The young lycan tapped a finger to his head. “The time you entered my mind and drove out Barghast, remember? We’re connected - mind and soul. We’ve both seen him. Felt what he can do.”
Damien fell to his haunches in front of Kain. “I’m not letting that bastard get away with tormenting you anymore. He doesn’t get to tear you to shreds and then your life on top of it.”
Kain smirked, a slight ‘tsk’ came from between his teeth. “It’s nice to know your heart and will are still so strong. Those are good qualities for an alpha.”
Damien slammed a fisted hand the palm of the other with an “aha.” “That’s something else I needed to discuss with you,” He sat down next to Kain. “I don’t suppose you considered my offer?”
Using his thumb and forefinger, Kain rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew where the conversation headed and lacked the mood to entertain it.
“Be my beta, Kain. You trained me; helped me grow into a strong leader. I’m the youngest lycan in all the packs around here. Please. I still need my mentor.”
The younger lycan’s pleading eyes started to melt Kain’s resolve. “I will think about it, Damien. I do not know how I can be of any use. I no longer have the strength to change or to fight.”
“You won’t have to. Just think about it. That’s all I can ask for now,” Damien got up from the chair. “I guess now I know why I was called here.”
Kain’s brow raised, intrigued at what Damien could have meant.
“Luna came to see me when we trained at the Circle of Stones. She told me ‘one we both love will need your help, as much as you needed theirs’. Now, I know she meant you. I’m going to save you, Kain. Somehow.” Damien left the kitchen to go back into the living room.
Kain stood from his spot on the chair to stare out of the paned window above the sink. His hands rested on his fingertips on the cold granite cabinets. He dropped his head, eyes closed.
A dark and ominous feeling fell over Kain. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt in years, and it angered him to find it once again began to surface. The demons of his past had returned, and he knew the time would come when he’d have to face them.
Chapter Two
The following morning a soft snow whispered across the trees, blanketing the landscape with fresh white powder. A brisk wind shook the icicles, clanging them together to create a soft tinkling sound.
Kain lay on his side in bed listening to nature’s calming music. A low rumble in his stomach reminded him he still needed to eat. With a groan, Kain forced himself to sit up and let his legs hang over the edge of the bed. He took a moment, gathering his will to get up, go downstairs and make breakfast.
The wounds on Kain’s shoulders ached as he reached for the cast iron skillet in the cabinet above the stove.
Damien’s words from the previous night echoed within Kain’s mind. The idea of finding some way to escape his fate offered a flicker of hope. However, he pushed the thought away. Not one member of his family died in their beds or of old age.
Around mid-morning, Damien walked into the kitchen stumbling, half-drunk from sleep. He picked up the silver kettle on the counter next to the sink, rolling his eyes. “Really? Got a real coffee pot? Like a Keurig or something?”
Kain snickered as he gestured his head to the pantry. “Gabriel said the same thing. He and Spence got me one soon afterwards for Christmas. It’s in the pantry on the floor. Help yourself.”
Damien lifted the box at the bottom of the pantry and put it on the table. Freeing it from its cardboard prison, he set the Keurig on the counter and plugged it in. He put a pod into its maw and started the brewing before sitting in a wooden chair.
“See? How easy was that?” he commented, throwing his arms behind his head, a coy smirk on his face.
Kain enjoyed having Damien around despite his adolescence and inexperience. During their time together, not only had Kain grown to respect Damien, but to love him like a brother. The young lycan held an intelligence and wisdom of the world many lacked. His encounters with the vampires and his willingness to put others above himself were two qualities Kain admired most.
Kain set a plate of breakfast before his friend. “Damien, I have to check the traps in the woods. Would you like to come? I can teach you some basic survival skills.”
“Actually, yeah. It would be nice. Thanks,” Damien said.
That night the wind howled with an icy mix of sleet and snow. The small shards of ice struck the glass of the window. Branches scratched the panes of the window, their shadows taking the form of death’s slender fingers.
Kain sat alone in the darkness of his room. His elbows sat on his thighs, hands hanging between his legs. The only source of light came from the gentle flicker of flames in a charcoal stove.
An evil presence filled the room, its arrival bringing about a stifling pressure. The scars on Kain’s body began to feel hot, almost as though the evil within them rejoiced at the arrival of its master.
Kain sighed, his eyes directed to the floor. “I know you are here.”
The sound of clicking talons accompanied the smell of burning wood as the new arrival made his way across the room. The nauseating scent of a wicked miasma mixed with ash spread throughout the room.
The dark god fell to a knee in front of Kain. He took Kain’s jaw in his claws, raising Kain’s head. “Good evening, Alexander. I can see your life draining. The pain your soul endures as you battle the hate inside for your own existence is intoxicating. Forsake
