Fire Moon by Miss CrazyPlantLady (phonics reading books .TXT) 📖

his eyes were a haunting yellow. They glowed against his bone-white skin, he looked almost sick.

"As requested" Alexei spoke first, gesturing to me, "Eden Addandam."

My mouth threatened to drop as Alexei then sunk to his knees before the unknown royal and then he shot me the sharpest glare when I did not follow.

You do not kneel.

"Is there an issue?" the stranger's voice echoed down to us like thunder.

A heavy hand on the back of my legs and my knees struck the harsh stone floor, my bones threatening to break at the shear force. Alexei held the back of my neck to keep me kneeling, "No, Sir."

No doubt he felt the heat of my skin, my flames pushing from the inside, resisting the urge to burn them all but he didn't let go and we rose together.

"Who are you?" I demanded to the lion, pushing Alexei's hand off me.

A deadly smirk, "I am Kier" his voice was like rough and uneven, hissing and loud all at once. Multiple voices in one.

"What do you want from me?" my demands were weakening as the drop of fear started to turn into a river and it swam within my blood.

Kier looked amused as he stood from his throne, walked down to me and grabbed my jaw with his pale claw, "Oh dear, I don't want anything from you" his teeth were twisted and running into each other, "I just want the blood inside of that gives you this."

He grabbed my wrist and held it up. I hadn't realized but my hands were alight, flames dancing over my fingers and I watched Kier's eyes glow with desire and need. Not for me but for my flames.

My lungs didn't dare breathe, I didn't dare move and it was then Kier sighed, "Pity you're so plain looking, perhaps you could've been useful" his fingers brushed my lips and I tasted the blood on them.

"Such a pity" I hissed in return, my hand rising up in its own and striking it across his disgusting face.

I watched his skin reddened from the heat, threatening to blister as he pushed away from me, "You'll regret that, Changeling."

"No!" my voice booming, "You will be the one regretting, you will regret ever bringing me here" my finger coming up to point at him accusingly.

His laugh was sickening, sound of death itself and he returned back to his man-made throne, "You don't scare me, girl" his eyes threatening to swallow me whole, "I am fear itself."

I was already being dragged away before I could retort. Alexei's hand gripped my arm so hard that it would bruise, "You're the dumbest wolf I've ever met."

I glared at him and tried pulling my arm away, "Don't touch me."

He's grip was stronger and once we were back in the corridor, he swung me against the wall and grabbed my throat with a deadly growl, "He could have killed you right then and there for not kneeling before him, were you not taught respect?"

My dark eyes glared into his, "I was taught self-respect!"

His grip tightened, "That blonde fool didn't teach you self-respect!" he was growling in my face, "He taught you fucking pride!"

My body was going to burst into flames at the rage that swelled within, "You don't know what you're talking about."

A hint of a smirk and he loosened his grip, lowering his hand to the base of my throat, "Self-respect or not, sweet Eden. You kneel to the wolf more powerful than you, Alpha or not and it is called respect."

"Then you should be kneeling to me" I retorted, trying to shove him away.

He didn't budge but let out a huff of laughter. A deep, soft noise and he grabbed my still flamed wrist, his fingers not showing any sign of being burned, "Honey, I'm fireproof" his voice dark and warm and his emeralds drinking in my soul, "When you can control your abilities without losing your nerve, then I'll kneel to you."

"You better keep that promise" I muttered before he dragged me back down to my cell.

I waited until Alexei was out of sight when I crept over to Urith, "Have you heard of anyone named Kier?" my voice was a hushed whisper.

I could see his mind turning in his dark eyes but he shook his head, "I haven't" he was shocked and confused that he didn't actually know, "I haven't even read about such a name."

"He isn't in any books" Miles started from across the room.

Our eyes connected and I dared to ask, "Who is he?"

"My pack lived near the sea" Miles started, her honey eyes turning glassy, "I remember the exact day when we watched him cross that unforgiving water and into our land. He wasn't from here, he didn't know the earth we grew up on or the people but that didn't stop him from claiming them as his own. He was more powerful than anyone we've seen and we all kneeled to him," she watched her dirty fingers stretch, "He sensed my powers even as a child, he felt threatened and he took me as his prisoner."

"How old were you?" Urith asked softly.

"I was only a child" Miles answered automatically with a shrug, "It's been almost two decades."

She didn't look any older than Quinn, she's spent more than half her life been chained to a wall.

I was so angry for her, I breathed "What happened to your pack?"

She offered a small smile, "He killed them."

"I'm sorr—" Urith started but Miles stopped him, "Don't be."

"Why would he want my blood?" my voice was uneven.

"He has no special abilities, other than being extremely good at battle" Miles huffed out a laugh, "He wants what we have, he wants natural born power and he thinks that if he consumes our blood, he will inherit our power" she moved her sleeve, showing the bruising of needles that covered the inside of her elbow.

"When?" I felt myself ask. Quieter than before.

"Every full moon" her honey eyes turned to the wall adjacent to her and she nodded, "One week."

Dread welcomed itself into my body. Mixing in well with fear that already lived there. Urith grabbed my hand through the bars and he locks his eyes onto mine, "I will get us out of here."

Miles too. I watched his eyes promise.

"You said it's been a while since you had a roommate?" I turned back to Miles.

Her honey eyes didn't move from the wall as she nodded, "There was a girl before you" her voice was thick with hesitation and her arms wrapped around her shoulders, hugging herself, "Her name was Fleur and she was a Healer as well, like Lolita."

I swallowed the slow burn of fear, "What happened to her?"

Memory swirled on her face and I could see the trauma within the honey of her eyes, "He didn't think she was special enough and he sent Alexei is kill her while she was sleeping."

My skin prickled at the mention of him and my eyebrows were drawn together, "Did he?"

She nodded slowly and copied my expression, "He must obey all of Kier's commands."

Traitor.

"Where is Alexei from?" turning my attention to the empty corridor that he was just in.

"He's from Crepuscule" she answered, following my gaze.

Crepuscule. The last bit of sun before nightfall. Twilight. From memory, Crepuscule was no where near Stygian or West Stygian. I needed a map.

"Has anyone ever escaped?" I whispered.

Her eyes lit up like the sun and she shook her head sharply, "No one has ever dared, there's too many guards and not enough windows."

I will get us out. I will make sure Kier will pay for what he did to Miles' pack. I will make sure Alexei pays for ending Fleur's life.

I stood, "I will get us out of here and Kier will be sorry that he ever met me" my promise swelled in Miles' eyes and she didn't look surprised but sad.

Her eyes turned glassy as she looked at me, "Then I'm afraid, he will kill you."

 

9

 

"GET UP."

It was Alexei.

He was in the cell. His hands pulling me up from my bed by my arms.

It was dark.

I couldn't see him but I knew that voice.

My arms pulled against his hold but he held on strong, "What do you want?" my voice was panicked.

It wasn't until I heard the cell door slam shut that Urith growled from his own cell, "Where are you taking her?"

Alexei ignored him, dragging me down the corridor. The low lit lights allowed me to see his face. Emotionless.

The smallest drop of fear entered my blood, guaranteed he could hear my heart pounding in my chest and I held my breath as we entered through a set of doors.

We stepped slowly down a staircase, turning left and Alexei paused before entering another set of doors.

The smell of sweat and sewage hit my nose, I flinched at the sudden light and I squinted through, "What is this?"

It was a large room. No. A bunker.

We stood on a small cage, the bars meeting the ceiling and wrapping around us to join the walls. Alexei let go of my arms, I took a step closer to the bars and my blood chilled at the sight below us. Metres below us were hundreds of my thin framed bed, all were occupied by small frames and from up here, I could tell they were children. Thin and fragile skeletons. The air was so thick with their filth that I had to hold my breath.

"If you do not cooperate with Kier" Alexei spoke in a hushed tone, "He will kill all of these children."

Some of them were dead. I could see them rotting in their beds. The sight of it made me want to vomit.

My blood was threatening to boil, "Why?" I hissed low.

"He wants power and he wants to use them as collateral damage" Alexei's tone was just as harsh.

"Who are they?" I couldn't take my eyes off them. So small and thin. They looked sick, their skin slick with grime.

"Kids from all over the country, some are orphans and some were taken from their parents" Alexei muttered.

"Why did you take me here?" I couldn't stop the rage showing in my tone.

I turned to him when he didn't answer straight away. His eyes were practically glowing in the dark, "To show you that I am on your side" his voice was still low, "but I am on their side first and if obeying Kier stops him from killing them, then I will obey until I die."

"Do you have a plan?" I said through a sigh, knowing I have to save them too.

A single shake of his head, "None that seem worth it."

I will save these kids.

That night I only dreamt of those kids. Sleeping in their own filth and never seeing the sun. They haunted my nightmares so badly that it woke me up each time.

It's been three days since I last spoke with Kier. Three days since I saw the basement children. The days were slow, unbearably dull and I spent majority of it sleeping on my paper-thin mattress.

Urith did the same thing, muttering to himself during the night and sleeping throughout the day. Miles was the opposite, she was drowning in insomnia and never slept. They didn't come back to chain her again and like an arcade character stuck