RISE OF THE LYCANS - Mates and Bonds

Selena

My sister and I exchanged silent glances. The she-demon had just introduced herself as Lilith, and I only knew of one demon with that name.

“I’m afraid the mind link doesn’t work under my enchantments,” she smiled. “You’ll just have to share your thoughts with all of us.”

“The day we saw you at the cemetery…”

“Yes,” she replied and casually stroked one of her horns as if she were playing with her hair.

A long necklace strung with bones hung around her neck, and I recognized them as human phalanges. She looked human enough, but she radiated power and chaos. I thought about my conversation with Hazel this afternoon, and I wanted everyone to know how dangerous she was.

“Only those cast out of heaven to live as demons can walk on hallowed grounds.”

“Selene should be so proud of her little pups!” Lilith clapped. “They’re not ignorant to Gods outside of their customary beliefs.”

“Well, I guess it could be worse,” Grandma said casually. “I thought we’d find Ishtar at the end of this road.”

“Ishtar!” Lilith laughed. “I suppose we wouldn’t be here without her.”

“Always with the riddles, Lilith,” a beautifully serene voice floated from the doorway.

She entered the room, and my mouth fell open. The breath left my lungs as Stella yipped. Although she was in her human form, she still looked as divine as possible. A crescent moon crown sat upon her head like a Queen of Mount Olympus. Her long, silvery hair was the same shade as Storm’s, and it flowed in thick ringlets that were loosely pulled back into a braid that reached her lower thigh.

Her blue eyes met mine, and I managed a gulp of air. Being in her presence made my knees feel weak, and I reached for my sister beside me. The long white dress she wore was as beautiful as her skin because she was the personification of the moon—the Moon Goddess.

“Hello, my dears,” she said as she moved a little closer to the cell, and Lilith hissed in warning. Something shifted behind her, and I realized it was Erick. He looked worried and pale.

“I’d hoped to have a few more decades before meeting you at the big bingo hall in the sky,” Grandma said, looking shaken. “Did the tunnel cave in on us? Is this the part where you sort us into our final destinations?”

The corners of her familiar blue eyes lifted as she smiled. “You’re a long way from that big bingo hall.”

“I’m honored to be in your presence,” Zane bowed his head.

“Just as handsome as all the LaRues,” she mused. “Although the strong features have been favored for centuries because they come from my soul mate, Endymion.”

“We saw the painting,” I told her. “I noticed the dark hair, but his eyes…” I was ready to tell her his eyes were closed, but the eyes were not Endymion’s. “I’ve looked into those eyes my entire life,” I finished in a whisper.

I understood the Moon Goddess had created shifters and that some of her daughters had mated with Alpha males. I also knew the Goddess had blessed those who were her direct descendants with elemental gifts. What I never imagined was that the legendary LaRue blue eyes came from her. They exuded power, strength, and serenity.

“Why have you abandoned us?” Sol asked.

“I’ve been protecting you,” the Goddess replied.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“You’ll have to excuse Selene. She doesn’t get very many visitors in her confinement,” Lilith smirked.

“Confinement?” Grandma squawked. “What do you mean confinement?”

“Not to worry, Dori. When you live as long as I have, twenty years is a weekend retreat,” Selene said with a serene smile.

“Every single one of you will remain here until your beloved Goddess fixes what she’s done!” Lilith hissed.

“I’m still considering it, Lilith,” Selene replied. “But if you don’t take good care of my children, then I’ll consider it until the balance of this world is overtaken by chaos and the other Gods discover what you’ve done.”

“You can’t play matchmaker if you’re stuck here!” Lilith snarled, and her beauty became monstrous.

“If I’m stuck here, I can’t match you either,” Selene replied. “Seems we’re both at a checkmate, and you’re running out of time.”

“Now, wait just a minute here,” Grandma said. “You were Adam’s first wife before Eve, the one who was cast out of Heaven.”

“Why was she cast out of Heaven?” Cynder whispered to Grandma.

“Oh, I know!” Jose chimed. “It was because she wanted to be on top, and Adam wanted her beneath him.”

“We were both created from the same dust,” she spat. “I shouldn’t have to submit to a man’s will when we were both created equally.”

“Girl, I hear you,” Jose replied. “Lots of people break up because of sex.”

“Nevertheless, Lilith has set her heart on a new mate. One with the power to unleash hell on earth,” Selene told us.

“I thought you only matched shifter souls?” Grandma asked. “Lilith might be able to shapeshift, but she’s not a shifter.”

“The King is a descendant of Anubis,” Lilith fired back, her eyes flashing red. “She could match him with anyone from any realm.”

“How many times must I remind you? Demons don’t have souls,” Selene countered. “What you’re asking me to do goes against the laws of Olympus.”

“You intend him for your daughter so you can control both realms,” Lilith hissed. “Your precious lycans should be here soon enough, and I will destroy them one by one as you watch.”

“Infatuation and love are not the same, Lilith,” Selene shook her head. “Souls are created for one another.”

“Then why do you allow second chance mates?”

“Even if you find the daughter I have matched him with and kill her. You are a soulless creature, and I cannot bond you.”

“This is ridiculous,” Lilith snarled in frustration. “I have a few things I need to check on,” she told the phony priest before returning her attention to us. “Get comfortable. The enchantment will prevent you from escaping. Fontenay has a nasty silver whip for anyone misbehaving. He’s a bit sadistic, so I wouldn’t test him unless you like that sort of thing.”

I wasn’t sure what Fontenay was, but I knew he was some kind of shifty creature who had doubled in size since I last saw him.

“Dark demon,” my wolf whispered, sensing his aura.

“What should I do with the Goddess?” Erick asked.

“Take her back to her comfy little room while her darlings suffer in the cell like dogs,” Lilith ordered him.

“Give me a moment,” Selene said. “They’ve only just arrived.” Lilith scowled and turned her attention to Fontenay as Selene took a few silent steps closer to the cell.

I looked at the Goddess, and so many questions rushed through my mind. She seemed to be adjusting her clothing, and then I realized she had started moving her hands in sign language to communicate with us. “Be cautious of what you say around him. Her power in this realm is harnessed from Ramses.”

“Times up!” Lilith called out. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Grandma Dori said. “I’m old, and my bladder isn’t what it once was. What happens if I need to use the loo-là-là?”

Lilith let out an amused giggle. “Fontenay will escort you,” she said as she swept out of the room.

Erick led Selene out, and Fontenay took a seat by the door on the other side of the room.

“And to think I almost missed this,” Grandma chirped as she seated herself against the wall beside Caspian.

Zane took a seat, and Cynder curled up in his lap with her head buried in his neck. My wolf whimpered, and a deep longing filled me. I hoped my sweet Kas was staying calm.

I turned to Jose, who was sitting beside Eloise. “Jose, what happened?”

“One minute, we were getting sandwiches, and the next, one of her minions was loading Caspian into a delivery truck. When I tried to stop them, my world went dark.”

“Caspian?” Zane questioned.

“It’s true,” he nodded. “All I saw was a flash of light and woke up in this cell.”

Jose leaned in closer and whispered to me. “Erick seems to be under some kind of spell or something. She threatened to kill me and his mother.”

“Did you know he had magic?” I asked, and Eloise finally found her voice.

“Erick wanted to leave the pack and live a simple life in the city with Jose,” she said. “He wanted to protect Jose from our world and never spoke of it.”

“When did you get here?”

“I was working at the mating ball,” she said. “I was asked to bring refreshments to the Omega’s setting up the fireworks display in the gardens and walked right into the black mist.”

“How long has the Moon Goddess been trapped here?”

“Twenty years,” Caspian uttered in a low breath and started to sign with his hands. “Does Lukas know where you’re at?”

I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t sure if Lukas had discovered the opening under the confessional or found the breadcrumbs we had left. Slowly, I moved my hands to say, “I hope so.”

“If she’s been here for twenty years, that would explain why the mate bonds have been failing,” Sol spoke softly.

I had always heard that souls were matched at birth because they were two halves of the same whole. The pup growing in my belly confirmed Lukas had been destined for me all along. Had she suppressed the mate bonds twenty years ago? Or did she stop matching souls? Selene was a Goddess, and Lilith was cast out of heaven.

I looked over at the grotesque demon guarding the door, and his eyes were closed. I knew he was listening and took the chance at signing again as I asked Grandma the burning question. “How could the Goddess lose her power and be trapped by a demon?”

Grandma nodded to let me know she understood the question.

“I was just reminded of that time I met Medusa in Egypt. Everyone believed Medusa was a monster or demon of some kind, but she was a Goddess who’d been cursed,” Grandma started as if she was telling us a bedtime story. “Medusa had been sent to guard the entrance into the underworld as a punishment. It seems the council of Gods can confine another God or Goddess here on earth where their power is rendered useless while they serve out their punishment.”

“You mean like house arrest?” Cynder asked.

“Precisely,” Grandma winked as her hands moved to say, “Demons have some magic, but she’s found an ancient source on earth to use against the Moon Goddess.”

My hands moved quickly, “The Goddess said her power is harnessed from Rameses.”

“As I was saying… the food in Egypt was wonderful, and the spices are incredible, but it’s the monuments that make Egypt really stand out. They’re so impressive that it’s hard to believe they were crafted by human hands. I got a close look at the pyramids, the Valley of The Kings, and I even saw Luxor,” she continued. “The obelisk in Luxor stands at the gates, and I hear the twin that used to stand beside it is somewhere here in Paris. Maybe when we get out of here, someone can take me to go see it.”

We had just visited the obelisk a few hours ago, and Grandma spoke as if we hadn’t. Sol’s eyes met mine, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. Storm and Rex had both sensed the strong energy coming from the monument.

“Is she really going to keep us here?” Cynder asked.

“Oh honey, I’m sure they’ll work it out,” Grandma said. “They’re just bickering over some man.”

The beastly version of Fontenay stirred, and he let out a low snarl. “You’ll all be dead soon if my Queen doesn’t get her King.”

“It seems like she’s been trying to get her King for twenty years,” Caspian said. “I don’t think the Goddess will yield.”

“My Queen will not allow her to mate the King with another,” he replied.

“If she’s so great, why hasn’t she spent the last twenty years getting him to fall in love with her?” Cynder snapped.

“You know the answer to that, little wolf,” he smiled. “A mate bond runs deeper than love or lust.”

Hearing all this talk about Lilith wanting a King filled me with worry. Was she after Lukas? Is that why the mate bonds were suppressed? We were all considered children of the Moon Goddess, and it seemed Lilith was trying to prevent the mating of a King.

Lukas was the most powerful shifter on Earth, and he was a lycan. If he went feral, he could unleash hell on earth. I searched my memories, trying to remember everything I had heard about Anubis and whether Lukas could have been a descendant.

Anubis was one of the oldest Egyptian Gods, dating back thousands of years before Christ. He was the most recognizable god in the Egyptian pantheon because of his lycan head. The ancient royal lycans who ruled in the past were from his Theodorus side of the family, and everyone knew they had descended from King Lycaon, who was cursed by the mighty Zeus.

“Did she really get kicked out of Heaven?” Sol asked.

“She freed herself from Heaven,” Fontenay scoffed. “There’s no fun in Heaven.”

“What’s the matter, Father Fontenay? Thou shall not lie, steal, cheat, or kill is that too restrictive for your taste?” Grandma scowled in disgust.