“Lune Maxwell. You pathetic excuse of an outcast abomination. How dare you lay your filthy claws on me.” Stoker snarled as he dusted himself off. “He's dying. Let me have his blood. It's of no use to you or your pack of dogs anymore.”
Lune ignored Stoker. Baring his teeth, holding his ground.
Kain arrived shortly after with Gabriel who joined Lune in wolf form.
“Alexander Kain, Gabriel Locke. Two of the most famous dogs in the Blood Wars. It is never a pleasure.” Stoker spat, pissed. His face distorting into a deep scowl.
“Jillian, Damien's dying. You cannot heal him this time. Either change him or let him die.” Kain’s eyes burned with rage when he looked at Stoker.
Jill clenched her teeth as she held her lover in her arms. She'd tried to let him stay as close to human as possible. She’d fought to protect his innocence, his purity but she knew she couldn't be without him.
Damien coughed against the pain in his stomach, choking as his lungs filled with blood.
Jill cupped his face, guiding him to look at her. The once vibrant jewels in his eyes had begun to darken. The light of the soul she had come to love was leaving.
“Damien, I can't let you go. Without you, I might as well be dead. But it has to be your choice. I can’t make you do this.”
Jill's eyes filled with tears reminding Damien of all of the times she'd watched him nearly get killed. Those frozen green orbs so full of love always had an underlying sense of fear. Fear he would reject her affection. Fear he would run. Now, there was the fear of losing him.
He wasn't afraid of dying, he was afraid of never being able to see her again. To never be able to make love to her or hear her say his name when they woke up together. With the last of his strength, Damien put his bloodied hand on Jill’s on his stomach.
A gentle smile told Jill what she needed to know. Her heart ached with the knowledge she was having to curse the man she loved to a life of constant chaos. Softly petting his hair, she guided his head up.
“Bare your throat to me, my love. Your new life will be hard. The change will hurt at first but at least you will be safe. We can make this beautiful.” Jill's fangs sank into the place where Damien's throat met his shoulder. His flesh tender under the force of her fangs.
The sweet, dark taste of his blood once again entered her mouth.
Flames joined shocks of electricity inside Damien as Jill’s saliva met his blood. Her curse flooded into him, burning his veins as his body fought to heal itself against the change. It hurt so bad he started thrashing, crying out in pain.
Jill held him firmly against her. Her hand rubbing his neck to try to calm him against the pain.
Kain jumped up, running into the house only to return with a blanket which he wrapped firmly around Damien to help against the thrashing.
“Shit.” Stoker cursed as he tried to get past Lune only to get grabbed and thrown back into the remains of the shed.
“Gabriel, go help Charlie. This bastard is going to pay for this.” Kain rose from Damien, shifting into his full lycan form. He roared in challenge against Stoker.
“Fine, change him. It won't fix anything. You're all still outnumbered. Next, we meet, killing you will be more of a pleasure.” Stoker fled in the face of his new opponents.
Kain hurried to help Jill, hoisting Damien up into his arms. He spoke to Jill in her mind. They’d shared blood in order to keep in contact with each other. “He's going to hurt, Jillian. His body is trying to heal itself against the change.”
Jill tried to hold strong against the pain of hearing her lover scream in agony. “I can feel it, Kain. I can feel everything. What have I done?”
“You saved him. He would have died, Jillian. You could not have healed him this time. We will get him to Holt's camp, he has some medicine that will help with the pain. Come on. He's going to need you. He'll be strong enough to protect himself now, Jillian. On your feet!”
Jill stood up, shifting into her wolf form to go with Kain back to Holt's camp. Her heart torn to pieces that Damien was in so much pain. She had cursed him to a life she'd long sworn she never would.
****
Back at the camp, Kyle went into Jill’s tent with his doctor's bag. “I didn't believe it until I got here. You actually turned him. Holt came to get me because Damien is a different case. His body heals itself against almost any trauma it goes through. I just hope his heart can handle the stress of the war going on inside of him.”
Jill rose from Damien's bedside, getting out of Kyle's way. “He's burning up. I may be able to give him something to relax him but it's only temporary. I'm not sure, Kain. This is a strange case. He may not be able to handle it. Are you prepared to end it if it gets too bad?”
Kain looked at Jill who dropped her head, her eyes drowning in tears. She hadn't thought about Damien healing himself against the change to such a degree. She didn’t think her mistake could have cost him his life anyway.
“If it comes to that Kyle, I'll disconnect his heart myself. Just do what you can. I know this is a strange case. To my knowledge, a Purifier has never been changed.”
Jill left the tent, she couldn't take his screams anymore. Her soul was already shattering. Her heart was ripped apart at each throb of pain she felt Damien was going through.
Kain came out shortly after. “He's calm now. Kyle gave him some morphine and a muscle relaxant.”
Jill threw herself into his arms. “What have I done, Kain? He's in more pain now than when he was dying. At least it would have ended for him. I've done nothing but ruin his life with everything I've done.”
“Jillian. He chose to change. He wants to be with you more than anything. He's strong. He will make it through. You have to stay with him. Touch him. He will come back to you. I can tell he's going to be a strong lycan. Maybe even stronger than Gabriel or I. His heart and soul are unlike any human I have ever seen. Go to him.”
“Kain, are you doing okay? You've been drained lately. More so than usual.” Jill asked, concerned. She knew the burden Kain endured as the last of his family line.
“I am okay, Jillian. My strength will hold. I was actually thinking about finding a plump pheasant. I am fond of them and it is the peak of their season. Stay with Damien, he will need your strength to get through this.” Kain walked off, leaving Jill.
She hadn’t believed him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A soft falling snow covered the camp, forcing most of the remaining lycans who hadn't retreated to the mountains into their tents to huddle around fires to stay warm. Kain chose to stay with Damien and Jill.
Jill stroked his soft sandy fur as he whimpered to try to comfort him while his natural healing ability did its best to close fresh gashes.
Damien was still unconscious. He had been for days; showing no sign he could hear anything going on around him.
Kyle came in to make sure to check on him from day to day, giving him more morphine if it seemed like his pain flared up again. “Still no change. His heartbeat is weak but he's still alive. He doesn't seem to be in any pain either. Jill let me handle Kain. He looks bad this time. You stay with Damien. I think you're the only that will be able to get him back.” Kyle said, trying to sound reassuring. He genuinely looked worried that Damien wouldn’t come out of his coma at all.
Jill had just laid down next to Damien on their bed when Lune came in with Gabriel and Holt.
“Still nothing?” Holt asked, concerned.
Jill shook her head, her hand caressing Damien's chest to feel the soft rise and fall of each breath. “I don't understand. Kyle says there's nothing wrong. He's not in pain or anything but he won't wake up.” She said, her voice choked with tears.
Kain shifted back into his human form and politely pushed Kyle off of him. He put on the jeans he’d brought with him and made his way over to Gabriel's side. “Gabriel, why don't you take Jillian with you to check on the females in the mountains? You can see if they need anything.”
Gabriel
nodded, seeming to understand Kain’s intentions. “We'll see if things are going well in town as well. I hadn't heard any more in regards to Charlie's efforts. It may be helpful for us to check on the situation there while things seem quiet.”
Kain nodded to him, requesting that Holt keep everyone out of the tent so he could do what he needed to do. Holt nodded, walking out with Gabriel and posting guards at the tent opening.
Kneeling down next to Damien's bedside, Kain put his hand on his friend's forehead, the other on his heart. “Damien, I know you can hear me. I know something is wrong. I'm going to try to help you but I need you to open your mind to me.”
Damien’s eyes twitched giving Kain the signal he needed.
Closing his eyes, Kain used his connection to the gods to enter into Damien's mind. He was one of the few lycans more closely in tune with the wills of the gods. He knew the dark god better than anyone in the lycan race. His family had long been cursed to bare a burden far heavier than even the highest noble.
When he arrived, he found Damien's mind in a state of disarray. Red fibers reminding Kain of tendons that connected muscle tissue to bone hung loosely like threads of a spider web.
The empty space was dark save for the nebulous sea of stars above him. He stood in awe at the scene around him, his breath taken at the majesty of the design. He’d never witnessed anything like this in the mind’s eye of any lycan he’d had to save in the past in the same way.
Something about Damien was more than he or any of the lycans knew or could probably even comprehend.
Kain had to focus to get his attention back on the matter at hand. He’d come to save his friend from whatever these tortured vines were that seared his flesh the moment he touched them.
“Kain.” Damien’s voice sounded weak as it echoed in the void.
“Damien, where are you?”
“I don’t know. I can’t move. I’m so tired.”
Kain weaved through the vines, taking in the subtle wisps of the voices he could hear throughout the tangled jungle.
Only the heavy beating of wings alerted Kain to the presence behind him. His chest grew heavy, his eyes closed as the dark god made himself known.
The scene changed to a darkened abyss void of light, the once majestic light above Kain’s head became covered by darkened, angry clouds.
“Alexander Kain. My brother's pet bloodline. What business do you have here?” Barghast's dark voice echoed in the space around them.
Kain turned to meet the dark god's eyes. “I think you need to ask what business you have here? This body belongs to a Purifier. You have no reason or right to enter it.”
“I have plenty of a reason to be here, Alexander Kain. Watch how you address your god. A forsaken child like you has no right to speak to me so disrespectfully. The Purifier is in a deep sleep. He will rot in his own mind, posing no threat to me or the plans I may have for my brother’s children.” Barghast smiled a wide-fanged grin, moving his huge clawed hand.
Kain suddenly felt himself restrained by the very tendrils he'd been trying to avoid. The feeling equal to being stung by a jellyfish, searing his flesh like a hot iron. He felt his strength suddenly ripped from him, forcing him to his knees. The very blood in his veins felt as though it were being drawn out of his body.
“I had no plans to torture you, Kain but since you've once again become a thorn in my side, I suppose I can make an exception.” Barghast smiled as he got into Kain's space, taking his jaw in his claws.
Ignoring Barghast’s presence, Kain drew on his will to call out to his friend. He needed help or both of them were going to die.
“Damien! You have to wake up! Don't let him take control!”
“Kain.” Damien stirred, hearing Kain's call to him but felt so tired he couldn't get his body to respond.
Barghast's hand landed across Kain's face. “Damn you, Kain. Why is it you always see fit to interfere with my plans?” With a strong beat of his wings, he took off into the darkness in an attempt to keep Damien from waking up.
“Damien, wake up. Jillian needs you. Please. Don't let Barghast hold you prisoner. This is your mind. He has no power here if you don't let him have it. He will kill us both if you don't wake up.” Kain felt his strength dropping. The dark god’s power draining him of his life the longer he was held prisoner.
Damien opened his eyes to find himself ensnared with the red fibers. His determination to get free reignited as he thought about his lover being left alone in the world. He felt a strange feeling of warmth rise up inside of him only to manifest in a radiant light.
Markings of blue in the likeness of ancient runes covered his body, incinerating the fibers. With an angry roar, the dark god was driven out of his mind, freeing both him and Kain.
Kain dropped to the ground, shaking against the weakness. A warm light illuminated the gloom, transforming the plane back to the glorious sea of stars.
“I'm sorry, Kain. He got in when my mind was weak. I couldn't fight him. Thank you for coming to get me.” Damien smiled, helping Kain to his feet.
“You are welcome. I am just glad I made it in time.” Kain replied, winded.
****
When Jill arrived back at the tent, her heart jumped out of her chest. Damien was sitting up in bed with Kain on the floor beside him. The two of them talking and laughing.
“Damien!” Jill threw herself into Damien’s arms, gripping him tightly around his chest. “Oh, thank Luna! I'm so sorry!”
Damien held Jill close, her beauty radiating even more vibrantly in his newly changed eyes. The sound of her voice made him think about how the angels of heaven sounded.
The strong smell of jasmine and pine permeated her skin, exhilarating him. He almost couldn't control himself. His desire for her blistered inside of him.
His lips met hers in a sweet embrace. His hand ventured down her back. The other tangled in her plush, raven hair.
“I'll leave you two to catch up.” Kain said, slightly chuckling. “It is good to have you back, Damien.”
“It's good to be back. Thank you again, Kain.”
The following morning, Damien woke up feeling surprisingly well. The sun peeked over the horizon turning the clear sky a blushing pink against the fading blues and grays of the night.
He'd made love to Jill multiple times during the night, each time more passionate than the last. Her body craved his after being deprived of his love for so long.
No one else was awake so he made his way down to the pool he and Jill nearly made love in the night of the First Moon event.
A pup made its way down to the pool drawing Damien’s attention. “Well hello there. Where's your mom?”
The pup's mother came shortly after. “I'm sorry, my lord. He ran off. I was trying to get him before he got all of the way down here. I know we're supposed to be in the mountains but he forgot his favorite stuffed toy. It has been a nightmare to try and get him to sleep without it.”
“It's okay. You don't have to address me so formally.” Damien picked the pup up, laughing as he tickled his stomach. “Come on, let's get your toy so your mom can get back to the warmth of the caves.”
Damien walked with the pup and his mother to the camp.
Kain met him at the opening, surprising Damien to see his friend was slightly bowing to him. “Good morning.”
“Kain, what's with the bowing? You know I don't want any special treatment.” Damien said rolling his eyes, giving the pup to his mother.
“Something I forgot to mention to you after our encounter was a part of your power awoke inside of you. It was what set us free from the dark god's hold. It is my duty to serve you.”
The way the lycan mother addressed Damien suddenly made more sense to him. Holt and Kain must have mentioned to the pack that they were to treat him differently since a part of his soul awoke during his encounter with Barghast.
“Kain, I don't remember what happened. I just felt a warmth inside of me as I thought about Jill. I don't remember mu
ch after that. I don't want anyone treating me like I'm some sort of deity or royalty. I just want to stay me, okay.”
Kain nodded. “As you wish. I respect that humility in you. I would gladly follow you as an alpha if you so choose to take the title one day.”
“Oh please, Kain. This newborn, an alpha? He's barely a lycan. I bet he hasn't turned once yet.”
“For the gods’ sake.” Kain smacked his head with the heel of his hand as Nathaniel walked over to him with Vincent and Kaden from his pack.
“So, pussy boy, how about we go a few rounds once you get a pair between your legs? I'd love to shove Kain's little pet's face into the ground to show just how pathetic you are.”
Damien rolled his own eyes. He'd dealt with assholes like Nathaniel in high school. They didn't bother him then either.
“Look, I don't know what your problem is. Quite frankly, I don't really give a damn. I've dealt with jocks like you before. Whatever macho issues you may have, you can deal with on your own time. As far as 'going a few rounds', I'll pass. I have better things to spend my time on.” Damien replied, turning his back on Nathaniel.
He heard Kain snicker as he started to walk away only to have his shoulder grabbed.
“Don't you dare turn your back on me, newborn. I don't appreciate being disrespected by someone who barely can call themselves a lycan. Let alone someone who hides behind Kain and Gabriel because he doesn't have the balls to stand up against me himself. Either you face me in five days or I'll be sure to make your life hell until you do.”
Damien shoved Nathaniel off of him only to get in his face.
Kain placed his body between the two lycans. “That's enough, Nathaniel. Damien refused your challenge honorably. I told you the next time you opened your mouth, it better be useful or I would put you in your place, personally.”
“Fang off, Kain. This is between me and your little man crush. If he can't handle his own against me, then he can't handle it on the battlefield.”
Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) Page 22