Bane of Tenebris (Wolfgods Book 2) Read online

  Bane of Tenebris

  Blaise Ramsay

  © Copyright Blaise Ramsay 2020

  Black Rose Writing | Texas

  © 2020 by Blaise Ramsay

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

  The final approval for this literary material is granted by the author.

  First digital version

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Print ISBN: 978-1-68433-550-3

  PUBLISHED BY BLACK ROSE WRITING

  www.blackrosewriting.com

  Print edition produced in the United States of America

  Cover illustration by Alisha Moore © 2018 Damonza

  Thank you so much for checking out one of Blaise Ramsay’s novels.

  If you enjoy the experience, please check out

  the beginning of the Wolfgods series!

  Blessing of Luna by Blaise Ramsay

  “A fast-moving story of love, war, and curses.”

  –Cranky TBC

  To my loyal readers,

  Thank you for taking such good care of these pretty wolf boys.

  My husband, John, for once again being such a powerful support system.

  My kids for sharing mommy’s attention for such intense deadlines.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Recommended Reading

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Note from the Author

  Want More?

  BRW Info

  “Your blood

  Spilled so he might endure

  Your flesh

  A shield so he may not be harmed

  Your life ever before his

  A sacrifice to satiate the darkness

  This will be your curse until death has staked his claim

  So you have asked it

  So shall it be

  Until the last heir of your line

  Takes his final breath.”

  Chapter One

  The time of a hero is ever fleeting. They’re born, their tales told, and they die with the hope those whose lives they impacted remembered their names.

  To Alexander Kain, the term “hero” never sat well with him. He broke the laws of his people many times during his long life as a soldier in the Blood Wars.

  The autumn moon shone in the night sky above Big Timber. Her light warm on Kain’s chilled face. The sensation calmed him despite his inability to turn into the majestic wolf within due to the jagged scars across his copper skin. He inhaled, taking in the fresh scent of pine and the coolness of the night.

  Beneath his boots, the leaves crunched on the forest floor. The small catches he pulled from the traps and river nets bounced against his shoulder.

  The difficulty of the hike forced Kain to stop to catch his breath.

  In his mind, a dark voice echoed. “You are weakening, Kain. It will not be too long before your body fails. Why not surrender to me? I will take your pain and give you power.”

  Barghast’s arrival annoyed Kain. For weeks, the god offered him the same, only to be refused each time. If death was to be Kain’s fate, he’d want to accept it with dignity.

  He ignored the god, earning a snuff. “So be it. Do me a favor. Die soon. I grow weary of tormenting a corpse.”

  As he’d done with each visit, Barghast vanished as swiftly as he arrived.

  Grateful to be alone, Kain resumed his hike in silence to his cabin.

  An hour had passed by the time Kain arrived at his intended destination. He took the catches to the shed where he prepared the meat to butcher and store it for future use. Once he finished, he returned to the main house to get a shower before dinner.

  After removing his jacket and boots, Kain went up the wooden stairs to the master bathroom to turn on the shower. The heated water filled the room with steam.

  Kain took off his shirt to see the many varieties of scars and gashes covering his back, legs, arms, chest and hips.

  Sighing, eyes down-turned, Kain finished undressing and got in the shower. The warm water served as a relief against the ache of his sore muscles and the stinging of the scars.

  Kain leaned against his forearm on the cold tile wall to support his weight, his chest heaving, sweat beading on his brow. A shudder ran down his spine, despite the warmth of the water. He could almost feel death running her cold fingers over his skin – beckoning him to her sweet, final embrace.

  He clenched his jaw, slamming his forearm against the tile wall. Fear and resentment welled up inside him. He turned the water off after washing up, got out to dry off and dress.

  Back downstairs, Kain began preparing some of the meat he brought in from the freezer in the shed in a bone broth. The smell of meat and fish filled the room, making Kain’s mouth water in anticipation.

  A soft creaking on the porch followed by a knock at the door caught Kain’s attention.

  Raising up from his haunches, he went to answer it, curious as to who could be visiting at such late hours.

  Damien stood in the doorway. “Hey Kain, been a while. Mind if I come in?”

  “Of course,” Kain replied with a smile of delight to see his old friend. “It’s good to see you, Damien.”

  Damien offered a crooked grin. “How have you been?”

  “I won’t lie, I could be better,” Kain answered. His exhaustion betrayed his attempt to hide his weakened condition. “How’s Jillian? Howling has it, the two of you had the pups.”

  “We did. Three girls. Scared me to think about it at first. Jill wanted to come, but I told her not to.”

  Kain covered a laugh. He took Damien’s coat and hung it on a metal hanger next to the door. “That sounds like Jillian. What about, Charlie?”

  “Dad’s fine. He moved out of the house and let Jill and I have it. He’s actually dating! You know Sarah from the General store?” Damien settled on the couch in the living room.

  Kain nodded, sitting in the lounge chair next to the fireplace.

  “Well, that’s who he’s dating. From what he says, they’re pretty serious.”

  “From what I remember, Sarah’s a nice girl. She came into the bowling alley with her daughter a few times,” Kain said.

  A brief silence overtook the room.

  “You don’t look like you’re feeling well at all. I’ve never seen it this bad. What’s going on?” Damien shook his finger at his friend. His eyes held a sense of warning. “Oh and don’t try to tell me not to be concerned.”

  “I just finished setting up for dinner. Would you like some?” Kain said, changing the subject.

  “No thanks, I hunted before I got here. Wouldn’t mind troubling you for some hot tea, though.”

  Kain departed to the kitchen, returning with a steaming cup of steeped tea. He handed it to Damien and made himself a plate of food before going upstairs to retrieve a leather book. His hand roamed over the cover, his brow creased at the memories it held.

  It was time he told Damien about the cause of his scars. The reason he chose to seclude himself and why he looked so pitiful.

  Inhaling a deep breath, Kain returned to the living room, setting the book down in front of Damien.

  Damien looked at the book, then at Kain, his brow raising.

  Kain exhaled through his nose. “Open it.”

  The pages cracked, their surface
worn and yellowed. Words scrawled in ink lay coupled with etchings.

  Kain watched while Damien looked through the pages. “My family is unlike any other of our people. We carry a heavy burden placed upon us countless centuries ago.”

  The tightening in Kain’s chest forced him to stand. He stared into the fire. Ghosts of his past danced in the orange flames flickering in his emerald eyes. “It began long before my time. Vampires out-numbered us on almost every battlefield. Our royal line staggered on the brink of extinction. My ancestor knew if the genocide did not stop, we would lose our direct link to Tenebris.

  “My father told me my ancestor cried out to the Night Father amongst the decay and rot of the battlefield. Tenebris met Velkin and despite his desire not to, struck a bargain with him.” Kain’s voice lowered. “My fate was sealed that day.”

  He grew silent, his thoughts drifting to a forlorn past.

  “You’re doing it again,” Damien said, closing the book.

  “Doing what?”

  “Not telling me what you’re thinking. You started this, now tell me everything.”

  Kain shook his head, trying not to snicker. “On my eighteenth birthday, my father told me what our family expected of me. We argued, and I ran from him. Truth is, I thought of ending my life. Dreamed of trying to run away. In the end, I decided to make the most of the life I was given.”

  Kain looked over his shoulder at Damien, eyes stern and emotionless. “I would fight until my time came. Not only to protect my chosen, but for my people. I became a mentor to many, adopted father to others.”

  “You’re protecting someone? Is that why you have so many scars?” Damien asked.

  “Yes. As long as I live, Barghast cannot attack the one I am protecting. I cannot say who. It is forbidden according to the terms of the bargain. What I can say is I want to live out the rest of the short time I have in peace.”

  Damien jumped from his seat and shouted, “You left to die alone! How the hell can you think I’d be okay with this? You disappeared for a fucking year without as much as a phone call!”

  “I did. I knew you would be upset. That is why I left without letting anyone know.”

  Damien threw a fist only to have it caught right before it hit Kain’s face. Kain shoved it aside. He grunted when Damien followed up with another hit at impressive speed, connecting with Kain’s jaw making him stumble.

  “You’re a piece of work. You really are. You bastard,” Damien said.

  Kain wiped the back of his hand across his jaw. “Glad you think so.” He laughed, embracing Damien. “It’s good to see you, brother. Your skills have improved.”

  “Thank you.” Damien held Kain tight. “Is there no way to stop it?”

  Kain pulled away, shaking his head. “Only through my death can the chain be broken. I am sorry, Damien. Believe me, I wish there was another way.”

  Damien turned his back. His shoulders trembled, his knuckles popping the tighter he clenched his fists. “I’m not giving up. I’ll keep looking for a way to fix this until you draw your last breath.”

  Kain sat back down in the chair and took a bite of his dinner. “How’s Gabriel? Does he have any plans to restore his gym?”

  Damien grumbled as he paced the floor, his hand on his hip. The other ran the length of his short, dark hair to the back of his neck. “Gabriel and I don’t really talk. I’m not sure he actually likes me.”

  Kain stood and started collecting dishes. “Really? He seemed grateful to you following the battle with Lilith.”

  “Yeah, well, old habits die hard, I guess,” Damien snapped, jerking his head to glare at the elder lycan.

  Understanding the underlying meaning, Kain retired to the kitchen to place the dishes in the sink.

  In the kitchen, the onset of a searing pain in his chest sent Kain to his knee. He squeezed his eyes closed as he reached to grip his chest. His lungs burned with each attempt to take in a breath.

  “Kain!” Damien yelled and rushed into the kitchen. He fell to his knee next to his friend.

  “I’m fine,” Kain said, using the counter edge and Damien’s body to stand.

  “What the hell, Kain?” Damien asked, helping Kain sit down in one of the wooden chairs next to the round table in the kitchen.

  Kain waved Damien off, cradling his forehead with his hand. “Damien, please. Do not push this. I need you to trust me.”

  Damien threw up his arms. “It’s not you I don’t trust, you idiot.”

  Kain looked up at him with his uncovered eye.

  The young lycan tapped a finger to his head. “The time you entered my mind and drove out Barghast, remember? We’re connected - mind and soul. We’ve both seen him. Felt what he can do.”

  Damien fell to his haunches in front of Kain. “I’m not letting that bastard get away with tormenting you anymore. He doesn’t get to tear you to shreds and then your life on top of it.”

  Kain smirked, a slight ‘tsk’ came from between his teeth. “It’s nice to know your heart and will are still so strong. Those are good qualities for an alpha.”

  Damien slammed a fisted hand the palm of the other with an “aha.” “That’s something else I needed to discuss with you,” He sat down next to Kain. “I don’t suppose you considered my offer?”

  Using his thumb and forefinger, Kain rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew where the conversation headed and lacked the mood to entertain it.

  “Be my beta, Kain. You trained me; helped me grow into a strong leader. I’m the youngest lycan in all the packs around here. Please. I still need my mentor.”

  The younger lycan’s pleading eyes started to melt Kain’s resolve. “I will think about it, Damien. I do not know how I can be of any use. I no longer have the strength to change or to fight.”

  “You won’t have to. Just think about it. That’s all I can ask for now,” Damien got up from the chair. “I guess now I know why I was called here.”

  Kain’s brow raised, intrigued at what Damien could have meant.

  “Luna came to see me when we trained at the Circle of Stones. She told me ‘one we both love will need your help, as much as you needed theirs’. Now, I know she meant you. I’m going to save you, Kain. Somehow.” Damien left the kitchen to go back into the living room.

  Kain stood from his spot on the chair to stare out of the paned window above the sink. His hands rested on his fingertips on the cold granite cabinets. He dropped his head, eyes closed.

  A dark and ominous feeling fell over Kain. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt in years, and it angered him to find it once again began to surface. The demons of his past had returned, and he knew the time would come when he’d have to face them.

  Chapter Two

  The following morning a soft snow whispered across the trees, blanketing the landscape with fresh white powder. A brisk wind shook the icicles, clanging them together to create a soft tinkling sound.

  Kain lay on his side in bed listening to nature’s calming music. A low rumble in his stomach reminded him he still needed to eat. With a groan, Kain forced himself to sit up and let his legs hang over the edge of the bed. He took a moment, gathering his will to get up, go downstairs and make breakfast.

  The wounds on Kain’s shoulders ached as he reached for the cast iron skillet in the cabinet above the stove.

  Damien’s words from the previous night echoed within Kain’s mind. The idea of finding some way to escape his fate offered a flicker of hope. However, he pushed the thought away. Not one member of his family died in their beds or of old age.

  Around mid-morning, Damien walked into the kitchen stumbling, half-drunk from sleep. He picked up the silver kettle on the counter next to the sink, rolling his eyes. “Really? Got a real coffee pot? Like a Keurig or something?”