Beneath a Blood Moon - Book Two (Moon Child Series)

Chapter Nine

Luca POV

My eyes began to droop as I read the same sentence five times. We’d been researching the ingredients for nearly three hours now, and I felt my energy draining. My eyes finally slide closed, and I feel the sweet relief of sleep float over my body. Until I’m jolted awake by whatever I was leaning on moving suddenly, making me face plant into the couch.

“I’ve found it!” I hear Amelia cry excitedly. I sit up, wiping the sleep from my eyes as I gaze up at an excited looking Amelia. I watch as she hands the book to Mia, and Mia’s eyes go wide.

“Oh my goddess! This is great. The Legend of the Weeping Willow.” I stand from the couch and stretch before making my way over to the girls, leaning over my sisters’ shoulder to read the story.

‘Long ago there was beautiful maiden named Willow. Her beauty was known across the land, and many men coveted her heart. Her heart however only belonged to one, a mere stable hand. Her father refused to let his daughter marry beneath her. So one moonless night Willow’s father took the young man to a sacred spot deep within Sherwood Forest and slaughtered him where he stood while Willow watched. Her grief was so immense that she wept over her loves body for months on end, never leaving his side. Her legs turned to roots, her body to bark, and her tears into the lake that surrounded her. As the years passed, she grew into a large drooping tree, its branches reaching into the water below. Her location became hidden to the world within the Sherwood forest as the greed of men who craved the power of her tears, and many tried over the centuries to gain their power. But only those with pure intent, and heartbreak beyond compare have succeeded. Her song of sorrow calls to those who need them, and it is through that song that she is found. ‘

“Your mum used to read that to you as a child?” I asked incredulously. Amelia poked out her tongue at me before turning to the whiteboard and writing Sherwood Forest on the board and underlining it.

“Great.” Mia said excitedly as she resumed her research. “Two down, two to go.” I fell into the couch with a loud sigh, stretching my arms into the air. Amelia sat beside me a new book in her hands as she searched for the next ingredient: water from the River Styx. I too grabbed a book and start my research, settling in for more hours stuck in a book.

***

Amelia POV

By dawn we had managed to find the location of the last ingredient and probably permanently strained our poor backs from the amount of slouching we had done. With a groan I stretch out my muscles and wince as my back twinges. I watch with hungry eyes as Luca stretches beside me, his shirt lifting to reveal his well toned stomach. I look away quickly and follow Mia as she heads down to the kitchen. The smell of freshly baked croissants hit my nose and I hear my stomach growl loudly, eliciting a chuckle from Luca who was behind me.

“How about we get a bite to eat, then confer with Seth in his office to drum up a game plan?” Luca muses as he grabs a steaming hot croissant from the tray that Grace the packs cook was removing from the oven. Her glare is only half hearted, but it makes Luca smile apologetically anyway. We all dig into the amazingly delicious croissants, the pastry melting in our mouths. My stomach full, I rush upstairs to have a quick shower and change into come comfortable blue jeans and a long sleeve black tee. A knock at my door pulls my attention from plaiting my hair and I call for the person knocking to enter. My heart leaps as a familiar face pokes around the edge of the door.

“You ready? Seth is waiting.” Luca says, his eyes glinting with something I can’t describe. I nod and finish plaiting my hair, before following Luca to Alpha Seth’s office, which is full to capacity. Alpha Seth’s parents, Magnus and Emma were there, along with Luca’s, Elaina, and Lucian. Elaina smiled at me kindly from where she sat, and I returned her kind smile with a shy one. Mia and Viktor stood before a giant map that had been pinned to the wall next to the Alpha’s desk and were busy marking the spots that we would have to venture to gain our ingredients. Elizabeth stood by Seth’s side as he watched from his desk, shuffling through the mountain of papers adorning his desk. My cheeks heat up as memories of Luca and I on that desk swarm my mind and I shake my head to clear it and turn to Mia as she pins the last pin. She turns to Alpha Seth, determination on her features, and he waits patiently to hear her speak.

“There are four locations in which we will have to visit in order to gather our ingredients.” She began. “Two can be obtained in America.” She pointed at two green pins. “The dragon fire in Nevada, and the eye of a hurricane in Florida.” Seth raises his eyebrows at the last one. “The other two are a little farther away.” She points to the other two which are marked with red pins. “The tears of a weeping willow are deep within the Sherwood Forest, whilst the water of the river Styx should be located in Epirus, on a border shared between Greece and Albania, where the river Acheron is rumoured to lead to the realm of death below.” Alpha Seth nods pensively, listening with care to everything his Gamma is telling him.

“What do you suggest?” his question is a little startling to me. I have not known many Alpha’s to ask their pack for their opinion, instead raging ahead with their own ideas without nary a care. It was oddly refreshing. Mia turned to him from the map, her face grim.

“As much as I hate to say it, we must split up into two teams, divide and conquer.” Seth nods his head in agreement at her statement. “Time is of the essence. We have no idea what Adrienne has planned next, nor when she will attack next. If we split up, we can cover more ground and defeat her sooner.”

“So who will go where?” I ask curiously. Mia turns her gaze to me and smiles.

“Well, the dragon fire and the eye of a hurricane will require the use of magic, and seeing as I am the only one in our small group that can wield magic, Viktor and I will be going to collect them. The other two as far as I can tell do not require magic to collect, so it makes sense that you and Luca should get those.” I nod in agreement until a nagging feeling swells in my mind.

“Only one small problem.” All eyes turn to me at that statement and I blush. “Charon requires payment, and he only accepts Obolus as such. As far as I know, none of us have those just lying around.”

“I think I may have one.” My gaze shoots to Viktor, who up till then had been silently observing.

“How in the hell do you have an Obolus?” Luca asks from beside me. Viktor smiles softly and shrugs.

“I have lived a long life; you accumulate things over the years.” Luca shrugged, accepting this answer.

“Could you check for us to see if you do, Viktor?” Mia asked. Viktor gave a nod.

“Of course, little one. I will be back in a moment.” With a puff of smoke he vanished, and we turned to Mia for what to do next. She in turn turned to Alpha Seth. Alpha Seth leant back in his chair; his features thoughtful.

“I think it’s a great plan. How do you propose to travel to these places?”

“I can portal to and from the American locations no problem.” Mia said with a wave of her hands.

“And I can shimmer back and forth as well.” I put in after her. Alpha Seth nodded slowly.

“Very well, if Viktor does find a... whatever that thing was, then I trust you to complete your mission.” He stands from his desk and turns to his mate. They start to leave before Alpha Seth turns back to MIa. “Oh, and I want to be in contact with you whenever you reach and are about to leave each location in case backup is need, understood?” With a mock salute and cheeky smile from Mia, Alpha Seth and Elizabeth exit the room followed by a beaming Elaina and Emma. Lucian and Magnus hang back to have a short word with Luca and Mia before they too exit. The door closes behind them and not a minute later Viktor shimmers back into the room, his palm outheld. Atop his palm was a small coin with the head of a man in a Greek helmet upon it. He handed the coin to Mia who smiled triumphantly.

“Let’s pack and be on our way then. The sooner we leave the better.” We followed her leave from the room and split to our respective rooms to pack. I grabbed a small duffel back from my closet and began packing a few essentials. When I was done, I headed down to the pack common room and placed my bag at the base of the stairs with Mia’s who was also waiting. Viktor entered through the front door moments later, my mothers hand clutched in his, her face revealing her reluctance to let Viktor leave. I smiled knowingly at her and accepted the tight hug she gave.

“Bud' ostorozhen, dorogoy” (be careful, darling). She kissed my cheek before walking over to Viktor where they shared an intimate moment. I looked away to give them privacy in time to see Luca coming down the stairs. His scent fills my nostrils, making me want to swoon, but I refrain and try to breathe through my mouth. I have to focus on the mission and not how much I want to rip off his clothes and ravish him right there, especially when his simple grey shirt clung to his chest and his jeans hugged him all the right places. He was absolutely delectable and I was tempted to eat him all up.

When everyone was gathered, we grabbed our bags and headed out to the front of the pack house where we would be portaling and shimmering to our locations. I stood silently as Mia and Luca embraced their parents, their mother squeezing a little too tight, as the kids loudly play chasey with one another close by. As I happily watched the family exchange a strange sense of being watched gripped me, and I judged by the look that Luca just gave me, he did too. He gazed deeply into the trees; his eyes focused on something in the darkness. I sharpen my vision and see a shift in the shadows. And then the scent hits me. Burnt ash. Rogues.

“Rogues!” Luca cries out as a mangy brown wolf bolts from the tree line headed straight for my mother. My heart stops as he leaps towards her but is soon stopped by an unseeable force and thrown against a tree, a snapping sound filling the clearing. Elaina nods in satisfaction and then turns her attention to two new rogues as they circle her, a wave of her hands disposes of them easily and then she pulls the children towards her with her magic and encircling their crying forms in her arms she vanishes before our eyes. A snarl from behind me has me spinning to face a large grey wolf, its fur missing in some places, and I hiss in response to its growl, my fangs extending.

“You four! Get out of here!” Alpha Seth cries, as he snaps the neck of a rogue with his bare hands. Luca and I gaze at him as if he’s lost his mind.

“We’re not leaving you while our home is being attacked!” Luca says incredulously, punching an oncoming rogue.

“It’s not a request, it’s an order!” Alpha Seth growled out, power emanating from his core. “Complete the mission and destroy that b***h!” he growled fiercely before shifting into his pitch-black wolf and tearing a rogue in half with his sharp teeth. Mia and Luca exchange a quick glance, obviously discussing the situation through their mind link, but I’m distracted by little sobs coming from a tree at the edge of the clearing. My eyes narrow as I focus on a little girl with the same coloured hair as Mia, and the same emerald green eyes, her arms clutching at the branch of a tree as a rogue stalks beneath her. I don’t think, I just act, and I shimmer to her just in time to grab her as the rogue leaps towards the branch, his teeth closing on air where she had been. I clutch her close to my chest as I land on the ground, her sobs filling my ears. The rogue is flung back from me as it leaps to attack and a concerned Elaina pops up before me, her arms reaching for the young girl.

“Oh, Hailey. Thank the Goddess!” she kisses the little girls’ cheeks and smiles gratefully at me before she vanishes. A hand grabs my arm and I turn to face Luca.

“We have to go. Now!” I nod at his urgent tone and grasp tightly at his shirt as I try to concentrate on the shimmer. A shout reaches my ears as I feel the shimmer take hold and then lancing pain rips through my side. I tumble to the floor, the scent of grass filling my nostrils as my face lands in the ground and I clutch at my side. Searing pain is running through me making me see black dots as I hear Luca call my name. All I can feel is pain, pulsing through me. His hands are on my face, pulling my attention to his concerned one. They fly to the wound in my side and I scream in pain as he examines it.

“Shit.” He mutters, removing a long silver dagger from my side, making me almost pass out form the pain. He threw the blade from him and turned to me grimly. “Dead man’s blood.” He gazed down at my injury. I whimpered at his words and he stroked my hair calmingly.

“It’s alright. I’ll clean it as best I can. But we are going to have to find another way to get to Greece. There is no way you can shimmer in your condition.” I nod weakly, the dead man’s blood running through my veins making me sluggish. It felt like fire licking through my veins and not in the good way I feel when Luca is touching me.

Luca gently scoops me into his arms and carries me towards a group of trees. Placing me gently on the ground, I watch as he rummages in one of the duffel bags and pulls out a first aid kit. His face tinged a little red as he perused the wound.

“I’m going to have to take off your shirt to get to the wound, okay?” I nodded sluggishly, feeling my eyes grow heavy. My side seared with pain as he lifted my arms to remove my shirt, and I hissed at the sensation, making Luca wince in turn. My consciousness was flickering in and out as I lie there. Darkness completely swallowed me however when Luca applied the alcohol wipes to the stab wound in my side, and the sweet relief of unconsciousness took me away from all the pain searing through my body.