Slumber (37 page)

“Welcome home,” his low timbre spread a second rush of heat through her body. The feeling frightened her enough to give her the strength to pul away from him.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She wanted to tear her gaze away, was embarrassed even by the long look they shared, annoyed by the outrageous arrogance she felt pouring from this lykan, but she couldn’t. If it hadn’t been for Ela suddenly puling her into a hug, she may have stood looking at her Pack Leader like a fool for the entire night.

“Ela.” She managed a smal smile, inhaling her adoptive mother’s scent of earth and lavender. She remembered that smel more than the tal woman holding her. It told her of the affection this woman had once given her, and for this she hugged her more tightly.

“Now that you’ve met everyone.” Ela gave a sweeping gesture with her arm to indicate the pack crowded around her living room. “I suggest we let you unpack and get some sleep.”

The room was huge. A large four-poster bed dominated the centre of the space. The grand oak of the posts was matched in the twin bed-side tables, the large wardrobe to the back of the bedroom, the cabinet facing the bed, and the chunky desk to the right of the door; not to mention the beautiful flooring that would feel cool on a warm summer’s night. The wals were painted in the softest green; bedspread and curtains matching. Caia was surprised by the colour choice; it was so tranquil, so her.
How did they know?
She turned questioningly to Ela, who was standing patiently at the door. “This is al for me?” Ela chuckled and stepped inside, taking her backpack from her and dumping it pointedly on the floor next to Caia’s suitcase that had been placed at the foot of the bed. She straightened, her grey eyes smiling at her. She was a slightly older version of Irini, Caia thought. An Elder also, many years older than what she looked, she was as beautiful as al the other lykans, with her svelte physique and long sable hair. “Yes. We wanted you to feel as at home as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you.” Caia realy didn’t know what else to say, her eyes widening at the laptop that was sitting on the desk for her. “I like green.”

“Good.”

They were quiet for a moment, just gazing at each other awkwardly. The sound of raucous laughter from downstairs seemed to shake Ela. “This wil al pul together, Caia.”

She merely nodded, not quite so sure. She felt so much like an outsider.

“We wanted you to have the utmost privacy. And if you can’t sleep there is a television and DVD player in that cabinet.” She pointed to the monstrosity facing the bed. “There should be plenty of films to choose from in there too. Laptop’s yours. Internet is up and running so …” Caia couldn’t take it al in. “Thank you. You know you didn’t have to do al this … I never …” Ela shook her off uncomfortably. “Shush. It’s done.”

She received another hug and a motherly kiss on the cheek before the older woman gracefuly slipped from the room.

Caia sighed.
Oh boy
.

She thought about unpacking for two seconds before deciding against the idea. It would just make everything that little bit more permanent. Instead she stroled to the window facing the back of the house and gazed over the smal backyard with its footpath leading into the thick, dark woods surrounding the house. To anyone else, those woods encroaching so close to the home would have perhaps been off-putting. To a lykan it was a dream to have the cover of the trees at your fingertips. She thought of her and Irini having to drive to the woods in order to run. Irini was so happy to be home. She’d barely looked at Caia once since their return, and she was beginning to wonder if the woman perhaps resented her far more than she had let on. They hadn’t a close relationship, but they were kind and considerate of one another. Irini had worked as a secretary during the day, a cover to fit in with the humans. The apartment was already bought for them so they had never needed to worry about rent, and the pack had set up an account for Irini to pay food and bils, and whatever else they needed.

Caia had lived her young life listening out for any smal scrap of information Irini gave. She knew returning to the pack was al Irini thought about. It was how she got through her meaningless job each day. Caia was different. Irini had told her little of her parent’s death despite Caia’s pleas. She knew only that a member of the Midnight Coven had targeted her and her parents, and that the pack had been thrown into a miniature war with a man they caled The Hunter. The reason why she and her parents had been targeted had not been explained to Caia. When she was younger she had thought her heart might break with the pain of not having known her parents, and of not knowing why she’d had them ripped from her, but as she got older she learned to stop asking, and the need had dissipated to a gentle thrum tucked somewhere under her skin. It had though left her with a desire to be free of everything; the tiny apartment they shared, the obligation she felt towards the pack for having protected her. Caia wanted to travel the world - to have tasted the ful scope of moonlight.

The war, however, made leaving the pack impossible.

The pack doesn’t think like that anyway
.

They mated, had baby lykans, and lived their lives al together. Safety in numbers. Lucien’s face suddenly appeared before her eyes and even though there was no one there to witness her wayward thoughts, she felt her face warm.
Well that can just stop right now
, she snapped at herself.
The Alpha. Pfft!
Turning, she caught her blushing reflection in a long mirror attached to the wal. Caia frowned. She was quite smal, she realised, studying her body and features. Her kinswomen seemed taler, fuler-figured, their features darkly exotic with their tanned complexions and rich-coloured hair and eyes. They were al so beautiful compared to her pale scrawniness. Why didn’t she look like them?

The sound of laughter from downstairs puled her from those thoughts. She was exhausted from the upheaval of her once - yes dismal - but quiet existence, to this

‘my goddess they’re everywhere’ existence, but
not
weary enough to sleep. She tip-toed out of the room, not wanting to alert the rest of the pack downstairs - thirty pairs of hyper sensitive ears made that a difficult task. But she managed to make no sound as she crept down the halway, gazing at the simple black and white photos of what she could only determine was the surrounding country. She encountered a large bathroom and then a gymnasium. Why, she thought, Lucien needed a home gym when he naturaly looked like one big muscle she had no idea. She was about to leave the gym and creep further on when she heard Ela and Irini in the next room, whispering to one another.

“You were lonely,” Ela was stating grimly.

She received no answer, but the rustling of clothing suggested Ela and Irini were hugging.

“It was just so strange being without the pack. Not to mention frightening, being out there … alone. I felt cold al the time.”

“You had Caia for company.”

“I know.”

There was a moment of silence and Caia’s body tightened in anticipation. Maybe Irini realy did hate her.

“What is she like? I mean realy like, Irini?”

Why does Ella sound so worried?

“She’s good, mom.”

“Good?”

“Yes. Good. Kind, I mean. Gentle.”

“Gentle?”

Again, another stretched silence.

“Gentle, Irini? Lykans aren’t gentle.”

“I mean in nature. She’s soft. Calm … I dunno.”

“I noticed. She’s so stil. So not …”

“Like us,” Irini finished. “I know. I noticed it more and more as she grew. There was no fire, no tempestuous outbursts … you can, you know … tel-”

“Ssh,” Ela abruptly cut her off, and Caia realised she must have been heard. Quickly, and as quietly as she could, she returned to her new room and shut the door softly behind her. She heaved a sigh leaning against it, trying to catch her breath. She laughed, but not in merriment.

“How did I get here?” She asked no one.

She couldn’t let their conversation upset her, and she couldn’t let herself dwel over what Irini was about to say or it would drive her crazy. She’d had enough crazy for one day.

When the sounds of the pack leaving, one by one, filtered up to her room, and the final kicks of the gravel driveway as their cars drove off could be heard, Caia cracked open her window and carefuly descended to the ground with the ease and agility of her species. Dropping to the grass with a soft thud, Caia breathed a sigh of relief. She let the smel of the damp earth and wet wood overwhelm her. It was wonderful. Glancing up at the moon, shining like a briliant orb of comfort in the dark sky, Caia thanked Artemis that it had made an appearance from behind the clouds tonight; she could peel the anxiety of re-joining the pack from her human skin, and run.

Quickly, she removed al of her clothes, the night air cooling her anxious flesh.

And then, she let the change happen.

She felt the pain of her skin transforming; she could feel every piece of fur pushing through, and ironicaly, the pain was like that of someone puling a strand of hair from your scalp - that unexpected wince … but thousands of winces al over your body. She relished the burning pain of her muscles stretching and straining as they reshaped. The almost satisfying cracking of her bones as they said goodbye to the girl and helo to the wolf. The way the rushing blood in her ears drowned out her surroundings as her heart grew larger in order to pump the extra that her other self needed. She watched her nose grow in front of her eyes into a long snout, felt the sharp watery pain of her eyes elongating, her vision defined and clear-perfect. Caia came down onto al four legs, enjoying how soft the ground felt against her hard, leather paws. Then she laughed, a hoarse animal sound, at the tickling sensation that was left over when the change was complete.

It was exhilarating to be a wolf.

The trees were suddenly a blur as she took off through them, racing around the obstacles and leaping over bracken. She felt the warm glow of the moon on her soft pelt and knew that it didn’t matter about the pack being home. She already had a home, and she was running with it, the night whispering comforting words in her ears as she soared.

Lucien stayed as far back from her as possible. She seemed lost in the feel of the run, which he was glad for, otherwise she would have felt his presence before now.

Caia was extremely fast, faster than the other females of the pack, and this pleased him. She was a beautiful lykan but more than this he could feel her joy from a distance. Caia was part of the night, of the woods. He knew the others were worried about her, he himself was worried. But watching her, keeping her safe, he realised that perhaps she was more lykan than they could ever have hoped for.

Praise for Moon Spell

"I absolutely love the wolves in the Lunarmorte series. This is one group of wolves I'd love to spend the day with and it wasn't hard to fal in love with them or their family dynamics." Katie @Mundie Moms

"If you like lykans, vampires, Greek mythology and witches, then you MUST read this book. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series “River Cast.” " Ana

@Once upon a Twilight

"Moon Spel is an intoxicating and utterly entertaining story that is briliantly written." Rachel @Fiktshun

"Moon Spel provides a fresh twist to the werewolf tale, one ful of romance, snark, and a few fairies for good measure. I'm looking forward to seeing how this story continues in River Cast!" Christin @Between the Covers

"Moon Spel is a remarkable young adult fantasy that is propeled by lies, deceit and love...Every time I thought I had things figured out, the story took an unexpected turn." Sarah @ThatBookishGirl

"Moon Spel was a fantastic book and it deserves to be on shelves of book stores around the world. I can't wait for the next book for I loved these characters!" Leilani

@Leilanilovesbooks

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samantha Young graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2009, where she studied ancient and medieval history. Sam enjoys incorporating her love of history into her writing, and is currently living in her home county of Stirlingshire, Scotland, doing just that.

Visit http://samyoungyafantasyauthor.blogspot.com for more info on Samantha’s upcoming novels.