Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Splinters of wood on the doorjamb shriveled and peeled off, smoking and falling to the snow in tiny specks of blackened ash. One master slithered across the snow in the wake of the demons attacking the royals.
I do not recognize him, Afanasiv said to his brethren.
I will take him, Benedek announced. I have run into him before. He calls himself Slayer of Hunters.
He launched himself straight at the master vampire, full speed, much like a missile. At the last moment, as the master vampire was certain he had made an escape without being seen, Benedek materialized in front of him, slamming his fist deep through the chest wall. His momentum and the speed the master vampire was using to depart aided him in going through the thin armor plate he had encountered before when fighting the vampire.
His fingers closed around the heart. Slayer of Hunters instantly went on the attack, driving his own fist into Benedek’s chest, seeking his heart. Simultaneously, the vampire leaned into the ancient hunter and ripped at his throat with serrated spiked teeth. Rich Carpathian blood welled up, spilled from the torn throat down to his chest. Instantly, the vampire inhaled the scent of the blood and began frantically licking with a snakelike tongue. Starved of blood from being shrunken and left for too long, the vampire tried gulping the rare treat. The blood would make him strong. It was rich and hot. He hadn’t had Carpathian blood in a century.
Benedek ripped the heart from Slayer of Hunters’ chest and flung it on the ground, calling down the lightning as he did so. The master vampire jerked at Benedek’s heart, but it was too late for him. He was still partially distracted by the rich blood that he barely noticed until the white-hot flash came that his heart was gone. Shrieking, he threw himself at his heart, trying to get to it before the jagged bolt of lightning reached it. He was too late. The blinding light hit the heart and leapt to the vampire.
The second master vampire had crawled up the doorjamb to cling to the side of the structure as Benedek attacked Slayer of Hunters. He went very still to hide himself. As the vampire and Benedek fought, he hurried up to the rooftop and lay flat, peering over the side to see how Slayer of Hunters fared. He began to back away, slithering like a crab on the roof, when he caught the scent of the rich, hot Carpathian blood. The droplets seemed to float in the air to him. Starved, he hesitated, torn between self-preservation and the terrible need to feed on the amazing and rare treat of ancient Carpathian blood.
Petru stalked the master vampire, hovering just above him. It was very clear Xayvion hadn’t realized what being inside his Trojan horse for so long would do to his demons and vampires. It was his first time using this spell, and he hadn’t considered the vampires would be weak and not just craving blood but starving for it.
Before Petru struck, the vampire crawled forward again and peered over the roof at Benedek, who seemed to stagger as he turned toward Vasilisa and Garald. He was slow closing his wounds, as if he had been severely injured and it was taking far more strength than he had anticipated. The master vampire growled his appreciation, looked around carefully at the chaos happening below and sniffed the air one more time. The overpowering scent of the ancient blood was too hard to resist. He floated to the ground to stand just out of reach of the hunter.
“You seem to be having trouble healing your wounds, Benedek. Perhaps I can aid you.” The sly malice in his voice matched the hideous putrid vapor pouring out of his mouth. The discolored gas appeared green against the white backdrop of Vasilisa’s sword’s light. The vampire threw up a cloak to shield his body from the brightness, but his eyes wept continuously.
Benedek narrowed his gaze and took a half step to the side to avoid the vapor. His hands dropped from his wounds as he faced the vampire. “Baird. How good of you to worry about me, but I think I can manage. It is best if you seek justice elsewhere this night. In all fairness, I can see that you have been deprived of blood for some time and are too weak to give me any kind of real challenge.”
Baird licked at his lips. From the corners of his mouth, tiny parasites wiggled free and dropped to the ground.
“Hunters care nothing for fairness in battle. What is wrong, Benedek?” Baird sent another stream of poisonous vapor toward the ancient. Baird began to sway slightly, inching closer, beginning to drool.
“Actually, Baird,” Benedek said. “Nothing at all. I believe your mistake was trusting the mage and all his promises. It sounded like a good idea, didn’t it? But mages have a way of making things sound good, especially when you are the one taking all the chances.”