such a passionate kiss with Darius, Elizabeth darted toward her friends. “Thank you for coming to help, but maybe you shouldn’t have come. The situation is dangerous. We’ve got to escape before Julian finds us.”
“Julian?” Darius raised his eyebrows.
“He’s the leader of the psychic vampire demons. He’s a wretched creature,” Elizabeth said.
A loud, scraping sound caused an icy shiver to slide down her spine. Several of the remaining stone sarcophagi lids were shoved aside, and the semi-rotting bodies of demons crawled out, all heading toward them.
“Form a circle with our backs touching one another,” Darius commanded. “Stay tightly together, and we’ll escape.”
Elizabeth attempted to thrall the two demons nearest her, but they refused to meet her gaze and continued their inexorable journey toward them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Darius lift up his fist and a spark of energy shot from him. He stunned one of the creatures, causing a blast of energy that propelled the demon head-over-heels to the far side of the crypt. Darius led their tight-knit group toward the ladder leading back up to the church ruins.
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open, and she paused to stare at him with a questioning lift of her brow.
He gave a slight shrug. “What?”
“How did you destroy those demons?”
“I’m not entirely certain, but we’d better get out of here now and figure it out later.”
Two of the demons she’d tried to thrall were now reaching out, grasping hold of Elizabeth’s petticoat. She raised her fist, and with a quick, short murmured prayer, she struck the demon directly in the throat. She felt it implode beneath the impact of her fist.
The remaining demons paused when Darius sent out another flash of energy, imploding one demon. Darius ushered Elizabeth, Amelia, and John up the ladder, following close behind.
First to reach the top of the ladder, Elizabeth said, “I see a dim light outside the archways of the church. Follow me.”
They’d almost reached the entrance when a hooded figure came rapidly gliding toward them. In silence, the shadowy figure stepped in front of them, blocking the exit while tossing back its hood. Elizabeth recognized Julian, his horrible eyes blazing blood-red, and his mummified face transformed into a skull whose hinged jaws tantalizingly opened and closed, while his wings beat back and forth.
Fear-frozen, Elizabeth watched the skull increase in size, the jaws continuing to rise and fall. The creature grew until it filled the archway.
With a shout, Darius shoved his three companions away from him and toward the archway. “Run! John, take the women to safety.”
John grabbed both women by the arm and started running with them, dodging the skull and slipping beneath Julian’s enormous wings. Elizabeth pulled back and turned around in time to see the huge jaws closing over Darius. She screamed, but John yanked her back and dragged her and Amelia out of the church forcibly, before she could protest further. He gave a shrill whistle. Darius’s coach appeared in front of the ruins. John shoved the women into the coach, and shouted to the driver, “To the Boar’s Head Inn. Hurry up, my good man.”
In the coach, Elizabeth glared at him with such ferocity that he drew away from her in surprise. “How dare you, John!”
His eyes widened. “What’s wrong? Darius told me to get you and Amelia to safety, and that’s what I’ve done.”
His wife touched his shoulder and gave a shake of her head.
Elizabeth sat up on her knees, pressing her face to the back window of the carriage. Even with her superior vision, she saw neither Darius, nor the huge skull from her vantage point.
“We’ve abandoned him to those horrible demons. We should have stayed and fought.”
When she let out an enormous sob, Amelia gently pulled her back onto the seat. “John was doing what Darius asked him to do. Darius is a great warrior and he can take care of
“Julian?” Darius raised his eyebrows.
“He’s the leader of the psychic vampire demons. He’s a wretched creature,” Elizabeth said.
A loud, scraping sound caused an icy shiver to slide down her spine. Several of the remaining stone sarcophagi lids were shoved aside, and the semi-rotting bodies of demons crawled out, all heading toward them.
“Form a circle with our backs touching one another,” Darius commanded. “Stay tightly together, and we’ll escape.”
Elizabeth attempted to thrall the two demons nearest her, but they refused to meet her gaze and continued their inexorable journey toward them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Darius lift up his fist and a spark of energy shot from him. He stunned one of the creatures, causing a blast of energy that propelled the demon head-over-heels to the far side of the crypt. Darius led their tight-knit group toward the ladder leading back up to the church ruins.
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open, and she paused to stare at him with a questioning lift of her brow.
He gave a slight shrug. “What?”
“How did you destroy those demons?”
“I’m not entirely certain, but we’d better get out of here now and figure it out later.”
Two of the demons she’d tried to thrall were now reaching out, grasping hold of Elizabeth’s petticoat. She raised her fist, and with a quick, short murmured prayer, she struck the demon directly in the throat. She felt it implode beneath the impact of her fist.
The remaining demons paused when Darius sent out another flash of energy, imploding one demon. Darius ushered Elizabeth, Amelia, and John up the ladder, following close behind.
First to reach the top of the ladder, Elizabeth said, “I see a dim light outside the archways of the church. Follow me.”
They’d almost reached the entrance when a hooded figure came rapidly gliding toward them. In silence, the shadowy figure stepped in front of them, blocking the exit while tossing back its hood. Elizabeth recognized Julian, his horrible eyes blazing blood-red, and his mummified face transformed into a skull whose hinged jaws tantalizingly opened and closed, while his wings beat back and forth.
Fear-frozen, Elizabeth watched the skull increase in size, the jaws continuing to rise and fall. The creature grew until it filled the archway.
With a shout, Darius shoved his three companions away from him and toward the archway. “Run! John, take the women to safety.”
John grabbed both women by the arm and started running with them, dodging the skull and slipping beneath Julian’s enormous wings. Elizabeth pulled back and turned around in time to see the huge jaws closing over Darius. She screamed, but John yanked her back and dragged her and Amelia out of the church forcibly, before she could protest further. He gave a shrill whistle. Darius’s coach appeared in front of the ruins. John shoved the women into the coach, and shouted to the driver, “To the Boar’s Head Inn. Hurry up, my good man.”
In the coach, Elizabeth glared at him with such ferocity that he drew away from her in surprise. “How dare you, John!”
His eyes widened. “What’s wrong? Darius told me to get you and Amelia to safety, and that’s what I’ve done.”
His wife touched his shoulder and gave a shake of her head.
Elizabeth sat up on her knees, pressing her face to the back window of the carriage. Even with her superior vision, she saw neither Darius, nor the huge skull from her vantage point.
“We’ve abandoned him to those horrible demons. We should have stayed and fought.”
When she let out an enormous sob, Amelia gently pulled her back onto the seat. “John was doing what Darius asked him to do. Darius is a great warrior and he can take care of
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