Lycan Blood

Page 23

 Before he could think it through, his fangs pierced the skin of her neck, and he could feel them release a liquid into her veins. He pulled back, drops of her blood rolling down his throat. Although it was only a little, the taste of it was addicting, and he craved more. He forced himself to calm down before holding Raven in his arms again. Her eyes flew open, her irises glistening a familiar blue. Dasker's vision suddenly grew blurry, and a sedated feeling caused him to stumble backward, falling to the ground below him.

Raven saw the man, surrounded by a group of protectors, grab Dasker and pull him away. His siblings and pack were busy fighting off the rest of the enemies, and they hadn't noticed what had happened. Raven noticed the man pulling out an ancient-looking dagger, raising it up as he hovered above Dasker's body. At the sight of him in danger, a sudden force took over her mind and body. She let out a fierce growl, so loud that it gained the attention of all who surrounded her. They all turned to face her, as her body morphed, her bones cracking and growing in the process. The pain didn't phase Raven at all. The man lowered the dagger, watching her in fear. She looked towards Dasker's pack, and they all stood watching in amazement. Her body grew larger and taller, and she could feel a new strength streaming through her. Her nails turned into long, sharp claws, and a new pair of large, robust canines grew inside her mouth. Soon, she towered over all who stood near her. Her physique was muscular and covered with dark fur, and a heavy, but fluffy, tail swung behind her. She stood on two feet, and once her transformation was complete, she looked around. Dasker's pack bowed their heads down at her. She could sense their fear, but also their astonishment. Her eyes flicked over to his siblings, who now also bowed down, then to the witches, wolves, and vampires who had opposed them. Dasker and their leader were nowhere to be seen.

A wave of uncontrollable anger coursed through Raven as she growled at the enemies. She rampaged through them, clawing away until they had all fallen dead, their blood absorbing into the soil below them. Her anger had not ceased, and she hadn't even recognized what she had done. She glared at the pack, and at her stare, they all bowed their heads down once more. From the crowd, Zara cautiously made her way forward, stepping into Raven's view. "Raven," she calmly addressed. Before she could continue, a voice full of hurt escaped Raven,

"Mate. Took mate." Although her voice was difficult to understand, Zara nodded her head in recognition.

"Yes. They took your mate- my brother. We need to get him back, but we can't form a plan while you're in lycan form," Zara replied. Lycan? Confused, she slowly lifted her hand, and to her surprise, she was met with a massive paw. She looked down at her body. This wasn't anything like the wolf forms she had seen. They were nowhere this large, nor did they walk on two feet. Sensing her confusion, Zara spoke up. "You're not a werewolf, Raven. You're a lycan. I can explain more once you change back." As if on command, Raven's figure shrunk. Her paws formed back into hands, and her canines, now much smaller, retracted. She continued downsizing until she stood in her human form, naked. Out of respect, everyone's eyes averted away. They didn't dare to do anything that might insult their lycan. "Do you want some clothes?" She gestured for Isabelle to get something for Raven to wear. Raven's blood was still boiling.

"I want to get Dasker back," Raven's voice was full of pain and rage. Isabelle muttered something to Cayden, who was facing the other way. He pulled off his shirt and handed it to her, and she rushed back to the two. She handed the shirt over to Raven, who quickly pulled it over her head. It was big, because of Cayden's size, and it fell down to Raven's knees.

"I know. I do, too, but believe me, whatever state he's in, he can take care of himself. Especially now, since he'll be dying to get back to you." Zara reassured her. At a moment's notice, Sebastian suddenly turned into his wolf and sprinted into the forest. Everyone watched in alarm as shuffling could be heard throughout the trees, and then a growl. After a minute or two, his wolf reappeared, dragging an unconscious corpse between his teeth. As he neared, he dropped the man from his hold and lowered his head at Raven. Rage was steaming off of her, but she kept her composure. As she looked down at the face of the traitor, revenge loomed in her mind. "What do you want to do with him?"

"Imprison him. Dasker can decide his fate once he's back." Raven didn't look up, but Zara nodded anyways, signaling for some pack members to follow through with the order. 

Back at the house, Raven, Zara, Isabelle, Cayden, and Sebastian all sat around the table. They explained to Raven the lycan prophecy, and how the true reason for her not having turned for all these years was because the time had not yet come for the lycan to rise. She never had a wolf. Instead, her lycan would show itself in rare cases to either protect her, or because it had sensed its mate. For ages, it was rumored and believed that the lycan would have no mate, but, it was also believed that the lycan descendants were strictly male. The true legend stated no such thing. In fact, it had briefly mentioned the existence of a Lycan Queen who was to be sent down by the Moon Goddess when the time had come, but none had known when that time would be. Many details of the prophecy had been overlooked, which is what caused these false beliefs to stem.

Once Raven was well informed, they began forming a plan to learn where Dasker had been taken and to bring him back. Theo, who was revealed to have been turned on by his childhood friend Ashton, was found drugged in his home, unknowing about the events that took place. When he was filled in, he joined Raven and the siblings, bowing down in respect when he neared Raven. Over the period of a week, they all prepared, eager to execute their plan. Sebastian tortured and interrogated Ashton, prying him for information about his leader and their hideout. He had taken Verbena, and so they needed to wait until it was out of his system to compel him. Meanwhile, Cayden and Theo gathered the pack to inform them of their duties. Isabelle used her connections and redeemed favors to gain a group of ally witches who would help. All the while, Raven worked with Zara to learn how to control her lycan better. Although it only helped a little, due to their limited time, it was enough.

Once word had got out that the lycan had risen, and that it was the Queen Lycan, it spread throughout the packs like wildfire. On the day the Bloodrose pack would leave to retrieve Dasker, numerous packs from around the world had shown up, demonstrating their loyalty to the Queen Lycan as they bowed their heads down before her.