Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1) (21 page)
Read Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1) Online
Authors: Samantha Young
Tags: #young adult, #destiny, #soul eater, #warriors, #hunt, #betrayal, #paranormal, #bad girl protagonist, #friendship
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 all 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 wall. Caia frowned. She was quite small, she realised, studying her body and features. Her kinswomen seemed taller, fuller-figured, their features darkly exotic with their tanned complexions and rich-coloured hair and eyes. They were all so beautiful compared to her pale scrawniness. Why didn’t she look like them?
The sound of laughter from downstairs pulled 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 hallway, 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 naturally looked like one big muscle she had no idea. She was about to leave the gym and creep further on when she heard Ella and Irini in the next room, whispering to one another.
“
You were lonely,” Ella was stating grimly.
She received no answer, but the rustling of clothing suggested Ella and Irini were hugging.
“
It was just so strange being without the pack. Not to mention frightening, being out there … alone. I felt cold all the time.”
“
You had Caia for company.”
“
I know.”
There was a moment of silence and Caia’s body tightened in anticipation. Maybe Irini really did hate her.
“
What is she like? I mean really 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 still. 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 … tell-”
“
Ssh,” Ella 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 dwell 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 carefully 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 smell of the damp earth and wet wood overwhelm her. It was wonderful. Glancing up at the moon, shining like a brilliant 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 rejoining the pack from her human skin, and run.
Quickly, she removed all 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 ironically, the pain was like that of someone pulling a strand of hair from your scalp - that unexpected wince … but thousands of winces all 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 hello 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 all 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.
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.
144
Table of Contents