Dark Moon (28 page)

The child strapped to her back was the spitting image of her, and Sophia had no doubt that the little girl was her daughter.  She was wearing a pink knitted cap and her cheeks were rosy from the cold.  The child’s gaze fell on her and Sophia smiled at her.  The little girl looked away shyly and hid her face in the back of her mother’s neck.  The woman stroked the child’s shoulder soothingly.

The silver-haired man stared at Nicky.  “You are Nicholas.”

“Aye.”  Nicky acknowledged.  “Do I know you?”

“No.  My name is Meridan.  I am here on behalf of your father.”

Nicky glanced at Avery.  She gave him a look of bewilderment and a slight shrug.

Meridan cleared his throat.  “I am here on behalf of your birth father.”

* * *

“Papa?”

“Aye, Leta?”  Tristan was crouching beside Bella, running his hands down her foreleg as she nuzzled at his hair.

“There’s a strange carriage in the yard.”

Tristan stood and glanced over the wall of Bella’s stall.  Leta was standing at the door to the barn.  Hogan was in her arms and Piper was sitting a few feet away, his tail twitching as he stared at the young Lycan.

“A carriage?”

“Aye.”

He joined her in the doorway, peering across the yard at the black carriage with the two grey horses hitched to it.

“Who is it, papa?”  Let asked curiously.

“I do not know.  Let’s go and find out, shall we?”  He smiled at her and held out his hand and she set Hogan down gently before taking his hand.

He closed the barn door carefully behind him, and they walked hand-in-hand in the cold sunshine towards the house.

“Will it ever snow, papa?”  Leta asked plaintively.  “I want to go sledding.”

“It will snow soon enough.”  Tristan replied.  “When we are digging our way out of the house every morning, you will wish for green grass and flowers.”

He stopped suddenly and lifted his head, inhaling deeply before turning and staring into the woods to their left.

She giggled.  “Do you remember when Nicky built me the snow slide from the kitchen window all the way to the ground?  That was so much fun, papa.  Do you think it will snow enough this year for him to do that again?”

There was a soft whooshing sound and Tristan made a strangled gasp of surprise.  Leta squeezed his hand.  “Papa?  Do you think Nicky will – “

She stared at her father and the words dried up in her mouth.  An arrow, the feathers at the end of it a bright blue, was sticking out of his chest.  She dropped his hand and backed away as he reached for the arrow with trembling hands.  He pulled it free with a hard yank and stared in bewilderment at the blood that was on the tip of it.

Leta’s eyes widened as red liquid blossomed on the front of Tristan’s shirt.  “Papa?”

“Leta.”  He gave her a look of confusion as the patch of blood grew on his shirt.  She gasped loudly when he slowly sank to his knees, his head dropping forward.

“Papa!”  She crowded up next to him as he collapsed backwards onto the ground.  “Papa!”  She shook his shoulder, her eyes wide with fright.

Tristan stared up at the sky.  He watched a cloud drift lazily across it as the frantic beating in his ears began to slow.  Dimly he was aware of Leta screaming, and he tried to turn his head to smile and reassure her but his body refused to obey his mind’s command.  He continued to stare up at the sky as the beating slowed even further.  He realized with faint puzzlement that the beating he heard was the sound of his heart. 

I’m dying, he thought with a muted sense of surprise.  He pictured Avery’s face – her laughing green eyes and her pale skin, and the way her hair flashed like fire in the sun.  He whispered her name as the sun began to dim in the sky.  He frowned in confusion.  Why was the sun setting so soon?  Darkness was creeping across the edges of his vision and as the beating of his heart slowed to a stop, he closed his eyes and whispered Avery’s name one last time.

END

Thank you for reading my book.  Please take a moment to leave a comment at the site you downloaded this book from.  I appreciate and encourage feedback!

* * *

Please enjoy a sample chapter of “Pale Moon (Red Moon Second Generation Series)”

PALE MOON

(Red Moon Second Generation Series)

By Elizabeth Kelly

* * * *

Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Kelly

Chapter 1

Nicky held out his hand and watched as the snowflakes landed on his open palm.  They melted quickly and he stared at the cloudy sky before dropping his gaze to the ground before him.  The ground was stained with his father’s blood, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reaching for the shovel he had brought out from the barn.

He thrust the shovel into the hard ground, dug up a chunk of the blood-stained grass and transferred it to the wheelbarrow.  As he dug grimly, his mind turned back to the silver-haired Lycan’s visit earlier in the day.

* * *

Nicholas stared in surprise at the silver-haired Lycan standing before him.

“My birth father.”  He repeated softly.

“Aye.  He needs your help.”  Meridan said solemnly.

Avery moved to Nicky’s side and took his hand.  “How do you know his father?”

“We work for him.”  Meridan indicated the two women standing next to him.

“Why did he not come himself?”  Nicky asked.

“Your father has been taken by the leeches deep into the outskirts.  We need your help in getting him back.”

“Why would I help a man who abandoned me as a child?”

“He only learned of your existence three moons ago.  Your mother’s cousin, Saredina, fell ill.  Before she died, she sought your father out and told him about you.  She told him that a Lycan named Tristan Williams had taken you and your sister away from the city.  Your father was preparing to come here when he was taken by the leeches.

“If he was taken by the leeches to the outskirts then he is already dead.”  Nicholas said bluntly.

Meridan shook his head.  “No.  The leeches have not killed him.  I can assure you of that.  They are holding him prisoner.”

“You’re wrong.  The leeches do not take prisoners.”  Nicky replied shortly.

The female Lycan frowned at Meridan.  “How can they not know?  Do they not care what happens to their own kind?”

Meridan frowned at the woman.  “Quiet, Pavina.  You forget that news does not travel as quickly in the country as it does in the city.”

“What are you talking about?”  James asked.  He led Bree towards Kaden and Sophia, standing her close to her brother and giving Kaden a brief look.  Kaden nodded slightly and put his arm around his sister, holding her protectively against him.

James stood next to Nicholas and Avery, and gave Meridan a hard stare.  “Tell us what you mean before I lose my patience.”

“In the last year or so, there has been a surge in the number of humans that the leeches have taken.  They have been turning the humans in an attempt to increase their own kind.  Four moons ago it became clear why they were so desperate to increase their numbers.  They needed larger numbers to take the Lycans.  They’ve been abducting our kind and taking them to the outskirts.”

“Why would they do that?”  Avery asked.

“They are experimenting on them.”

“What do you mean?”  Nicholas frowned.

“They are attempting to make a hybrid of our kinds.  Leech and Lycan mixed together.  They believe they can use the Lycans to create a new race of vampires.  They seek many of the Lycan’s unique abilities, but what they desire most is the Lycan’s ability to walk in the sun.

“The gods be damned.”  Avery breathed lightly. 

“Indeed.”  Meridan said gravely.  “If the leeches are successful in their quest, if they create a new hybrid of leech and Lycan, then we are all in grave danger.”

“How do you know they have not already succeeded?”  James asked.

Meridan shrugged.  “We do not know for sure that they have not, but the rumour is that they are running into…issues.”

Pavina snorted.  “The leeches are ridiculous for believing they can create a hybrid.  The Lycan gene is too powerful to be diluted by the leech’s filth.”

“What are the issues?”  Nicky asked.

“Lycans who have been infected by the leeches die with a moon or two of being bitten.  Their healing powers go into overdrive trying to destroy the leech’s infection within their bodies.  The constant attempt to heal takes an enormous toll on the Lycan.  It saps their energy and strength and eventually kills them.”

There was a horrified silence in the room and Meridan sighed.  “Despite their failure, the leeches do not seem to be giving up.  More and more Lycans are being taken.”

“Including my birth father.”  Nicky said softly.

“Aye.  He was taken from the city nearly a moon ago.  We are traveling to the outskirts to rescue him.  Before he was kidnapped, your father confided in me about you and I made the decision to find you.”

When Nicholas didn’t reply, Meridan gave him a brief smile.  “We have gathered many of your father’s friends and employees to help us, but we could always use more Lycans.  It will only become more dangerous the closer we get to the outskirts.”

Nicky ran his hand restlessly through his hair.  “You want me to help a man I’ve never met?”

“He is your father!”  Pavina said sharply.  “What kind of Lycan leaves his own blood to die?”

“Hush, Pavina.”  Meridan snapped.  “Nicholas, we believe there is a good chance that your father is still alive and has not been bitten yet.  Your father is a good man, and there are many who are willing to risk their lives to save him.  He is anxious to meet you.”

Meridan paused.  “If he has been bitten, then at least give him the chance to meet his son before he dies.”

Nicky turned to his mother and her face paled at the look on his face.  She cupped his face and gave him a frantic look.  “Nicky, you do not know that they speak the truth.”

“We’re not lying!”  Pavina burst out.  She growled deep in her throat and her eyes turned a dark yellow as she took a step towards Avery and glared ominously at her.  “You would be wise to hold your tongue, human.  Not all Lycans are so complacent towards humans.”

She shrank back against Meridan, her eyes widening with fear, when a chorus of low growls answered her.  Every single Lycan in the room began to shift, their eyes glowing fiercely as they stalked towards the three strangers.  James and Nicky stood in front of Avery and used their large bodies to block her completely from the gaze of Meridan and the two women.

“Threaten our mother again and you will die in this room.”  James said thickly.  His beard was heavy on his face and his upper body had swelled to nearly twice its size.  His shirt ripped across his shoulders with a low, purring sound as Meridan put up his hands in a calming gesture.

“Please, she meant no offense.  Pavina speaks without thinking.”

Nicky approached the female Lycan until he was standing only inches from her.  He sniffed at her hair and then snarled under his breath.  He bared his teeth at her and a small whimper escaped her throat at the sight of his sharp fangs.  She lowered her gaze to the floor.

“Keep your eyes on the floor.  If you even look at my mother I will pluck your eyes from your head and give them to her as a gift.”  Nicholas growled.

Pavina whined softly in submission as Nicholas continued to stare at her. 

“Puppy!”

Nicholas turned to his right.  The human female was standing frozen with fear but the small child strapped to her back was giving him a look of pure delight.

“Puppy!”  She said again and before her mother could stop her, reached out and stroked the hair on Nicky’s cheek with her small hand.

“Violet, no!”  The woman gasped.

She pulled the child’s hand away and took a step back.  “I’m sorry.”  She said quietly.

Nicky cocked his head and stared into the woman’s oddly coloured eyes.  He waited for her to drop her gaze like Pavina and when she didn’t, he leaned in and inhaled deeply.  She smelled delicious, he thought hazily.  Underneath the smell of her fear, there was an exotic blend of vanilla and jasmine and the good clean scent of her child.

“Hi, puppy.”  The little girl said softly and her mother made a quiet moan of dismay.

Nicky, his body shrinking and the hair on his cheeks fading away, suddenly grinned at the toddler.  “Hi, baby.”

He pinched the girl’s chubby cheek gently before stepping away.  Sophia, Vivian and Evan had joined James and were standing in a tight cluster around Avery.  They stepped back as he stood next to his mother.  He put his arm around her and stared at Meridan.

“We speak the truth, Nicholas.  I swear it.”  The silver-haired Lycan said quietly. 

He didn’t reply and Avery squeezed his waist tightly.  “Nicky, we must speak to your father first.  He is still in the barn with Leta.”

“Aye, I know.”  He replied.

Avery turned to Evan.  “Evan, go the barn and get your father.  Go quickly.”

“Yes, mama.”  Evan started for the door of the common room.

He paused, his eyes widening, when the faint sound of Leta screaming could be heard.

“Leta?”  Avery whispered.  She stood frozen for a moment and then bolted from the room.

* * *

Pale Moon (Red Moon Second Generation Series) will be available at
www.amazon.com
in the fall of 2014.

Please enjoy a sample chapter of Elizabeth Kelly’s latest novel, “The Contract”.

THE CONTRACT

By Elizabeth Kelly

* * * *

Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Kelly

Chapter 1

“It’s your turn, Mae.”

“My turn for what?”  I gave Ida, the HR manager, an innocent look.

She rolled her eyes.  “Don’t even bother pretending, Mae.  You know for what.”

I sighed heavily and stared out the window of her disgustingly neat office.  I had been working for the law firm of Knight and Associates for over a year and, so far, had managed to avoid being Liam Knight’s personal assistant.  I knew my luck would run out sooner or later, but I had hoped my perceived fragility would have netted me a few more months.