The New Age: Book 5 of The Bloodmoon Wars (A Paranormal Shifter Romance Series)

by Sara Snow

  Another scream rang out, and I locked onto its location.

  “Don’t you dare put me down! Go!” Skye yelled to Cyrus. “If we’re being attacked, I need to see. I can run back to the pack and warn the others if necessary!”

  “No one’s even supposed to be outside of the barrier, other than the Guards,” I said. We landed softly and without a sound. “I don’t smell any unusual scents.”

  “They might be masked,” Cyrus whispered back. He remained in his demon form, but he pulled in his wings. “Skye, get ready. The moment we know for sure that we’re being attacked, run.”

  Skye’s eyes changed to black as my power awakened inside me.

  “I know,” she growled. “Let’s hope the Queen is not that stupid.”

  4

  Cain

  I looked out at the blackened, dead earth around the castle, and my rage came to a boil. I was so sick of living in this castle. Many vampires hated that the Queen had allowed the earth to be poisoned like this—it was the only thing Will and I had ever agreed on.

  Vampires shouldn’t have to live in a place like this. That was the reason so many of us created covens far away from the castle and the surrounding lands. There was no life here. Food was transported in and had to be heavily guarded against the starving Bleeders who lurked in the dead forest.

  I reached up to touch the right side of my face. Although it no longer hurt—I’d spent hours letting it heal—it was uncomfortable, the skin tight and burned. There was something about this wound that was different. Maybe it was because that damn white wolf had inflicted it. Regardless, my skin hadn’t returned to its unmarred state the way it normally would. Now both the side of my face and my hand up to my elbow were deformed.

  I watched as I opened and closed my right hand, my fingers wrinkled and hideous.

  Not only had she burned my unblemished skin, but she’d also forced Will and me to separate. The pain had been excruciating, and I’d lost my focus when the portal had grown unstable. As a result, the portal spit him out Goddess knew where, and I’d ended up two miles from here.

  “General Cain?”

  “Yes?” I replied to the vampire servant behind me.

  “The Queen wishes to see you,” she said meekly.

  I waved my hand to dismiss her without turning around and then closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, a shooting star zipped across the dark sky and vanished. Humans had a saying that whenever a person saw a shooting star, any wish they made would be granted.

  I doubted that was true. But just in case, I wished for Will’s death.

  Throughout the years, I’d stood to the side as he ruled alongside our mother. She had relied on him for everything, while I had been nothing but backup. I was forever in Will’s shadow. But no more.

  When he’d started changing, our Queen was devastated that she was losing her favorite son, though she hadn’t shown that side of herself to anyone other than me. Will was her only weakness.

  That had been the turning point for me. I refused to let Will return to take my place. He was sleeping with the white wolf—the wolf our mother was determined to turn. Who knew how far the Queen would go to get them both?

  My plan had been to drag Will back and reveal his involvement with the wolves, proving that he’d been on their side from the beginning. Unfortunately, his white wolf had gotten in the way of that.

  I left the library and made my way down the hall to the Queen’s chamber at the very top of the castle. The guards opened the large double doors as I approached, and I walked right in.

  “Mother.” I bowed as she slipped out of bed, her naked body covered in blood. I could see two women in her bed: one, a dead human; the other, a witch close to death, if her faint heartbeat was any indication.

  On the far side of the room sat my mother’s Enchanted. Most supernaturals lost their magic when they turned—but not all. Unlike witches, Enchanteds often retained most of their skills due to their divinity.

  The Enchanted, an old woman, had long white hair, marking her one of the most powerful among her kind—and a great asset to Amythia. Her visions of the future were rare, however, which often made me wonder why the Queen kept her around.

  But turning other supernaturals had worked out well for us. It was a dark witch I’d turned who put together the spell I used to create the Resurrected. But when I’d turned her, it diminished her powers, forcing me to use the skills of multiple witches to perfect the spell and creating countless hybrids in the process. Still, my witch deserved to be in the place of this Enchanted, who Will had turned decades ago.

  The Enchanted’s red eyes followed me. She had been in her seventies when Will had turned her, and she always looked at me the way a schoolteacher would regard a badly behaved child.

  “Mmm, Cain, if you had come a little earlier, I would have happily shared.”

  I returned my attention to my mother, Queen Amythia. “Thank you, Mother, but that’s okay. Another time.”

  She tilted her head and looked at my burned face and hand with pity. “My beautiful boy, look at what they’ve done to you.”

  “It’s nothing a witch’s spell can’t fix.” I looked past her as the witch on the bed moaned in pain.

  Amythia waved her hand towards the bed without looking back. “Don’t mind her.”

  The Queen’s long black hair flowed down her back like a curtain and glistened with fresh blood, and the crimson liquid ran down her chin to her chest and stomach. She was the most stunning creature I’d ever seen, the most feared predator in existence. And she was my Queen.

  If only she’d see me as the right person to lead our race into the future.

  “So, tell me, Cain, why were so many of our supernatural creatures and vampires killed during your last raid?”

  “The enemy’s forces were stronger than I’d expected. When they got help from forest spirits, they were impossible to beat.” I cleared my throat. “It was the white wolf.”

  “She did that to you?” She pointed a long nail at my face.

  “Yes,” I answered. “I’m not sure how it happened in such a short time, but she’s stronger.”

  “The white wolf?”

  “Yes, my Queen.”

  She turned her back to me and returned to the bed where she killed the witch, who’d been halfway dead anyway, her nail piercing the woman’s chest. “Are you trying to tell me I won’t be able to control her?”

  “No, my Queen. It was merely an observation from the battle.”

  She vanished from the bed and reappeared before me. Her hand came down hard on my face, the side that hadn’t quite healed.

  “You had the wolf in your hands, and you let her slip away? Why do I keep listening to you? Maybe this is just more than you can handle.” She sighed. “It looks like I’ll have to take care of her myself.”

  I held my jaw—her claws had sliced the flesh open—and kept my head down. “They had help from forest spirits, the kind that only lives in the Dragon Territory!”

  She stood up straight, and I dared to look up at her in time to see her gray skin turn white. “Those damn dragons . . . How did she even get aid from those spirits?”

  “I don’t know. Dragons rarely leave their territory. But the white wolf called for the spirits, and they came.”

  “So we really don’t know if they have dragons on their side or not.” She hissed, and I looked back down to the ground. “It’s been centuries since the dragons left their territory, but it’s not impossible they might get involved.” She paused. “Stand up.”

  I did as she commanded, and she ran a sharp nail over her wrist. Her flesh opened easily and dark blood, much deeper and thicker than a human’s, gushed from the gaping wound. She held her hand to my mouth, and I gulped it down.

  My body felt electrified, and my aching cheek began to heal. The Queen’s blood was like no other’s. With her power, her blood was potent and something many vampires craved. I lapped up the liquid and slurped loudly, ingesting e
very drop I could get.

  “I want you to bring me the wolf, Cain,” she said, running a hand down my hair. “I won’t tolerate any more failure. Capture her, even if it kills you. But I want that wolf before we move forward with our plans.”

  She yanked her hand away, and I bowed. “Yes, Mother.”

  Without another word, she stalked out of the room, slamming her chamber doors as I stood there, her blood still dripping from my lips. I avoided looking at the guards when I finally walked out and headed straight to my room.

  Capture her, even if it kills you.

  Amythia’s words rang in my head over and over again, and as I walked faster, I could barely contain my anger. This was just one more time she’d proven that she didn’t value my place at her side, that I was replaceable.

  I hated myself, because I still loved her.

  “You didn’t tell her about Will, did you?”

  I stopped walking as Vivian stepped out of the shadows before me. Will’s ex-fiancée was a mess. Her red hair was untidy, and one of her sleeves was missing. There was dried blood—and fresh blood, too—soaking her dress.

  “Take a bath, Vivian.” I continued walking and passed her. “Now.”

  “She deserves to know about his betrayal! He needs to die!”

  I moved quickly, returning to her. My wrinkled right hand wrapped around her throat, and I threw her against the wall. I leaned forward, forcing her against the stones, and tightened my grip. Her eyes rolled back, and when she grabbed my hand, I lifted her off the floor.

  “Lower your voice!” I growled. “Why don’t you tell the Queen and see how she repays you? You know, since you’re so eager for her to find out.”

  I released her, and she fell to the floor, her hand flying to her throat. She glared up at me and hissed, but I merely smiled down at her. She was a broken woman, bloodthirsty and obsessed with my brother. She was no threat to me, but her unstable mind . . . Now that was becoming a problem.

  It was surprising she was a Skin and not a Bleeder, given the way she acted. “The Queen will learn of everything at a time of my choosing. No earlier. And if you mention this to anyone else, anyone else, you’ll wish you had told the Queen yourself and received a swift death.”

  I left her on the floor and continued on my way.

  I’d decide if I wanted to kill her or not later on. I didn’t trust the unstable thing to keep her mouth shut. What a waste of beauty.

  As I approached my door, I snapped my finger loudly. “Bring Vislana to me.”

  “Yes, General Cain,” one of my guards said before walking away.

  I turned to the other. “When he returns with her, I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  He bowed. “Yes, General Cain.”

  Inside my room, I stripped myself down to nothing and stood before a mirror. I touched my face gently, watching as my finger glided over the ruined skin.

  A fool, that’s what I was. To my mother, I was nothing but a weakling. But I’d prove her wrong. From the moment I’d first seen my marred skin, it had stoked a fire inside me, one of pure, raw hate.

  Will and Elinor were going to suffer.

  My fist went through the glass, shattering it. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and my pet, Vislana, one of six, stepped into the room. She was naked except for the large iron collar around her throat with spikes on the inside.

  She was a werewolf, but the collar around her neck kept her from shifting. If she tried, she’d kill herself.

  Her face was slick with tears, but her black hair and body were washed clean. She was nothing like Elinor. She didn’t have the white wolf’s green-eyed gaze or her strong body, but she’d have to do. She kept her head down, doing her best not to look at my body.

  “Come to me.” She stepped forward timidly, and when she was close enough, I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me. “If you scream, I’ll make it hurt.”

  Her body began to shake as her eyes turned black. I could see that she wanted to shift, that she wanted to defend herself, but she was terrified of dying.

  I patted her hair and caressed her arms. “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

  My fangs grazed my bottom lip as I bent her head to the side, causing her body to tremble even more. I inhaled the scent of her blood and fear, and she whimpered when I lost control for a moment and grabbed her hair.

  “Shh . . .” I hushed her as I pressed my face to the side of hers. “Remember, if you stay quiet, it won’t hurt.”

  My fangs sank into her shoulder, and her body jolted from the shock. I pictured Elinor’s face, her eyes, her lips, and her soft hair as I drank. The young werewolf moaned, and I closed my eyes as I lost myself in my fantasy.

  When he lived in this castle, that bastard Will had everything both of us ever wanted. And even now that he was gone, he still had everything.

  He’d taken a wolf for himself, a strong one who could handle his hunger, a wolf more special than anyone else in her species. At every step in life, he’d outdone me, and I was sick of it.

  I wrapped my arms around my pet and crushed her to me as I fed on her.

  I pulled my fangs from her shoulder and looked at her face, her cheeks bright red as her closed eyelids fluttered with the ecstasy flowing through her. She moaned, and I smiled, but when her eyes opened, reality hit me.

  I hissed. “You’re not her! She did this to me!”

  I ripped into her shoulder with my fangs, ignoring the pain from her claws digging into my side. We fell to the ground, the pain from her scratching pushing me over the edge. I pulled back roughly and tore her shoulder open.

  Her cries of pain as she shifted echoed through the room and bounced off the walls like a song, but still the sight of her angered me. This weak wolf was screaming, but she wasn’t Elinor. It was Elinor I wanted to hear screaming, Elinor I wanted to see in pain.

  Her face was bright red as her blood leaked out onto the floor.

  I got up and left her on the ground, her cries getting quieter as I walked over to the broken mirror on the floor. I picked up the largest piece and held it up to my face.

  My mouth, chin, and chest were covered in blood. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll bring your white wolf to you. But once Will is gone, she’ll be mine, and I’ll make her suffer.”

  I clawed at my scarred cheek and grimaced as the flesh opened. “I’ll make her suffer until the day she dies.”

  Stepping over the now-dead wolf, I opened the door and snapped a finger at one of my guards. “Bring my witch to me. There are things we need to discuss.”

  “Yes, General Cain.”

  I slammed the door shut as I ran a finger across the branding on my chest. “Soon I’ll get everything I deserve. Everything.”

  5

  Elinor

  I spent a few minutes in the forest listening to every twig snap and bird call, but we detected no one. I wondered, for a moment, if the scream had come from the pack. Maybe someone had been just messing around.

  Then, finally, I caught a familiar scent and ran, with the others chasing after me. We were outside the barrier; it was getting darker by the minute, so it wasn’t safe. I skidded to a halt when I found the source of the smell—a young girl sitting on a stump of a tree.

  “Ione, what are you doing beyond the barrier?”

  Ione looked up at me, her eyes blurry with sleep and her face wet with tears. She looked around at where she was, then down at her body, before covering her face.

  “I was sleepwalking,” she groaned. “And of course, I was having a nightmare, too. Was I screaming?”

  “Yes. You’re sleepwalking now?” Skye held her hand out to pull the girl up and removed a few leaves from her slightly disheveled blond hair.

  Ione sniffled loudly as she brushed her hand down her brown dress. She was avoiding looking at any of us, and I knew she felt embarrassed. As the only Enchanted in our pack—and our future Enchanted, once she gained control over her abilities—she was under a lot of pressure.

  At onl
y fourteen years old, she was already powerful and had done her part to help many times. She had contacted me via mind-link when the Resurrected were about to attack our pack, and she also managed to reach Cyrus after he’d left the pack to inform him that someone had abducted Skye.

  I removed a small twig stuck on the shoulder of her dress. “I thought the only problem was nightmares?”

  She glanced up at me. “That was the only problem until I started sleepwalking for the first time a few nights ago.”

  “This is dangerous for you, and others, too. You’re going to have to sleep in a locked room from now on.” Cyrus returned to his normal form as Ione wiped at her wet cheeks.

  “I have since this began, but I fell asleep in the kitchen just now. I didn’t mean to, though.” She groaned as she combed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to fix it. “My mother’s going to be angry.”

  “It’s okay; I’m sure your mother will understand,” I told her. “We’ll walk you back home.”

  She looked at each of us, her eyes wet. “I’m so tired of this.” The exhaustion on her face and in her voice was painful to see and hear. She was too young to carry such a heavy burden.

  I placed my hand on her shoulder, understanding her frustration. “I know you are. I’ve felt the same sometimes. I had no control over the gifts granted to me, but the Goddess would never give a child of hers more than they could handle, even if we aren’t always able to see how right away.”

  “Sometimes others recognize our strengths before we do,” Skye added. “I don’t think I’d be able to handle the things you’ve already done, but as a young Enchanted, you’ve managed very well. Faelen said so herself.”

  Ione heaved a sigh. “Thank you.” She reached out to Skye, and Skye pulled her in for a hug. While studying with Nurse Hilary, Ione’s mother, to become a pack doctor, Skye had grown close to Ione. I doubted Ione knew Skye planned to eventually leave the pack. In fact, we were all going to leave. I felt bad just thinking about it.