Beneath the Blood Moon - Book 2: Raissa

PROLOGUE

Leila felt the panic inside her rising as she held Raissa close. She was using her scent to try and calm the restless wolf inside her. Even numbed, she felt the spikes of worry from both her halves.

It took the winding down of all the trauma she'd been through to notice it. Leila felt angry at herself...

How could she not have seen it sooner? Sensed it sooner?

She felt like even more of a failure as a mother.

"Leila you need to calm down." Logan said gently from his spot sitting in the chair next to her. But she couldn't. He didn't know... he hadn't the slightest idea. Leila knew she'd have nightmares for the rest of her life.

... and now her baby had a mark left by one of those things. She was angry again at herself... if she had seen it sooner, Maggie would have still been there.

They wouldn't be waiting like this in a tortuous way.

Fear was settling in deep inside her. She felt high strung and nervous. She knew her erratic breathing was giving her away.

"Is she here yet?" Leila asked for what felt like the fiftieth time.

"No... calm down." Aaron said as he gently took Raissa from her. Leila took several deep breaths, and squirmed over to sit at the edge of the bed with a wince. Logan tensed, but relaxed when he saw she wasn't trying to get up. Her eyes never left her sleeping baby as Aaron gently walked her back and forth.

Leila looked to the door again. She felt her muscles shaking just from that small exertion. She hated how weak she still was... how much pain the smallest movements caused her.

It felt like hours passed in the silence of the room. Logan eventually moved to sit next to her, and even his gentle caress at her back and hair did little to soothe her.

Her mother had Zane. Both Aaron and Logan had sent everyone else away. They thought it best no one knew about this... at least not until they knew what this was.

"Aaron." Leila said when she couldn't take it anymore. Aaron gently handed her back over and Leila settled her warmly to her chest again. Eventually she felt too shaky and had to lay down. Logan helped her settle.

Leila just stared at the tiny puncture mark on Raissa's little neck. It was just making her chest tighten more in fear... she barely felt the pain of her body with her mind so preoccupied.

Another ten minutes passed, before Aaron suddenly moved for the door and Leila glanced over. Her senses weren't what they should be. She hadn't heard them.

Relief flooded her when he opened it to Maggie standing there with several of her sisters. Leila forced herself to sit back up as Maggie came over to her. Leila quickly offered Raissa to her.

Maggie furrowed her brow as she gently tilted Raissa's head to the side. Leila stared at her little pup's face as she stretched and yawned. Whatever that mark was... it didn't seem to bother her.

But it didn't make Leila worry any less.

Maggie glanced back at one of the woman she brought with her.

"Give me the malachite... I just want to make sure." Maggie asked. Leila glanced at Logan, he was watching Maggie with a furrowed brow. Leila nervously looked back as the other woman handed her a green stone. Maggie gently set Raissa into the third woman's arms. Leila bit her lip as she watched them.

Maggie set the stone on Raissa's chest as she touched the mark. All three witches immediately exchanged a worried glance.

Leila brought her hands up to her mouth. Fear was digging deep into her chest. Logan's hand was suddenly on her back. Leila looked at Aaron. He rarely showed his emotions... but he looked worried.

"It's from a demon." Maggie said as she looked at Leila. Her next breath came out shaky.

All her fear was crashing down on her... making it hard to breath. She was looking at Raissa hard... her arms suddenly ached to snatch her back from them.

"Why?" Leila asked in a panic as she tried to keep it together. She knew nothing of demons. Why would he mark her like that?

Maggie sighed deeply and moved to hand her back, but it was Aaron that quickly took her.

"When he bit her, he mixed some of his own blood into her... so he can always find her. Demon blood is potent, it never goes away." Maggie said.

Leila just stared at her as if she hadn't heard her right...

The true horror of it was slow to rise, but when it hit, she felt herself hyperventilating. Logan was quickly beside her, pulling her in against him.

"Nothing will happen to her." Logan snarled. Leila looked at Aaron. His face was a mask of protective fury as he held her close.

"I don't understand... is he.. does he want her?" Leila asked.

Her mind was reeling. Leila knew it had to be that boy... it couldn't be the other ones... she wouldn't let herself think that.

But she had been drugged at the time.

"No... think of their mark as a kind of trace." Maggie said as she studied Raissa with a furrowed brow.

"Demons don't mate, they don't feel possessive... because that would imply they have feelings. They exist purely on their instincts, they have a drive to procreate. Maybe a small semblance of loyalty, but they come from the spirit realm, where there is no human emotion. They don't have the capacity to care." Maggie said. Leila took another shaky breath.

"Then why?" Logan growled. Maggie seemed contemplative for a moment. Leila studied her face hard.

"It's for when they come upon someone they find to be valuable for procreating, they will mark them... by putting some of their own blood inside them. It's like a tracker, they typically do it to females who are not yet fertile, so they can find them later." Maggie said.

Aaron snarled, clearly furious. Maggie sent him a cautious glance.

"Unfortunately for wolves... it will be worse. That blood does not mix well. It may act as a kind of block on her... She likely won't even have a heat." Maggie said. She seemed to be deep in thought.

With every word, Leila felt her panic rise higher.

"How did we break it?" Logan asked. Maggie shook her head, her gaze heavy on Raissa.

"You can't, the demon who put it on her must die." Maggie said simply. Leila took a hard breath.

"Are you sure? Certain?" Leila asked in a panic.

"Yes. I did extensive research on the matter." Maggie said.

"But... maybe someone else will-" Leila was desperate.

"No. Trust me, I know of this. Because I had one on me." Maggie said. Leila stared at her, horrified by the confession. She looked back at Raissa. Her mind was racing.

"I... I was drugged... I wouldn't know where it was and if I did how do you even kill a demon?" Leila begged. Maggie sighed.

"It wouldn't be easy, and that nest of them up there in Willamette is a particularly nasty bunch. I wouldn't even try." Maggie warned. Leila felt suddenly like she couldn't breathe. Logan's hand was in her hair, but he was tense. Angry. She could see Aaron struggling to control his wolf as well.

"Though you may not have to worry... demons have a violent nature. So violent, they are often self-destructive. They react viciously without a thought when provoked. It's fortunate for us, they are their own population control.

It's why their numbers never reach anything that would threaten us... they kill at higher rates than they procreate. And the full demons are summoned, not many witches these days have the talent to do so, the cost is quite high. So the ones that are already here are basically it...

They have no maternal or paternal instincts toward their young, they are simply thought of as tools. At least, the full ones have that mentality. The half are a different story, but they seem to vary with temperaments. Some are just as cruel and ruthless as their parentage, while others may go through life without a soul knowing aside from other beings on their plane of existence.

It's very likely he will die long before he comes for her and it will fade on its own." Maggie reassured. Leila took a shaky breath and looked at Aaron, then Logan. Both just looked furious still, their eyes wolf glazed.

"Can you do something to protect her?" Leila asked instead. She was feeling desperate.

"We can start with putting up demon wards. But the energy on that mark feels... different somehow." Maggie said.

"I think... I think I know which one." Leila said. Maggie looked at her with interest.

"Which did this?" She clarified. Leila cast a nervous look at Logan. She hadn't told him much, before she looked back at Maggie.

"She was away from me while I was captive there for a while but... I think... It had to have been that young half one, he was only alone with her for a second... I... oh god. I remember, I smelled blood, I thought she got scratched... I didn't-" Leila was fumbling with her words. She remember in the van... before he left them outside the Gifala territory.

"It was a young one then? Not even a full demon? Strange, the mark doesn't indicate he's only half. Probably a strong bloodline. This is not my specialty, There might be another coven that can-" Maggie said.

"No, we are not associating with any other, not after what Leila went through." Logan said angrily.

"It was the boy I told you of... the one that helped us. I think he did it, right before he left us outside Gifala." Leila said shakily.

"What boy?" Aaron snarled. Leila looked over at him...

She didn't think she ever saw Aaron so furious.

"He was one of the demon offspring. He was half wolf." Leila said. Both Logan and Aaron tensed as they stared at her. Maggie was quiet for a moment.

"In that case... he may seek to actually mate her, and the wards won't work to keep him out, they don't work fully on half demons aside from a sting. His wolf blood may also complicate things... But we can at least keep the full ones out. I would do something similar to what we have around our own coven. And we can put some others that will at least warn you of an attempt to cross for the halflings." Maggie said. Leila looked at Logan. He was watching her closely.

"Will our pack sense them?" Logan asked as he looked back at her.

"It doesn't matter, do it," Aaron growled. Maggie studied him for a moment, before she looked back at Logan.

"Some may sense them, those that are more sensitive. Most of the Copiii lunii will I imagine, but the average wolf shouldn't be bothered by it." Maggie said. Logan looked at Aaron. He was still looking furious.

"How long will it take you?" Logan asked.

"A few months, I'd need to get some supplies... and bring more of my coven, and we'd have to negotiate a price. That kind of spell work doesn't come cheap." She said.

"Whatever your price, just get it done..." Logan said.

Leila reached out to Aaron, and he reluctantly gave Raissa back. Leila drew her close and breathed her in.

She couldn't help but worry, even with Maggie's reassurances.

...what if someday he did come back?

... what if they lost her?