Page 7 of Destined to the Lycan
“Relax, foolish girl!” she said sternly. “I will not use it to harm, control, or bind you. If you survive this ordeal, your blood will have the serum to the most virulent poison in existence. I want it.”
The tension knotting my back instantly loosened, but only partially. “What if I don’t survive?” I challenged.
She shrugged. “Then I will have failed to help you, which will void your debt.”
“So my surviving family wouldn’t be held accountable?” I insisted.
“No,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument. “The contract is between you and me. If you are cured, you’ll owe me a phial of your blood. If you die, then we both lose, and the contract is voided.”
I pursed my lips, my mind still racing about all the ways this could go wrong.
To my surprise, the Weaver rolled her eyes with an air of exasperation. “I pledge that your blood will be used solely to derive a healing serum. In no way, shape, or form will it be used to harm you or anyone else.”
My jaw dropped. You didn’t play with a pledge. It acted like a blood oath. Breaking your word had grievous consequences that no one wanted to face. You just had to be careful with the terms of the pledge. A clever play on words would suffice to fool you into thinking the pledge granted you far more protection than it truly did.
But in this instance, I could find no fault or loophole within it.
“Very well. Then we have a deal,” I said softly.
The triumphant smile that stretched the Weaver’s sensuous lips threw me. It was so brief and quickly hidden that I wondered if I’d imagined it. As I doubted saving my life ranked high in her priorities, I could only assume that the serum in my blood truly held a great value to her.
She spent the next twenty minutes teaching me how to summon Ranael. By the time I left her house, a light shone over me, pushing away the crushing despair that had been engulfing me.
However impossible the odds, I now had hope.
Chapter 2
Amara
Iset off right before noon on the morning after the full moon. My initial plan had been to leave at sunrise, but a nasty storm delayed my departure. Once more, I debated whether to simply ride my horse or use a carriage. In the end, my phaeton made the most sense as the hood would provide some protection if the weather acted up again, on top of providing more room to bring additional clothes, basic hiking equipment, and the paraphernalia that would assist me in the summoning ritual.
The journey to Kairn—the small tourist village at the entrance of Wolfmoon Mountain—stretched indefinitely. On top of giving me far too much time to think of all the ways in which things could go wrong, seeing the sun steadily dip to the horizon further increased my wariness. Thankfully, my trip proved uneventful as the road there was quite safe. Crossing paths with a growing number of other tourists and travelers in both directions the closer I got to my destination helped tremendously. I finally reached the inn a little before 9:00 PM.
The three-story hostel made of dark wood and beige bricks dominated the other, much smaller buildings of the village. At a glance, I counted about twenty establishments, most of them reminding me of tourist traps, aside from the convenience store and blacksmith. Based on the research I performed over the past three days while waiting for the full moon to end, only a handful of families actually lived in Kairn. Namely the innkeeper Misty Starlight and her family, as well as the sheriff Darion Lovell. Everyone else lived with one of the Lycan packs who owned their individual section of the surrounding territory.
The large doors of the inn parted open, giving me a glimpse into the busy dining area. The delicious scent of roasted meat wafted to me, accompanied by the sound of music and the undefined noise of animated conversations. A large male immediately made a beeline for me and waved a huge hand in greeting.
I did a double take once I realized that he was just a teenager. The unusual silver color of his eyes, and the furry tip of a pointy ear peeking through his luscious black hair gave away the fact that he wasn’t human. I had never met a Lycan before. But it didn’t take a genius to recognize this boy as one.
“Greetings, Madam. Will you be staying the night?” he asked, his slightly higher-pitched voice further confirming his youth.
“Yes. It’s getting much too late to venture into the wild,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“Wise decision,” he concurred, his smile broadening.
Although he didn’t have fangs, his pristine white canines were clearly sharper and more prominent than with a regular human’s. I gladly accepted the hand he extended to help me down my carriage. His nostrils flared, and a troubled expression quickly hidden flashed over his boyish features, dimming the happy warmth he’d initially displayed. I almost asked him whatwas wrong, but he swiftly turned away from me to pick up my belongings and carry them inside.
I patted my horse on the neck then followed the young man inside. Although conversations didn’t stop when I entered, quite a few of them slowed down as many of the patrons eyed me with undisguised curiosity. Most of them were males, with less than a quarter of them being females. To my surprise, only a handful of humans mingled amongst the guests. It suddenly struck me that the Lycans used this place as their usual hang out. This boded well as it was always a good sign when the locals regularly frequented an establishment. It meant good service and quality.
Being somewhat of an introvert, so much attention focused on me made me self-conscious. At least, none of the stares were intimidating. While curiosity dominated, a few of the males eyed me with blatant admiration devoid of the lurid edge that would have made it vulgar or disrespectful.
For a reason I couldn’t explain, instead of making my way to the counter and addressing the innkeeper, I just stopped a few steps inside the room, facing the crowd.
I cleared my throat, and all the conversations ended, even the couple of musicians providing entertainment stopped. With every eye locked on me, I swallowed hard and summoned all my courage before projecting loudly so all could hear.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I’m looking for a guide to take me on a hazardous mission. I will pay well,” I said.
Many people perked up, interested eyebrows raising as they gave me an assessing look.
