming from the tree as well.

  “Oh,” I drawled, looking up. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Look at this.” I watched closely as he reached out and placed his hand against the tree’s trunk. Within seconds, the tree glowed bright red where his hand had touched it.

  “Wow,” I gushed, moving closer. “What was that?”

  “It reacts to the aura of anyone who touches it,” he explained, then pulled his hand away. “Try it. It won’t bite. Actually, very few things here do.”

  “Then I guess we know why you don’t live here,” I said with a snicker.

  The side of his mouth curved in a devilish smirk. “You’re right. But I can bite gently, if you ask me to.” He took a step towards me, his eyes narrowing as they turned red. My stomach clenched as his gaze wandered to my lips, then to my neck, and finally to my chest. “I can show you, if you’d like.”

  I reached out to grab hold of the tree, needing to steady my
self against his sudden charm. When I touched the bark, the tree started to glow a pale blue. I smiled excitedly. My aura appeared so peaceful and serene, and I silently thanked the tree for the distraction.

  However, I frowned, and so did Will, when the light faded—even though I hadn't pulled my hand away. I opened my mouth to ask him why when the entire tree started to radiate white light. I tried to pull away, but my hand felt glued to the trunk. When the leaves began to shake, I panicked.

  “Will, is this supposed to happen?” I yelled as the light pulsated and the shaking grew worse. “Will?”

  He placed both of his hands on the tree. It flared red around his hands, and whatever held me to the tree finally released me. I scrambled away, putting some distance between myself and the tree.

  “What was that?” Will mumbled.

  My fear turned to anger. “Are you kidding? I should be asking you that. You’re the expert here!”

  “He doesn’t have an answer for you. Even I have never seen the tree light up like that.” I stepped back as a woman appeared out of nowhere. She stood staring at me with her hands behind her back.

  Her green eyes had vertical pupils like a cat's. But despite her strange eyes, she was breathtaking. She was tall—taller even than my 5'7”—and was wearing a simple blue gown that dragged behind her. She looked towards the tree, a smile growing on her pink lips before her eyes returned to me.

  “What’s a beautiful woman like you doing with the likes of Will?” she asked, walking over to me.

  I glanced at Will, who stood there with an amused look on his face. He wasn’t usually so expressive, but I’d noticed how much more relaxed he became after we stepped out from the portal.

  “I’m not so bad, and she knows that,” he told the woman, and she rolled her eyes.

  But she caught me off guard by grabbing my hand. And I tensed as she closed her eyes.

  “Elu, you’re freaking her out,” Will said to the woman.

  She opened her eyes again. “Hmm, interesting,” she murmured with a grin. But it disappeared as her expression grew serious. She glared at Will. “You haven't returned in over a year.”

  Then she looked my way and smiled again. "It's nice to meet you, Elinor. I’m Elu, daughter of Aregon, the noble who owns these lands. I’ve never met a werewolf before.”

  She's a dragon! Oh, of course. Apparently, they could shift into human-like forms. Werewolves really knew very little about dragons in general since we rarely came in contact with any.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Elu. But how do you know my name?”

  She moved her strawberry blond curls over her shoulder. “Your touch told me a lot about you. Are you ready?” she asked Will. He nodded.

  This girl is all over the place.

  “Good, everything is prepared,” she told us as she turned and began walking away. I looked Will’s way for an explanation, but he merely took my hand, urging me to follow her.

  We walked in silence as Elu led us somewhere. I still didn’t know where we were going, but I found that I didn’t really care. I glanced at Will, realizing that I had managed not to think about all my problems waiting for me back home for the past hour. Until now, I hadn’t worried about my father or getting married or Cyrus leaving.

  I'd always wanted to leave my pack and explore Earth. Thanks to Will, I was finally getting the chance. I'd never felt this free before. Here, it didn’t matter at all that I was the firstborn daughter of an Alpha. Right now, I was just a girl exploring a forest in Dragon Territory with my special friend.

  “Here,” Elu announced, and my breath caught as she pointed to a large pond with a towering tree at its center. Beneath the tree was a table and two chairs. As Elu waved her hand, the pond rocks floated to the surface to create a path to the tree.

  “What is this?” I asked Will, who was watching me closely.

  “Our first date, Little Wolf. I think it’s about time we sat down together instead of sneaking around in a forest.”

  “Well, we’re still in a forest,” I told him, and Elu giggled. “But I like this one more.”

  “That’s good to hear. Dragons are spiritual creatures. Because of that, our lands flourish with life and beauty.” Elu held her hand out towards the pond once more, and I noted the dazzling gold bracelet on her wrist. Next to her casual attire, the bracelet really stood out. I could tell that it was pure gold and must have cost a fortune. “Please, both of you enjoy yourself,” she urged. “The plates have been spelled so whatever meal you wish to have will appear in front of you.”

  “Thank you.” I placed my fist over my heart as I bowed, and she smiled widely before nodding to us both.

  “You’re welcome, Elinor. I hope to see you again someday without Will, so we girls can chat.”

  “I don’t get why you insist on pretending you hate me,” Will grumbled by my side, though his blue eyes glistened with laughter.

  Elu winked at him and then turned away.

  “Shall we?” Will asked as he held his hand out to me. I slid my hand into his.

  He led me across the pond. When we reached the table, he pulled out my chair for me before sitting down himself. As Elu had said, the moment I thought of a meal, it appeared on my plate. I watched as the gold goblet beside my plate filled itself with wine.

  Will held his goblet out to me, and I tapped mine against his. “Thank you for this,” I told him. He just picked up my hand and kissed the back of it.

  We didn’t speak as we ate in comfortable silence. I was too transfixed by the food and the music of the forest to talk anyway. After we finished eating, our plates vanished and our goblets refilled themselves.

  “Can I just move here?” I joked as I sipped my wine. “Self-filling goblets are definitely a win in my book.”

  “Dragon territories are rich with magic, allowing them to do amazing things. You can feel it, can’t you?” He held his hand out as if touching something.

  “I can,” I answered. “I’ve felt it from the moment we arrived.” I held my head back as I gazed up at the tree above us and the colorful birds perched on the branches. "I can see myself living here. It's beautiful."

  “Yes,” Will answered softly, and I looked his way to see his lowered eyes on me, “I agree.”

  We stared at each other for a moment until I cleared my throat and looked away. I didn’t need to get lost in his eyes. We’d never get another opportunity like this to talk without being interrupted. “You know I’m engaged, right?”

  He nodded. “Yes, to an Alpha born named Elijah.”

  “Then you know we . . .” I trailed off, trying to find the right words. “We can never do this again. Wait, how do you know his name? I never told you, did I?”

  “You didn’t,” He gazed at me from over the rim of his goblet. “I have my ways.”

  I narrowed my eyes as he lowered his goblet and licked his lips. The wind blew gently around us and I reclined in my chair, as we simply stared at each other. Will didn’t look at all bothered that I was getting married. He’d brought me here, knowing that. He either didn’t have feelings for me the way I thought he did, or he didn’t care that I was promised to someone else.

  I looked down at my lap. Of course, he didn't care. "It doesn’t bother you that I'm getting married to someone else?"

  "Are you even sure you're getting married? From what I’ve heard, nothing has been officially announced. And Elijah isn’t your mate.” He exhaled, then placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “If you had found your mate, you wouldn’t be here with me. So, no. I don’t care that you’re getting married to Elijah. And if you marry him, we’ll still—” His eyes darted to my lips for a moment before returning to my eyes. “We’ll still be able to be friends.”

  "Of course you're glad I haven't found my mate," I grumbled. He dared to nod his head. “Of course, I am.”

  "Well, even so, we can't . . . you can't kiss me anymore. That's what I'm saying. It's not right," I said in a rush. The side of his mouth c
urved as he tilted his head. "I mean it, Will." He nodded, but didn't look at all as if he was listening to me.

  Rolling my eyes, I looked away, frowning when I spotted something moving from behind a flower on the pond. This was so confusing. There was a part of me that was happy I hadn’t met my mate yet either. And as much as he called this thing between us “friendship”, friends didn’t kiss the way we did. If I had found my mate, I knew the butterflies I felt whenever I saw Will would be exterminated.

  Still, I wouldn’t be that woman—the one who snuck around with one man when she was married to another.

  “I know what it feels like to have things forced on you, to have decisions made about your life that you don’t want,” he said. I looked over at Will, who reclined in his chair, his eyes reflecting the slightest bit of anger. I saw it—I saw a similar frustration with his own life. “Our friendship alone is a risk, and I don’t want to be the reason anything bad happens to you,” he continued. “I, however, cannot, and will not, stay away. I might have to stop kissing you, but I won’t promise to stop seeing you. Do you understand?”

  His head snapped to the side, startling me. As I turned to see what he was looking at, I caught small eyes peeping out at me from behind the flower. We both sat quietly, neither of us moving as a small girl, small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, dashed across the pond and appeared on the table before me.

  She moved so quickly that I had a hard time tracking her. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of bright blue I had ever seen. They took up most of her face, leaving just the perfect amount of room for a mouth and nose.

  Her black hair hung to her ankles and covered her body in the absence of clothes. It floated around her, as if she were submerged in water. I smiled as she turned to look at Will and began blushing. My eyes widened as Will chuckled and the little girl moved closer to me, her cheeks turning red.

  “It’s a forest spirit,” Will told me softly. “I’ve never seen one before. They don’t show themselves like this.”

  “She’s so pretty,” I said, and my heart swelled as soft giggles met my ears. I watched as the little girl grabbed her now flaming cheeks. “Oh my Goddess!” I didn't move an inch as thin iridescent wings sprouted from her back.