Under the Blood Moon by Jenny Garcia (latest books to read TXT) 📖

walks over to the couch and sits with me. “What is wrong My Queen.” I can’t stop the anger that is building inside me and it’s more powerful than I have ever felt. I look to her with fire in my eyes and almost shout in her face, “I have told you over and over not to call me that!” Travis looks to me and my parents come around the corner with a worried look on their faces. Travis gets up from the recliner and walks over to me. “Niki are you ok?” The anger is growing stronger and I stand from the couch not being able to control my actions. Something is taking over me and I cannot stop it. Travis grabs my shoulders and looks down to Asclepius, “She is on fire, it’s trying to take over.” She springs from her seat and stands next to me, “Niki…” Just saying my name makes her uncomfortable, “Your inner wolf is trying to take over. The night is coming and its getting stronger. Khan is still ruler of the Realm so your inner wolf is full of anger and hate. You have to control it.” I hear my dads foot steps creak on the hardwood floor as he walks up behind me. Travis raises his hand to him, trying to keep him away. He hits his hand down and I feel his presence behind me, “Travis, no offense but this is my child and I know her better than anyone in the world.” I feel Travis’s body heat rise as his anger increases. When it comes to me, Travis doesn't want anyone to interfere. He releases me and takes two steps back. I feel my fathers arms wrap around my back and around my chest. He leans in a whispers in my ear, “Niki don’t let it control you.” There is part of me that is calmed by his words but at the same time I can’t control the anger my inner wolf is feeling. I try to push her back into my mind but she continues to hiss in my ear, He wants to control you, but I want to free you Niki. Don’t believe their lies. For a moment I believe her and try to break from my fathers embrace. His arms tighten around me and I flex harder trying to break free. The harder I push out the more force he pulls me in with. I try to wriggle away from him but he is much too strong for me to break free from. I look around the room and Travis is staring wide eyed at my father. I close my eyes and try to get control of myself. I try to control my breathing and listen for the voice. Finally she speaks again,”You are weak Niki, I can set you free. We can take over all!” I try to ignore her words but for some reason they are tempting me. I need to hold on to my true self so I decide to answer her. “You do not control me and you never will. Return to where to came from until I call you myself.” My words are more powerful and I feel my inner wolf shiver with fear. I start to become dizzy and my knees get weak. I begin to black out and my knees give out. I feel my fathers arms grip me tighter than they ever have before and I become weightless. Blackness is surrounding me as I battle my inner wolf for control. I can feel sweat building on the forehead and then like a wave sweeping away the sand I fall into blackness. The last thing that I hear is Travis shouting my name and then I fade into nothingness.

 

For some reason I feel comfortable in the darkness. I no longer hear my inner wolf and the anger she was radiating has subsided. My chest begins to burn as I try to take a deep breath. I fight for a breath and then all at once I am shot back into consciousness. I see everyone standing around me. I realize that my feet are not touching the ground and my fathers arms are crushing me. I fight to get words out, “Dad...Please you're crushing me.” He immediately releases me and before I hit the floor Travis cradles me in his arms. “Are you alright?” I try to catch my breath as my lungs burn with much needed oxygen. “I think so. I thought that I would be able to change until after the awakening.” He raises me to my feet and I try to get my bearings. He runs his hand through my hair and relief floods me. He looks to me and takes a breath, “It happens to every werewolf before the full moon. Because of Khan, your inner wolf takes control once the full moon shows itself. Before the that time, its anger and hate can be felt.” There is so much to this world that is unfair and doesn't make sense. The only thing I can do it take it in and accept it. I turn around to see my father and all the color has drained from his face. “Dad are you ok?” He looks up to me and tries to talk, “Something happened to me when I was holding on to you.” He looks past me to Travis searching for an answering. Travis walks around me and stands in front of my father.  “When Niki was chose as the next Queen both you and Tracy were given a gift. Tracy was given back her Pyros ability and it looks like you were given the gift of strength.” He turns his head slightly and I can tell that is he confused. “What does that mean?”I giggles slightly and remember that he has not been aroung us at all and knows nothing about this world. I shrug my shoulders, “I have learned just to go with it. There are not enough words to explain all the Realm has.” He looks around the room and tries to wrap his mind around what has just happened. Travis walks to him and puts his hands on his shoulders, “To sum it up you have limitless strength now.” There is a rumbling outside and the thunder is getting louder and louder. A crack of green lightning lights up the sky and everyone jumps. The wind increases in speed and sends a low howling through the redwoods. Fear climbs up my spine and I shiver. I look to the clock and it is 6:30pm. I look back to Travis and he nods his head. “Its time to go to the island.” My heart begins to beat rapidly and I can feel everyone eyes glues to me. I am not ready for this…

 

Rain is pouring down from the sky and every drop that hits me beats me further into fear. My inner wolf is stronger than ever and it’s becoming hard and hard to ignore her. Travis stays by side as we all stand on the dock staring out towards the island. No one wants to get in the boat. Asclepius is the first to step in. “Come on we have to get over there soon.” The lake is so choppy that it almost throws her out of the boat. My father is the next to jump in, then my mom and Travis. They all hold on to the edge of the boat trying to steady it. Travis extends his hand to me and I am frozen in fear. You are nothing without me. You fear your own destiny. I hear my wolf taunting me and it snaps me out my trance. I reach to Travis and grab his hand. He pulls me onto the boat and it rocks back and forth. This boat was not meant for five people and trying to row it across this lake is going to be a challenge. The freezing gust pushes us all to the side and we try to sit down without flipping the little boat. Travis and my dad both grab an orre and dip them into the water. My mom unties the rope holding the dock and I feel like the last shred of my old life has just been severed. Panic rushes through me and the only thing I want right now is to get off this boat and run as far away as I can. Asclepius wraps her arms around me and tries to calm me, “I can take away the fear if you want me too.” She practically has to shout just to get her voice over the wind. I look at her and shake my head no. This is the not the time to not feel fear. The moment that I don’t feel the fear is the moment that I lose, stay alert stay alive. I repeat in this over and over in my head trying to keep myself held together. With every pull of the orres the boat inches closer to the island and my inner wolfs voice is getting louder and louder. Its my time! Time to give yourself over to me! I will make you stronger than you could ever imagine.” I cover my ears trying to ignore her words but they just keep getting louder.

 

The wind is ripping across the lake pushing the small boat back with every gust. My father and Travis have been pulling for over 30 minutes and we still are only half way. The sun has completed set and darkness has enveloped everything, The only light is the striking of green and pink lightning. I look out towards the island as white lightning cracks across the sky revealing the dark woods and sandy shore. I look up to the sky and let the showers of rain fall on my face. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look to see my mother trying to bring me back into reality. Steam is pouring off her as the rain beats against her body. “Mom...are you ok?” I try to shout over the wind and she tries to answer, “Yes honey! I am trying to summon fire through the rain so we can see.” FInally the boat crashes against the sand and both Travis and my father try to catch their breath. One by one we jump out of the boat and into the shallows of the lake. The has rain has drenched us completely. We all jump out of the boat and the water is all the way up to our knees. We all grip onto the edge of the boat begin to pull it out of the lake and up onto the shore. The freezing water from the lake and the freezing rain falling from the sky chills me to the bone. I feel as if my bones are creaking with every step. Travis rushes to me and wraps his arms around me. His warmth envelopes me and me pulls me into the woods. I turn to see my mother, father and Asclepius jogging after us. Once in the woods, the rain seems to lessen as it fights to get through the tree tops. Finally the wind isn’t beating against and we can hear each other talk. The first to speak is my mom, “So where are we supposed to go?” Travis releases me and points towards where the group of redwoods that conceal the flat stone. We all jog over and as soon as I get close to the grouping of trees the ground begins to shake. We all stop and hold on to each other. The ground rumbles and the leaves begin to fall all around us. The trees are shaking and as the lightning cracks again I look to see the roots of the trees are ripping up from the earth. I can’t believe what I am seeing. The trees begin to pull themselves from the ground. Once