Immortal Dynasty Read Free Page B

college guys, sporting name brand jeans and Harvard polo shirts. Until their cheekbones popped and stretched outward. Shiny fangs swung down from the roofs of their mouths. Forked tongues flickered between the dripping fangs. Sniffing the air, they seemed to be studying their surroundings.
    Finally, the third form stepped from the void. This one exuded an air of authority.
    Think! Darius rubbed the back of his head. His mind screamed with questions that he dared not ask out loud. Not unless he wanted to give up their position before he made some quick plans. The black void now engulfed the hallway leading to the stairwell, the only way out of this office besides the elevator. Artie had slid to the floor, whimpering and sweating.
    Darius glanced again at the security guard’s body. The gun. It was still in the guard’s holster. He wondered how he could get to it.
    The lead demon didn’t have scaly skin like the others, but he sported the same set of drippy fangs. All of them panted heavily. Darius felt the temperature in the room drop severely, yet sweat trickled down his back.
    “Mr. Arthur Johnson? Come out, come out, wherever you are,” the demon sang in a raspy voice. He strode forward, flicking back the tails of his leather trench coat. “It seems that you have been a very naughty boy. Snooping around her private collection. Shame on you. The Dragon Queen would like a word with you.”
    Darius put his fingers to his lips to signal for his grandfather to remain silent.
    “She demands it!” An impatient roar reverberated through the empty room. The demon picked up a television screen and threw it. It shattered on impact with the wall. Artie responded with a toe-curling shriek and renewed efforts at prying open the elevator doors.
    Darius leaped over the desk, starting toward the growling demon. “Damn, you could win a door prize at DragonCon.”
    A ragged, wet growling sound was his only response. It echoed off the tiled floors. The other two moved around him slowly, like snakes encircling their prey.
    “Wow. What big teeth you have. How do I get a set of those?”
    The demon laughed. “Well, come here, little human, and I will show you how.”
    Darius launched toward him, covering the ground between them so quickly he knew he caught the thing off guard. It was only a momentary advantage, but enough to get a kick into the demon’s jaw. In unison, the other two sprang toward Darius. He used the back of the first one to springboard over the advancing pair. The moment his feet touched the ground, he spun to land enough kicks into their skulls to drop them too.
    He started toward the frozen guard, leading the demons away from his grandfather. He just needed a moment to get that gun. Darius heard the blow from behind him even before he felt it. It came too quickly for him to avoid. Whistling past his ear, a demon’s fist slammed down onto his collarbone. Darius felt cold tile under his cheek.
    Two of the demons pressed him into the floor. For once, Darius wished he had a full head of hair, because hot drool oozed across his scalp. He shivered with revulsion, as he realized it smelled nasty as well.
    “Whew, what have you been eating? Ever heard of breath mints?” His stomach roiled from the stench. He felt a kick coming, but he curled inward to absorb at least some of the blow. He coughed and gulped for air.
    Darius froze as he felt a slimy fang rub against his cheek. A breathy voice too close to his ear whispered, “Human, you smell like a tasty one.”
    “Not now, you fools,” the commanding demon barked. “The Dragon Queen doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Mr. Johnson, it’s time to go now.”
    Artie’s body twisted and arched on the floor. His eyes nearly popped from his face.
    Papa Shadi stepped out from his hiding place. “Take me. Leave them out of this. I am the one who knows Lilith’s secrets.”
    “ No !” Darius struggled to get up, but he was slammed against the floor again. His grandfather