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

many beliefs of superstition or the actions of rogue gods into the category of non-existent.

In a way, Kain was grateful for that. He’d hate for Zane to suffer Barghast’s anger. He wished Zane goodnight and the two parted ways.

Kain arrived back at the pack’s house in the wee hours of morning. He could hear the birds beginning to rustle in their nests in preparation to start their day. The sound stirred a sense of calmness and sadness simultaneously.

In his pocket, the metal links of his father’s necklace jingled. Its weight heavy despite how light it was. Kain sat on the porch, taking out the necklace and running his thumb over the smooth stone. The blood in the grooves of pewter still held the faint smell of his father.

The silence of the night aided in processing the information Kain had received from both Desdemona and Zane. His mind drifted to the memory of the dark night he lost his father to Bard’s treachery. He heard the screams of the lycans, the sloshing of the sea, the squeaking of the boats’ masts. The smell of salt air renewed in his nose, burning his sensitive nostrils. It soon became replaced with the scent of blood.

Pentacost’s roar could be heard over the howling maelstrom adding to the chaos of the escape. Azazel’s cries for Kain to focus rang in his ears as if it were happening all over again.

Gabriel’s sudden arrival jerked Kain from the vivid memory. He quickly hid the pendant in his jacket. “I wondered when you planned on coming back. Is something wrong, old friend? You seem troubled.”

“I am fine. Just some old wounds,” Kain replied. “I will tell everyone about the meeting in the morning. Right now, forgive me but I wish to catch some needed sleep. I assume Tala’s asleep.”

Gabriel nodded. In his eyes, Kain could see his fellow lycan didn’t believe him.

Kain got up and went inside, wanting to join Tala but couldn’t. He needed to be in the company of someone who understood the deeper part of his soul. Something he guarded from Tala to avoid exposing her to the darkness of the vengeful god. He decided to go down the hall to Damien’s room.

The door stood ajar offering enough of a view to see the bed empty. Before Kain could even knock, Damien opened the door. “I knew you’d be coming.”

Kain chuckled. “Of course you did. Would it be alright if I stayed in here tonight? I need a place to calm my raging soul.”

Damien opened the door to let Kain in the room. “Jill’s been sleeping in the nursery recently. She misses the pups horribly. Wherever you want, Kain. I could feel what you felt. I’m guessing you’re going to share it later.”

Kain offered a tired nod. He elected to crash on the futon in front of the television in the part of the room Damien once called his “man den.” Being around Damien’s gentle aura always calmed the chaos of Kain’s soul.

After the battle with Lilith, Kain requested to be carried on Damien’s back during the return to Holt’s camp. He didn’t fully understand it but welcomed his lycan brother’s presence.

It didn’t take long before Kain sank into a deep sleep.

Sometime during the night, Kain’s dreams shifted to the plane of the dark god. Again, it stood empty.

Kain couldn’t understand what was going on.

All around him the red tendrils swayed despite the lack of a breeze. It was the second time he came to the black plane without Barghast’s prompting.

An overwhelming sense of dread welled up in Kain’s chest. His heart pounded with such force it made him light-headed. It was as though something held onto it and tried to rip it out.

The sound of flapping wings brought his attention to the god’s sudden appearance. A look of surprise in his demonic eyes. “Well, well. I must admit, I had not expected your visit, Alexander. Give me a moment and we can speak since you seem to need my attention.”

The flapping sound stopped, giving way to the clacking of claws against the ground. The dark god stared down at Kain for a moment before kneeling. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

Kain’s skin broke out in gooseflesh. “I … did not come here willingly.”

“Is that so? Yet, here you stand before me? It seems very curious to both of us,” Barghast made his way around Kain and placed his clawed hands on his shoulders. “However, my dear soldier, as much as it would please me to be in your company, I have other obligations I must attend to,”

The dark god took back to hovering above Kain. “I am preparing the perfect gift to you, favored one. You have my permission to leave this once. Call it a gesture of my generosity.” The god smirked and took off into the gloom.

Chapter Eighteen

Two days later was All Hallows’ Eve. The time for the Masquerade Ball drew close.

Tala helped her mate get ready, complimenting on how dashing he looked in the costume she purchased for him on an outing with Jill. Noticing the serious look in Kain’s eyes, she asked him what was wrong. He’d been acting strange for almost two days.

The strange encounter with Barghast and the mention of the “perfect gift” he prepared for Kain left a lingering feeling of dread. When Damien inquired into the reason behind Kain’s behavior, Kain shared the details, leaving nothing out.

As Kain assumed, the young lycan alpha insisted on going with Kain to the Ball and refused to take no as an answer, pulling rank. Hesitant, Kain agreed to take Damien but made him promise to stay out of trouble. Gabriel wanted to go but Kain wouldn’t allow it no matter how much Gabriel argued.

Kain tried his hardest to shake the foul feeling something would happen soon and whatever it was would be beyond bad. He elected to take Cade as his second, believing