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

by Sara Snow

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, pulling my leg back up. The cell was seventy square meters or less, with everyone crammed together.

  A torch outside the cell was the only source of light, but I could see well enough thanks to my werewolf senses. My heart dropped as reality sunk in. I hadn't dreamt that attack on Elinor and me—it had all been real. I’d been abducted.

  When I saw my mother lying against the wall, I yelled, "Mother!" Even in the dark cell, I could see well enough to notice a bruise across her cheek. But she was still unconscious.

  I crawled over to her and began shaking her gently. "Mom, wake up."

  "She won't wake up," a woman sitting beside my mom's body mumbled. "Not until the magic used to put her to sleep wears off."

  "Where are we?" I asked, and the woman's pale blue eyes finally looked my way.

  She said nothing, then looked away once more. The smell of death was ripe in the air, mixed with the potent scent of blood and feces. I got up once I felt my strength return to my legs and walked toward the cell’s rusted iron bars. I tried to see if there were guards outside the cell, but I saw none. Gripping the iron bars, I inhaled deeply and pulled, then staggered backward in confusion. Even with my enhanced strength, I couldn't break the bars.

  I tried repeatedly, but it was as if I was an ant trying to lift a house.

  "That's no use. Not even a werewolf can break those bars," a man's voice whispered from behind me. I turned around to find the sad grey eyes of a human staring at me. "They've been spelled. They're unbreakable."

  He was painfully thin, with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks.

  "How long have you been here?" I asked him, and he closed his eyes for a moment.

  "I don't remember," he answered.

  I glanced at my mother. She was still unconscious, her chest rising and falling slowly.

  I need to get us out of here.

  "You need to stop moving around so much. You don’t want to alert the guards," the hoarse voice of a woman met my ears, but I turned towards the bars, still looking for a way to escape.

  My eyes darted around, noting the empty cell just across from ours, and I wondered if there were other cells with people in them. I couldn't hear any more heartbeats other than those belonging to the sixteen or so humans and supernaturals in the cell behind me. I must have been taken by the people Alpha Grayson had told us about.

  I glanced over my shoulder, then walked over to my mother and sat beside her. The woman behind me was right. There was no point in drawing unnecessary attention. Eventually, someone would have to appear, and then—if an opening presented itself—I’d act. I was not like Elinor—I'd been training to become a pack doctor, not training to fight or protect. But I was still a werewolf. And I was her friend, and her fire to help others also lived in me.

  "What is this place?" I asked the woman sitting beside my mom. She sighed, her lips dry and cracked in multiple places.

  "This is where we die," she answered weakly before resting her head back against the wall.

  Soft cries met my ears from people inside the cell and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from panicking. I closed my eyes, and under my breath, I whispered, "Cyrus and Elinor, please hurry and find us."

  Then I remembered that Cyrus had already left. And with that thought, despair set in. If not Cyrus, I knew Elinor and the Alpha would come looking for us. I just hoped they would get here in time.

  Elinor

  Directly behind Saleem, there was a large glass shelf with jars upon jars filled with strange things—things like bark, herbs . . . and body parts from supernaturals and other creatures. Cyrus and I sat in front of her desk as we watched her pick the ingredients for the spell she'd perform to help us find Skye.

  She picked up a jar with what looked like a large fang in it and placed that on her desk beside the others.

  "What's the price?" I whispered to Cyrus as Saleem began removing the ingredients from the jars and placing them in a bowl.

  "My blood," Cyrus answered.

  I looked at him, confused. I had thought the price would be higher than that, given the way he and Saleem had reacted.

  "Just your blood?" I probed, and he nodded.

  "Because I'm the Demon King's son, my blood is rare and powerful. In the wrong hands, it could do a lot of harm. But it's the price I have to pay for Saleem's help. A small vial is all I have to give her, but it's powerful enough to both restore her youth and fetch her a good price in the Dark Souls Market. Saleem and Scarlet helped me learn to control my power and my cravings. My blood was a small price to pay. I just hate the extraction process."

  When he looked at me, he must have noticed my confusion. "I purposefully force my power into my blood. Then it's extracted by an excruciating spell. But my blood becomes even stronger . . . and worth more."

  "Oh," I drawled.

  "Saleem's trustworthy. The old bat just loves money," Cyrus chuckled, as did Saleem.

  "Right you are, my boy. But your blood can triple the strength of any spell." She looked up at us from below her lashes. "That's a good ingredient for a black magic user like myself to have." She removed small red eyes from a jar and dropped them into the cauldron on the desk. Then she held her hand out to Cyrus. "Give me the hair."

  Cyrus handed her the strand of Skye’s hair and I watched as she held it up to her lips, muttered a few words I didn't understand, and then dropped the hair into the cauldron. A blue flame erupted from inside, and she nodded with satisfaction.

  "Good." She reached into her bosom and pulled out a thread necklace with a vial attached. "I've been saving this for when you returned."

  Cyrus shook his head, seeing the vial of blood around her neck—his blood. "Of course you did."

  "So, tell me, what is your relationship to the owner of this hair?" she asked as she emptied the vial into the cauldron. I had to shield my eyes from the bright blue light that suddenly filled the room.

  "It belongs to Skye, our best friend," Cyrus answered. I glanced over at him, noticing his clenched fists. He was barely holding himself together. "Someone took her."

  Saleem's violet eye shone brightly as she grew serious. "Mm, I've heard rumors of supernaturals going missing."

  "Do you have any idea who might be behind it?" I asked, but she shook her head.

  "No, all I've heard are whispers and nothing more." Then she motioned us both forward with a finger. "Hold hands. Since she's a friend to you both, the connection will be stronger. One of the humans who worked here vanished a few months ago. Of course, in the Dark Souls Market anything could have happened to her, but Scarlet said all traces of her scent vanished. That has black magic written all over it."

  "So witches are responsible for this?" Cyrus asked. But Saleem shook her head.

  "Not necessarily, darling. Witches aren’t the only ones who use black magic. Most people think of witches when they hear about black magic, but demons are the ones that naturally use it. Witches, elves and many other species can use black magic, if they choose to. Even humans can use it. They can either train themselves, sell their souls, or tie themselves to a demon. I trained myself. So, what I’m saying is . . . anyone could be behind these disappearances."

  One thing was clear to me—whoever was abducting these people, they had to be powerful to use such strong black magic. I was terrified to discover why they'd need to take so many people. Something was coming, and I had a feeling it was going to be devastating. I just hope Saleem could locate Skye so we could get her back home before all hell broke loose.

  Cyrus held my hand, and I followed his lead, closing my eyes. "Picture Skye in your minds, and hold on to that image," Saleem muttered before she began chanting.

  Warmth filled the room, and even with my eyes closed, it was as if I could see a flashing light pulsating within the room. I held onto an image of Skye and me during one of our sleepovers in my mind as Saleem’s chant grew louder.

  Skye was more than a friend to me—she was my sister. I squeezed Cyrus's hand at
the thought that right now she might be in pain, and my wolf stirred within me.

  "Breath," Cyrus said, squeezing my hand. "Focus."

  I bit down on my lip, pushing all my negative thoughts away and focusing on memories of us all together. I thought about Skye and Cyrus supporting me during my Werewolf Guard examination, and all the times we spent together at our favorite spot in the forest.

  I remembered Skye's boy-crazy ways, even though she’d really only had eyes for Cyrus since we were kids. I started smiling, thinking about how she always knew when something was wrong with me and wouldn’t give up until I told her. Before Cyrus arrived, it had just been her and me, and she'd forever be my sister.

  A loud ringing had Cyrus and me covering our ears as we opened our eyes. A blue light emanating from within the cauldron filled the room, and Saleem had stopped chanting. I noticed a crease between her brows, and she seemed to be straining. Then, without warning, the cauldron exploded, throwing Saleem to the side and blowing Cyrus and me back too.

  My back slammed against the door, the sound of the wood breaking echoing in my ear. Cyrus was up in seconds and rushed across the room to help Saleem.

  "What was that?" I asked as Cyrus helped her into a chair.

  "There is magic, powerful black magic, around your friend." Saleem rubbed a finger against her temple. "I wasn't able to get a location."

  Cyrus combed his hair back with frustration. "It's okay. Thank you for trying."

  Saleem held her hand up. "There is another way. If another demon would be willing to participate, I might be able to break the spell and find her. The spell’s protection faltered for just a moment, then pushed back. I'm just not strong enough on my own."

  Cyrus nodded. "Okay, I understand." He turned to me. "Are you okay?"

  “I'm fine. Scarlet won’t be strong enough either. Can you think of any other demon we could ask for help?”

  He rubbed his knuckles across his cheek thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. “Saleem?” She looked up at him from where she was removing a shard of the cauldron from her wrinkled hand. “Do you have enough strength left to contact someone for me?”

  15

  Elinor

  I leaned forward, propping myself against the balcony wall as I looked over the Black Souls Market. The cool night air was combing through my hair as I stood on the roof, causing the strands to blow behind me from time to time. I could hear screams off in the distance, but I did my best to ignore them.

  Waiting for Theanos to arrive was costing us time, but I knew it couldn't be helped. I had thought about asking Saleem to contact Will but decided against it when Cyrus suggested his brother. It would be sunrise in a few hours anyway, so he wouldn’t have been able to help. I just felt like the more time that passed, the farther Skye drifted away.

  "Hey." Cyrus appeared at my side. "Theanos will be here soon."

  I nodded as I kept looking out over the market. "Okay."

  “He's never going to let me forget this, but he's the only demon I could ask.”

  “I just hope we'll be able to find Skye. If not, what other option do we have?”

  He shook his head. "There is no other option—at least, not that I can think of right now. This has to work."

  "Great," I grumbled. "Then let's keep our fingers crossed." We stood in silence as an enormous creature with wings circled a building top in the distance. "Is that a gargoyle?"

  Cyrus leaned forward. "Yes, they’re nasty creatures. I fought one once. They have horrible tempers."

  Even in the dark, I could make out the creature's curved horns and long arms hanging limply at its side. It grabbed onto the highest point of the building as lightning flashed in the distance.

  "Have you given more thought about what to do about Will?"

  "Um," I drawled, caught off guard by that question. "What do you mean?"

  "I was thinking about the conversation you, Skye, and I had before I left. You had decided not to marry Elijah. But what about Will and your father? I know you're going to continue seeing Will, but what will you do if your father finds out? Are you even prepared for what could happen?"

  I inhaled deeply and grimaced at the awful scent that drifted up to my nostrils. I turned to the side to lean against the wall.

  "I haven't given it much thought, to be honest. I mean, Skye was abducted right after that, and well, we're here. But my guess is that if my father finds out about Will, he’ll be mad. But all he'll do is tell me I'm making the wrong choice. And he does that anyway."

  "But he’ll also hunt Will down, potentially starting a war. And he could even banish you from the pack," Cyrus added. "He won't just get mad."

  "I know all of that, Cyrus. Will knows that his kind will lose it if they find out, too. But he made it clear he will not stay away. And I don’t want him to."

  The large wings of the gargoyle spread wide before it flew down between the buildings, clearly hunting. Even though we were far away, I still heard a man's cry of agony. I glanced at Cyrus as he looked my way, and I shook my head.

  I'm not sure how much more of the market I can take.

  "When I found you and Will in the forest, and I saw him kiss you without you biting his lips off, I thought I was hallucinating," Cyrus laughed. "I was certain he must have done something to you because no way would the Elinor I knew ever kiss a vampire."

  Heat crawled up my cheeks at the memory, and I leaned forward, letting my hair shield my face.

  "Oh, hush." I remembered staring at the snowflakes on Will's hair, wondering how a dark creature like him could look so beautiful. "I've been attracted to very few men so far. And while many of them make me want to rip their vocal cords out, Will doesn't. Not that I'd ever tell him that, the smug bastard. But he is breaking down my defenses.” I placed my hand on my chest, patting the flower I’d received in the dragon forest. "We spend so little time together, and after he leaves, I'm never satisfied. He's still such a mystery. I love and hate it."

  "Then I think you two need to stop playing around. What's between you has the potential to start a war. Is your friendship worth it? If you're both willing to take such a dangerous risk, admit your feelings to each other and be done with it. Stop drawing this out. He has feelings for you and you have them for him. Admit it. You don't want to be just friends. So you need to decide if being with Will is worth losing your pack…or starting a war. Either way, seeing each other in secret will only hurt you both in the end."

  I stared at Cyrus for a moment, seeing his eyes darken with anger. "You wish you had told Skye about the way you felt earlier?"

  He said nothing, but I knew I was right. Still, I understood what he was saying. I had to decide what I wanted to do, and soon. Above us, the stars looked so close, I was tempted to reach out and see if I could touch one.

  "If I marry Elijah, I'll be a part of his pack. But if either of us found our true mate, it would cause chaos and pain. I could find myself without a pack if he meets his mate and accepts her, leaving me to go rogue or return to the Blackmoon Pack. And if I meet my mate and reject him, I’d risk losing my mind, and maybe my life, just to continue being Elijah's mate. How valuable would I be as a Luna then? I think I'd rather go rogue."

  "Are you sure about that?" Cyrus asked.

  I nodded. "Not all rogues are plagues on society. Sure, rogue wolves often become thieves or bounty hunters for hire, but depending on the jobs bounty hunters accept, some of them actually do some good in this world. Right?"

  "So you're prepared to become a bounty hunter if you're banished because your father finds out about you and Will?" Cyrus looked utterly surprised.

  The thought had crossed my mind before but only briefly. If my father ever discovered my friendship with Will, and I was indeed banished, I wouldn’t have a choice in becoming a rogue werewolf. However, I would be free to do what I wanted, to be the woman I'd always wanted to be—one who helped others and hunted dark creatures.

  "I'd rather be a rogue werewolf than marry Elijah
," I said with finality. "If my father wants me gone so badly, then I'll give him that. But it’ll have to be on my terms. Then he won't have a reason to worry about who my friends are…or who I chose as a partner."

  "Hmm," Cyrus hummed, and I elbowed him.

  "What? What does that mean?"

  "Nothing, it's just that, as long as you know what you're doing, I’ll support you. Now all you have to do tell Will and see what he says."

  My heart skipped a beat at that. "Can't he just know, without me having to say anything? You men need to learn how to read minds."

  "I'm afraid we haven't evolved to that level yet."

  Cyrus and I laughed for a moment until yet another scream—one that echoed through the night from just below us—snapped us back to reality. I leaned over the balcony, and sure enough, a human woman had her back to the wall as two vampires advanced on her.

  My eyes turned black as one of them grabbed her and sank his fangs into her arm. She screamed again, and as she swung her other hand to hit him, the second vampire grabbed that hand as well.

  Within me, my wolf howled with rage. I'd finally had enough. I couldn’t hold back anymore, couldn’t stand by and watch as people died all around me.

  "Why do these people come here, when they know what the Black Souls Market is like?" I growled through clenched teeth.

  "Many are born here and have no way of leaving," Cyrus answered, and my resolve to act increased.

  I looked at Cyrus, and he sighed and nodded. I grinned as my fangs elongated and the sweet pain of my claws piercing through my fingertips rolled up my arms. I climbed onto the wall, and my howl echoed through the night as I jumped two stories below.