“I
thought we were dead for sure.”
“Maybe you made the wrong friends
sophomore year,” said Lisabelle.
Kia grimaced. “Yes, well, that’s
certainly possible.” She gave heavy sigh. “As a matter of fact, if I had had
any idea what they were doing. . . .” She looked at us with helpless eyes. “I
never would have. . . .” She sighed again. “It’s probably too late for me now.”
“You ladies looking for us?” a
voice croaked from behind us.
The knot in my stomach, which I
had been paying no attention to until I heard Lough’s voice, finally started to
dissolve. I sprang to my feet, moving even faster than Lisabelle.
“Lough,” I cried, rushing to my
friend, who was emerging from the woods with Rake, Trafton, and Evan. None of
them was in great condition. Evan’s arm hung at an odd angle and Trafton was
bloody. Lough didn’t look injured, but he was covered in dirt and grass. Rake
had a long cut down his cheek and was walking with a limp.
I threw myself at Lough, who
opened his arms, caught me, and held me at a little distance.
“Careful,” he muttered. “My whole
body hurts. I might as well have gotten into a fight with Lisabelle years ago.
I don’t think I could feel worse.”
I drew back to look at him,
frowning. His eyes were feverish and there was sweat on his brow.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“How’d you survive the fall?”
“We dreamed the demon was back
home with his friends,” said Trafton. “Totally confused the thing.”
“I didn’t think dream givers were
any use at all,” said Rake. “I’m now prepared to revise my statement.”
“Thanks,” said Trafton dryly. He
ran his fingers through his blond hair, which at the moment was more of a
grayish color. They came back dirty.
Lough looked at Lisabelle. Kia,
who was standing nearby, hung back.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Lisabelle nodded. “Course.”
Lough took in our surroundings.
We were in a clearing, but behind the guys was the forest from which they had
just emerged.
“Where’s Sip?” he asked.
I pointed upward, and Lough
sucked air in through his teeth.
“We sent Dove to help her,” I
said. “No way he fails.”
Lough gave one sharp nod. “We
have our own problems, anyway,” he said. And pointed.
Demons were coming in droves. More
than ten, and then more than twenty, they were converging on us rapidly.
“Shall we run?” Trafton asked.
Lisabelle shrugged. “I mean,
they’re going to die now or they’re going to die later. Seems like it’d be more
polite to kill them now.”
Trafton gave her a sharp grin. He
looked tired, but less so when he looked at Lisabelle.
“You might not be afraid, but
that’s a lot of demons coming at us,” he said.
“Run,” Kia cried, as she darted
for the trees.
“I guess we’re running,” said
Lough. “We should at least get to cover.”
We ran. Once we reached the trees
we’d be better able to defend ourselves.
And to fight.
Chapter Nine
The woods were thick, with the
branches hanging low from the weight of the snow and ice.
“This way,” said Lough, leading
us to the carriage they had landed in.
“What happened to the other
carriage?” I asked.
Lough shrugged. “It carried Faci,
Daisy, Camill,a and Dobrov, so probably nothing. Do you care?” He gave me a
sharp look and I shrugged. I did, in fact, care about Dobrov. I worried about
him and I wanted him to be alright. Lough had totally given up on him when he’d
gone back to Daisy, though, and I wasn’t about to argue the points of loyalty
now.
“So we’re missing Zervos, Keller,
Marcus, and Sip?” Trafton asked grimly.
“Zervos was fighting demons,”
said Lisabelle. “I bet he went to help Marcus and Keller.”
“It must have been a hard
landing,” I muttered when I saw the wreckage. Evan gave a whimper and I glanced
at his arm. Feeling my stomach lurch, I looked away. The vampire was pale and
swaying a little. Rake helped him to
thought we were dead for sure.”
“Maybe you made the wrong friends
sophomore year,” said Lisabelle.
Kia grimaced. “Yes, well, that’s
certainly possible.” She gave heavy sigh. “As a matter of fact, if I had had
any idea what they were doing. . . .” She looked at us with helpless eyes. “I
never would have. . . .” She sighed again. “It’s probably too late for me now.”
“You ladies looking for us?” a
voice croaked from behind us.
The knot in my stomach, which I
had been paying no attention to until I heard Lough’s voice, finally started to
dissolve. I sprang to my feet, moving even faster than Lisabelle.
“Lough,” I cried, rushing to my
friend, who was emerging from the woods with Rake, Trafton, and Evan. None of
them was in great condition. Evan’s arm hung at an odd angle and Trafton was
bloody. Lough didn’t look injured, but he was covered in dirt and grass. Rake
had a long cut down his cheek and was walking with a limp.
I threw myself at Lough, who
opened his arms, caught me, and held me at a little distance.
“Careful,” he muttered. “My whole
body hurts. I might as well have gotten into a fight with Lisabelle years ago.
I don’t think I could feel worse.”
I drew back to look at him,
frowning. His eyes were feverish and there was sweat on his brow.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“How’d you survive the fall?”
“We dreamed the demon was back
home with his friends,” said Trafton. “Totally confused the thing.”
“I didn’t think dream givers were
any use at all,” said Rake. “I’m now prepared to revise my statement.”
“Thanks,” said Trafton dryly. He
ran his fingers through his blond hair, which at the moment was more of a
grayish color. They came back dirty.
Lough looked at Lisabelle. Kia,
who was standing nearby, hung back.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Lisabelle nodded. “Course.”
Lough took in our surroundings.
We were in a clearing, but behind the guys was the forest from which they had
just emerged.
“Where’s Sip?” he asked.
I pointed upward, and Lough
sucked air in through his teeth.
“We sent Dove to help her,” I
said. “No way he fails.”
Lough gave one sharp nod. “We
have our own problems, anyway,” he said. And pointed.
Demons were coming in droves. More
than ten, and then more than twenty, they were converging on us rapidly.
“Shall we run?” Trafton asked.
Lisabelle shrugged. “I mean,
they’re going to die now or they’re going to die later. Seems like it’d be more
polite to kill them now.”
Trafton gave her a sharp grin. He
looked tired, but less so when he looked at Lisabelle.
“You might not be afraid, but
that’s a lot of demons coming at us,” he said.
“Run,” Kia cried, as she darted
for the trees.
“I guess we’re running,” said
Lough. “We should at least get to cover.”
We ran. Once we reached the trees
we’d be better able to defend ourselves.
And to fight.
Chapter Nine
The woods were thick, with the
branches hanging low from the weight of the snow and ice.
“This way,” said Lough, leading
us to the carriage they had landed in.
“What happened to the other
carriage?” I asked.
Lough shrugged. “It carried Faci,
Daisy, Camill,a and Dobrov, so probably nothing. Do you care?” He gave me a
sharp look and I shrugged. I did, in fact, care about Dobrov. I worried about
him and I wanted him to be alright. Lough had totally given up on him when he’d
gone back to Daisy, though, and I wasn’t about to argue the points of loyalty
now.
“So we’re missing Zervos, Keller,
Marcus, and Sip?” Trafton asked grimly.
“Zervos was fighting demons,”
said Lisabelle. “I bet he went to help Marcus and Keller.”
“It must have been a hard
landing,” I muttered when I saw the wreckage. Evan gave a whimper and I glanced
at his arm. Feeling my stomach lurch, I looked away. The vampire was pale and
swaying a little. Rake helped him to
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