The Renaissance: Book 4 of The Bloodmoon Wars (A Paranormal Shifter Series Prequel to Luna Rising) Read online

  The Renaissance

  Book 4 of the Bloodmoon Wars Series ( A Paranormal Shifter Romance Series)

  Sara Snow

  Contents

  1. Cyrus

  2. Elinor

  3. Elinor

  4. Elinor

  5. Elinor

  6. Will

  7. Elinor

  8. Skye

  9. Elinor

  10. Elinor

  11. Elinor

  12. Elinor

  13. Elinor

  14. Elinor

  15. Elinor

  16. Elinor

  17. Elinor

  18. Ione

  19. Elinor

  20. Faelen

  21. Elinor

  22. Elinor

  23. Elinor

  24. Will

  The Bloodmoon Wars Continues…

  Also By Sara Snow

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  About the Author

  1

  Cyrus

  In a fight, even the smallest distractions could cost you your life—or the life of someone you cared about. Leaving Elinor and Darian alone to battle the vampires and reanimated supernaturals damn near killed me, but as long as Skye was in danger, I knew I’d never be able to think straight.

  I could feel Skye’s worried eyes following me from the town below as I flew away to return to where I’d left Elinor and Darian fighting.

  Although they were more than capable of looking after themselves, I wasn't sure how many more vampires were on our tail. And with the reanimated supernatural creatures in the mix . . . Well, they might have some trouble.

  The sky was bright with a thousand stars, but I had no time to admire them. My eyes darted back and forth as I tried to see through the dense foliage of the trees. Elinor and Darien might have moved from where I’d left them.

  But I didn’t have to search for long.

  A clap of thunder had me dipping closer towards the trees, and even though I was in the sky, I could hear the earth moaning.

  Elinor.

  When a bolt of lightning pierced through the clouds up ahead, I pushed myself to fly faster. Another followed, and then another.

  “Shit.”

  Witches created lightning bolts from the energy within their bodies, but Elinor’s magic used natural bolts, so I knew this was all her. I could see a bright light in the trees ahead, and when I finally arrived, I spotted Darian hunched down behind a tree trunk. When it was also struck by lightning, he rushed to another tree for cover.

  I landed but had to shield my eyes.

  Elinor was in her human form, but her body sizzled with electricity, making it hard to look directly at her. The electricity acted almost like a shield, protecting her.

  Then I looked to my left and saw Will unconscious on the forest floor, the front of his shirt torn away to reveal a substantial burn mark covering the expanse of his stomach and chest.

  When did he get here? And what the hell is going on?

  Though I couldn’t imagine why, from the look of Will’s wound, Elinor must have hurt him. Even with the extra boost from the resurrection marks, the resurrected witches’ lightning bolts couldn’t have inflicted that kind of damage on someone as powerful as Will.

  Elinor's pained moan met my ears, and I turned my attention back to her. "Elinor! Elinor, can you hear me?” I squinted and dropped my gaze, trying to look directly at her, though I couldn’t maintain it for long. "It's Cyrus!"

  “C-Cyrus, I can’t stop it! I trusted him!”

  I glanced at Will, guessing she discovered something else he’d been keeping from her. It was the only thing I could think of that would explain her losing control like this.

  The ground around Elinor was littered with ugly scorch marks. Lightning bolts repeatedly struck the ground and bounced off, flying in all directions like arrows and incinerating the bodies of the Bleeders and resurrected supernaturals who had attacked. When I had left Elinor and Darien to take Skye to safety, they’d only just found us. Now, there was nothing left of them but charred corpses.

  The rumbling beneath our feet intensified, and massive cracks split the earth, some large enough for the bodies to tumble into. Red and orange flames crackled in the trees and underbrush around us. I knew I had to do something or she'd burn down the whole forest—and the nearby town with it.

  I opened my palms and allowed blue flames to flow from them like water. Using my blue flames could be dangerous if I lost control, but it was the only idea I had. All I needed to do was stay focused. If this worked, my flames would trap Elinor’s magic and prevent it from doing any more damage.

  There was nothing I could do about her earth magic, though. Hopefully, once she calmed down, the earth would, too. This new ability was a shock, but it really shouldn't have been. To use lightning the way she did took a lot of power.

  I commanded the flames to circle Elinor, Will, and myself and poured my energy into them, urging them to rise like a wall. The strain on my body felt almost unbearable, and I prayed I had enough strength and control to survive it.

  “Elinor! I need you to focus on me and nothing else. Just listen to my voice. Okay?" The moment the flames were high enough, I stopped. Unfortunately, I’d used so much of my power that focusing while talking Elinor down proved to be a struggle. “Can you hear me?”

  "Yes," she whimpered, and despite not being able to look at her, I decided I needed to get closer. I could hear her crying, but her soft sobs soon turned to pained moans. "It burns, Cyrus."

  That was all the warning I had. I dove as bolts came at me left and right, then surrounded myself in blue flames. I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I got close to her. Maybe I'd grab her and engulf her in my flames, accepting whatever burns I'd receive.

  "You can control what's happening right now, Elinor! You're letting your power run wild because you think you can't control it! Focus on its center inside you and grab onto that. That is your power. That is how you’ll learn control!”

  "I can't do it!" she screamed, and my jaws clenched with frustration.

  "Then you are going to burn yourself alive, then me, then Will, then the forest and a town close by! Jackson isn't here to stop you this time, so what now? Will you give up and sentence everyone to death?” Thunder rumbled above us, and I continued walking closer. "I'll help you, okay? I can help you focus."

  I released a cloud of black smoke that engulfed us both. I could feel jolts of electricity striking my body, but it wasn't as painful with my flames protecting me. My eyes were closed, though, so I couldn't see.

  "I don't want to hurt you, Cyrus. You need to stop."

  "And you need to do as I say. You're not hurting me, see? But I can't keep this up for long, so you need to calm down."

  “Elinor?”

  A surge of power burst from Elinor at the sound of Will’s voice. A bolt of lightning slammed into my shoulder, breaking through my flames and sending me flying backward. I had been so close. . . . So close!

  “Elinor, I’m sorry.”

  I opened my eyes and watched as the electricity sizzling around Elinor sank into her skin. As she slowly got ahold of her power, I no longer had to shield my eyes, but I was still stunned at how powerful she was.

  "I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear. But if you continue like this, you'll kill innocent people, including your best friend."

  Elinor looked my way, her eyes darting to my burned shoulder, and I listened as her pounding
heart slowed. Her arms were burned and parts of her legs, too. Right now, her power was too intense for her to handle, and I had a sick feeling that she would kill herself if she continued on like this.

  "I was engaged to her, but I’m not anymore. I called it off, and that's why she's angry." Will sat up, wincing as blood gushed from his wound, then fell back. "She means nothing to me. She never did."

  His wound wasn't healing, and when he coughed up blood that ran down the sides of his mouth, the earth stopped rumbling. Elinor walked forward to stand over Will, and I sighed in relief.

  “I'm . . . sorry,” he whispered as she fell to her knees beside him. “Your divinity . . .” He choked. “It’s the reason I’m not healing.”

  At first, her face was void of emotion, and I’d wondered if Elinor was truly herself or if something else had taken control of her again. But when a tear slid down her face, I knew it was her.

  I watched in wonder as she reached for him with a glowing hand. When she placed her hand on his chest, his body absorbed the light. It vanished, and within a few seconds, his wound did more than just heal. The blood he’d lost actually slid back inside him, leaving not a drop behind. Will and I looked at each other, our eyes wide. He brushed his fingers across his now unmarred chest, then stared at Elinor, who seemed a little surprised as well.

  “How did you do that?” I asked, and she looked down at her hands.

  When she looked up at me again, I saw her eyes were still as white as snow, and she lifted her hand in my direction. Even though I wasn't directly in front of her, an odd sensation flowed into my arm like warmth from a fireplace, and my wound vanished as if nothing had happened.

  Will sat up, but Elinor moved away from him.

  Her eyes slowly reverted to green, and her self-inflicted burns healed as well. Now I could truly see her—the pain in her eyes, the look of betrayal—and I wondered even more about what had happened after I left with Skye.

  "Thank you," Will said, but she quickly rose to her feet as if his words had been a slap to her face.

  She staggered, her eyes closing, but Will moved quickly, vanishing in a second to catch her before she could fall. She pushed him away, and her face twisted with disgust. “Don't . . . touch me."

  "What the hell happened?" I asked, but neither of them looked my way.

  They only stared at each other—Will with regretful eyes, Elinor with angry ones. I exhaled heavily and pinched the bridge of my nose. Whatever was going on, they’d have to work it out. The wall of flames I had erected around us came down and vanished, and I fell onto my ass, exhausted.

  “Elinor?”

  "No," she said to Will. "No more apologizing. You just have a lot to explain, Will. A lot."

  A threatening growl stole our attention. We looked over to find Darian slowly advancing, his shoulders hunched forward defensively. He glared at Will, and I jumped to my feet when his hazel eyes shifted to black.

  He growled again, deep this time, as a warning to Will, who didn't step away from Elinor.

  "Darian, don't. You don't know what's going on," I said to him.

  Although he stopped moving in Will's direction, Darien's eyes remained black. He wasn't backing down yet.

  Neither Elinor nor Will said anything, but I really wasn't in the mood to stop another fight. I readied myself just in case Darian attacked or Will and Elinor picked up where they left off. And this time, I would allow my flames to burn to keep them separated.

  All the supernaturals and Bleeders were dead, but the night was still young. More could be on the way.

  I wasn't as confused as Darian looked right now, but I still didn't know what had happened between Will and Elinor for her to have lost control the way she had. From the sound of it, though, Will had been engaged.

  But she had been, too . . .

  "We don't have time for this," I said to no one in particular. "I left Skye at a town nearby, and we need to leave. We don't know if more supernaturals are coming. Okay? So, Darian, you need to chill."

  He sent a foul look my way that didn't bother me in the least. He bared his fangs at me, and I allowed my flames to engulf my arms.

  "This time, they'll burn. I'm exhausted and actually pretty pissed right now, so go ahead, start a fight so I can finish it.”

  Darian growled low before roughly scratching at the shaved side of his head. He and Elinor locked eyes, and she sighed, knowing what was coming.

  Will walked away, vanishing into the forest, and my flames died away as Darian approached Elinor. His eyes were still black and his jaws were clenched. “Elinor, I think you’re the one with a lot of explaining to do.”

  2

  Elinor

  When we got to town, Will was already there, waiting for us by the tree line. Darian walked on beside Cyrus while Will remained on my right, his hood pulled over his head.

  His scent was masked, but I assumed he still wanted his face hidden.

  Considering I felt like kicking him where it would hurt, I wasn't thrilled to have him walking beside me. In my peripheral vision, I could see him watching me, but I refused to look back at him. I was so sick of the ‘three steps forward and nine steps back’ routine in our relationship. It was exhausting, and I was over it.

  People stepped out of our way as we walked through the town. Maybe they did it because we were strangers, or perhaps it was because Darian was still growling under his breath.

  Darian broke away from us when he spotted two Werewolf Guards, and Cyrus finally dropped his guard. Throughout the trip to the town, he had been alert, ready to act at any moment if Darian attacked Will. Considering I was pissed off at Will, explaining who he was to Darian—his ability to walk in the sun, as well as our relationship—while we walked here wasn’t easy for me. But I definitely didn’t want to have such a sensitive conversation in town where others might overhear.

  As we’d walked and talked, Darian’s anger had only intensified. He’d told me—in no uncertain terms—that I was making a huge mistake. His response was what I’d expected, so I didn't argue with him about it. Honestly, I didn't have the strength. My head was pounding. Within the span of a few hours, I’d met my boyfriend’s secret fiancée; I’d taken out multiple vampires and reanimated supernaturals, almost killing my boyfriend in the process; and I’d nearly burned down the forest and the entire town. Of course, I had a headache.

  Even though I’d given myself to Will, referring to him as my boyfriend still felt odd. We were together, but we’d never spoken of each other with labels before. Well, nothing beyond “friend,” anyway.

  Keeping the details minimal, I told Darian how we met and grew close and that Will had saved my life as well as Skye’s. All the while, Will didn't speak, and I wasn’t mad about that. I didn’t want to hear his voice right now.

  Skye rushed out of a building and came running towards us.

  “Are you guys okay?” She noticed Will and paused. “Um, Will? What are you doing here? What’s going on? Where’s Darian?”

  Cyrus pointed behind him at Darian, who was instructing the Guards to keep watch tonight. Will walked past Skye, vanishing into the building she’d emerged from. Skye watched him go, then looked at me with questioning eyes.

  “Um, I got us a room inside—there was only one available. But first, can someone explain to me what the hell’s going on?”

  “Inside,” Cyrus grumbled, opening the door to the inn.

  I sighed and closed my eyes, holding back tears.

  “Darian met Will?”

  "Yup, and it went as expected," I replied. "But Cyrus stopped the fight before it could begin. Are you okay?"

  She nodded, then took my hand to lead me inside. “I’m fine. Are you? That was you, wasn’t it? The earthquake?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  As we walked, I could hear the townspeople whispering, wondering if they had just experienced an earthquake. Some were speculating about the lightning they’d seen, wondering whether the Resurrected were coming for them
.

  “The Resurrected?” I asked Skye. She pulled me closer as we climbed up the stairs beside a small bar to where the rooms were.

  “That’s what they’ve been calling them,” she whispered. “But it’s probably best if they don’t learn it was you.”

  I was more than okay with that. Stories of the white wolf were already spreading. People would have questions that I couldn’t answer if they knew that the white wolf was me. I could smell the accumulation of fear in the air as people scattered to lock themselves away in their homes.

  We all gathered in a large room, with Darian standing by the door, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes watching Will’s every movement. Will, however, only stared out the window on the other end of the room. I couldn’t help wondering what was going through his mind.

  Is he thinking about her? Vivian?

  I didn't know what to believe. My thoughts were so warped. I didn't want to regret giving myself to him. Even now, though I wanted to punch him in the face, I still loved him. But my chest was aching because I did.

  “My brother won’t be following us,” he finally said.

  Darian growled. “Brother? So you’re a General?” Darian looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

  “He is,” I answered. “But he had no idea the Queen was planning to wage war on supernaturals and humans. Whether you like him or not, he’s on our side, okay? And we have a plan to defeat her.”

  Darian swallowed hard as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Trust a vampire and a General, at that . . . You want me to trust a vampire that he's on our side? Have you lost your mind, Elinor? When your father finds out about this, he’s—”