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

by Sara Snow

  Skye sat up. “Really? I didn’t know vampires could do that.”

  “Only some of them can, apparently,” I whispered. “I asked him about Keith as well, if he’d heard anything about it, but he said no. He also said vampires can’t feed without biting their victims. So if the killer was a vampire, there would have been a mark left behind.” I combed my fingers through my curls and pulled my hair into a bun before releasing it to fall over my shoulders. “Unfortunately, that means we’re right back where we started. Because if it wasn’t a vampire, then what was it?”

  "This is getting scary. I wonder if whoever hurt Keith killed anyone else."

  I glanced at Skye—I’d forgotten that I hadn’t told her or Cyrus what my father said about the other murders. He had asked me not to say anything to anyone.

  “There were other murders,” I blurted, and her eyes widened as she turned to face me. “Do not tell a soul, do you understand me?” I looked around and we scooted closer together. “My father wants to keep it quiet, but . . . there were other supernaturals who died the same way Keith did. There have been similar murders in each town on the road to ours. That’s why my father left. He’s meeting with the other town leaders and an Enchanted the Werewolf Council sent. Whoever or whatever is killing these people is leaving no trace behind, not even a scent.”

  “Goddess,” she drawled. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Yeah,” I said as I sighed, my eyes scanning the field of grass and flowers to our right. “Let’s just hope that all of those leaders will put their heads together and come up with a way to solve this before it gets worse.”

  “I’m officially freaked out,” Skye murmured by my side. “A supernatural going from town to town and killing, then leaving no trace behind? This is a real problem. We should tell Cyrus. I mean, he’s always out and about. He can keep an eye out as well.”

  I nodded. “Sure, but he can’t tell anyone either. I mean, people need to know what’s happening, but right now, there isn’t much to tell. What we don’t want is for people to panic. That would only make things worse.”

  The sound of footsteps grabbed our attention as Cyrus appeared outside with children—none more than eight years old—surrounding him. Their little voices all combined into a chorus of questions, but Cyrus was expertly answering them all in turn. When I glanced at Skye, I could see her pride and love for him shining in her eyes.

  Cyrus finally looked our way and waved as we got to our feet. When another teacher appeared and told everyone it was time to go, he walked over to us.

  “Hey,” he said in greeting. “Sorry. I had to stay longer than expected.”

  “We heard,” Skye said with a blush. “How was it?”

  Cyrus’s face lit up with one of his rare smiles. “It was great! I didn’t expect the kids to be so interested, you know?”

  “You made it fun for them,” a she-wolf with a dazzling smile said from behind him. As she came to a stop in front of us, she placed her fist over her heart, then nodded at me and Skye in greeting.

  We all offered her the same greeting. “Thank you, Haylen,” Cyrus replied. My heart swelled at the pride in his voice. Haylen, her older sister Valentra, and their mother Ceila had dedicated their lives to educating the pups in our pack, and I was happy they were so open to having Cyrus work alongside them. “I’ll be more prepared for a lesson tomorrow, so I'll . . .”

  I looked his way just in time to see his eyes turn black.

  “Cyrus, what’s wrong?” Skye asked, placing her hand on his arm.

  He covered her hand with his as he looked behind us, his gaze scanning the forest beyond the field. That's when I smelled it—a strong odor of sulfur in the air.

  “What is that?” I asked, wiggling my nose. “Don’t you smell that?” I asked Skye and Haylen, but they shook their heads.

  “No, wait,” Skye said, pulling her hand away to flick her finger under her nose. “What is that?”

  “A supernatural maybe, or an animal? It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.” I stepped forward, my eyes narrowing on the tree line, but Cyrus pulled me back.

  The sound of more children leaving for home drew our attention, but by then the smell in the air was strong enough that even they could smell it. A little girl with long curly brown hair screamed, and we all spun around to see a creature lumbering out of the forest.

  “No,” Cyrus said under his breath. He turned to Haylen as he began removing his shirt. "Get the kids home, now.” She didn't hesitate as she ran towards the four children frozen in fear, and he then turned to Skye. “Send a warning to the others,” he told her. She shifted immediately, ripping her dress to shreds, and within seconds, her piercing howl cut through the silence.

  “That’s a demon,” Cyrus said, his voice deeper and more guttural as black smoke appeared around his body. "Well, not exactly a demon—an adracsas. But it's native to the Demon Realm.”

  “Then how the hell did it get here?” I asked, as Skye growled deeply.

  The creature came to a stop in front of us, and I stared at its eyeless face with repulsion. Its skin was pale with black symbols covering various places on its body, and its shoulders were hunched. Black claws, maybe six inches long, protruded from its fingers.

  My mouth turned downward, just now noticing something that looked like breasts hanging down its chest to its fat belly. But it was the cavernous mouth, devoid of any teeth or tongue, that made me uneasy.

  Its mouth opened wide, and I covered my ears as it let out an deafening shriek. Cyrus stepped forward, his wings on full display, and he released a roar of his own in response. The power behind it stunned me for a moment, and the adracsas paused briefly as well.

  “That’s what killed Keith,” Cyrus murmured.

  For a moment, the world around me froze. I looked at the hairless creature. “Excuse me? How do you know?”

  “The adracsas feeds by covering the face of a victim with its mouth and sucking the victim’s blood out through their own mouth and nose. It’s an agonizing death. In the Underworld, they send these creatures out as bounty hunters.”

  “Bounty hunters?” I repeated.

  “Yes, which means someone sent it here for a reason. And I have a good idea why. Watch out for the claws!”

  The previously slowly moving demon burst into action with unexpected speed, charging towards us as its shrieks filled the air. Cyrus took to the sky as Skye rushed forward to meet the creature head-on. I began shifting, allowing the pain of my bones breaking to roll through me.

  Now on all fours, I howled long and hard, telling any wolf in the vicinity to stay back. I doubted any Werewolf Guards close by would heed the warning, but I didn’t think there were many of them around. With the storm over, most of the pack had ventured into the town, picking up enough food for a few days in case the storm wasn’t finished with us yet.

  I lunged forward, my paws hitting the ground hard as Skye was slapped to the side by the creature’s large hand. From the sky, Cyrus dove onto the creature but had to retreat as its black claws swiped at him too.

  The adracsas was defending itself well—too well. I growled at Skye, and she growled back as she got to her feet. We began circling the demon, our growls blending with the strange clicking sounds it was making. Of course, not having eyes, it probably used either smell or sound—or both—to track its prey.

  I heard Cyrus’s wings flapping loudly above us. As I looked up at him, I noted his tightly clenched fists. I knew after we took care of this, he'd be leaving us. Lives were lost because of this thing, and he’d stop at nothing to find out who had sent it.

  The creature held its head back as if listening to Cyrus's wings, then unexpectedly charged at Skye. As she moved right, it grabbed her by the face and threw her with astonishing strength. She flew through the air and landed with a thud, knocking her unconscious.

  I ran forward, looking for an opening, but the adracsas was suddenly engulfed by black smoke. I skidded to a halt and looked up to
the sky. Black smoke was seeping out of Cyrus, and the markings on his body were moving up onto his face.

  The demon’s cry made my ears feel as if they were bleeding, and I looked down to see it levitating off the ground, its enormous hands swiping at the smoke.

  “Check on her,” Cyrus said, his voice a rumble of a thousand voices. “Give me space.”

  I rushed to Skye, who had shifted back into her human form—though she remained unconscious. She didn’t budge when I nudged her face with my snout. I stood over her body as the creature's cries grew louder. The black cloud surrounding it finally dissipated, and it fell to the ground, its arms flailing wildly. Cyrus shot downward from the sky like a bullet, and a horrific screech exploded from the demon's mouth when Cyrus's hand pierced its chest as they both slammed to the ground.

  He killed it so easily.

  Cyrus stood up, his wings flapping once more before disappearing into his back. Black blood now drenched his hand. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he studied the dead thing beneath him. He bared his fangs as he growled, half of his face still covered in symbols similar to the ones on the creature he had just killed.

  The darkness I’d felt when he had rushed home with Skye not so long ago sizzled through the air. He shook his hand to remove some of the very pungent blood and walked over to me. His red eyes returned to grey again as he stared at Skye. I stepped back from covering her with my body.

  “Someone sent it here for me.” He looked down at his hand and the muscles in his jaw clenched tightly.

  “It killed people from other towns, not just Keith,” I told him, shifting back into my human form. “So what are you saying?”

  "It was tracking my scent. Didn't you notice that its focus was mostly on me? It charged at me, it kept turning its head upwards towards me . . . The acute sense of smell and sharp hearing allow the adracsas to track its prey easily, but it's slow." He shook his head. "If it killed others, chances are they came into contact with me, just like Keith did the night he died." His lips pulled back from his fangs as he growled and turned away for a moment. "It doesn't have eyes, so it kills anything with the scent it's tracking. When its prey is dead, the scent should fade. If it doesn't, the adracsas keeps tracking."

  "You're leaving, aren't you?" I asked, and he looked at me over his shoulder. Slits appeared vertically on either side of his back, and his wings pierced through.

  “Yes. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but someone has to pay for this. Burn the body.”

  I watched as he pushed off the ground. The surrounding snow blew into my face, but I didn’t look away until I could no longer see him, his red wings vanishing in the clouds.

  Skye groaned, finally waking up. As she sluggishly reached up to hold the side of her head, I sat down beside her. I sighed, staring at the dead demon a few feet away from us.

  “This isn’t over, Skye.” I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of wolves rushing towards us. “I have a feeling things are about to get really, really interesting.”

  8

  Cyrus

  I stormed through my mother’s castle, ignoring the demons scurrying to get out of my way. In my human form, my eyes were as red as flames—a gift from my father. Obviously, everyone knew I was pissed.

  The day those humans hurt Skye, something within me was set free. A power or maybe just a darkness I hadn't even known was there was released—including red eyes, just like my father’s. Ever since then, I'd noticed a burst in my strength . . . and in my hunger.

  I’d been keeping that hunger under control with Skye’s help, but feeding on her caused me more pain. I wanted her—I wanted every inch of her—but she wasn’t ready. I’d wait forever for her if I could, but I didn't have that kind of time. I had yet to tell her about the three years I had left with her, and my wish for her to join me in the Demon Realm.

  Maybe it was cowardice, but the possibility that she might say no terrified me. With everything going on with Elinor getting married and leaving sooner rather than later, telling Skye I’d be doing the same would surely break her heart.

  I threw my mother’s office doors open and found the room empty.

  Someone down here sent that adracsas after me—I knew it. I turned around and spotted one of her human pets. The girl’s green eyes widened with fear.

  “Where is my mother?” I asked. When she started trembling, I added, “I will not hurt you. Just tell me where she is.”

  “T-the garden, she’s in the garden.”

  I walked away, the sound of the girl’s pounding heart echoing in my ears. Whoever had sent the demon must have known it would be no match for me. So why did they send it? If the goal wasn’t to have it kill me, but instead to have it kill others because of me, it certainly succeeded.

  My mother's garden was beautiful, with flowers of all colors—all of them deadly, of course. I released my power as I entered, causing the flowers to wither as I walked by them. My mother, as well as a few of my siblings and other demons who were all lounging by a large fountain, turned to me.

  My mother’s facial expression remained calm and neutral, but her eyes burned with rage as she watched her beautiful flowers die. “Cyrus, what’s the meaning of this?” she asked calmly.

  “Who sent it?” My lips barely moved, but my voice echoed throughout the garden. My eyes fell on my oldest brother, Baxton, and three of my other siblings who were born after I’d left the Demon Realm—triplet girls that I'd never spoken to. There were about twenty demons hanging around—some with hatred in their eyes, some with fear—but I didn't care. What I needed right now were answers.

  “I won’t ask again,” I growled, watching in satisfaction as the remaining flowers in the garden wilted.

  My mother sighed as she stood up, pushing her black hair braided with roses over her shoulder. “Darling, what are you talking about?”

  “Someone sent a bounty hunter to Earth,” I answered, my eyes moving from her to the others. “A boy I knew lost his life, among many others. Was it you?”

  Her perfectly shaped brow arched. “Excuse me? Do I look like I have time for such idleness? I’m going to need you to calm down, Cyrus. You’re killing my blooms. What does one boy’s death have to do with anyone here?”

  My jaws clenched as a raging storm began at my core. Thunder echoed above her garden and black clouds drew close. I was powerful on Earth, but here, where there was more magic in the air, my strength was almost unmatched.

  “I’m not on Earth,” I answered calmly. “I don’t need to hold back here.” My mother’s face fell, obviously realizing I was serious. “I want to know who sent the demon. Either you tell me, or I’m going to tear everyone limb from limb until I find who did it.” Lightning struck the ground, causing some of the demons to gasp in fear.

  "Wow, look at you, showcasing your little gifts," Baxton said, smirking as he stood up. His honey gold eyes moved up and down my body as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  I should have known he was the one who sent the hunter. Baxton considered me his rival ever since we were little, and it looked as if his hatred towards me had finally gotten out of hand. He’d always despised me more than any of my other siblings because, even though he was the firstborn, our mother declared that I’d be inheriting her Legion. Not him.

  It was no surprise Baxton and Orias were close. They had a lot in common.

  “Looks like you’re not as weak as I thought you were,” he said, uncrossing his arms. “Defeating a bounty hunter is no big deal, though.” When I clenched my fists, he quickly added, “Relax, brother. It was merely a joke. I wanted to see how the great Cyrus would react to a little chaos in his perfect world. So, were any of your werewolf whores hurt?”

  If I hadn’t been there, everyone in the pack who carried my scent would have died. And the demon would have gone for the person with the strongest scent first—Skye. Thankfully, the bounty hunter only knocked her unconscious. And even that was too much for me to handle.

  But I
would take care of it. The thunder above us stopped as I forced the angry crease between my brows to vanish. I inhaled deeply, and the smile on Baxton’s face faded. He did all of this to provoke me, to see me lash out.

  I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me angry, but if he wanted a fight, I was more than ready for him. Years of practice had taught me how to hold my rage within me—but that only made it more powerful.

  Baxton’s jaws clenched as his gold eyes turned black. I might not appear angry anymore, but my brother was no fool. He knew what I felt right now was much worse than what I was letting on.

  Our mother backed away, her red painted lips curving at the corner. This was nothing more than entertainment for her.

  Baxton ran towards me, a golden dagger materializing in his hand—only I vanished before his eyes. Baxton stopped, then spun around when I reappeared behind him. My hand shot out, grabbing his face, but he stabbed me in the gut.

  I barely felt the pain as I squeezed his face and threw him to the ground, cracking the earth with the impact. He stared at me wide-eyed as I pulled the dagger from my gut and threw it to the ground. My mother gasped as my blood, red and bubbling like lava, spilled out and burned the earth.

  “So much like our King,” she muttered.

  Baxton gritted his teeth as his fangs and claws appeared. The second his body twitched—a sign that he was going to attack me again—my wings burst from my back as lightning struck him.

  Grabbing his face, I watched and listened as my brother wailed in pain. Skye, Elinor . . . the entire pack could have died because my brother couldn’t let go of his grudge. I glanced at my mother. The sight of her wide eyes filled with admiration made my stomach turn. I narrowed my eyes as her lips stretched into a smile. No, I was wrong. It wasn’t admiration I saw in her eyes—it was obsession.

  “Did your father tell you how long you have left?” my mother asked, her eyes alight with excitement.

  The other demons around us, the ones who had been watching my clash with Baxton, now looked on with a combination of fear and fascination. “Yes, I’ll be returning in three years,” I said. Her face dropped—I guessed she didn’t think it would be that long. “Orders from the King himself,” I added as my eyes changed back to grey. I looked Baxton’s way, now that his crying had stopped. His hand fell away from his face, revealing a wound down his left eye. “I’ll be taking over the Legion then,” I said. Then, leaning forward, I added, “And you’ll be my faithful subject. The next time you think it would be a good idea to piss me off, Baxton, please remember that.”