ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 4: MOON CHILD'S WAR

Ruvin stood under the large shower head in his bathroom as he tried to get rid of that night’s events from his skin. Blood spurted on the floor in splotches from his nose. Although he already had his unicorn-blood shot, it was agonizingly slow to heal in the human realm even in the presence of luna energies from the full moon. Even the burn mark he got from the bullet that sizzled its way past his face was having a hard time healing. He was getting sloppy and this could cost him his life, or the lives of his team.

Ruvin rubbed the blood away with the back of his hand. He closed his eyes and sighed. Shadow was lazily floating in his head, the beast content that he was able to hunt and kill for the night.

Ruvin thought they were done for when the last hunter came out and bombed them with silver. Though Shadow was a pureblood Lycan, he was still very susceptible to silver, especially the human realm silver. It crippled Shadow, trying to suppress him back into Ruvin’s body. If that ever happened and Shadow retreated into his hiding place in his mind, the hunter would have had a big advantage over them.

Luckily for them, Briar and Raul had their phones on and Jake was able to send them the information about Blake. The three of them arrived just in time, Jake holding up his double barreled gun with Briar and Raul’s beasts flanking him on either side.

Raul didn’t waste time and went straight for the hunter’s neck while Jake and Briar’s wolf hefted the weakened weakbloods away from the scene.

Ruvin had no choice but to take over for Shadow since he had inhaled a lot of the silver. It corroded his insides making him whiz and cough out blood.

“Get these guys to safety.” He instructed. “We are taking Corleen with us. Without the unicorn blood she will die.”

“We’re taking her back to the house?” Jake echoed in surprise.

“That’s what I said. Get rid of her phone and anything electrical on her. They might have tracking devices on them.” Ruvin told Jake.

Briar suppressed her wolf and cleared her throat softly, her eyes a little teary. The silver was still in the air. “I’ll cut her loose.” she pointed to Corleen who was already turning grey from the silver poisoning.

Her lips and finger tips were blue, her breathing raspy and blood was running down from her mouth and nose in thin rivulets. Blisters formed on several places of her body.

Briar quickly got to her knees and started the process of freeing Corleen from her painful embrace while Ruvin and Jake dragged the other weakbloods away from the silver contaminated area.

Raul’s grey beast stood guard, watching the trees and listening for any immediate danger. After they were done, Briar picked Corleen and placed her on Raul’s back and they made their way out of the woods.

Ruvin couldn’t understand how they were all overpowered by measly humans. They were more powerful yet, just by a not-so-important mineral, they were rendered useless.

“I have a feeling a new team is already out searching for Corleen and the others.” Briar rubbed the dried blood on her pair of black jeans.

“That’s why we need to get out of here as soon as possible.” Ruvin took lead.

Though he was weakening with every step he took, he was still their leader.

“What about Blackie?” Jake asked when they reached the road and Raul contracted back to his human form.

“Blake will show up sooner or later.” Ruvin assured them.

Raul placed Corleen at the back of Ruvin’s Range and went to his bike while Jake jumped onto his truck.

“I’ll ride with you to keep an eye on her.” Briar told Ruvin.

Within a short period they were heading away from the scene.

Ruvin switched off the shower and stepped out, walking into his room with his handsomely naked self. His chest was aching with something else other than the silver.

Reaching for the clean white towel draped on his wardrobe, his door suddenly flew open and Tessa stood stiffly in front of him. A slow smile appeared on his face when Tessa realised he was not dressed.

“Oh, God!” She covered her eyes, turning her rigid body away from him. “I’m sorry! I should have knocked.”

“You were as worried as your usual yourself.” Ruvin wrapped the towel around his lean hips and sighed. Every part of his body protested every time he wanted to move. His blood gushed in his veins like molten lava because of the silver.

“Briar tells me you all got silver poisoning, are you alright?” She asked, her shoulders still stiff.

“I already took my shot, Tessa. Don’t worry about it.” Ruvin removed a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans before turning to her.

“How could I not worry about it?” She whispered, her voice tight with concern. “Silver poisoning is more dangerous to you and your team than to the weakbloods.”

“We know how to handle it. It’s not like it is the first time we got poisoned, Tessa.” He assured her putting on his pants then stalked to her and turned her around to face him. Her face was pale with worry and her eyes bright with anxiety.

“Perhaps I am not cut out for this. Maybe I should just take my father’s advice and just leave this town once and for all.” She muttered almost to herself then turned her eyes up at Ruvin. “The last time I saw someone poisoned by silver, they didn’t last until the next morning. I don’t want that to happen to any of you.”

Ruvin placed a finger on Tessa’s lips shushing her for a moment. “No one is dying tonight or any other night--not if I can help it. You need to stay right here where I can keep my eye on you. Besides, if you leave we might turn to junk food and then what will you do when our health deteriorates?” He asked her.

“Oh, I never thought of that. You guys hardly eat very well without my cooking...”

Ruvin smirked. “You make the meanest beef pie on this side of the gateway.”

A small chuckle escaped Tessa’s lips as color flooded her face.

Ruvin sighed and said. “Let’s make a promise here. I promise to take more care of myself and the team but you have to promise not to leave.”

Tessa nodded and took a step back because suddenly her breathing had become a little laboured. Ruvin understood that Tessa had feelings for him. He had seen that in the many ladies he had been around but he didn’t want it to develop into something else.

Although he was once a man-whore on the literal sense, he never mixed family. Tessa was family to him. She was also a good young female that deserved a good and kind man, not him. He was only going to hurt her.

“Good. Now, I need to be somewhere.” Ruvin smiled at her and rubbed her cheek lightly before turning back to his room and putting on his t-shirt. “I will eat when I return.”

“Eat first then leave.” She suggested. “Besides, you still need to keep your eye on the weakblood you brought with you. I don’t know if she is going to see tomorrow.”

Ruvin feared for Corleen’s life because by the time they arrived at the house, Corleen was unconscious, her breathing very shallow and the blisters on her skin were getting worse. The bloody lines that formed around her body because of the silver thread were not healing meaning she was losing a lot of blood. They had to cut her clothes off and apply a unicorn blood ointment stabilized by a spell on her wounds to try and heal them enough to stop the bleeding.

Thanks to the Mage Queen’s unicorn, Steel, They were able to harvest enough blood for that particular purpose, at the unicorn’s consent of course. Every time someone came from the enchanted world, they brought some for them, packed in conditioned vials so that the blood didn’t deteriorate when passed across the gateway.

Because of this particular rescue operation, they were running low on the supply meaning they needed more to be brought for them.

The unicorn was a brute and would not let anyone else apart from the Mage Queen and the Lord Mage to get near him.

Ruvin begged the Heavens not to take Corleen because of Alli. Just the thought of her curled up in her bed sleeping without a thought of what her sister was going through twisted his heart.

Shadow had sensed that Alli was a special girl with special abilities. The fact that she could tap into his mind without having her first transformation was a telltale. She also knew when he was there before he said anything.

Alli only had Corleen just as Corleen only had Alli. If anything ever happened to Corleen, Alli would be devastated. He needed to save her for his mate.

He growled at that last word. He didn’t need a mate but now he was in too deep to dig himself out.

“Are you okay?” Tessa’s voice reminded him that he was not alone in the room.

“I am fine.” He placed his hand over Tessa’s shoulders and led her out of his room. He was hungry and for the sake of Shadow, he needed to feed before the beast took it upon himself and took him out hunting again.

“How did it feel to run with Louise and the others tonight?” Alli was curled up beside Donny at night after the family finally returned. Alli felt elated when she saw that the wolves had returned safe and out of harms way.

The pale Ghost Runner took care of them, just like the way she had asked him to. She didn’t know why but every time she thought of him, her heart heaved and her body tingled. She wondered what he was doing at that moment and if he was safe....but there was also a dark feeling she had over her heart.

It was something that made her anxious, as if something terrible had happened yet she couldn’t understand what it was.

“It was exhilarating!” Donny sighed softly and as she shifted to her side, she flinched. “But every bone on my body is fucking killing me right about now. It feels as if someone yanked them out and placed them back again.”

“Do you feel any different, like something in you has changed?” Alli was very curious because she had yet to experience and survive what Donny went through.

Donny had physical changes as well. Her body was leaner with her tight muscles showing as if she had suddenly started going to the gym. Her hair was thicker and glowing with vibrancy. Her usually brown eyes had a ring of green and amber and she had this alluring aura that just wanted you to sit and look at her.

“I can feel her presence.” She whispered softly to Alli, moving closer to her until their noses were almost touching.

“Your wolf?” Alli’s eyes widened.

Donny nodded. “Yes. She is as shocked as I am but she is adjusting better than I am.”

“I wish we could talk to our wolves like the way the wolves from the other side can.” Alli sighed in longing. She wondered what was pale wolf’s name was and how his keeper looked like.

“Who are you thinking about?” Donny asked Alli softly.

“How do you know I am thinking about someone?” Alli frowned at her friend.

“You always get this stupid look on your face, plus....your scent just changed.” She sniffed softly. “It smells very appealing.”

Alli’s hands shot out and she began tickling Donny. “It doesn’t concern you! Why don’t you keep your nose in your own business!”

Donny giggled rolling away from Alli. Alli was glad that her friend was still very ticklish. When she stopped, she smiled and told herself that nothing had changed between them.

“Are you thinking about the Ghost Runner?” Donny asked.

Alli smiled and nodded. “Yes. I saw him again today...” Then stopped and her eyes snapped towards Donny. “Hey, Donny, while you were running, did you see a black wolf--quite big and dangerous-looking?”

Donny looked pensive for a moment then shook her head. “Nope, why?”

“Nothing.” Alli answered feeling like it was not the right time to tell her friend about the supposedly mate who could be a possible Varga.

“Hey, isn’t that the Varga you met when you went to the park the last time? Did he come here? Oh goodness, Alli, are you okay?” She sat up.

“I am fine and he is not a Varga--at least I don’t think so.” Alli assured her friend. “Donny, do you have a boyfriend that I don’t know about? Some guy you met at the club or something?”

“Don’t be silly, Alli. I mean who was the first person I ran to tell when I got my first kiss?” Donny rolled her peculiar eyes. “If I had a boyfriend, trust me, you would know. I am terrible at hiding my emotions.”

Alli laughed softly and nodded. She didn’t want her friend to face a situation where she couldn’t choose who she wanted to be with. “The debut party is next week. Are you going to ask Titus to claim you?”

“Alli!” Donny jumped up again. “I can’t do that. What if he turns me down? Besides, now that I think about it, maybe my crush on him wasn’t so much.”

Alli narrowed her eyes cautiously. “Donny, you were practically drooling over Titus and suddenly you don’t feel him anymore? Why is that?”

Donny sighed as she rested back on her pillow. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Because of someone else?”

“Alli, why do you keep emphasizing the new boyfriend crap on me? I haven’t met anyone, I haven’t dated anyone in a while and I don’t think I will for now. I just want to figure out what to do with my life now that I am an active member of the clan.”

Alli nodded and sighed. For a moment the two girls were quiet before Alli said. “Do you know what I fear the most when I make my first transformation? Someone stepping out of the blues and claiming that he is my mate.”

Donny scoffed. “Do you know how hard it is for us to find our true mates in this world? It is close to one to none!”

“But what if you are the fortunate one--or unfortunate one. What will you do?” Alli turned to Donny anxious to find out what her friend thought.

If Blue Eyes truly was Donny’s mate then she could never escape it when he came to claim her. There was nothing more the wolf family respected than a true mate and it rarely happened, but Alli heard it happening to several wolves.

Donny was awfully quiet to the point Alli thought she had fallen asleep. When she turned to her, Donny was staring up into the ceiling.

“If I have a true mate then he better show up soon before I let another claim me or they are going to have to challenge each other.” she giggled making Alli roll her eyes and turn to her phone on the side table.

“This is strange.” She took her phone and scanned through it.

“What is it?” Donny asked.

“Corleen always calls or sends a text before the night is over but she hasn’t done so and I am worried. I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible has happened tonight.” Alli scrolled down to Corleen’s number and tried to call it.

It was switched off.

“Maybe she is having a longer night than expected. You know how it is on full moon. All the crazies come out to play. Damn, I can’t believe we are sleeping right now on a full moon night!”

Alli placed her phone back on the table and sighed. “Maybe. I will look for Titus in the morning.”

“You and Titus are much closer than even me. I think you should ask him to claim you...oh, I forgot you want my brother.” Donny teased.

Alli didn’t want to mention it to Donny that she couldn’t stand being in close proximity with Louise anymore. She didn’t know when the change happened, but every time she thought of him, her skin crawled.

A shiver went down her spine and she turned to the window. The Ghost Runner was there, outside the house. Alli pushed the sheets away and slipped her feet from the bed, placing them in her sleeping shoes.

“I need a glass of water.” She lied then padded quietly downstairs.

She entered the dark kitchen and went straight to the back door. Opening it quietly, she walked onto the patio and as she turned to look for the Ghost Runner she noticed him standing in the shadows with is arms crossed. He was in his human form.

“You should stop coming out like this, it’s not safe.” The timbre of his voice caressed Alli in the most intimate places of her body. He was tall and built like the predator he was. There was something familiar about him but she couldn’t place it anywhere.

She mimicked his arms and crossed hers on her chest. “Are you here to snap my neck? Did you find out that I am the sorceress?”

He was quite for a moment and he was so still it was like she was talking to a statue. He stood up straight and brought his hands down. “If I was here to kill you, you wouldn’t have sensed me.”

“Then why are you here?” She asked him.

“To make sure you don’t cause trouble for the rest of the night.”

“You should worry about Blue Eyes more than me. Whatever happened to him? Did you kill him?” Alli asked wondering how she would feel if his answer was a yes.

“What is it about you and killings tonight? Do you know those are sure signs of a Varga?” He asked taking a step towards her.

Alli’s heart lurched to her throat. She instinctively took a step back and shrugged. “If I saw it correctly, you thrived more in killing than anything else.”

“Then you should be very scared of me.” He drawled.

How could someone have such a spell-binding voice like that? Alli wanted to listen to him the whole night. His voice did things to her and made her think of scandalous situations. This man was dangerous to her, yet she couldn’t get her body to turn around and return to the cosy bed upstairs. “If you wanted to harm me, you would have done that a long time ago. What are you doing here?”

He stopped and turned his amber eyes to her. They were twirling with energy, mesmerising Alli on the spot. “I am here to claim my mate.”

Alli rolled her eyes and passed her fingers through her hair. “Here we go again with the mates and the claiming shit. So, who are you claiming this time? Sorry to burst you bubbles but Blue Eyes has already claimed Donny. You just have to deal with that.”

“Who said anything about claiming your friend?” He took another step and Alli saw the tumble of blond curls coming down his face.

“Holy shit!” She exclaimed jumping up with a start. “I know you! You are that guy in the club who always enters but never leaves.”

The Ghost Runner stepped out of the shadows and every part of Alli’s body quaked with realisation. He was the Ghost Runners′ leader? Talk about hiding in plain sight!

But by God, was he scrumptious looking. His face was too handsome even for a man. She read about how the beings from the other side had faces of fallen angels, their beauty beyond anything anyone could comprehend yet they were considered the most lethal beings to ever walk the earth. They fooled their victims with their faces and struck without warning.

The Ghost Runner’s face was chiseled to perfection with every part of his face alluring, making Alli feel like a bug being drawn in by the light. Although there was a burn mark on his cheek, it blended in with his predatory nature. His body was large but not monstrous like Manny’s, yet a little bigger than Titus’. He looked like one of the seven deadly sins....lust or was it envy....Alli couldn’t tell because her mind suddenly couldn’t keep up with her demands.

“Breathe, Alli.” She watched as his full lips made the words, and that was when she remembered to breathe.

She took in a deep breath and turned back to him. “How?”

“Everything happens for a reason. Nothing is random.” He moved slightly but Alli saw every coil and every stretch of muscle underneath his t-shirt.

“So, you are the Ghost Runner’s leader? You are the pale wolf?” She asked not believing that just a few hours ago she was riding on his back, feeling the movements of his muscles in her inner thighs and on her palms as he raced her to safety.

“It was bound to be known sooner or later.” He assured her.

“Wow.” Alli felt like she was going crazy. Perhaps she was too wrapped up in this whole other side thing that she was totally losing herself to it, and forgetting about reality. But she felt him long before she saw him. Didn’t that mean anything? “Who are you claiming? Alyse? She is the only other transformed female wolf in this house. Levina is too old for you.”

Alli watched the slow wicked smile that appeared on his lips and felt her throat close up once more.

“You, Alli. I came here to claim you.”

The words echoed in her head as if her brain had suddenly shifted to her feet leaving behind an empty shell that had the words bouncing from one side of it to the other! She felt her body go cold and suddenly she was aware of just how cold it was outside. “Come again?”

“I came to claim you, Alli. It shouldn’t have come to this and I would have fought it with all my might, but the mate bond has already been established and there is no running away from this.” He removed his heavy leather jacket and as he was about to place it around her shoulders, Alli took a step back from him.

She didn’t want him to touch her because suddenly her body was going on overdrive, and she felt as if she was about to pass out from the blood-rush.

The Ghost Runner moved so fast, placing the jacket around her shoulders. The warmth of it was instant. It was his warmth and his scent that wafted from the jacket like a pheromone. Alli shook her head lightly and turned to him.

“I don’t want to be claimed! I mean, come on. I haven’t even had my first transformation yet. How do you even know that I am your mate? And do you know the percentage of us finding our true mates, it is so low that it is almost non-existent.” She told him. Was he some kind of con artist, trying to con her out of something? Should she call for Louise?

“I know this for a fact or I wouldn’t be here. My beast has already recognised you.” He assured her.

Alli knew of beings from the other side being able to communicate with their wolves but she didn’t want to trust him. Just a few moments ago she was suspicious that Blue Eyes claimed to be Donny’s mate. Now, the same thing was happening to her? Such luck could not befall on the two of them like that. Something was definitely fishy.

“You are a liar and you better leave this place before I call for Louise.” She took another step back. “I don’t believe in mates. You think you could go around using your good looks and lying to women so that you could crawl into their beds, well, sorry to disappoint you but the only bed you’ll be crawling in to is the one in the town prison if you don’t leave!”

“I am not lying to you--”

“Go away!” Alli exclaimed feeling the door behind her. Her heart thrummed in her head and her body felt sweaty and hot. She needed to get away from him before he started making her believe. She was done with men such as him. That following weekend while Donny attended her debut party, Alli was going for the cleansing trip to rid herself of such desires.

“Alli.” He drawled but Alli bolted inside and shut the door on his face.

She scrambled upstairs and jumped into the bed, breathing hard like she had been running a mile.

“Alli, are you okay?” Donny asked.

Alli pulled up the covers and nodded. “I’ll be fine. I just went out for a little air.”

“Whose jacket is this?” Donny asked.

Alli completely forgot that she still had the Ghost Runner’s jacket around her. “Louise’s. I found it in the sitting room and wore it.”

"It doesn't have Louise's scent. It must be one of my cousins'." Donny sniffed lightly. Alli quickly nodded but was very sure Donny was not convinced.

"Maybe..."

“Okay, goodnight, Alli.”

“Good night.” Alli shut her eyes tightly trying to blot the Ghost Runner out of her mind.

Would you please stop referring to me as the Ghost Runner. Ask me for my name. The words shimmered into her mind.

Alli bit back a scream as her eyes snapped open. Stay the hell out of my head! She silently screamed at him. You will be sorry once I tell my sister!

There was a long pause before he answered. It is too late for you to be up. Go to sleep. I will look for you tomorrow and ...whatever you hear tomorrow about Corleen is not true. Corleen will be alright...I promise.

Alli was about to ask him what he meant by that but she felt the moment he severed the connection and left. She felt empty and cold again even though she was wearing his jacket and wrapped inside a blanket. Her throat clogged with a feeling she couldn’t understand. It was as if she wanted to mourn at his sudden absence.

She was being ridiculous. She thought. She needed to sleep and tomorrow figure out a way to keep him away from her. She had to tell Corleen about it! With a sigh, she called on sleep--but it was a long way away.

Crap!