Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) Page 12

  “Damien, I told you I was doing my job. Now show some respect. You still live under my roof. I don’t care how old you are, you will show me some mutual respect.” Charlie replied, angry yet trying to keep his voice down. He knew he should have approached Damien before he brought Grant into it but he needed to know.

  “Respect goes both ways, I’m a grown ass man, not a child. You know what? Forget it. I have finals coming up next month and a term paper to write.” Damien grabbed his jacket and backpack, opening the door and letting it slam behind him.

  ****

  The weather had gotten colder as fall began to transition into winter. The clouds heavy with snow held back in waiting for the biting December winds.

  Damien hugged his coat around his body, stepping to the side of the old tar road upon hearing the engine of a car.

  To his surprise, as it slowed next to him, he recognized it as Kain’s car.

  Kain rolled down the window. “You look cold, Damien. Get in. I have somewhere we can go.”

  Damien got in, thankful to be out of the cold and in the warmth of the heater. “Thanks, Kain.”

  Kain smiled, watching Damien in his peripheral as he drove off.

  The drive was silent. Damien spent his time looking out of the window, watching the trees as they rushed by. The way he spoke to his father bothered him but it upset him that he’d been treated like a criminal. Chelsea was his friend, he’d never do anything to hurt her.

  When they turned off the main road to a small gravel country road, Damien turned to ask. “Where are we going?”

  “You will see.” Kain only smiled, refusing to avert his eyes from the rocky road.

  They pulled up to a rustic log cabin that looked like it could have been built during the age of the Civil war, sitting back into the side of a hill, hidden by the line of trees from the main road.

  Kain turned off the engine and got out of the car, followed closely by Damien.

  “What is this place?” Damien asked, his awe at the old house apparent on his face.

  “This is my home. I’m not here too often because of the demands of being an alpha and the full time job at the bowling alley but it serves its purpose.”

  A sharp howl rang out in the trees. The sudden sound made Damien tense out of the memory of his encounter with Stoker.

  Kain chuckled. “It’s okay. That’s Clint. This is my pack’s territory.” He unlocked the door to let them inside.

  Damien closed the door behind him, taking his jacket off and setting his backpack down.

  “Make yourself at home. I will get the fire started and make tea and coffee.” Kain said, making his way into the kitchen.

  Damien looked around, taking in every detail. The cabin looked like one of those hunting lodges he and his dad would stay in on their camping trips. The brick fireplace served as the only source of heat in the living room. The sofa and chair had leather bases with fabric cushions decorated with native patterns.

  Even the stairs were crafted from wood and creaked under foot when Damien walked up into a short hallway with a long runner rug on the floor. From what he could see, there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

  All in all, the place felt really old but still modern.

  Damien went back downstairs to the living room to find Kain putting wood into the maw of the fireplace.

  “I trust you enjoyed the short tour?” Kain asked, smiling at the look of sheer awe on Damien’s face.

  “You live here? For how long?” Damien asked, sitting down on the sofa, taking the old tin cup of tea Kain gave him.

  “I’ve lived here since I left Europe during the Blood Wars. Things were chaotic at first but then settled down, thankfully.” Kain replied, sitting in the lounge chair, his own cup of coffee in his hand.

  “How long? This place looks old.”

  “Damien, let’s just say I was here long enough to see the Confederate soldiers surrender to the Union under President Lincoln.” Kain replied, taking a drink.

  Damien felt light-headed. Kain was even older than he thought.

  “Grant and Charlie came to see me last night at the bowling alley. Something about a friend of yours missing?” Kain said in an attempt to distract Damien from his questions.

  “Yeah. Chelsea. Dad interrogated me in my room with Callahan present. I told him I was with Jill and to ask you if he didn’t believe me. Sorry about that, Kain. It pissed me off.”

  Kain laughed. “It’s alright. I’ve seen a few things in my day, Damien. I’m more concerned about you. What in Luna’s name were you doing out on the road in the cold?”

  Damien sighed. “Dad and I had a fight this morning about what happened. I yelled at him and stormed out. I’m beginning to feel like a stranger in my own room and it’s getting worse.”

  “Take it easy. You’re adjusting to some serious changes, Damien. It’s no surprise you’re stressed. Change can be hard and sometimes leads us to do and say things we normally wouldn’t to those we love.” The fire flickered in the lycan’s eyes, almost like he was reliving a memory.

  A knock on the door brought a smile to Kain’s face as he rose from his chair. He opened the door to find Jill shivering slightly in the cold.

  “I was wondering when you would get here, Jillian.” Kain said as though he were waiting for Jill to take Damien off of his hands.

  “Jill!” Damien stood up, excited.

  “I know, Kain. I’m late. I got your text in the middle of a meeting.” Turning to Damien. “I heard you and Charlie fought. Is everything okay?”

  “Chelsea’s missing, Jillian. There’s been no sign of her in almost a month. Charlie and Grant came to see me at work as well.” Kain interjected, pouring Jill a cup of coffee.

  “Chelsea Masterson? Her parents were in my office today. They wanted me to investigate what happened. Do you think it was them?” Jill asked in her more stern voice.

  “One can’t be sure but it can’t be ruled out.” Kain replied, tossing another log on the crackling fire.

  The renewed flame heated the room, filling it with the smell of burnt hickory. The crackling the only source of noise in the now silent room.

  “Why would they care about Chelsea and not Rob? It doesn’t make sense.” Damien added. The silence broken by his curiosity as to why Rob hadn’t been targeted if it was the vampires that took Chelsea.

  “Who knows but we have to look at every possibility, Damien.” The threatening tone in Kain’s voice demanded the attention of everyone in the room.

  Another knock at Kain’s door came in the late hours of the night.

  "I will get it." Kain said, making his way to the door. Jill sat on the couch with Damien, who had begun to fall asleep in her lap.

  Gabriel walked in, unshaking despite the cold. "Thanks, Kain."

  Kain closed the door while Gabriel walked into the living room, a scowl falling across his face.

  "You brought him here? Kain have you given a thought to the threat he poses to us?"

  "Gabriel, calm yourself. Need I remind you, you are in another alpha's territory. Honor our laws and respect my authority." Kain warned, his hand on Gabriel's chest halting his fellow lycan's advance. “He is here as my guest.”

  “Right. Apologies, old friend. I’m still uptight from the unfortunate company I got today at the gym.” Gabriel dropped onto the floor next to the fire.

  “I take it Nathaniel made his presence known without so much as a warning?”

  “As usual. Gods, that kid is never pleasant to be around.” Gabriel said, smacking the heel of his palm to his forehead.

  Kain smirked. “No, he’s not. Hopefully Chase behaved himself. I know those two don’t really get along too well.”

  “You’re telling me. I thought I was going to have to throw them in the ring to cool their heads. The good news is I managed to force him into backing off of Holt. Needless to say he was a bit let down when you didn’t show. He really wanted a chance at taking you on in the cage.” Gabriel replied, hal
f-chuckling.

  “Nathaniel aside Gabriel, we need to talk about what Holt said. Jillian can’t keep protecting Damien on her own. Like it or not, the vampires will come for him.”

  Jill ran her hand through Damien’s dark hair, smiling at the soft sigh she heard coming from him. “I won’t ask the packs to help. I got him into this, I need to take responsibility.”

  Kain and Gabriel looked at each other then back at Jill.

  “It’s true. If I had stayed away the vampires wouldn’t have gotten curious so quickly. I just…I can’t help who I love.”

  Kain knelt before Jill, placing his hand on her knee. “Jillian, it wouldn’t have mattered. Demetrius would have figured it out eventually. We can’t help what has happened but we can focus on what will come. You were in the meeting with Holt, you know Lilith is planning something. We need to focus on devising a plan.”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, Kain’s right, Jill. Closing ranks around Damien right now seems to be the best course of action. If he is what you say, then he’s a threat to them and a hope to us. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pussy.” Gabriel admitted, surprising both Jill and Kain.

  Kain stood up from the floor. “It’s settled then. We direct our efforts and energy to protecting him and his family. We all know the vampires will use them as leverage. Chelsea’s already missing. I don’t want to risk Charlie and his friend, Rob’s, safety. For now, Jillian when was the last time you hunted?”

  “It’s been a few moons but I’ll be okay. I’m more worried about, Damien.” Jill caressed Damien’s face, relieved he was sleeping so peacefully after the trauma he’d suffered from his run-in with Stoker.

  “He will be safe here, we need to hunt. I can carry him to the guest room. Gabriel, go stand guard outside, I will be there in a minute. Jillian, grab Damien’s backpack and come with me.” Kain hoisted Damien up effortlessly, making his way up the stairs to the second bedroom.

  Jill came in with Damien’s backpack, setting it on the floor. His jacket, she hung on a hook in the closet.

  “I will leave you to say good night. Come join us when you’re ready.” Kain said, closing the door.

  Jill sat down next to Damien on the bed, her smile both happy and sad that she had gotten him into such trouble.

  “I’m sorry, Damien. I truly never intended for any of this to happen. I’ll see you in the morning.” She said, kissing his cheek before joining Kain and Gabriel to go hunt beneath the light of the moon.

  Chapter Ten

  Damien woke up the next morning in a cold sweat. His night had been plagued with nightmares in the wee hours of the morning.

  He dreamt he was standing on what appeared to be solid ground only to find he was suddenly falling through it to find it was water.

  As hard as he tried, he couldn’t swim back to the surface. His lungs felt heavy as he tried to catch his breath, sinking further into a black abyss.

  A low, dark and almost sinister chuckle could be heard echoing through the void. Two angry, glowing red eyes appeared in the gloom, staring straight at Damien although they were piercing into his soul.

  It scared him so bad he jerked awake to find he was still in Kain’s cabin. Only he’d been moved to one of the bedrooms.

  What the hell was that? Damien thought to himself, getting up from the bed.

  Quietly, he opened the door, walked out into the hall and down the creaking stairs.

  Kain lay on the couch asleep in front of the fire. Gabriel was in a sleeping bag in front of the fireplace.

  Gabriel? When did he get here? Damien shook his head. He must have passed out earlier than he thought.

  The sudden wrapping of arms around him nearly made Damien whirl around and swing only to find Jill standing there.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you so bad. What has you so jumpy?” Jill asked, partially chuckling. She had barely dodged Damien’s swing.

  “God, Jill. I had a weird nightmare. Guess it scared me worse than I thought.” Damien replied, his breath heavy. His heart pounded his against his ribcage.

  “It’s okay. Hungry? Kain made breakfast when we got home from our hunt this morning. Guess he didn’t want you to go hungry.” Jill led Damien into the kitchen, getting him a plate while he sat down at the table.

  “Jill, I need to tell you something. I want you to come home with me for Christmas.”

  Jill set a plate in front of Damien, taking the chair across from him. “Hmm. On one condition.”

  Damien swallowed the bite he was eating. “Okay, shoot.”

  “You have to come to the First Moon event with me.”

  “A what event?”

  “First Moon. It’s when the alphas of the surrounding packs welcome the pups who have just learned to transform officially as members. I’ve already bugged Kain and Gabriel about it. They’re okay with you going. Deal?” Jill held out her hand.

  “Um, okay. You swear you’ll come to Christmas, I’ll go to this…First Moon thing.”

  They shook hands with Jill stealing a kiss. “Good. Now eat up. I want you to meet some other lycans in town.”

  ****

  Jill and Damien snuck out of the cabin after breakfast down to a bright, cherry red Charger.

  “Woah. Who’s car is this?” Damien asked, his hand running over the sleek paint like a kid who just got a really expensive toy.

  “Mine. Gabriel has a friend in the auto business. He managed to negotiate a good price and bought it for me. Apparently he got mad at me for constantly borrowing his Mustang.”

  “It’s…nice.” Damien wondered just how much the car could have cost and how in the world Gabriel could afford it. From what he knew, Gabriel ran a gym. There’s no way he could afford something like this, could he?

  “Want to drive?”

  “What?”

  Jill dangled the keys in his face. “You wrecked your truck. Would you like to drive?”

  “Hell yes, I’d love to drive. By the way, it was Stoker who did the wrecking, not me. Thanks.” Damien replied, getting in the driver’s side.

  Jill laughed jumping into the passenger’s side.

  ****

  Their first stop was the coffee shop where Damien got his London Fog tea almost every morning before class.

  Betsy McClain, the older cashier stood at her usual post while her daughter, Rayna, made coffee like a champion.

  “Jillian, my how beautiful you are, dear. What can we do for you?” Betsy's voice was raspy but her smile always made Damien's day. From what he could tell, the old woman smoked like a chimney in London.

  “Betsy, Rayna, can you make it to tonight's First Moon?” Jill let her fangs cross her coy smirk as though she were sending a silent signal.

  “Oh, heavens yes, wouldn't miss it! Damien, welcome, my boy! You want your usual?” Damien's eyes met Rayna's as she smiled, her fangs slightly showing him what Jill was asking of them. Betsy did the same though hers were more aged.

  When they walked out, Damien was dumbfounded. He never even realized that Betsy and Rayna were different. They acted so…normal.

  “Who else? I would have never suspected Betsy or Rayna.”

  “Many more, Damien. Spence, Kyle, a few of your professors. How else did you think Gabriel knew you were in the science hall when Lilith attacked you? Professor Hanson is a lycan elder. He's been at that school since it opened.”

  The school in question opened in the fifties and was much smaller then. It would mean Hanson was well over fifty.

  Christ, Damien didn't know anything about these people either.

  Jill took him all over town, introducing him to multiple people he knew. Some from his childhood turned out to be lycans.

  “So, they weren't looking at me because they thought I was a freak, they were looking at me because you asked them to protect me.” Damien had been wrong. So wrong.

  “Yes. Most of the population here save for about twenty-five percent of them are lycans. We all work together to protect each other. When y
ou came back, I sent out a chain howl to tell them. Even when we're not in wolf form, we can understand the call.”

  The sun sank below the horizon line, announcing the hour of twilight.

  “We need to head to the woods’ edge. You probably know it. It’s off an old trail now closed to the public. From there we walk to Holt’s camp and then to the sacred site. This is much like the equivalent of a human birthday, Damien. I probably should warn you that some of the pups can be kind of...intuitive. They may ask some strange questions. When you meet an elder or one of the chain of command, lower your eyes. It's a sign of respect to them. Gabriel and Kain usually don't do it at the gym because not only lycans use the gym during the day. I'll tell you more the closer we get.”

  ****

  The drive out to the wood’s edge was so long Jill had advised Damien to get some rest since he would need it when they got there.

  “We're here.” Jill ran her hand through Damien’s hair to wake him.

  The hike from the wood’s edge to the encampment reminded Damien of the hikes he and Rob often went on. When he got tired, Jill sat with him to let him catch his breath only to help him up to continue.

  What Damien saw once they finally arrived at the encampment was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Kids that appeared human ran around with what looked to him like puppies. They seemed to be arguing over a toy as if they spoke the same language.

  A large gray wolf bared its fangs at them, barking. They stopped in their tracks and lowered their heads in submission. When they saw Damien, they began eyeing him curiously.

  Jill picked one of them up and whispered in his ear. The little one chuckled and ran off towards a large brown wolf who was sleeping next to the fire. She looked up at Damien, her orange eyes watching him.

  “Damien! Welcome to my pack. Nice to finally get to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” Holt's voice was full of excitement to see he was there. He embraced Damien, almost crushing him.