Bane of Tenebris (Wolfgods Book 2) Blaise Ramsay (classic literature books txt) 📖

him to find he was lying on the soft soil of the ground. Above him, the sun shone bright, its rays warming him.

The voice of a man called to Kain through the fog in his mind.

Try as he might, Kain couldn’t get his weakened body to respond. He blinked his eyes, moaning. The voice called out again and again until he could no longer ignore it.

Kain opened his eyes to see the blurred figure of a man standing in front of him. He squeezed his eyes, opening them again to try and clear his vision. What he saw made him gasp in surprise.

Pentacost Kain knelt beside his son, smiling a loving smile.

“You cannot be. You fell.” Kain tried not show any emotions despite not seeing his father after so long.

Pentacost shook his head, rising, and offering a hand to help his son to stand. “This is the border of life and death. You were injured, my son.”

Once he was on his feet, Kain held his hand against his throbbing head. He let himself remember his bout with Bard and Jared. The feeling of Bard’s claw as it sucked the life from him, Cade’s arrival, then nothing.

“Your mind called upon me to help you, Alexander,” Pentacost said. “You have faced Barghast’s power on the physical plane and felt its effects.”

Kain had to sit down on a nearby stone because of the lingering weakness. “What does he want with me, father? Is my torture not enough?”

Pentacost joined his son. “He will test you more than he ever has in the upcoming days. Bard’s reappearance is only the first step. You must remain strong.”

“What can I do?”

“Live your life. As strong as you are, you have forgotten what it means to be more than a soldier.”

Kain looked at his father, confused yet admiring him. The scar covered lycan had his head tilted towards the woods around him. All his life, Pentacost raised him to fight and defend the royal line. Kain never had the chance to live the life of a normal lycan youth due to endless hours of training and recovery.

Pentacost lowered his eyes. “Forgive me. I failed you. I never let you have the life of the other young lycans. Tenebris wanted me to tell you that you have a chance to know a life outside of bloodshed.”

Kain asked his father what he meant. Pentacost told his son why Luna told him to take Tala. The gods wanted Kain to have a life outside of the Blood Wars. To know what it was like to be free in what time remained to him.

Kain felt his chest tighten with a mix of regret and relief. He longed to get back to Tala. He wanted to court her.

“Go,” Pentacost said, reassuring his son. “Be watchful but live. Love the woman you care for.”

Kain embraced his father in a tight hug. “Father, I miss you.”

“I know. I will see when your time comes. Go.”

Kain groaned, covering his eyes against the light of the room. His head ached behind his left eye. Using his fists, he pushed himself to sit up, feeling like he had a hangover.

He looked at the hand he used to catch Bard’s claw to find it wrapped. A sharp pain in his shoulder brought attention to the condition of the bite on his neck.

The arrival of Kyle helped Kain focus on the fact he’d returned from the dream encounter with his father.

“Oh, thank the gods.” Kyle walked over to Kain. He put his stethoscope buds in his ears and placed its end to Kain’s chest.

“How long have I been asleep?” Kain coughed as Kyle asked so the doctor could move to his back.

“A few days. You came to us incredibly weak.” Kyle asked Kain to take in a deep breath and let it out.

“Damien?”

Kyle pulled the stethoscope off and placed it in his bag. “He’s doing better. The injury wasn’t deep and as you know he heals faster than one of us. He was only out for a day before the wound healed. You seem to be feeling better so let me go tell the others. They wanted me to let them know.”

Damien came in shortly after. He closed the distance between the two of them, taking Kain in a hug and pleading with him to forgive him for leaving Kain behind.

Returning his hug, Kain reassured Damien that he was okay.

Damien took Kain’s hand. “Don’t tell me you’re okay when you’ve had a chunk ripped out of your shoulder, asshole. Christ Kain, I reiterate, if I had a brother in a past life, it would be your stupid ass.”

Kain laughed.

“I’m sorry. You got hurt again because of me.” Damien proceeded to unwrap Kain’s burned hand, discarding the old bandage and replacing it with a new one.

Kain watched, his eyes soft and appreciative. “It is my duty to protect you, Damien. I told you once before.”

Damien didn’t say anything until he finished re-wrapping Kain’s hand, asking what happened.

Tala came in, her misty eyes growing wide in shock and relief to see Kain. She lifted her hands to her mouth.

“I will tell you soon. For now, I believe I want some time alone, if you don’t mind,” Kain said.

Nodding, Damien left the two of them alone, reminding Kain he’d need to tell the whole story later.

Kain took Tala in his arms. Her small body fitting in his, comforting him to find her safe and wanting to show her how much he cared for her. He took her mouth in a kiss, pulling her towards him until she came to sit on the bed’s edge.

His hands gripped her butt, making her squeak in pain.

Inside, he wanted to remove her clothes to feel her skin against his as he had with Jill during their heated make-out sessions. He didn’t want to push her into too much too fast but his desire to feel her skin almost drove him wild.

Tala pulled emotions out of him he’d only truly felt for one other