The King's Vampire Read Free Page B

wings, while others had reptilian skin and a more snake-like appearance.
    They slithered, or flew, or crawled nearer, until a denizen of demon-like beings surrounded her. No escape seemed possible. Elizabeth took a step forward, but one of the creatures grabbed her arm. Opening her mouth to scream, no sound came out. She shook her arm free of his bony fingers.
    She kicked at another larger, figure that appeared to control the others by his inhuman shrieks. “Who are you?” she managed to cry out, while her heart pounded and sweat dripped down her ribcage.
    It lunged at her. She looked around but had nowhere to go. She took a step forward and part of the floor of the ancient church crumbled further into the blackened moss-covered pit. “What do you want from me?”
    Clinging to the edge of the floor, she was pulled over the precipice. Her body dangled, while her nails dug into stone crevices, until she managed to use her high heels to dig into indentations along the side of the chasm. The smell of rotting death streamed from the abyss, nearly making her faint, but she remained conscious. Concentrating on her vampire abilities, she clung to the side with one hand, using the other to unfasten her cloak and rip away the satin gown she wore.
    All she remained wearing was a low-cut, lace-trimmed smock made of the sheerest of linens, and even with its elbow-length sleeves and a long full skirt, maneuvering was easier. Digging in with her nails, she drew herself up the sides of the slippery, moss-covered chasm, thralling four demon-like creatures when they got too close. Once they became trancelike, she scrabbled back up from the chasm.
    The leader of the creatures drew nearer. It gripped her ankle with its claw-like hand, making her ankle burn like fury. She remained laying against the rubble-filled floor, her cheek pressed against a cool stone.
    It breathed with a horrible gurgling sound and thick ropes of blood rose and fell from its nose and mouth. Outstretched leathered wings spanned at least eight feet and a residue of evil surrounded the creature, while the smell of decayed flesh emanated from its body.
    She felt the power of her thralling aura being siphoned off and felt like she’d been kicked in the chest. She understood what she had stumbled upon. This was a nest of psychic vampire demons, and one was sucking psychic energy from her. If he didn’t release her soon she’d die, and so kicking his claw-like hand away from her ankle, she scrabbled away from the moss-covered floor, and then jumped up and ran down the rubble-strewn nave.
    She tried to reach the stone archway that led outside, before he connected psychically with her again. He wasn’t close, but his psychic tentacles extended out and a force pressed down hard on her chest, paralyzing her to the spot while the demon headed toward her. Gasping, she cried out, “What do you want from me? Can’t you speak at all?”
    Elizabeth tried to thrall him, but he was too powerful, and she too drained. It was move, or be killed by this vampire demon. At least he couldn’t steal her soul, since she had none to give. Instead of comfort, this thought swept her into the darkest despair, realizing how easy it would be to die before regaining her soul.
    She couldn’t understand the flickering throb of her heart or the pressure of someone against her back. It wasn’t a feeling of fear, but rather a sense of relief. She darted a look behind her to see Darius’s broad shoulders straining against a velvet jacket. Even in the semi-darkness, the wave of his black hair and the glint in his gray eyes were visible. He hugged her to his chest with one arm and managed to thrall the demon with the other.
    Darius froze the main demon, but the others kept coming toward them, until he lifted one arm and shot scorching flames in their direction. The demons stopped in their tracks. She looked at Darius in surprise. By his expression, she knew he’d surprised himself.
    “How did you