The Blood Moons

Chapter Eleven

Cyla leaned against the center post that divided the entrance to her tent. The flaps fluttered in a sudden breeze, the creamy white color peeking into her peripheral. Her tent was made to be the same as Dinasis’, standing out amongst the seas of grays and greens with its whiteness. Perhaps, though, it should have been black as pitch. She wasn’t like them, but she wasn’t like Din. She wasn’t like anyone. She was alone, an outsider among outsiders. Or so she felt.

Crossing her arms, she closed her eyes and listened silently. The sound of the camp was lesser than before, the feeling of the camp heavy and thick. They were in mourning, all of them. Over the last weary week, they had not only tended to their wounded, but they’d been kept busy with burying their dead. Final count had them at half the camp’s warriors had perished. Half of the mothers, fathers, siblings, and mates had laid down their lives for the survival of the others. By The Goddess’ grace, their sacrifice had not been in vain as all of the children and elderly had survived. But now, they survived just a little more broken, just a bit more alone.

Dinasis had offered to use his gift to turn their dead loved ones into ash, but many didn’t feel that was right—especially the witches. They felt that the earth would tend to them in their death and that they could still live on by providing new life in the ground. Cyla found this a beautiful sentiment. And a distracting one.

She sighed sadly, opening her eyes to the scattering of people passing by her. It had been difficult to come to terms with everything that had happened in the battle. Even now, she couldn’t keep it all sorted. She stepped back inside, untying the flaps so they could cover the entrance once more. Laying on her cot, she scrubbed her face with her hands. There's been so much change, so much confusion. Where could she possibly begin to sort and store it all? With a deep focusing breath, she closed her eyes to remember.

Everything in her ached and hurt, and yet she felt complete—whole. She lifted herself up from where she had laid curled on her side. Burnt grass continued to dig into her legs and buttocks, reminding her that she was still naked. Slowly, she flexed and stretched her arms, realizing her wrist was no longer broken. Whatever had happened seemed to have healed her wounds completely. Leaning forward slightly, she realized she was glad she hadn’t gone through with cutting her hair, as the red curls hung long enough to cover her exposed breasts. Strangely embarrassed, she folded her knees and wrapped her arms about them, attempting to hide as much of herself as possible. As though reading her mind, Bug rushed over to her and draped her arms about Cyla’s neck, attempting to cover her friend with her own body.

“Wh-what happened?” Cyla stammered out, her eyes searching Bug’s earnestly. Dinasis stepped up to them and reached to touch her shoulder, but a growl stopped him, causing him to straighten up with a quick snap. Cyla’s gaze instantly pinpointed Luka standing away and to the side of the small group. She flinched visibly to see how ragged and beaten he looked with both his blood and the blood of others matting his midnight fur. Instinctually, she knew he was already beginning to heal, but she was sure the aching in her bones didn’t even come close to how he must feel. His body drooped slightly as the adrenaline began to seep away, but a keen look of earnestness filled those sapphire eyes. Though she found herself inexplicably concerned for him, he seemed to only be concerned for her own well-being.

Bug’s hiss at his growls distracted her from her contemplations. Gently, Cyla touched her arm, calming her protective friend. She quickly looked away, forcing every muscle to remain blank, since a giggle was trying to escape at the sight of Bug’s soot-covered face. Dinasis sighed as the woman used the edge of the vampire’s own torn sleeve to clean it. “You don’t remember?” His deep bass voice was thick with fatigue. He leaned heavily into the fingers he had lifted to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “All my knowledge of shifters had led me to believe that both the animal and the human remember what the other does. They’re merely two souls sharing one body. Sharing being the operative word.” He glanced over at the giant black wolf who weakly nodded with a small snort.

Cyla shook her head. “No. I remember all of that. I-I remember th-the change,” she shuddered at that painful memory. Taking a deep breath to bolster herself, she continued. “What I meant was, what was all of it about? Tox being here, Bug’s familiarity to him, my transformation, and all that power. What’s happening to me?” She looked at Dinasis, almost pleading with him to know. “Do you change as well? Do you have all this power? We’re supposed to be the same, so you must shift too, right?” Pity flashed across Din’s weathered face.

“No. As I’ve said from the beginning, phoenixes don’t shift or have magic. The only gifts we have are to cleanse things with fire by turning things to ash and rebirth upon our deaths. Nothing more. And we have always been—”

“Mates,” Cylas whispered. Hesitantly, Din nodded. “But, that, um, well, my bird—”

I am no mere bird, love, a voice cut in indignantly. Cyla’s eyes widened. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to place where this new voice had come from.

“Who said that?” Cyla whispered, twisting her head around. “Show yourself!” she demanded, her training taking over for the briefest of moments. Bug looked at her curiously, sniffing cautiously. When she smelt nothing new, she raised a brow at her friend as she shook her head. No one new was around them.

The voice chuckled softly. I am your other half, love. We can speak to each other here in your mind and feel each other’s feelings. While I may have the gift to communicate telepathically with any being while in my form, in your form, only you can hear me. For now, at least. The voice seemed very amused with her and Cyla was unsure how she felt about being poked at. She blinked once slowly.

“You’re in my mind?” she asked, not really realizing she was speaking aloud. Suddenly, the cracking of bones distracted her. The black wolf standing apart from them shrank down in size. As he approached human size, he lifted himself onto his hind legs. The fangs retracted and fur fell away until the smooth tan skin of the man she had seen in the clearing appeared. The final crack of a bone falling into place echoed sharply in her ears, and then the wolf was completely gone from before her. Instead, the broad-shouldered, black-haired Luka stood weakly in the brush. He panted heavily, bending over to support himself on his knees. The cuts and bites of the battles he’d just had were still healing, smearing his body in blood and mud. Finally, he lifted his head and Cyla found herself gasping softly.

His striking blue eyes pinned on her for a moment, seeming to see right into her soul. A shiver ran down her spine, and Cyla was sure that it wasn’t a breeze to blame. Isn’t he just gorgeous? the voice preened. As Cyla eyed Luka, she couldn’t disagree. Despite the wounds and blood covering his body, she could still see the muscles bulging on his arms and rippling down his chest and abs. When he stood again, he stood a few inches taller than Din, nearing seven feet. His hair, even matted with blood and gore, was nearly as long as hers and as black as his wolf counterpart. Full lips parted slightly as he continued to pull in big gulps of air. Her eyes trailed down his body as she realized that she had forgotten that he was just as naked as she was in that moment. Quickly, her eyes bounced back to see a smirk tugging at his lips.

Caught red-handed, she quickly ducked her head, a blush staining her cheeks bright pink. “I don’t know why you have been hiding in that wolf for so long. You’re certainly the more attractive of the two,” Bug purred seductively. Cyla’s head snapped up, anger immediately hitting her with such force that she shocked herself. Before she could say anything, Bug glanced down at her to see the anger creasing her face.

She grinned sheepishly. “You can’t really blame a girl, can you?” she whispered loudly with a wink. Cyla rolled her eyes, mentally shaking off the territorial anger. Even if everything seemed to be changing around her, Bug was still the same. Luka stumbled the few steps separating the women from them before collapsing in a cross-legged position before them.

“She’s speaking to you, isn’t she?” The breathlessness in his voice did nothing to take from the pure baritone of his voice. Cyla couldn’t understand why she was getting swept away so easily in just his voice. It warmed her from her center, filling her whole body until she thought she had burst into flames again. “Cyla?” Hearing her name reminded her he had asked her a question. Uncertainly, she nodded. Luka nodded knowingly in turn. “She’s your animal, the other soul you share your body with. I’m sure if you ask her, she’ll tell you her name.”

Cyla stared, stunned. She’d heard Dinasis tell her the same, yet it still hadn’t occurred to her that the animals of shifters were separate beings. The Blood Moons had simply taught her that they changed into animals. Therefore, they were extra dangerous. But nothing about what she was experiencing was expected. “And you don’t have to speak aloud,” Luka said with a chuckle. “You two can communicate mentally. That usually makes it easier to not let other people know what’s going on.” Butterflies hit against the sides of her stomach when she saw a lopsided grin on his face.

He’s right, the deeper, thicker voice said.

He is? I can speak to you this way, and you’ll hear me? Cyla thought. The voice chuckled again, and Cyla once more felt like a foolish child being mocked.

Love, you are so adorably oblivious. Of course, I can hear you. I can also know your thoughts. We share it all with each other.

Do you have a name? Cyla didn’t know why she was being so timid. The guild had trained it all out of her already and replaced it with strength and self-assurance. But now? Now everything about her life was different.

Not everything. You are still you, love. I’ve been here all your life. All of it. Cyla knew she was referring to her training in the guild and the years as a bounty hunter. And knowing what she was forced to do those first five years, she couldn’t help but feel shame. And with that shame came anger.

I did what I had to do. And I became stronger for it, she defended, bristling. She couldn’t see her, but she could feel the voice beginning to take form in her head as it ruffled its feathers and shook its crowned head. It made her uncomfortable and a bit queasy.

No one said you didn’t have a reason, even a good one, love. I just wanted you to know that you weren’t alone in that bedroom time and time again. I know better than anyone what you have had to do and how that has shaped you. That’s why it took you so long to accept me. That memory of your father’s death was repressed for so long and so tightly that it was like a lock on everything you could be and do. Now that the sorcerer has forced you to remember, as brutal as it may have been, it was the key to releasing you into your potential. This allowed you to accept me into your life, even if you didn’t realize it. Soon enough, your other powers that have laid dormant will surface as well. Although, you weren’t as closed off as you thought. A knowing twinkle appeared in the phoenix’s amber eyes as her shape finally became visible to Cyla’s mind. How else do you think you were able to simply feel the right way to go? That was me. I was helping you. I heightened your senses and my prey abilities enhanced your sight so that even vampires couldn’t hide from you. As I said, I’ve been there all along, just waiting for you.

Cyla chewed her lip thoughtfully, fingers picking absently at a nail. But you don’t have a name? The phoenix laughed, allowing the change of subject to happen.

Of course, I have a name. My name is Skyla and I am your phoenix. Skyla puffed her chest out proudly before disappearing into the shadow of Cyla’s mind. Cyla blinked her eyes rapidly before realizing that everyone was watching her closely. Cyla turned to Bug to see that the vampire was examining her face so closely, her nose was nearly touching hers.

“Are you alright? You went somewhere else.”

“She’ll do that when they speak to each other,” Luka said, a look of amusement on his face. He turned to Cyla with warm eyes. “What did she say?”

“She said her name is Skyla and that she’s a phoenix.”

“Ooooh, Cyla and Skyla! You two rhyme!” Bug giggled. Cyla drew her mouth straight in annoyance. But then she sighed and shook her head. Bug’s smile was so large that she couldn’t help her own from spreading.

“She said that she’s been with me my whole life and that I’ve had powers all along and will get more over time. She said the me-memory of my-my father’s-” Cyla found herself unable to control her emotions anymore and the wall she had built in front of her emotions broke. Tears brimmed in her eyes and one began to fall.

Luka and Dinasis both leaped forward with Luka getting there first. “Shh shh,” he whispered, wrapping her in his arms and knocking Bug aside. He cupped her face in one of his large hands and gently wiped the tears away with his thumb. Sparks danced where their skin touched, warmth and electricity racing through her body. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she could feel the pain seep away to be replaced with calm. “You don’t have to talk about it.” Slowly, she nodded and pulled her face back until Luka’s hands fell away. Pain shot across his face, a look Cyla had seen on Din’s face before.

She looked over Luka’s shoulder to see him watching them uncomfortably. Suddenly, confusion filled her once more. That once strong pillar she had made in her mind was shattered and crumbled into pieces. Squeezed so ruthlessly by everything she had once known and was now learning, she no longer knew who she was or what she stood for. And she wasn’t going to figure that out sitting her in such close proximity to these men that each tore her in so many directions.

“Thank you,” she said stiffly, forcing a smile on her face. “I’m alright now. I think-I think it’s time we returned to the camp.”

“And some clothes,” Bug said with a sly grin. “I’m barely able to contain myself from having a bit of fun with my favorite bounty hunter.” Luka growled and Dinasis glared at the vampire. Ignoring them both, she winked at her friend. Cyla chuckled and shook her head, matted curls smacking her in the face.

“Pretty sure I need a bath first,” Cyla surprised herself by saying. Bug closed her hanging mouth and shook her head.

“Come on, let’s go.” She grasped Cyla’s hand and sprinted away in a blur.

Cyla groaned in frustration as she slowly opened her eyes. Even now, as she remembered it all, it still didn’t feel real. It’s real, love. And the sooner you accept it, the sooner we can move on with our destiny, Skyla said with a sigh. Her phoenix counterpart was growing short on patience. She’d been repeating the same things ever since then, and the more Cyla fought against it, the more frustrated she became. Come on, let’s leave this tent for once. It seems we’ve only seen the inside of these canvas walls for the last week. Let’s go into nature. It’ll help you connect with your truth.

“My truth?” Cyla whispered. “What is my truth? The carefree, accepting person I was before the death of Mika? The bitter, super-hating person I became with his death? The hardened hunter the guild trained me to be? Or this rare species that created especially by The Goddess to fight evil? Tell me, what am I?” Skyla was silent. She sighed heavily in the back of Cyla’s mind.

I-I don’t know. I’m the first of my kind as well; there has never been an animal form of a phoenix before. I’m still learning too, love. My guess, you are all of them. And until you bring that together, we will never be the best we can be. So come on! Skyla flapped her wings restlessly, making Cyla dizzy. Let’s go outside!

“Fine! You win! Crazy bird,” Cyla shook her head as she gave into her phoenix.

I am not a bird! Skyla squawked angrily. Cyla fought the smile forcing its way on her lips.

“Fine way to prove it,” she giggled as she left the tent.

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Luka stepped around a tent as Cyla walked down the dirt path into the center of camp. She was chuckling and seemed to be talking to herself, but he knew it was to her phoenix. Her red curls swayed along her back to her hips as she walked away, drawing his eyes down. She wasn’t short for a woman, but compared to him, she was a petite thing. Even from this distance, he knew she would fit perfectly in his arms and below his chin. The thought made his arms twitch and his legs itch to chase her down and bury his face in her hair. She was his mate, and mates needed to be near each other. But she didn’t feel it as completely as he did, and he wasn’t sure she’d accept him if she knew his secrets.

Go to her, Hawk barked. Take her in your arms and bring her to our bed. We need to mark her as ours. Luka shook his head and ducked back behind the tent. Her low throaty laugh echoed back to him, and his heart twisted.

We can’t, Hawk. Whatever had happened to her in this rebirth to change her isn’t complete. She isn’t as fully committed as she should be. To any of it, not just the mates idea, but the idea that she’s gone from hunting supers to being one. We can’t just demand she do what we want. Besides, we know she’ll reject us as soon as she understands it all. Hawk howled in pain at that thought, and Luka’s heart felt as though it was being stabbed when he was thinking about it. But he knew it was true.

It isn’t true! Hawk snarled. She will not reject us! You have to trust that The Goddess knows what she is doing with not only changing her, but mating us together. Luka sighed and shook his head.

Once she accepts who she is, she will accept the bond that she and Dinasis still have. I know it. They were created together at the beginning; they will continue on together. Especially at the time everything about us is revealed. You can’t deny that.

But I can! Hawk was roaring now, pushing against Luka’s control over the body. I should have never given you back control. I would be able to do what is needed to keep our mate with us. I have spoken to my mate; I have spoken with Skyla! She knows all and accepts us! Trust that Cyla will, too. Go! To! Her!

Luka’s face contorted with anger, his eyes going black and the veins in his neck standing out. “No, Hawk! NO!” He turned and dashed away in the other direction. He leaped into the air and shredded through his clothes as he shifted into Hawk’s massive size. Furious, he stuffed Hawk into the furthest recesses of his mind and simply ran.

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Dinasis sighed as he plunged the shovel into the dirt. He eyed the mound of shoveled dirt. It was the newest of a heart-wrenchingly long line of unmarked graves. This attack had been quick, brutal, and unexpected. The number of graves he’d been burying the last few days just proved it. Not only had he been burying they’re people, but those of the attackers. They weren’t bad, merely pawns in the Blood Moons plans. They deserved the respect of a burial, especially since their masters had just left them to rot. It did nothing to improve the mood of the camp, though. The last time the mood of his people had been this heavy and solemn was the night after Freese had been taken. As he leaned against the shovel handle, his mind traveled back to that night.

He could see the silhouette of his mate up on the hill just ahead of him. Her shoulders were rigid and tight. Her auburn curls were piled high atop her head, strands of curls escaping the loose bun. Looking at her, being near her, always filled himself with so much happiness and completion. But as he neared her this time, her shape seemed to change into the form of every previous incarnation she’d been. All colored in gloom. An unspoken gift he seemed to have was one of foresight. But only on one subject. It allowed him to know that this was going to be the last time he was going to see her. Usually by one of their deaths. That he was getting this sense now had fear rising within him. Still, he approached her.

With each step, she changed. Step. Her white top flashed to a light sky sleeveless blouse. Her hair was braided into a multitude of miniature braids down her back. Step. She changed to a plain black dress that was tied with a common rope cord around her waist and her hair gathered into two groups. Step. She was naked now, her auburn hair nothing but a finger-length fuzz about her skull. Even though they were freshly born upon the world, it was as though the fire had forever marked her with sun-tanned skin. He reached out and brushed his fingers along the top of her shoulder, seeing skin but feeling the thin fabric of her original white top.

“Why so tense, my love?” he asked, kissing the spot that her neck met her shoulder. She visibly relaxed at his touch. She looked over her shoulder up at him, a smile on her lips.

“Dinasis, how did you know I would be here?” she asked. Her voice was husky and smooth, and her smile light. Din kissed her forehead.

“I’ll always know where you are, Freese.” Her smile wavered. He had always wondered if there was something more to her, just as there was with his premonition power. Something that was telling her something now.

“I hope that that isn’t always true,” she whispered. He looked at her worriedly. She must have seen because she quickly smiled again as she turned to face him. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her amber eyes were dark and warm, as they always were when she was happy. “A girl wants some alone time sometimes, you know.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“Too bad,” he responded before gently laying a kiss on her lips. Her return kiss was fierce, nearly desperate, and he wondered once more what she knew that he didn’t. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden cry of panic. They broke apart quickly, heads snapping to look down the hill. The dark forms of invaders were quick to see, and the protective, angry light Freese was known to have when her people were threatened shone in her eyes.

“Let’s go,” she gritted through her teeth. Before he could say anything else, she disappeared into the night. He took a deep breath before following after her, not knowing if he would speak to her again in this life.

After the battle, he discovered that she, along with a few others, had been captured by the Blood Moons guild. The feeling of defeat and agony hung thick in the air of the camp as the remaining supers tried to put themselves back together. Dinasis waited all day to feel that pain in his heart that would tell him that Freese had died at the guild’s hand. When it never did, he questioned himself. He questioned his gift, but he couldn’t get rid of that feeling in his chest.

Even after the pain of Freese’s death had finally come and he knew that he was simply waiting for her rebirth, he couldn’t lighten his soul. It was the same as the camp felt now. The only reprieve he had gotten from that blackness was the reappearance of his mate. But now, she was here, the Blood Moons had come again, and the blackness had returned. What would bring that light and hope back now?

With a heavy sigh, he pulled the shovel from the ground and turned to leave. Standing here wouldn’t solve any of the problems they faced. He froze in place, one foot forward, when he came face to face with a giant black wolf. "Luka?” The wolf ducked its head before shifting back into the dark-haired man.

“Dinasis,” Luka said respectfully, nodding once. Dinasis raised an eyebrow, giving him a stern look. Despite the fact that Luka was one of the last remaining alphas in Vera (and therefore should be the most respected of the shifters), the fact that Din had decades more years of experience than him demanded some respect.

“Might want to think about carrying around some clothes,” he said smugly. Luka glanced about him and shrugged sheepishly.

“It’s usually not something someone worries about in a pack,” he said. Din rolled his eyes.

“We’re not a pack, Luka.” He removed his tunic and threw it to the shifter. Luka shrugged it on, filling it a bit more than the phoenix. But at least it fell past his buttocks. He leaned against a tree and crossed his arms, looking down the line of graves.

“In a way, we are, Dinasis,” he finally said. Curious, Din folded his arms. “We all are working together, caring for each other, all a giant family. Witch, vampire, shifter,” he waved at the man before him, “phoenix, it doesn’t matter. A pack is a family, and we are a family.” Dinasis tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Being the only alpha here, you’d be the leader, I’d take it?” he asked suspiciously. Luka c****d his head and shrugged.

“Normally, I’d say yes. But I don’t think I’m the only alpha in this pack.” Din narrowed his eyes, sensing an uncomfortable turn about to happen.

“Who else then?”

“You’ve been the leader of these people for quite some time now. So, you’ve been like the alpha. But there’s one more even. And I think she’s the one more destined for the pack.” Dinasis swallowed and readjusted his feet.

“You’re talking about Cyla,” he grunted. Luka nodded seriously. Din shook his head. “She’d never take a leadership role.” Luka sighed heavily.

“It’s true she’s going through a lot right now. But she has time. With her mate by her side, she has the potential to be the greatest alpha known to Vera.” Dinasis’ eyes hardened, his lips tightening.

“Who do you think is in that spot by her side, hmm, Luka?” he asked, squaring his shoulders. Luka’s eyes flashed black for a moment before returning to blue as he exhaled.

“I’m not sure. I only know it’ll be her in the end.” Dinasis eyes the younger man carefully.

“Are you saying you aren’t going to fight for her?” he asked cautiously. Luka’s eyes cycled colors rapidly for a few minutes before settling on the pitch black.

“I will fight for my mate until the day I die,” he growled. Dinasis fought the anger building inside him. He knew it was Luka’s wolf talking now, not the man himself. Still, it was his mate being fought for. “No matter what this man says, he will not let her go so easily. I will not let him. So do not think you have it so easy, phoenix.” With that, Luka removed the tunic once more and shifted back into the large wolf. In a second, he was gone, leaving Dinasis to contain his anger alone.