Bane
of Tenebris
Wolfgods
Book 2
by
Blaise Ramsay
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
Alexander
Kain has been through hell. For centuries, torture, bloodshed, war
and living in the shadow of a powerful father have haunted his every
dream. Born to die in the place of another due to an ancient pact, he
has resigned himself to isolation to wait for death's sweet embrace.
Everything changes when a young woman - a hybrid; both vampire and
lycan - arrives beaten and left for dead at his doorstep.He couldn't
have known that saving her would lead him down a twisting, winding
road. One filled with old rivals longing to settle a score, former
lovers of a bygone, taboo past or an unlikely alliance with the
monsters he fought during centuries of war. The dark god who tortured
Kain disappears, his methods and plans unsettling. He must come to
grips when his past if he is to survive. However, unlike the
loneliness he once knew, Kain falls in love with the woman he found
naked in the woods.A love that just might be what he needs to put the
ghosts of his past to rest.
Chapter Three
Tala's chest hurt from running. Unfamiliar
screams filled her ears, shifting into angry snarls and growls. Something
rammed her hard enough to knock her down, but she quickly recovered and
continued to run. Black shapes surrounded her, lashing out with their claws,
leaving painful bites across her skin.
Exhausted, Tala collapsed. As she lay on the ground, her vision blurred
and faded from the dark images to one of an angelic-faced man with dirty blonde
hair.
Tala opened her eyes, free from the fractured memories, finding she no
longer lay on the ground in the woods. Groaning, she tried to push herself onto
her elbows to take in her surroundings and her condition.
She looked down to find herself naked, half covered in thick blankets, and
her wounds cleaned and wrapped.
Lifting her eyes to the rest of the room, she saw a round, black wood
burning stove in the corner. In its maw an orange fire glowed.
When the door opened, Tala jerked her attention towards the noise of the
creaking hinges. The same man she thought she only dreamed of walked in
carrying a plate of food and extra bandages.
Polished, sculpted muscles lay scarcely hidden beneath the white
undershirt he wore. The faded, dark blue jeans sat low on his hips. The
features of his face remained soft, yet Tala could see they were worn by time.
She felt her cheeks heat the longer she stared. The only imperfections
were the jagged scars covering the copper skin of his arms.
“Oh, you’re awake. I’m glad. I began to wonder if you would wake at
all,” the strange man said as he set the plate on the table next to the bedside
and grabbed the bandages.
Tala backed away so quickly she underestimated the distance and fell
over the bed’s edge, landing to the floor with a THUD!
The man clenched one eye closed, hissing through his teeth. “I’m sorry.
That looked rather unpleasant.”
The man strode around the other side of the bed and took a knee in front
of her. His gentle eyes met hers. In a tender voice, he said. “I’m not going to
hurt you. My name is Alexander Kain. May I ask your name?”
Kain held out his hand to help her up.
“Tala. My name is Tala,” Tala replied, taking Kain’s hand. “Where am I
and how did I get here?
“You’re in my home. I found you injured in the woods not far from here.
You’ve been unconscious for almost a week now,” Kain said. He took the food
from the bedside table and setting it down in front of her. He followed with
his own question, “Do you know how you came to be in the woods?”
Tala rubbed her head, groaning. The images from the dream returned to
her, causing her to tremble. “I…I remember running. There were black shapes. I
don’t remember anything before that.”
Kain helped Tala sit back down on the bed. “These black shapes. Do you
recall something strange about them?”
“They moved fast. I remember the stings of pain each time they got
close.”
Kain sat down next to her on the bed. “It’s okay. It may take time for
your memories to return. I’m not sure how long you were out there. Try to get
some food and rest. I will come back later to check on your injuries.”
“Wait. Where am I? What city?”
“Big Timber. About a mile outside of it to be specific,” Kain replied.
“Big Timber?” Tala’s eyes widened. “I was trying to get here.”
“Get some rest and eat. We can talk more later.” Kain departed the room
without saying another word.
****
Kain
leaned against the wooden railing of his covered porch, his eyes focused on the
line of trees around the perimeter of his cabin. In the shadows, he made out
glowing eyes staring from beyond the gloom. Snarls could be heard above the
silence.
The lights of a black Mustang could be seen driving up the gravel road
towards the cabin.
He soon recognized it, grinning. “Well, well, well. It seems I’m
suddenly very popular.”
Kain waited for the car to stop and the engine turned off before
descending the wooden stairs.
Gabriel stepped out of the driver’s side, running a hand through
shoulder length, curly dark hair. “It’s good to see you, old friend.” He
commented in a thick European voice, embracing Kain.
“You as well. What brings you so far out of your pack’s territory?” Kain
asked, his eyes never leaving the trees.
Gabriel followed Kain’s line of sight. “You see them as well?”
“Yes. As of yet, they have not ventured any closer. I cannot be sure of
how long that will last. Come, we can talk inside.” Kain motioned Gabriel
towards the front door.
When they got inside, Tala sat in the living room in front of the fire
with a cup of water in her hands, wrapped in a borrowed blanket. She jumped
when Kain came in with Gabriel.
Gabriel whistled at seeing how pretty the young woman was. "Who's
this?"
Kain shook his head, sighing and reaching the heel of his hand to the
side of his head, eyes turned towards the ceiling. "Honestly, Gabriel,
must you really?"
Gabriel shrugged, holding his hands up as he approached Tala. "I
won’t hurt you. My name is Gabriel Locke. I’m Kain’s friend.” Gabriel held out
his hand. Tala waited for a nod from Kain before she reached to shake it. “There,
see? What's your name?"
Tala told him.
"It's nice to meet you," Gabriel kissed her hand before
addressing Kain. "Kain, I wish I came here to catch up, but I'm afraid
that isn’t the case.”
“I imagined it wouldn’t be. You rarely come to make a social call. What
is it?” Kain sat down in the recliner while Gabriel chose to sit on the floor.
“Ramona contacted me," Gabriel said. A low rumble in the back of
his throat. "Stoker survived the battle at the Stones and slithered to the
Cardozas in Great Falls. He’s informed Anthony of the events that happened
here. So far, it doesn’t appear to Ramona that Anthony even cares."
Kain listened to Gabriel go into the details about how Anthony Cardoza,
the Don of Great Falls, began to search for an item of unknown origin. His
escapades caused horrendous damages to the lycan packs surrounding the city.
During the conversation, Kain's eyes never left Tala. Her actions
indicated signs of familiarity with the situation.
"What is the damage so far, Gabriel?" Kain asked.
Tears began to fall down Tala’s face. Out of
the blue, she commented on how the Don began slaughtering the pack, recalling
instances of smells of smoke and copper. Black shapes ripped and tore flesh
from bone amidst crumbling cinders of houses lycans used to live in peace.
Gabriel pushed his legs underneath himself to stand. “That about sums it
up. Ramona says Desdemona is trying to reign Anthony in, but her efforts are
going unheard. Whatever he’s looking for, he wants it enough to commit
genocide.”
Kain shoved himself up from his chair so strongly, the force sent the
legs skidding across the wood floors. “We will not let this go
unchallenged. Gabriel, give me two days and I will return to the battlefield.
For now, considering our unwanted guests, you should stay for the night. Return
to your pack in the morning. They will need you.”
Gabriel nodded, retiring to one of the guest rooms Kain often let him
use when he visited.
****
After Gabriel left the room, Tala watched Kain walk into the kitchen. Curious,
she got up to follow him and peeked around the doorframe to find Kain staring
out of the window above the sink.
“You don’t have to hide. Come in,” he said in the same tender voice he
used in the room upstairs.
Tala walked into the kitchen, sitting in the chair closest to Kain. She
stared at his arms, taking in every jagged scar tarnishing his skin. She wanted
to ask where he got them but held herself back.
“You said your last name is Kain? I'm not sure where, but I’ve heard it
before.”
Kain pulled up a chair and sat in front of her, his elbows resting on
his thighs. “Have you? It's an unusual name around here.”
“Yes. I heard stories about someone named Kain from the elders of my
pack. They called him Penta-something,” she closed her eyes trying to remember.
“Pentacost.”
When their eyes met, Tala could see how sad he looked. “I think so. Did
you know him?”
Kain closed his eyes. A remorseful sigh blew through his nose as he rose
from the chair. “It does not matter. Be ready. In two days, I take you to Big
Timber.”
****
The
following morning, Gabriel left after having coffee and talking with Kain over
breakfast. He hadn’t been gone long before a rustling and clanging from outside
made Kain focus on the window overlooking the shed he usually prepared his
catches in.
“They have finally come closer.”
“They?” Tala asked. She glanced around, her brows lowered in fear,
scooting closer to Kain.
As he headed to the front door, Kain spoke of
the black shapes Tala mentioned, labeling them as werewolves and being sure
they followed the commands of someone. He put on his
jacket and went outside to confront the monsters tearing his supply shed apart.
Kain stayed close to the side of the cabin and snuck around the perimeter until
his shed came into view.
Werewolves ripped and tore at the wooden walls of the shed, tearing meat
from drying racks and fighting over meat they took from the overturned freezer.
A slight rustle in the tree line behind him brought Kain’s attention to the
new visitor. The large wolf form identified him as a lycan, not a werewolf.
Whites overtook Kain’s eyes at the realization of the familiar black fur.
No, it cannot be.
The lycan grinned, his fangs dripping with saliva over dark gums.
Triangular ears stiffened towards the sky, deep orange eyes the color of a
burning sunset thinned with satisfaction. Something about him seemed distorted;
defiled as though he were bathed in Barghast's shadow. In a flash of
fur and shadows, the lycan vanished into the trees.
A moment in his past flashed in his mind. The howling of a lycan in
pain, the taste of blood, an angry promise of vengeance. Rage filled gales of
wind and rain whipped, stinging with the icy knives of winter. Those eyes.
I remember those eyes.
****
Tala
jumped as Kain burst through the door, slamming it shut. He ran up the stairs
only to return with what appeared to be a camper’s bag. He ordered Tala to be
prepared to go, his words laced with urgency.
“What’s going on?”
“There's no time. We need to go.” Kain rustled through a drawer,
grabbing the keys to his car. Handing Tala some clothes to borrow, Kain told
her to wait for him to call to her.
Tala wanted to argue but resigned to getting dressed and waiting until
she heard Kain call to her from outside before following him.
Kain stood next to the open driver’s side door, focusing his eyes on the
surrounding area. He waved his hand, beckoning her towards the car.
Tala ran down the stairs, brushing her hair away from her face to keep
it from hindering her sight.
She got into the car as the first werewolf jumped towards her, snarling.
Tala raised her arms to her face, prepared to be struck with its claws. When no
attack came, she opened her eyes to see Kain restraining the flailing monster,
his strong arms around its ribs.
Kain growled as he tightened his forearm around the thrashing monster’s
neck. A sickening snap made the monster fall limp, its tongue lulling out of
its mouth.
Kain threw the body aside before he got into the driver’s side of the
car, closing and locking the door. His breath heaved.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done that,” He smirked. Shifting the car
into reverse, Kain slammed his foot on the accelerator making the tires shriek
in protest.
When they reached the main road, Tala saw the werewolves running
alongside the car in the trees. “What do they want?”
Kain didn't answer. The arrival of the lycan made him second guess his
original theory as to why the werewolves stalked his cabin.
A werewolf slammed its body against the driver's side door of the car,
jarring it.
In response, Kain used the body of the vehicle and the guardrails of the
highway to pin the werewolf between them. It whimpered and howled in pain as
its flesh was severed from its side, in a storm of sparks and grinding metal.
Another werewolf took a flying leap into the windshield from the middle
of the road, claws outstretched, fangs bared. The impact cracked the glass. It
grasped at the hood with its claws, sending sparks where steel met bone.
“Hang on!” Kain said, slamming on the brakes, sending the creature
flying down the pavement.
There were too many of them to outmaneuver, especially when Kain
couldn’t change and had Tala to contend with. He began to wonder if he could
get either of them out of this encounter alive.
A howl above the wind made the werewolves freeze.
“What is that?” Tala asked.
Kain smirked, stopping the car. Just beyond the tree line, he saw
Gabriel skidding down the side of the hill.
Lune followed behind him while an obsidian wolf, Kain recognized as
Jillian sprinted ahead of them. Scott and Nathaniel followed close on her
flanks.
The werewolves remained still. Another howl, like the shriek of a
banshee, forced them to retreat into the woods.
Kain got out of the car to greet his friends.
Gabriel walked to the head of the pack, shaking his head side to side,
snuffing.
“It's good to see you. How did you know?” Kain asked.
Gabriel turned his head. Kain followed his gaze to see a pure white wolf
with black markings on his paws, chest, ear tips and tail walking towards them.
Kain grinned, offering a slight bow of his head. Damien broke into a
canter until he reached Kain, whimpering. He lowered his ears, nuzzling his
friend’s stomach.
Tala got out of the car, her eyes locked on the white wolf Kain petted.
“Lycans.”
Kain rose up to look at her.
“My mother is a lycan. She’s the one who told me to come here,” Tala
replied, remembering the voice of her mother begging her to run.
Damien looked at Kain, tilting his head, whimpering.
“I will tell you more when we get to your house.” Kain turned on his
heel to walk back to his car.
Blessing
of Luna
Wolfgods
Book 1
Jillian
I've
been searching for you for centuries.
You
disappeared, leaving me alone
Then
I found you yet you didn't remember me.
Do
I dare to drag back into this world of darkness?
Do
I dare risk losing you again?
I
can't ignore what I'm feeling
My
strong primal pull
Forgive
me but I don't want to let you go
Damien
Time
seemed to freeze the moment I saw you
The
world around me disappeared
Your
hair, black as night shone like raven feather in the sun
Your
frozen green eyes tore my breath away
I
had to get to know you
Something
about you seemed so inhuman
I
let you drag me into your darkness
Yet
I know, I didn't want to let you go
For
fans of Underworld, Resident Evil and strong female characters who
love hot romantic scenes, sexy wolf shifters and a plot twist
guaranteed to leave you asking "What the fang?"
“Hello Damien, it is the
sweetest of pleasures to finally get to meet you. You're even more stunning in
person.” Her voice was as sensual as Jill's. Yet it was somehow darker, holding
a slight accent Damien couldn't place.
The movements of her
gorgeous hips were exaggerated as she walked right up to him, pressing her body
against his. Her thigh meeting his groin as her hand ran down his side to rest
on his hip.
Leaning her cheek in to
rest on his chest, she sighed, the other she placed right next to her face.
“Do I know you?” Damien
grew more uneasy as the hand on his chest moved down his side, pushing his
shirt up so the woman could savor the muscles of his abdomen and chest.
The other moved down to
his ass, squeezing it firmly enough to make Damien wince, hissing through his
teeth.
“We haven't had the
pleasure of meeting but I do know you, Damien. Your dog truly doesn't
understand what a truly delicious treat she has.”
The woman leaned in
close to his face, her breath hot with a clear desire. Her perfume smelled like
one of those very expensive name brands. It was floral with a hint of vanilla
wafted into his nose only to shift into an almost mellow hint of spice.
“What are you talking
about? I don’t have a dog.”
Every nerve ending in
his body told him he should try to get away from this woman. He could sense the
same level of danger as the men in the alley. The encounter still left Damien
with nightmares.
“Your lycan. The one you
seem to be attracted to doesn't care about you, you know. She's only interested
in her dead lover's soul you harbor inside your gorgeous body. I, on the other
hand, could care less and would give you whatever you could possibly want.”
The woman’s hand was
cold as ice as her finger ran over his lips, playfully flicking his lower lip
just as Jill had. “I don't care about the soul inside of you like that mongrel
or my father does. You're so beautiful, who would care? Come with me. I promise
you would enjoy the high life like a noble in our coven does. No one would
question you or I would tear their heads from their bodies.”
Damien closed his eyes,
his jaw held tight. He didn’t want to let himself think about the idea that
Jill only wanted him for being an incarnation of Lucius. He wanted to get to
her and find out which one of them she saw when they were together.
“I appreciate the offer
but I need to go. I have a friend expecting me.” He tried to get free of her
only to have his wrists held firmly against the wall.
“Your dog, you mean? She
can wait. I'm not done savoring my time with you.” Damien jumped as her
seductive voice became dark and demanding. She moved his hands behind his back,
using one of hers to hold him in place as she took his jaw. “I wonder if you
taste as good as you look.”
FyreSyde
Publishing owner and founder Blaise Ramsay worked over fifteen years
in the graphic design industry, with some experience in indie
gaming. Recently she shifted her attention to the world of
literature with her debut paranormal romance series, Wolf gods. The
debut title, Blessing of Luna is released in 2018 and Bane of
Tenebris released in August 2019 . She currently lives in North Texas
with her two children, her husband and pets. A UTD graduate with a
Bachelor's in History with an intention on teaching, Blaise
decided that the world of teaching just wasn't for her. A stay at
home mother of two, business owner and self-publisher, Blaise
loves to meet new people and encourage others to follow their dreams
through weekly posts to her instagram, twitter, facebook and blog.
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