was so awake she couldn’t imagine feeling tired again.
The sound of swishing made her smile. Her protector was getting ready to make his next round of the cottage. He would be so angry when he found her on a comfy pillow, enjoying the wet night air.
Or he would be even more furious than before. This wasn’t a particularly brilliant move. With her heart pounding, she whipped back inside but couldn’t resist making a quick change back into Elin and calling, very sweetly, “Come in and get warm. Come on in now.”
Wind screeched through the trees, suddenly whipping branches low enough to scrape the roof.
Screeching turned into a gathering hum and into the light beam a long, black, flying creature like an oversized dragonfly made of shadows shot past the windows.
Elin didn’t wait to see what happened next. She lunged for the lock on the door…but not fast enough to shoot the bolt home.
Elin backed away. Long curved nails protruding from the cutoff fingers of black gloves curled around the edge of the door and it crashed open.
One of those leather-clad fingers went to a full, dark red male mouth from which long incisors appeared. A vampire, and his smile sickened her.
“So kind of you to invite me in,” the blood eater said. “Not a sound now. Come to me like a good girl. I promise you’ll be glad you did.”
“Sean!” Elin shouted. She dashed back into the sitting room and headed for the front door.
In a flash, the vampire inserted himself in front of her and reached out with both hands.
Where was Sean? Either fast asleep or making that tour around the cottage she’d been waiting for.
Elin whirled away and scrambled up the loft ladder while the creature laughed, a gurgling laugh.
She could scarcely breathe. Silvery hair flowed over the vampire’s shoulders all the way to his waist. So white it appeared transparent, his slender face fixed in a menacing leer and his red eyes glowed.
He came toward her slowly, levitating, spreading his arms, his cape swinging away from a body suit that clung to every inch of him.
There was no way she could fight this thing.
Elin opened her mouth wide to scream and squeezed her eyes shut. The scream died in her throat. A flapping sound, as of many wings, slapped around her, like bats swarming. She waved her arms but they were quickly clamped to her sides by a sickeningly sweet-smelling sack that descended over her head and shoulders.
Instinctively, she shifted again, dropped down to Skillywidden’s diminutive size, and escaped.
The vampire grinned with delight. “No wonder you are such a prize,” he said. “What intriguing hidden talents. He who sent me has far more need of you than that dog of yours. You need not expect him to save you. I have lured him off into the trees in search of a moving shadow that isn’t really there.”
He leaned against the loft railing and watched her, clearly amused by what he saw as her helplessness.
The front door splintered under Sean’s shoulder and he smashed through. Skillywidden could see how he took in the whole scene and she wanted to beg him to shift at once. Even as a hound, he would be outmatched by the vampire, but as a man, he had no chance.
“Come on, Vampire,” Sean said, his voice shockingly soft. “Let’s deal with this down here.”
Skillywidden leaped her way to the exposed beams overhead and crouched there, hissing.
The vampire flew from the loft to the sitting room, set down without a sound, and began circling Sean, who pointed to Skillywidden without looking at her. “You stay right there,” he told her.
She shivered at the threat in his voice.
“It’s time we met,” the vampire said, continuing around Sean, who turned on his heel to keep the other one in his sight. “Colin. No doubt you’ve heard of me. I don’t normally engage in these little scuffles but I wanted to see you more closely. I wanted to find out what makes you so important to…to important people.”
He threw off his cape
The sound of swishing made her smile. Her protector was getting ready to make his next round of the cottage. He would be so angry when he found her on a comfy pillow, enjoying the wet night air.
Or he would be even more furious than before. This wasn’t a particularly brilliant move. With her heart pounding, she whipped back inside but couldn’t resist making a quick change back into Elin and calling, very sweetly, “Come in and get warm. Come on in now.”
Wind screeched through the trees, suddenly whipping branches low enough to scrape the roof.
Screeching turned into a gathering hum and into the light beam a long, black, flying creature like an oversized dragonfly made of shadows shot past the windows.
Elin didn’t wait to see what happened next. She lunged for the lock on the door…but not fast enough to shoot the bolt home.
Elin backed away. Long curved nails protruding from the cutoff fingers of black gloves curled around the edge of the door and it crashed open.
One of those leather-clad fingers went to a full, dark red male mouth from which long incisors appeared. A vampire, and his smile sickened her.
“So kind of you to invite me in,” the blood eater said. “Not a sound now. Come to me like a good girl. I promise you’ll be glad you did.”
“Sean!” Elin shouted. She dashed back into the sitting room and headed for the front door.
In a flash, the vampire inserted himself in front of her and reached out with both hands.
Where was Sean? Either fast asleep or making that tour around the cottage she’d been waiting for.
Elin whirled away and scrambled up the loft ladder while the creature laughed, a gurgling laugh.
She could scarcely breathe. Silvery hair flowed over the vampire’s shoulders all the way to his waist. So white it appeared transparent, his slender face fixed in a menacing leer and his red eyes glowed.
He came toward her slowly, levitating, spreading his arms, his cape swinging away from a body suit that clung to every inch of him.
There was no way she could fight this thing.
Elin opened her mouth wide to scream and squeezed her eyes shut. The scream died in her throat. A flapping sound, as of many wings, slapped around her, like bats swarming. She waved her arms but they were quickly clamped to her sides by a sickeningly sweet-smelling sack that descended over her head and shoulders.
Instinctively, she shifted again, dropped down to Skillywidden’s diminutive size, and escaped.
The vampire grinned with delight. “No wonder you are such a prize,” he said. “What intriguing hidden talents. He who sent me has far more need of you than that dog of yours. You need not expect him to save you. I have lured him off into the trees in search of a moving shadow that isn’t really there.”
He leaned against the loft railing and watched her, clearly amused by what he saw as her helplessness.
The front door splintered under Sean’s shoulder and he smashed through. Skillywidden could see how he took in the whole scene and she wanted to beg him to shift at once. Even as a hound, he would be outmatched by the vampire, but as a man, he had no chance.
“Come on, Vampire,” Sean said, his voice shockingly soft. “Let’s deal with this down here.”
Skillywidden leaped her way to the exposed beams overhead and crouched there, hissing.
The vampire flew from the loft to the sitting room, set down without a sound, and began circling Sean, who pointed to Skillywidden without looking at her. “You stay right there,” he told her.
She shivered at the threat in his voice.
“It’s time we met,” the vampire said, continuing around Sean, who turned on his heel to keep the other one in his sight. “Colin. No doubt you’ve heard of me. I don’t normally engage in these little scuffles but I wanted to see you more closely. I wanted to find out what makes you so important to…to important people.”
He threw off his cape
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