The woods were alive with the sound of shifting shadows, the forest brought to life by the eerie light of sparkling mist in moonlight as Lunus plunged ahead into the night, following after the more experienced hunters. This was the second night of her intended career as a lycan hunter and guardian of the town, and there was no way out of it, especially not now that they had entered the godless thicket of Malkouth.
She had spent much of the night thinking of how gladly she would find herself out of work and forced to pursue an alternative profession. Evan was... not worth killing in her
"Arfak, that's mine," Balthazar growled.Arfak laughed menacingly at him. "Not if I get it first," he said, laying himself down on top of his prey.The weight of the wolf's body was enough to paralyze her, and the warmth of his fur covered her like a discomforting blanket. Lunus whimpered, trying to push him off and wi
Evan laid Lunus on a makeshift bed of moss and fur which he had made in the cave where the wolves dwelt and called for a sheet to be set as a curtain to give them some privacy there. He grabbed the blanket with his mouth and carefully peeled it away, lifting it off of her as he rushed to attend to her wounds. He stood on all fours, leaning over her as he stared down at her beautiful ivory skin and all that Arfak had done to mutilate and defile it. He gently removed her torn up clothes and began to lick her scars, his tongue touching every wound of her body.It wasn't something he would
It was late in the afternoon near evening when Evan walked Lunus to her home back in town. She was dressed in the oversized uniform of a hunter who had fallen prey to the wolves that morning before dawn. The sun was beginning to set as twilight approached and he left her at her door.“Evan, are you sure you won’t come in?” Lunus asked, looking up at him as if expecting something more than goodbye.
"Sir, I don't know..." Evan began to play dumb but quickly realized that his words would get him nowhere but in deeper trouble.Eccord leaned on the edge of the desk with his feet on the ground and his arms crossed. He was still, stone still and deathly silent, and he had been that way since his men had fastened Evan to the chair. A lot of time had passed since then and with it a lot of silence, but Eccord's stance was still as stiff as it was at the beginning. He just kept standing there, staring intensely at the ground with his head down at a slant and his face thunderous. There was n
Evan's eyes were staring down the barrel of Eccord's gun as he pleaded with the man for the life of his mate."You can't listen to Arfak!" he told him. "He has no interest in the life of a human!""You said you slept with her!" Eccord reminded him, yelling in pain and anger.
Lunus rode her horse hard through the damp autumn mist as her heart beat loudly. She had to get a wolf's pelt and present it to her father gladly or her life would be demanded. The trouble was that she really didn't hate the creatures any longer, certainly not the way that she once had. The only saving grace of the matter was that with Evan detained in Banglador she knew she wouldn't be asked to hurt him. She loved him, after all. At least... she thought she did.The tears rolled down her cheeks, burning her skin with their icy trails left behind them. This wasn't what she wanted. Could
"Hello, Lunus. I'm so glad you came," the voice said from behind her as it whispered in her ear with the sound of some twisted pleasure. It was the voice of a man, but more than that, it was, also, familiar.She turned her head to the foreseeable sight of Jeremy Jensen sitting close behind her at the rear of the horse's saddle, and her chest tightened, her heart twisting with alarm.
Balthazar left Arfak writhing on the ground in pain and walked over to his Luna in noble stride."Come, Lunus," he said, the deep voice of the wolf inviting her to the safety his care secured.Lunus smiled up at him, thankful for the sight of the forest's fearful shadow. "Balthazar," she said, hugging his neck an
Lunus and Evan sat the next morning on the wooden platform of the tall gallows which the Hunters had erected speedily the night before. They had been given places of honor on the stage for their participation in the discovery of the cure and sat alongside Eccord, Howard, Arthur, and the other members of the Town Council. Before them all the town was gathered. Women held their children on their hips and men lifted their little ones high on their shoulders to see this amazing spectacle of justice. At last, the curse of Banglador would be broken and paid for! Evan tapped his fingers on his thigh with nervousness. Someone was missing, someone of note, and it had begun to bother him considerably. "Where is Ryan?" he whispered harshly towards Lunus. She shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. Arthur looked at them for a moment, overhearing, but he turned his ey
Ryan was quiet on the walk back towards the town. At the cave, he had rejoiced with Evan and Lunus as they shared what had been perhaps the happiest time of their lives. Freedom, at last they had freedom and what a release that was to each of them.There Ryan had been celebrating with them, joining in their laughter and glee, but it was different now. He wasn’t talking and his face looked a little more serious despite the fact that he was still smiling. There was a determined look on his face which glittered in his eyes like kindness, and Evan couldn’t help but watch him as they walked together through the forest now devoid of magic and mist.“Do you think we could come back, back to the town?” Lunus asked, wanting to get him talking again as much as she was genuinely curious.Ryan looked up at her. His smile broadened and his eyes lit. “Yes, of course!” he answered
"Ryan," Lunus breathed, and she looked at once with teary eyes to Evan.So, it wasn’t over.Jeremy’s body laid on the cold stone in front of him, his blood poured out upon the floor of the cave, and the red light illuminated the deathly scene as it danced within the darkness of the ground which swallowed them. The light brought with it an eerie reminder of all who had died there.There was the faint sound of drops falling from the altar, and Lunus looked up to see that some of Jeremy’s blood had splattered on the slab where Evan sat and mingled with his own. The mingled blood dripped down and fell to the ground. Then, all of the lights went out and the cave was filled at once with an almost tangible darkness.“Who goes there?” asked a voice from all around them. The tone of it was hollow and threatening.“Rya
Evan felt the pain of the bullet as it tore through his flesh. He felt the force of it shake him, and he doubled over in agony, grabbing the place of the wound, and stumbling back.He ordered Lunus to get down and pushed her back away from him, since he seemed to be the shooter's desired target. No matter what, he wouldn't let anything happen to her.He heard the gun cock. There were footsteps approaching, and he could see the vague silhouette of a man in the dim light of the red flashes. Then, there was another blast of the silver handgun, and he felt the touch of another bullet as it tore through his chest.He stumbled backwards and fell on the altar, grasping at the stones.He screamed in agony. The pain was so excruciating it was debilitating. He breathed in deeply and unevenly, each touch of air hurting.
The neighing of the horses and the cries of the Hunters were like needles in the wolves' ears as they approached, charging at them with a special gusto, probably brought on by the knowledge that this would be their final hunt."Don't think this is the end, Balthazar! I'll get you yet!" Arfak vowed as he backed away, running off into the forest and calling on his wolves to follow.Evan wasn't sure if he should be angry or relieved. Arfak and his wolves had gotten better. They were both more coordinated and more powerful. They moved as a team now, instead of a mob. Still, he thought he could haven beaten them and saved the town some trouble.They had to die. All of the spirits had to be released without a place for them to dwell. With nowhere to move to, no host to take them, no body to control, they would be forced to disperse and return to the forest... to Malkouth. He
Evan was watching the crowd from his place near the gates of the town, careful to keep himself hidden, and he knew that Lunus was doing the same. He listened to Ryan's words with a peculiar fire growing in his chest. It was the ignition of hope, causing him to want to jump up and scream for gladness, but this was not the time for such an open display of joy and exuberance. No. To the contrary, this was a time to watch the scene from the shadows in silence.Ryan had instructed them to wait. They would break the curse together over the stones where the covenant was made. That way, they would keep their cover, and after... Evan supposed that they would run away. He could not see any alternative to that, even here. They were still wanted. He had crimes he had to answer for, and so... they would have to run. It wasn't the happy ending he had wanted, or even an ideal one, but it was one which offered life to the two of them... and a l
He was sitting with his hands folded and on his face he wore a dastardly grin when Hollis arrived at the judges’ table.“Councilman!” Ryan said, throwing his hands determinedly down on the table in front of him.The mayor was well on his way to introducing him as the next speaker, and Ryan
They stayed for some days in Gelsome before departing, Ryan having come up with a plan to set the townsmen free from the curse their ancestors' error and the wolves along with it. So, Evan and Lunus enjoyed the time of their waiting with joy filled gratitude for the marvelous sights of this mountain town which seemed so far from all their problems in the midst of its foreign attraction.The plan was this: that they not return to Banglador until the time of the bicentennial. Doing so would afford them a few advantages.
The last thing Evan remembered was walking into the lobby of the Gelsome Inn with Ryan Hollis, who had walked up to the desk clerk and asked about a room. While they were talking, he had also asked the man about Lunus, and he had assured the two of them that she was, in fact, a guest there. That was good news. What wasn’t good news was whatever had happened to his eyesight.Evan Marshal had been curiously examining the unfamiliar craftsmanship of the wooden beams and decorations which the brightly lit lobby proudly displayed amidst its grand staircase and crystal cha