Blood Moon Magic
Page 35
I’m just about to answer when screams rend the air and break me out my post trance confusion.
“What the fuck is happening?” I cry out and sit up so fast, blood rushes to my head.
Whoa! My body doesn’t feel right.
Justin had warned that I might notice a surge of power after our spell, but this is far beyond a surge, this feels like an invasion.
“Abby, come out here. Something is wrong,” I hear Shaun call, and the tremor in his voice has me on edge.
I grab one of the guys’ shirts and throw it over my head. It drapes to my lower thighs, as I rush out of the tent. The sight before me nearly brings me to my knees.
The debauchery and revelry have been replaced with chaos and destruction. All around me are my packmates. Some are fighting, and some have already lost their lives, but they have surrounded our tent. Even at their own peril, they protected me and my mates. A sword is thrust through the torso of one of my mother’s lieutenants, and a cry is ripped from my throat.
“Emily!” I scream, but it’s useless. As the sword is yanked back out, my eyes collide with the smile of none other than the Death Claw alpha.
“How could you? This is a scared night. You broke the blood circle; your life is forfeit!” I yell.
He laughs, “And who will enforce it? The Elders? The Elders have no power, and thanks to you, they won’t even get the magic they desperately need.”
“How do you know about that?” I gasp. No one should know about that.
“You dumb bitch. It’s obvious. You’re glowing. Your body is overloaded with power that doesn’t belong to you. But don’t worry, in a moment I’ll put you out of your misery.”
Instead of running towards me, he runs away and starts slinging balls of inky black magic with no care for where they land. I watch as the trees blacken and my packmates are slain by sword and magic. My heart turns to stone at the carnage.
This man has done enough. Caused enough pain.
Kill him.
I think I will, girl.
I grab the sword laying next to Emily’s lifeless body, the one she dropped when Nathaniel killed her. I run toward him and slash downward, but Nathaniel leaps backward, and the tip of the sword leaves a long shallow gash. His blood seeps out of the wound, tracking down his skin like honey it’s so thick. In my distraction, he advances on me, and only a shouted, “Abby, watch out,” has me back on track.
I barely miss the blow meant for my neck, and as the sword slices through the sensitive flesh of my breasts, I consider myself lucky.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I see my men coming forward to try to help.
“No! Remember your promise. Go help my pack. Find my mother and Seamus. Nathaniel is mine.”
The chorus of grumbles in my head is pissing me off, so I cut the connection. I need to focus.
With a thunderous growl, I try to slowly let my alpha power come to the surface, but it roars in. I might have been glowing before, but now I’m a shining beacon of power. Nathaniel’s eyes widen in surprise, but then a grin spreads over his face as he greedily takes in my display of power.
With speed and ferocity I didn’t know I was capable of, I attack him, but he comes back at me just as hard. All I can hear is heaving breaths as our swords clash against one another, but with my wolf’s encouragement, I find an opening and slash him across the belly.
He bellows, enraged, but I continue to press my advantage. Another swing opens him up across his back, and he tries to avoid my subsequent blows.
“You bitch. You’re an abomination. I should have killed you when I had the chance,” he sneers at me as a ball of black magic bounces in his hands.
I stumble back shocked; how does he have the strength to access his magic? The wounds I’ve already dealt are critical.
I don’t understand.
“Try harder, she-bitch. It’s going to take a lot more than a few nicks and scratches to bring me down,” he goads in a voice coated in venom.
“Nathaniel, why are you even doing this? Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
“Because your mother belongs to me, your pack belongs to me, and this should all be mine,” he roars, “but your mother took it from me when she denied the Claiming!”
His words strike like bullets, and I hear no hint of deceit in them. Somehow I just know he’s telling the truth. He uses my shock against me and hits me with some of his magic. The moment it touches my body, it fills me with a sense of wrongness and knocks me on my ass. Every fear I possess, every failure—perceived or real, is brought out of me and amplified tenfold. I’m left paralyzed by my own emotions. His magic is wrapping itself around me and causing immeasurable pain. I can barely force a full breath to enter my lungs.
“You know, I wasn’t even so bad back then,” he says. “I wasn’t a monster. I had barely even developed my taste for blood, and your mother could have stopped me. She could have saved me.”
No, no, no.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Of course not, the shame of it all. Your majestic and powerful mother tainted by a lowly mate like me. What was her wolf thinking, right?”
I can’t breathe, and I can’t process his words. I reached my breaking point three lies and one betrayal ago.
“And now look—you’re weak—barely worth the magic I’m holding in my palm. You know,” he lowers his voice, “I never got your mother, even though she was rightfully mine, but I’ll settle for you. Come with me, and I’ll stop killing your pack.”
“What? You’re kidding me, right? Goddess damn, what is it with toxic asshole men who think it’s a woman’s fault that they are pieces of shit? It wasn’t my mother’s job to save you, you fucking asshole. It was your own job, and I’m not going anywhere with you!”
He roars at me in anger, “Shut up bitch, now come with me! Come peacefully, and I won’t burn your pack to the ground. This is your last chance.”
He launches another black ball of magic, this time at the field, and it’s so much larger than the last. The inky flames creep across the forest swallowing everything in their path and leaving nothing but ash behind.
He’s destroying our casting circle. He’s going after our seat of power, and I’m on the ground trying to remember how to breath.
We must get up now! I know you’re hurting, but this is not the time!
Kaden runs over to me, ignoring my earlier warning and shakes me, “Abby, get the fuck up. I don’t care how much you’re hurting; we can handle that later. You’re stronger than him! But, if you don’t get up right now and fight, every person you let die from now on is on you. You can save them, but you have to get up now,” he roars at me. His words are harsh, and I want to ignore them.
My wolf takes over, moving my limbs for me and getting me up to a standing position again. She nudges me forward every inch that I can no longer take myself.
Come on! We can do this. We must do this. We cannot stop! We cannot wallow!
I swallow the despair and let the rage come to the surface, “No!” I scream, struggling to my feet.
Nathaniel prepares to fire another ball of magic at me, but I’m ending this now. He’s done, and I think it’s time for him to stop breathing.
“No more,” I yell, and focus my magic on him instinctively.
I look deep inside of him and find his soul. A quick glance shows me there’s nothing worth saving. There’s only darkness living inside of him. Reaching out one hand, I open my palm and cup his soul with my magic then squeeze, snuffing his life out. His eyes widen as blood bursts from every orifice of his body. It’s a fitting end. When the last beat of his rotten heart fades to nothing, I pull my hand back. It’s covered in blood and a black inky substance, that’s thick like taffy and dark as pitch. His lifeless body is still there, eyes bugged out, blood leaking from his wounds.
With barely a thought, I send a ball of Aether through him, feeling nothing as his body is engulfed in the bright purple flames of my magic as it incinerates in seconds.
&nbs
p; The magical display overexerts me, forcing me to the ground in a heap. I still can’t shake the evil dark power of Nathaniel’s attack. It continues to feed on me, attaching to the power inside of my soul that doesn’t belong. It continues to eat away at me, shredding my psyche. I fall to the ground. The shouts of my men are all around me, but they sound so far away.
My dad is alive. My mom lied. Nathaniel was one of my mom’s mates. And our barrier was breached, which means someone in my pack is a traitor.
THE END
About the Author
I'm Isobelle, a writer from Northern Virginia. I've been reading and writing for as long as I can remember. However, it wasn't until I crossed into that magical world known as my 30's that I shook off the last vestiges of fear and dove head first into my writing career. I started writing in September 2018 and fell in love. I hope you enjoy my stories because I pour a piece of myself into every page. I started this journey as a passion project, and to prove myself right. Everyone deserves to live out their dreams. When not writing I'm also a fan of cooking, musical theatre and spoiling my dog. I love to write and read reverse harem, dark paranormal, urban fantasy and fantasy. I listen to my muse and write what she gives me.
My fondest wish is to write for all sorts of different people. I want to be very inclusive in my writing because I feel like there’s a place for that. I think that everybody should be able to pick up a book and find somebody they identify with when they read. I won’t always get it right, but I will always try. My hope is to write characters that are real, even if they’re in a fantastical world. Which means, touching on subjects that might be disturbing to some, but is a way of life to others. Life isn't all rainbows and lollipops. We have to go through a storm once in a while. That's what makes the reward sweeter!
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