The Revolution: Book 3 of The Bloodmoon Wars (A Paranormal Shifter Series Prequel to Luna Rising)

by Sara Snow

  I was still charged with adrenaline, so I took a few deep breaths. “The Queen knows about me, and a vampire general’s on his way to the pack right now to kill me. We can’t wait until tomorrow to leave. We have to go tonight.”

  Darian’s hazel eyes narrowed accusingly. “How do you know this?”

  “That’s not important right now. If we stay here, we will die.”

  My mother, Faelen, and Skye entered the living room. Their eyes darted from person to person as they sensed the tension.

  Needing an outlet for my adrenaline, I paced and forth in front of the couch.“The general can control fear—he’ll make us kill each other. I have no doubt he’s the general that Saleem and Scarlet faced.”

  “How do you know all of this, Elinor? Where have you been?” My father was slipping into his overprotective mode, but now wasn’t the time for that.

  Every second mattered—we’d already lost our element of surprise against the Queen. At least one of them. But now wasn’t the time to tell anyone about Will and the plan we came up with.

  “We can ask questions later.” Faelen stepped forward. “Do you know how long we have before he gets here, Elinor?”

  I stopped in front of her and shook my head. “I’m not sure. Less than an hour, maybe.”

  “That’s not enough time,” Skye muttered to herself.

  My mother stepped forward to move a strand of my hair behind my ear. “It’ll have to be enough.” But she was looking at me strangely, as if she was searching for something, and I became self-conscious.

  My father was looking at me suspiciously as well, and I knew he was thinking about Will. He looked at Darian, and I sensed a silent conversation happening between them. As much as I was curious about what they were thinking, there was no time to ponder. We had already packed our bags with supplies and could leave immediately.

  “I’m going with Elinor,” Cyrus announced.

  Darian bobbed his head. “I already knew you’d want to come. That’s fine.”

  My father began walking towards the door. “Gather everything, everyone, but we won’t separate here. We have to travel together so I can see to it that Elinor gets far enough away.”

  “No.” I made a face. “There’s no need for that, Father.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” he argued.

  I sighed exasperatedly. “Father, Cyrus and Darian will be with me. You need to stay with Mother and Faelen. I doubt the general came alone. You have to protect Mother and Faelen.”

  “And you need to get back to the pack as soon as possible,” Darian added. “They need you with them. I can take care of Elinor.”

  My father looked at me, then Darian, then Skye, and finally Cyrus. There was a bulging vein on his forehead, and the tips of his ears turned red. My mother stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. They gazed at each other for a moment, and then he exhaled.

  “Protect her,” he growled at Darian. “Be safe, all of you. How will I know you’ve gotten to wherever you’re going safely?”

  “I’ll mind-link with Darian once we get to the pack,” Faelen confirmed.

  While my father still looked hesitant about this course of action, he finally conceded.

  My mother pulled me into a tight embrace. “Remember what I told you. I’m proud of you. End this and come back to me. I want my daughter back.”

  I nodded, and Faelen placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed tightly. Even though I didn’t always appreciate it when she spoke her mind, I knew she meant well. And we had a mutual enemy: Levi. What was that saying? The enemy of my enemy was my friend?

  I placed my hand over hers. “Thank you.”

  She smiled, and the skin under her eyes crinkled. Then she left the room with everyone except my father. He still looked displeased about the plan to split up, but there was no choice. I was the one Cain was after. And I wouldn’t be alone—I’d have Cyrus, Darian, and Skye with me.

  Plus, I wasn’t anywhere near defenseless, myself. Hopefully, whatever Will was planning to do would work, and he’d delay Cain long enough for us to get far enough away that we couldn’t be followed.

  “You have to let me go, Father.”

  He released a long breath. “I’m trying to.” He pressed a finger to the crease between his brows. “But you don’t make it easy.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You were with the vampire, weren’t you?”

  “Yes,” I answered after a moment, and he turned away. “I was, and he can be trusted.”

  “Until he can’t be,” he argued.

  I sighed. “Just like you can only trust Cyrus until he can’t be trusted? Are you waiting for that day?”

  He turned to face me. “Cyrus is different.”

  “He’s a dark creature, like Will. He’s the son of the Demon King and a Sin. Believe me, he’s more like Will than you know.”

  Now was not the time for us to have this argument. I was more than willing to defend Will, but if my father and I started this conversation and if I said too much, this situation would only go downhill. I’d have to tell him about Will eventually to explain the plan he and I had come up with, but I’d have to be careful not to share the romantic aspect of things.

  Maybe my father had already figured out that part, though. I could see he was fighting his fatherly instinct to protect and his wolf's instinct to reject others outside of the pack. Not that my father had ever made decisions solely based on his wolf's instincts. This was the same Alpha who'd saved and welcomed a young demon into our pack.

  Will had fought by my side, protected Jackson, warned us about the upcoming danger, and was helping us to get away.

  My father had always been more than just an Alpha who cared for his people. He was also a compassionate one who tried his best to be fair and nonjudgmental. He had good intentions, but even the best of intentions could yield bad decisions if he let his protective instincts get in the way of his better judgment. His past attempts to control my life were perfect examples of that. But the way he was with Cyrus showed that he was capable of seeing past race and focusing on who a person was at their core.

  “He can help us kill her, Father. He has a power that’ll weaken her. Between Will, Cyrus, and me, we can finish her. I need you to trust me on that.”

  He took me by the shoulders gently. “Then enough secrets. If you want me to trust you, tell me who he is.”

  I stared up at him. We were parting ways tonight, and I wasn’t sure when I’d see him again. So I told him who Will was, and the part he’d played in saving Skye. I told him about that night in the forest, when he had saved me from two Bleeders. And then I told him Will’s secret.

  His hands dropped from my shoulders.

  I understood. A vampire who could walk in the sun, who had a soul, was a lot to take in. But he kept listening and didn’t say a word to interrupt.

  I explained about Will’s poisonous venom next, and that he was willing to help, but, of course, I omitted what we did in the little cottage in the woods. When I was finished speaking, we just stared at each other for a long time. I didn’t say it, but I was sure he could tell that Will was much more than a friend to me.

  He looked wounded, angry even, and a little confused, but he contained it all and remained silent.

  “Father?”

  “I’m processing,” he grumbled. Then he covered his mouth with his left hand and sighed, looking thoughtful.

  I allowed him the time to mull over it all. It generally took me a while to process things, and he only had a couple minutes before we had to leave.

  “He’ll follow you and Darian, then,” he said, and I nodded. “Darian won’t understand—well, he will, but he won’t like it. It took him a long time to accept Cyrus.”

  “I know. But he doesn’t have any choice in the matter. It’s up to me to kill the Queen, and I’ll need Cyrus and Will to do it.”

  “Goddess,” my father exhaled heavily. “A vampire who can walk in the sun. H
ow is that even possible?”

  “I don’t know, but it is.” I stepped forward and snaked my hand around him. He froze for a moment, shocked that I was hugging him, then his arms wrapped around me. “You took that better than I expected.”

  “That’s only because I’m thinking about the bigger picture—killing the Queen. But if it turns out that he’s anything like her, we’ll have a bigger problem on our hands.” He pulled back. “You know what we’ll have to do if that happens, right? You know what’ll happen when the Council finds out about him? They might allow him to fight with us now, but when this is over, they’ll target him next.”

  I nodded. “Yes, I know.”

  But he and I will be long gone by then. Because when this is all over, they’ll be after me, too.

  “We need to go.” We both turned and found Cyrus at the door. My father nodded to him, and Cyrus did the same. “Elinor, we’ll be outside.”

  Cyrus turned and left, and my father’s large hand came down on my shoulder. He didn’t say anything, and I was happy he didn’t. I didn’t want us to say goodbye like we’d never see each other again.

  I placed my hand over my heart as he did the same, and we bowed at the same time. And at that moment, I understood that I’d finally gained my father’s respect and trust.

  19

  Will

  The world around me blurred as I raced through the woods. While werewolves were agile creatures, vampires were still miles ahead of them in the speed department. Vampires, as natural predators, were stealthier. However, with their strength, final form, and extraordinary senses, werewolves still had no trouble hunting us.

  I locked onto my brother’s scent and swung left to head in his direction. Cain’s ability allowed him to affect supernaturals and humans within a mile of him. My brother enjoyed making people psychically live their worst fear, and he used his gift every chance he got.

  But when he directed his attention on one person, the effects were much worse.

  As I ran, I sensed his power attempting to pierce my mind. I’d discovered long ago, back when we were both quite young, that the trick to fighting him was to build a wall, a mental barrier, around my thoughts. And though he’d tried long and hard over the years to break through it, he’d never succeeded . . . until now.

  I hadn’t thought it possible for me to fall victim to his power. My fists clenched at that, recalling Vivian’s words that I was growing weaker. But I knew that wasn’t true. I had, however, dropped my guard, and couldn’t let that happen again. I swallowed, a lingering taste of Elinor still on my tongue. It had been worth it.

  I stopped running when I smelled my brother and his Bleeders. I knew he wouldn’t have come alone. By my estimation, he had sixteen others with him, Bleeders and supernaturals alike. To other supernaturals, vampires all smelled the same. But vampires could detect minute differences in each others’ scents that made it possible for us to identify specific individuals.

  I began walking to the location my brother’s scent was strongest, but my mind couldn’t help going back to the moment I had bitten Elinor. My gums ached and my fangs elongated at the memory of her exquisite taste and the way she had clung to me. Maybe it was the divinity coursing through her body, but I’d actually lost myself in her taste. For a second, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop. I’d wanted to consume her. But as soon as she spoke, I realized what I was doing. She wasn’t aware of the control she had over me, but at that moment, I’d been glad of it.

  I was a little surprised at how quickly she’d broken through to me, her words easily pulling me back from the ledge that I’d worked to hold myself back from for centuries.

  Elinor had given herself to me without fear. She’d never truly understand how much that meant to me.

  For so long, I’d felt alone and unwanted. I thought I had been cursed to walk the earth by myself, feared or hated—never loved. For a while I’d deceived myself into believing my mother loved me, but now I knew that she hadn’t, not really. Unfortunately, it had taken centuries for me to realize that. I was just her most incredible creation. She was both proud of what she created and fascinated by the potential of what I represented.

  I didn’t want to pass on my ability to walk during the day, and not because I was trying to keep it all to myself. Even without the ability to daywalk, vampires were already capable of mass destruction—a destruction I’d already played a major part in. If vampires could walk in the sun too . . . If every vampire had my ability, they would overrun the world within weeks. And I couldn’t let that happen.

  Hopefully, Elinor had already made it back to her pack, and they had left. I found Cain with a Bleeder, the hairless creature crouched down at his side. He turned to face me and waved his hand at the Bleeder, who rushed into the bushes and vanished. He buried his hands in his pockets and glared at me.

  “Were you trying to sneak up on me, Will?”

  “What are you doing here?” I inquired bluntly, and the corners of his mouth arched.

  “I should ask you that,” he countered.

  “Vivian’s coven is close by. That was the reason I was sent here months ago.”

  He pulled a hand from his pocket and snapped his fingers. “Oh, right. Good luck with that one. She’s crazy.”

  “If you’re here for the white wolf, Cain, she’s gone, and so is the rest of her pack.”

  The smug smirk on his face vanished. “And why would you go looking for her?”

  “Since neither you nor the Queen would fill me in on what’s happening, I found out for myself.” I shook my head. “The girl’s a white wolf. And I know, the same as you do, what that means to our mother. That’s why you’re here, right? To kill her?”

  He didn’t answer right away, but I figured he’d be tight-lipped. Cain was the overly suspicious type, and I doubted he even trusted our mother, though he had glued himself to her side as if he were a toddler.

  “They’ve all already left, so you’re too late,” I told him. “If I had been advised about all of this beforehand, she wouldn’t have slipped through the Queen’s hands. So go back and report that to our mother.”

  Cain’s eyes hardened for a moment, and I could see the intended purpose of my words had hit home. There was nothing Cain hated more than failure. Well, he hated me more, but I didn’t care about that. I was only trying to stall him. Unfortunately, though he was here, he had sent Bleeders ahead.

  But Elinor and her family could easily handle them. My brother was the real threat.

  “What happened to you, William?” He spat my name as if it burned his tongue. “I don’t mind that you’re no longer living at the castle. In fact, I’m quite happy I don’t have to see your face. But I’m curious . . . What changed you?”

  “Why does that matter, Cain?”

  He shrugged, causing a strand of blond hair to graze his face. While I was six foot six and dark, Cain was six foot four and fair. We weren’t brothers by blood, so we looked nothing alike. The only thing we had in common in appearance was the fact that we were both muscular.

  “I want to understand what happened to you, so I can make sure it doesn’t happen to me,” he clarified. “You were a legend, and yet, you walked away. What have you been doing while you’ve roamed the earth like a lost soul?” He smirked. “At least, I’m assuming you have a soul.”

  “You don’t need to concern yourself with my soul, Cain. Worry about our mother’s wrath when she finds out you lost the girl.”

  He hissed. “You were here all this time. Why didn’t you capture her?”

  “Really? You need to decide what you want me to do—stay out of things or help. Or do you need a few lessons on how to be a general?”

  He stepped forward, his fangs long enough to touch his bottom lip, but then stopped. “You know what? It’s fine. I have someone following the girl as we speak. It’ll only be a matter of time before the Queen has her.”

  I paused at that. “What do you mean, ‘the Queen has her’? Aren’t you here to
kill her?”

  “It’s unpleasant not knowing anything, isn’t it?” Cain retorted. “That’s how I felt before. You were always there, always the one she called on.”

  “Oh, let it go, Cain. Now you’re by her side, and I’m happy you are. So move on.”

  “So fucking smug!” Cain said as his eyes moved across my face with disgust.

  I didn’t care. If he was here to capture Elinor instead of kill her, I had to learn why. But I dreaded finding out the answer.

  “We don’t have time to stand here and bicker like children. I’ll help with the search if you tell me what’s going on. Why doesn’t the Queen want the girl dead? She has strong divinity and is a genuine threat. You know that.”

  Cain’s power suddenly exploded from his body, and I stepped back. I shouldn’t have. He noticed the action immediately, and while he frowned with confusion, he quickly smiled knowingly.

  “You’re affected.” He began laughing, the sound rolling up to the trees above. “You have changed! What do you fear, Will? Tell me.”

  I removed my cloak and flung it to the ground. I felt his power bearing down on me in an attempt to paralyze me, but when he charged at me, I still reacted. It was too late for him to change his course of action, and he dodged my fist by an inch and rolled to the side. He was back on his feet quickly, and we collided, his fangs snapping inches away from my face. My fist grazed his cheek, sending him backwards, but he recovered within seconds and was on me again.

  “What do you fear?” he demanded as his fist connected with my gut.

  Elinor appeared behind him, her throat slit and tears in her eyes. I swallowed hard as I tried to fortify my mental barriers and stepped back just in time to avoid Cain’s claws slicing my throat open. The illusion of Elinor felt so real, I could even smell her.

  “Will, help me,” she pleaded, her blood spilling over the hand she held to her throat.

  Cain looked behind him, a victorious grin on his face. “Oh, I wish I could see what you’re seeing. What’s changed? My power’s never been effective against you before.”